Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 52

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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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#52.

Prince Dominic approached his destination with an expressionless face, though internally he was somewhat exhilarated.
‘I knew she’d cause trouble eventually.’
Who else but Octavia could have provoked Marquis Winterford’s displeasure?
The Marquis had formed his impression after the two families held a business dinner following the monastery explosion incident.
I had judged the likelihood of the Ludovisi Family’s involvement in the monastery incident to be low.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten off with merely a price increase.
‘She must have made a verbal misstep at the dinner, failing to read the Marquis’s mood.’
Whether or not she knew he was the master of the Night Monastery, Octavia’s mouth was a time bomb.
Finally, I caught sight of Octavia crouched miserably in a corner of the garden and lifted the corners of my mouth.
Apart from her father being summoned to the State Council, the family faced enormous expenses ahead—surely even she couldn’t remain unaffected.
“Octavia, things have escalated quite a bit.”
As I approached with satisfaction evident in my voice, I heard the sound of metal keys being struck.
Tap-tap-tap.
She wasn’t alone.
My gaze fell on Prince Jeriel, crouched opposite Octavia in the same manner, and then on something strange between them.
Tap-tap. Tap.
Two mushrooms with xylophone mallets were striking the metal keys in unison.
“What exactly are you doing right now….”
“Uncle, Octavia and I are listening to the mushrooms perform.”
Prince Jeriel, his nose flushed red with excitement, began to explain.
“The mushrooms communicate with their companions through electrical signals, and we’ve made them perform using that.”
“No….”
With the family in such dire straits, she was attending a mushroom concert? Her misplaced serenity was utterly absurd.
Tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!
Tap-tap-tap! Tap!
“The mushrooms seem to be having a serious conflict.”
At Octavia’s words upon seeing the mushrooms frantically striking the xylophone, Prince Jeriel shook his head.
“They’re angry at us. Two giants suddenly appeared and performed their most secret conversations as music—they’re furious about it.”
Octavia’s eyes widened as she realized the mushroom performance had been an angry, profanity-laden diss.
“Your Highness, you understood all of that? Through your ability to speak with animals?”
“Yes. They’re saying terribly harsh things, but we have to apologize. I want to be friends with them.”
Prince Dominic watched the two of them apologizing to the tapping mushrooms with an incredulous gaze.
“Jeriel, I need to speak with Lady Octavia for a moment. Would you mind stepping away?”
“Of course, Uncle.”
After Jeriel waved and left, Prince Dominic regarded Octavia with a mocking look.
“How did you manage to displease Marquis Winterford at the dinner that he implemented a price increase? Did you make a verbal blunder?”
“No. It was quite pleasant, actually.”
Octavia shrugged her shoulders.

“Marquis, before the price increase, I made sure you profited handsomely from hoarding.”
(*Buying goods in advance in anticipation of price increases and supply shortages. Stockpiling.)
I even preserved your dignity as the Iron King. You gained much in exchange for your arm, didn’t you?”
“Why do you keep speaking informally? For your information, the Admiral later severed my limbs and threw them into the river.”

From Octavia’s perspective, the Marquis seemed to have no serious grievances beyond the inconvenience of having to regenerate his lost limbs.
Dominic stroked his chin thoughtfully and spoke.
“The major military divisions are concentrating their forces on the Capital and key positions in the Chaos Realm, so the Regent has ordered each division to contribute personnel to prepare for the Allied Nations’ provocations.”
Having been entrusted with border defense operations by his mother’s command, Dominic already believed he held the initiative.
“Since the situation in each assigned sector is unfavorable and the alert level is low, they won’t dispatch high-ranking ability users.”
Even the Princesses supported by the Ludovisi Family would hesitate to act aggressively, mindful of public opinion. If they aided the Ludovisi Family when the situation wasn’t yet critical, the Royal Family would be perceived as chasing money over the people’s safety.
But Dominic could cultivate an image of a magnanimous prince who cares even for the family that turned their back on him.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Octavia rose to her feet, her voice devoid of sincerity.
The Prince interpreted Octavia’s composed demeanor as mere bravado.
‘Out of pride, she would never ask me to dispatch high-ranking ability users. She’s relied solely on the Admiral and been obstinate all this time.’
There was no reason the Admiral would send his personnel merely to guard a borderland, and even less reason for him to follow in person.
“I plan to send Chloe after discussing it with the Holy Temple Society. If you treat her properly without tormenting her, I’ll provide elite personnel from my division.”
With Ethan having caused a major incident and still unable to recover his holy power, remaining here any longer was disadvantageous in multiple ways. If I, as a Saint, moved personally and contributed, the negative public sentiment would surely fade.
Even if the Allied Nations invaded, as long as Uriana’s barrier remained, no catastrophic disaster would occur.
With the Empire’s Saint observing and protecting the situation, I had to demonstrate something.
‘This might be an opportunity to draw out the apostle’s latent potential that I witnessed Chloe display in danger before.’
I expected her to reluctantly agree, but Octavia slowly shook her head.
“You’re free to send whoever you wish, but I have no intention of babying incompetent people. My family prioritizes ability above all else.”
“Aren’t they the people who favor you more than anyone?”
“They’re family, aren’t they? A fanatical group of devotion that offers unconditional love and blind faith, concealing whatever their members do.”
Octavia tilted her head with a smile.
“People call that love. You wouldn’t understand what that is, Your Highness.”
Dominic’s eyes widened.

“A failed experiment. I should find a suitable match for the Prince.”

Born as a fourth-rank ability user, the Prince had exhausted himself to the brink of death only to plateau at third-rank, making him far from the Royal Family’s favored candidate.
It was precisely because May, whose attribute overlapped with his, had awakened as second-rank from the very beginning that Dominic found himself completely overshadowed.
Only after reaching second-rank and rolling across battlefields did he gain presence and begin to receive recognition.
‘So a tedious male protagonist narrative—desperate for acknowledgment, ignorant of love.’
The Admiral would be welcome, but the Prince? Not my concern.
Octavia rolled her eyes, her expression turning bored.
“Are you now insinuating that I’ve clawed my way up through discrimination?”
As he raised his voice and crushed the mushroom holding the xylophone mallet beneath his heel with a sharp crack, Octavia’s eyes widened slightly.
“Oh. You didn’t hear? I’m Prince Jeriel’s friend.”
“A mushroom is hardly a friend.”
He paid her no mind and looked down at her. Octavia lifted her chin with stubborn defiance, her expression blank.
“Your Highness. I’m not sure why you’re suddenly accelerating like this, but I’m saying the same applies to me. In my personal opinion, love is a form of mental illness caused by hormonal disruption.”
Despite the closeness—near enough to feel his breath—Octavia’s violet eyes held none of the lingering affection or wistfulness they once had.
He had already noticed that she was no longer as she had been.

“Love is certain. I could even give my life for it.”

He believed that the sincerity with which she had spoken would not simply vanish.
If she changed, it would be nothing short of a betrayal of him.
“What’s so difficult about waiting until I achieve my objective? I’ve explained countless times that I can’t share the details, but right now I need Chloe.”
What he had done to Octavia was far more than mere false hope.
Was there a worse lie than promising an uncertain future?
“Octavia, would you believe me if I left you some proof?”
“It’s not particularly necessary, but would you specify exactly what kind of proof you’re referring to?”
“I could give you that one night you’ve wanted so badly. If you want something more certain….”
It was then that Octavia’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“What could be more certain than that?”
At the cool voice from behind, Dominic spun around in alarm.
The moment his eyes met those of Kelsedny Admiral, who stood with his arms crossed, he was seized by panic.
‘There was no sign of his presence at all?’

***

I blinked as I watched the Admiral appear directly behind Prince Dominic.
‘Does he really summon himself even when I’m being seduced by another man?’
As if the fickle Prince’s seduction ranked equal to a mortal crisis.
Prince Jeriel, who had rushed over belatedly, grasped the Admiral’s hand tightly, then discovered the mushrooms trampled beneath the Prince’s feet and let out a wail.
“Constantine, Alexander II!”
I had no idea when they’d been named, but they appeared to be the names of the crushed mushrooms. The Admiral, looking down at the weeping Jeriel, exhaled a sigh and spoke.
“I came to hear the founding anthem of the Pure-blooded Mushroom Monarchs, who harbor the imperial ambition of spreading spores throughout the Royal Palace Garden and establishing the Mushroom Kingdom.”
Whether the actual mushroom creation myth truly fascinated him remained unclear, but his expression bore genuine disappointment.
Prince Dominic, who had thwarted the grand spore conquest plan, wore a bewildered expression.
“Last words? Am I really dying? Waaaaaah!”
Prince Jeriel ran off somewhere while crying, leaving only the adults who showed no sorrow for the destroyed mushrooms.
The Admiral stepped closer, rubbing his ears as though cleansing them of words he shouldn’t have heard.
“…I’ve been subjected to the vulgar advances of a filthy man.”
Along with his gravelly low voice, I watched the gold within his black pupils spread progressively wider.
A change in pupil color meant either he was about to transform into Keldi, or he was irritated—either way, he was becoming violent.
This was the moment when adults’ conversation would begin.

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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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