Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 22

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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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#22.

“Are you truly sorry? Blocking your path starts right now.”
“…I know everything about you.”

‘Has she investigated my background?’
Chloe assumed Octavia was blackmailing her over her worthless father and brother.
They were parasitic creatures who clung stubbornly to her ankles whenever she tried to escape.
‘But a delicately raised lady can never defeat someone who clawed their way up from the bottom. The magnitude of desperation itself is different.’
Chloe maintained her expressionless mask while mulling this over, then spoke in a careful voice.
“Lady Octavia. Surely… this isn’t something you orchestrated for the Prince’s sake?”
Despite her cautious tone, her voice carried enough to draw everyone’s attention toward Octavia.
May and Dominic—both Grade 2 ability users with comparable power—were fierce competitors before they were siblings.
Octavia had even supported Dominic in surpassing May, which made the insinuation all the more pointed.
“Did you tamper with the stolen Radiant Stone? Resorting to such despicable tactics against my sister just to curry favor with me… and then trying to pin it on Lady Chloe’s family heirlooms?”
Dominic hastily distanced himself and began denouncing Octavia.
‘Is this the law of original story preservation?’
In the original, it was ‘the uninvited Octavia harbored resentment toward the Princess,’ yet even with circumstances changed, it still became ‘you did it, didn’t you?’
Octavia sighed and smiled toward the two of them, who stared as though they’d struck at the heart of the matter and pierced its core.
“Stop making baseless accusations and investigate directly.”
There was no need for lengthy protests.
Thinking he’d caught something significant, Prince Dominic stepped forward confidently.
“I should summon the ability users from my division immediately for an investigation. Have the Special Task Force information agents brought here.”
He called upon elite ability users with specialized powers suited for investigation and tracking.
But what arrived was not a Grade 2 or 3 ability user, but a 4th Grade Agent with olive-brown hair tied high.
“Why did you come? Are the commander and superiors on assignment?”
At Dominic’s question, the Aide who had summoned the agent hesitated and glanced nervously.
“Y-Your Highness. That is….”
“What? Are they on assignment?”
The 4th Grade Agent stepped forward instead of the Aide, who couldn’t bring himself to answer.
“If I may be so bold, all Special Task Force members have resigned and joined the divisions of Dekima Crown Princess and Princess May.”
At this thunderbolt of news, Dominic’s face drained of color.
“What? Did they lose their minds to those special-issue weapons and abandon their loyalty and honor?”
At his reproachful and disdainful words toward his former comrades, the agent’s lips twisted slightly. Having accumulated much resentment, she spoke as though she’d made a resolution.
“No, sir. To speak frankly, deploying a lower-grade holy ability user on high-level missions caused mission efficiency to plummet and difficulty to spike dramatically.”
This was a direct strike at Chloe, a lower-grade holy ability user.
She was what they called a parachute hire—dead weight. Forcing a lower-grade into the core personnel preventing Chaos Erosion naturally resulted in poor performance and mission participation.
For the senior agents, missions had become a path to certain death.
“Due to your recent order for massive personnel cuts to maintain upper-tier strength, even those willing to maintain loyalty turned their backs. I humbly request your wise judgment.”
She implied that one incompetent superior had destroyed an organization second only to the Holy Knight Order and the Kingdom Army, then bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Whether it was courage to openly remonstrate with the Prince, or merely a last outburst before following her colleagues—I couldn’t quite say.
Octavia took note of the name tag on the agent that read “Julia”.
‘Such forthright boldness… I rather like it.’
Soon after, Octavia raised her voice as she turned to address the gathered crowd.
“And yet you claim I would harm Princess May for Prince Dominic’s sake?”
Hadn’t I already transferred Dominic’s influence to May, who commanded the Crown Princess’s faction?
Those versed in court politics exchanged whispers among themselves, while several ladies fanned themselves and gossiped behind their fans.
“True enough… no matter how common-born one might be, it serves no purpose to turn one’s back on the Ludovisi Family, which possesses both skill and wealth.”
Once the murmurs had subsided, Octavia seized the moment before the two could spout further nonsense, quickly grasping Chloe’s hand.
It was necessary to drive the nail home, after all.
“I’ve been rather cold toward you, haven’t I, my lady? It’s simply my nature, I’m afraid. Please forgive me. I’d like us to get along from now on.”
“I… beg your pardon?”
Octavia gazed at the bewildered Chloe with an expression of sympathy.
“You see, I harbor no lingering feelings for the Prince. At the time, I was angry at being… passed over, but thanks to you, I realized I’d dodged a bullet with a disreputable man. I’m truly grateful.”
And with that, she clasped Chloe’s hand and shook it for all to witness.
“Passed over?”
Princess April, who had been watching her elder sister Princess May, shot to her feet.
“So you squeezed support and money out of him under the guise of an engagement, and behind closed doors you were carrying on with Lady Chloe? And on top of that, you had her assigned to high-risk missions? No wonder that division has the highest casualty and injury rates.”
She too was a sibling and a rival.
In the ruthless ways of the Royal Family, one showed no mercy at the first sign of weakness.
“What are you talking about? Lady Chloe and I have no such relationship. Though she is of lower rank, she has occasionally demonstrated remarkable performance, so I merely thought she might possess latent potential.”
Dominic, well aware of the truth, categorically denied any connection to Chloe.
Chloe’s face went slightly pale.
The scandal of being passed over and her parasitic family made it difficult to speak openly, but his complete and utter rejection stung.
“That’s right. Most sacred ability users belong to the Holy Temple Society, so we were simply short-staffed. It seems Lady Octavia has misunderstood the situation.”
In the end, Chloe too denied any relationship with him, her head bowed low.
Octavia covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
‘Thank you for taking out the trash. By the way, you’re going to suffer quite a bit of heartache because of that man.’
That man—the selfish, regretful male lead that readers had desperately begged to abandon in favor of a supporting character.

***

Unable to hastily relocate while under assault from the Chaos entity, May found herself surrounded by the newly arrived handsome Bishop and his priests, who began their purification ritual.
“Investigate the Lumina Stone as well. There are far too many suspicious elements here.”
Dominic entrusted the investigation to the priests and knights instead of his own capable agents. He continued to imply that I had tampered with the Lumina Stone.
“No, this is…!”
When one of the priests saw the Lumina Stone and widened his eyes in shock, Dominic wore an expectant expression.
“Is there a problem?”
“Where did you obtain this? I’ve never seen such a pure Lumina Stone in my life. It’s certainly capable of withstanding a Chaos entity’s assault.”
“….”
Dominic turned away, having failed to hear the answer he wanted.
At that moment, one of the Holy Knight Order members investigating the surroundings posed a question.
“The Lumina Stone merely blocks mental attacks—only high-ranking clergy can actually dispel a Chaos Commander. Was there another holy power user nearby at that time?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
So the Princess escaped mental collapse, but the Chaos Commander has already been dispelled?
According to the original story, that’s something resolved only after the High Priests and Bishop arrive.
‘What’s different this time?’
The only holy power user present in that situation was the low-ranking Chloe.
As I gazed pensively at my magic stone bracelet, Chloe spoke up carefully.
“I did give the Princess a brooch I made myself… It contains a blessing to ward off evil spirits and commanders.”
At her words, the handsome knight examining May’s brooch wore an expression of surprise.
“Judging by the shattered jewel on the blessed brooch, it appears to have been affected by Lady Chloe’s holy power.”
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed handsome Holy Knight’s name was Iwein Grenante.
His position was Commander of the Holy Knight Order, and he was a supporting character who always helped Chloe and even created undeserved recognition for her.
‘He was precisely the stock that readers who wanted to abandon the male lead had spectacularly failed on.’
As I recalled the original story while staring intently at Iwein, our eyes met. His blue eyes immediately turned cold and sharp.
He had fought Octavia in the past, and naturally their relationship was poor.
“So you’re saying Lady Chloe saved the Princess? That shouldn’t be possible with 9th-grade blessing ability.”
The Countess Hertan, who was supporting May, asked.
“Didn’t I say there was potential? Lady Chloe’s holy power may have grown.”
Dominic interjected, as if competing with Iwein.
“I myself advanced from 3rd-grade to 2nd-grade ability through repeated harsh training and missions.”
“Pfft.”
Hearing my laughter, he looked at me with irritated eyes.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Don’t you already know why I’m laughing?”
At my retort, Dominic’s brow furrowed fiercely.
Knowing that his so-called 2nd-grade ability was the result of Octavia’s sacrifice and the Ludovisi Family’s techniques, I simply couldn’t suppress my laughter at his shameless boasting about it as if it were his personal triumph.
“The Admiral hasn’t appeared even in this situation. That must mean he doesn’t care about you at all.”
He suddenly spouted what amounted to mental gymnastics.
‘So he was actually jealous of the Admiral and me?’
Well, he probably thought he had both women in the palm of his hand.

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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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