Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#21.

May’s body had gone rigid as if paralyzed, enveloped in a damp, suffocating aura.
“Ah, ah, ahhhhh!”
Her face contorted in agony as she cried out, clutching her head in her hands.
It was the mental collapse symptom that ability users experienced when subjected to psychic attacks.
Crack—!
The air froze sharply, and ice began to creep slowly across the space surrounding May.
No one dared to intervene, for the identity of her attacker remained unknown, and the Princess herself wielded the power of ice—a dangerous combination.
“Your Highness….”
Before Chloe could step forward, Octavia was already on her feet.
“Princess May!”
Octavia urgently seized the tablecloth and yanked it free. In the process, plates, teacups, and a teapot clattered and shattered across the floor.
She draped the white tablecloth over May and wrapped her in her arms.
In a state of mental collapse, one might display vulgar behavior or reveal an unseemly appearance before everyone—so this was an act of preserving the Princess’s dignity.
“Your Highness, ugh!”
Those who had belatedly moved to help, after confirming she was unharmed, staggered backward, clutching their heads. The intense chaos had pierced their minds.
Octavia alone remained unaffected by the psychic assault, and she turned to observe those who had collapsed.
‘Hmph, impossible. As a superior being from an advanced civilization who spent years in research facilities, such a mental attack would never work on me.’
Someone stared at Octavia in astonishment.
“That lady must be unaffected because she’s a non-ability user!”
Of course, none of them could have known she was from another world entirely.
In Octavia’s embrace, May began to giggle.
“Actually, I captured a handsome priest from the Chaos Faith as a prisoner….”
“Kyaaaah!”
Octavia let out an urgent cry, drowning out her words.
No! If you say that publicly, your royal life is over!
“Everyone, turn away and step back! Knights, seal the Royal Palace immediately!”
At April’s command, people turned their heads and withdrew. Several rushed off to summon priests who could calm May.
Covered by the tablecloth, May continued to murmur and ramble on.
“Mmm, perhaps because he’s such a hedonistic chaos worshipper, it was incredibly stimulating.”
One misstep and she would have revealed to everyone the secret that she enjoyed illicit thrills with the imprisoned handsome priest of an enemy nation.
Fortunately, only Octavia heard her words.
“I have a facility where I keep only the most beautiful men. I’ll invite you next time.”
“Oh, yes.”
Octavia found herself nodding without thinking.
‘I can actually witness the Princess’s scandalous secret harem that appears in the original work with my own eyes?’
It was far too high-stimulus a genre to refuse.
May, giggling softly, whispered into Octavia’s ear.
“That priest is actually a descendant of an apostle, like the Decart Imperial Family. The ‘Betrayer’s Kinesai Apostle,’ to be precise. I secretly hid him after he lost his power and was abandoned.”
As if someone else had possessed her body, she spoke in a completely different tone from the May I knew. It was as though someone were transmitting information through the Princess’s form.
‘Could it be the Ginesa Royal that the Princess had hidden speaking through her?’
I noticed my magic stone bracelet gleaming as if resonating with something.
The Princess wrapped her arms around me, her fingers threading through my hair as she continued.
“Why don’t you try using me this time?”
At those loaded words, my eyes widened considerably.
The unconscious Princess’s body tilted backward. The cloth draped over her slipped away with a soft whisper.
Beneath the fabric, dark energy seeped out and transformed into a grotesque black form. Within the undulating mass, countless eyes snapped open in unison.
Splat—!
In that instant, the bizarre and sinister entity exploded outward in all directions, scattering violently across the ground.
My magic stone scattered across the grass as I held her, directing its power toward the writhing black residue.
“It’s a Chaos Spirit!”
“Saint Uriana and the High Priests are at the Northern Temple for the worship ceremony! It will take time for them to arrive!”
“Call the regular Priests immediately!”
People moved urgently, establishing a defensive perimeter.
Chaos Spirits lurk quietly before launching sudden mental attacks and stealing consciousness.
That depraved, hedonistic handsome Priest must have attached it to May as a failsafe.
‘Why would the Priest called Ginesa Royal send me a message through a Chaos Spirit?’
I closed my eyes and fell into contemplation.
Though I didn’t know the exact reason, one conclusion was clear: Ginesa Royal was searching for me.

***

“How could that possibly exist within the sacred Royal Palace? This is where Saint Uriana’s sanctity reaches.”
Someone’s voice rang out in question.
No matter how advanced the dark magic, it wouldn’t easily penetrate a princess who passed through holy barriers daily and received consecration and purification.
That’s why May had felt safe enough to enjoy herself.
‘Saint Uriana’s sanctity has weakened. That’s the cause.’
The Royal Palace’s most powerful barrier in the Acedia Kingdom. While the Ludovisi Family maintained the formulas that composed it, its power source was Saint Uriana’s sanctity.
Octavia gently stroked May’s trembling back as she recovered from the mental collapse.
“You’re alright now, Princess May. Breathe in through your nose, and exhale slowly through your mouth.”
Her soothing gestures and guidance through deep breathing were quite practiced.
Beneath Octavia’s gentle touch, the throbbing headache and darkness that had been pulverizing May’s mind gradually began to dissipate.
Finally regaining her senses at the sound of that kind voice, May looked up at Octavia.
Unable to remember the tremendous words she had spoken, she let out a choked sound of emotion.
“Octavia… you were trying to save me while enduring a Chaos Faith mental attack? You could have been in danger yourself.”
How many would throw themselves into harm’s way for another? And she wasn’t even someone with abilities.
“Your Highness, you treated me without prejudice. You helped me and extended your hand when I couldn’t receive an invitation.”
Perhaps due to her still-hazy consciousness, Octavia’s kind face and sun-colored hair appeared almost angelic.
Looking at that face, May found herself thinking.
‘Could the matter of the invitation and all the stories and rumors about Octavia have been maliciously exaggerated by someone?’

Favorability increased [+200]

People rationalize those toward whom they feel affection.
‘This much loss will be more than made up for with just one handshake from the Admiral.’
Octavia reminded herself once more of Kelsedny Admiral’s necessity.

From a distance, the voices of High Priests who had arrived late and attendants engaged in a dispute could be heard.
“How does it make sense for all key personnel to go to the Northern Temple for worship? As if we didn’t know something would happen!”
“The clergy are not servants of the Royal Family. Is it not enough that the Saint has blessed us with barriers and blessings—are you asking her to provide constant protection as well?”

In the midst of the commotion, a Priest who had rushed over to check on the Princess’s condition spoke up.
“Judging by how the Chaos Commander revealed itself and thrashed about, it appears this Radiant Stone has been continuously blocking the Commander’s aura.”
Dominic’s gaze, having rushed over in haste, passed over the vacant-eyed Chloe and fixed upon May and Octavia.
He stared intently at the unusually luminous Radiant Stone.
‘All because of that?’
Octavia had intercepted the Radiant Stone and won the Princess’s favor with it. It was an infuriating coincidence.
From his perspective, Octavia had robbed Chloe of her opportunity.
Seeing Chloe gaze longingly at the Radiant Stone, he could no longer contain himself and stepped forward.
“That Radiant Stone originally belonged to Lady Chloe. It’s a precious keepsake from her mother.”
At this, Countess Hertan, who had long harbored displeasure toward Octavia, seized her moment and came forward.
“Are you saying Lady Octavia gave the Princess a stolen item as a gift?”
Given her illustrious track record, people began to regard Octavia with a hint of suspicion.
I should have expected this.
Octavia clicked her tongue inwardly in disapproval.
That Radiant Stone had been sold off by Chloe’s worthless father, and Dominic had been desperately trying to recover it.
The reason for presenting her mother’s keepsake as a birthday gift to May was because it held sufficient value.
Gaining the trust of May, who wielded considerable influence within the Royal Family, was equivalent to securing power and benefits across multiple layers—political, social, and informational.
It seemed she had intended to reveal that the Radiant Stone given as a gift was actually ‘a precious family heirloom’ to win May’s boundless gratitude and trust. But…
“Goodness, who sells a precious family heirloom at an auction house? I purchased it through the auction myself. I even have the purchase certificate.”
Regardless of her intentions, she had already become someone who sold her mother’s keepsake for money.
“That was Baron Arses, her father, who—”
True to form, the Prince, ignorant of how someone’s sorrow could become their weakness, was about to mention how her family was in disarray.
Chloe, stepping in to stop Dominic, wore an expression of distress.
“I believe Your Highness has misunderstood. An item similar to my mother’s keepsake came up for auction, so I asked Your Highness for help. Lady Octavia didn’t steal it—she legitimately purchased it at the auction.”
Now it would appear foolish to belatedly question someone else’s accomplishment, so this was the wisest course of action.
“I should have explained it properly to Your Highness from the beginning. I’m truly sorry for causing this misunderstanding, Lady Octavia.”
Chloe lowered her head with a dejected expression and offered her apology.
As Octavia smiled graciously and took her hand, Chloe lifted her head slightly.

Favorability Decreased [+1,000]

So in the end, you wish to kill me.
Octavia caught the cold glint that flickered across Chloe’s eyes for but a moment, and a serene smile graced her lips.
“Not at all, Lady Chloe. Rather, I….”
As Octavia drew her face close, a spark of exhilaration kindled in her eyes.
“Are you truly sorry? Because what I’m about to do to obstruct your path starts right now.”
Her expression remained composed until that moment, but at her next words, Chloe’s face drained of all color.
“…I know everything about you.”
Octavia smiled with gentle warmth.
Your precious mother’s keepsake? What of it.

“I believe the sin of raising a child poorly weighs far heavier.”

In the original story, Chloe—who would shudder at the mere mention of her own family—

“Therefore, the Ludovisi Family must bear the same guilt.”

had executed Octavia’s family in place of her own abusive kin.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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