Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 53

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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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#53.

“Sigh.”
Dominic ran his fingers through his golden hair, his expression turning irritable.
“Your Excellency, it was never genuine between you two anyway, was it?”
Since everyone already knew their relationship lacked sincerity, there was no need for him to perform such an act before me.
Kelsedny Admiral’s face remained expressionless. Since it was the truth, there was little reason for him to be angry.
“I’m not sure what your standard for sincerity is.”
However, making indecent proposals to a woman who was about to become his wife left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I’m not idle enough to explain human nobility to a rag lying on the ground.”
Octavia’s eyes, which had remained serene until now, widened considerably.
‘So this is what it looks like when an Admiral resorts to verbal blows instead of physical ones.’
It was the highest level of insult coming from an Admiral.
The Prince’s face flushed crimson with rage. No matter how much he’d been scorned throughout his life, he was still royalty. This was the first time he’d ever been subjected to such humiliation.
“Your Excellency, you seem to be misunderstanding. It was Octavia who has been pestering me to do such things all along.”
“No? That never happened.”
Octavia raised both hands slightly and shrugged her shoulders.
“If that were true, would the Prince have ever made such a proposal to me first?”
It was a rather valid point.
The Admiral, who silently agreed wholeheartedly, nodded his head.
The Admiral was a man who had personally experienced Octavia’s persistence and ruthlessness.
She had corrupted even the Royal Family, who transcended desire itself beyond asceticism—would the Prince have been any different?
In the Admiral’s eyes, Octavia was a woman who would even fabricate unrequited love to obtain what she desired.
Prince Dominic, drowning only in memories of Octavia’s past rather than her present, let out a hollow laugh.
‘So she denies even years of emotion like this.’
“I have difficulty trusting people. If she had waited for me with unwavering faith until the end, I would have considered marrying her.”
The reason he was a man of regret who drew public condemnation was that his cause took precedence over Chloe, and he had shown indecision by entangling himself with Octavia under the excuse of ‘it’s unavoidable, it’s a necessary tactic for profit.’
The rigorous principalist Admiral looked at him as if to ask why such things were even necessary.
“I need neither faith nor anything else. I will absolutely marry her.”
Uninterested in the sharp verbal sparring between men, the Admiral simply stated the facts based on his own marriage philosophy.
Prince Dominic’s face went pale as he accepted this as both a firm declaration and genuine intent.
“Are you saying you intend marriage with Octavia as a prerequisite?”
“It’s not merely a prerequisite—I should do it immediately. I’m simply going through the courtship process out of necessity.”
“Why… she’s just a commoner without any abilities, is she not?”
At the Prince’s question, the Admiral tilted his head, his eyes reflecting complete bewilderment.
“Is that important?”
He was neither in a position desperate enough to be selective about conditions when marrying, nor was he a successor burdened with the duty of producing legitimate heirs.
“So the rumor that you only look at faces was true.”
Confused, the Prince was simply spouting whatever came to mind.
Kelsedny Admiral briefly surveyed Octavia, who stood like a doll wearing a consistent smile. She was delicate and small.
When she kept her mouth shut and stayed still, she looked pure and pitiful.
“Among all the humans and Chaos Entities I’ve seen, you are indeed the most beautiful.”
He preferred those who appeared small and fragile.
However, that was not a reason to love her. He was merely speaking of a common aesthetic standard coupled with personal preference.
Given the nature of Chaos Evil that arrives wearing an angel’s face, espers who become enchanted by beauty tend not to live very long.
“I understand you are a being unswayed by emotion, but to choose a partner for such a trivial reason….”
The Prince could not bring himself to finish his sentence.
Without knowing the Admiral’s convictions, it would sound like ‘everything else is unnecessary, and I should marry her simply because she suits my taste.’
Octavia tapped the Admiral’s arm and feigned embarrassment.
“My goodness, saying I’m the most beautiful and lovely in the world. How embarrassing.”
“I did not say it to that extent.”
The bewildered Prince Dominic tried desperately to confirm it was a lie.
“Then, why have you not announced an engagement or marriage?”
Regardless of whether he was rejected or caused any pain, it displeased him that this woman’s unwavering devotion over the years was turning toward another man.
It was a typical self-centered possessiveness—he disliked loving, but he desired to be loved.
“Is that permissible?”
The Admiral asked Octavia.
“I dislike it.”
“Understood.”
Octavia was not clinging to the Admiral; rather, she was the one delivering the rejection.
The Admiral turned away as if to end the conversation, then glanced back at the Prince. His gaze was chillingly sharp enough to sever limbs.
“I may not understand ordinary emotions, but I am as possessive as they come.”
The warning pierced like a dagger.
Prince Dominic, watching the two figures recede into the distance, suddenly felt a sharp pain and clutched his abdomen.
“Ugh! Gasp!”
Dark crimson blood poured from his mouth in torrents.
It was no illusion that his insides had throbbed the moment he last locked eyes with the Admiral.
As a warning, the Admiral had torn his internal organs just enough to leave him alive.
“Ha… Octavia, you betray me? After all I’ve done for you. I will never forgive you.”
Prince Dominic’s sense of victimhood, born from always feeling hollow amid splendor, surged forth.
He repeated to himself over and over that he would make her regret this.

***

Octavia had returned to the Ludovisi Mansion with her father. It was a place filled with admirers who terrorized her with their affection, but she had no choice if she wanted access to the finest research laboratory and personnel.
Before returning home, she had walked aimlessly through the Royal Palace Garden with the Admiral and thanked him for taking her side.

“I merely stated the facts. And now, please stop interrupting my walk and return.”

Unfavorable Impression Increased [+200]

‘So he wasn’t waiting for Father’s State Council to conclude—I was the one persistently trailing after a man on his solitary walk.’
Lost in thought as I headed toward the Research Laboratory, a beautiful boy with pink hair and pale sky-blue eyes appeared before me.
His delicate facial features and drooping eye corners radiated a distinctive melancholic charm.
“I heard the Monastery of Night exploded. Are the other clergy members safe?”
It was Uriana, who had disguised herself in men’s clothing with Vittore’s help and was living in the Mansion under the name Febrien. She had only recently learned of the monastery’s explosion.
“Febrien. What does that have to do with me?”
Upon hearing my curt response, Uriana—now Febrien—hung her head low.
With her radical transformation into a pink-haired young man, she looked like a melancholic adolescent beauty.
“But I’m Febrien….”
“I’ve told you countless times—I’m someone who follows profit, not an apostle of justice. Even if I were, I couldn’t save everyone.”
I lashed out fiercely.
“I’m sorry. But I wasn’t asking you to save them, I was just asking a question….”
“Don’t cry in front of me. A beautiful boy’s tears mean nothing to someone with my disposition.”
“I’m not crying… T? Do you mean a disposition like black tea? Or were you upset that your friend didn’t worry about you first? That’s my fault. I’m sorry again.”
Seeing Febrien raise her head with a perfectly composed expression—far from tears—I sighed inwardly.
Did such a high degree of empathy transform even irrational and rude people into complainers?
‘Formidable.’
It was no simple task to shatter the steel mentality of the Temple’s apex predator, one accustomed to schemes and machinations.
Just then, Samuel hurried over and tried to interject in her defense.
“Febrien, you should always listen to what people say completely. They were stationed outside on Octavia’s orders….”
“I paid them to stand in the cold outside. The reason was ‘entertainment.'”
I tried to establish myself as a despicable wretch who violated human rights for money, but Samuel paid no mind and continued.
“In any case, because they were waiting outside, they weren’t caught in the explosion, and aside from a few who decided to remain there, the rest escaped.”
Since it was impossible to take responsibility for all the clergy, I had given them money and a choice.
Whether to comply or flee and forge their own path.
‘Please stop! Don’t let me be misunderstood as a cold-blooded monster!’
I shot my brother a sinister glare.
“It was just luck, and the rest weren’t my concern, I’m telling you?”
“But they survived, didn’t they?”
Samuel quickly began repackaging his younger sister as a tsundere before she lost her only friend.
“Though my sister acts harsh on the surface, her heart is gentler and kinder than anyone’s. She’s just embarrassed, so please understand.”
In the end, I was completely vindicated.
Despite being strong against others’ attacks, Febrien was extraordinarily moved by such meager kindness, covering her mouth as tears glistened in her eyes.
“My beloved friend with the bittersweet disposition of black tea. I misunderstood you for just two seconds, but you really are such a good person….”

♥Favorable Impression Increased♥ [+2,300]

Samuel wore a warm smile, like a lawyer who had just resolved a case.
“Octavia, I know you’ve not only been summoned to the State Council for a scolding, but you’ve also caused an accident that could push us toward bankruptcy. Still, we trust you completely.”

Affection increased [+200]

The Ludovisi Family had shouldered all responsibility based solely on Octavia’s claim that they could create a special alloy from materials in the Precious Metal Territory.
“Just in case, let me look into day labor positions for all of us.”
Octavia, her expression darkening, deliberately cast words of anxiety before fleeing to the Research Laboratory.

***

‘A harmonious household overflowing with affection terrorists—how lamentable.’
Seated in the Research Laboratory, she exhaled a sigh while holding a magnifying lens to one eye.
This was the only place where such a temperamental substance as Runsteel sand could be handled with precision to create a special alloy.
The same applied to the personnel required to maintain rigorous security and process protocols.
“So let’s finish this quickly and escape the Gahwamansaseong Territory.”
Time passed.
A soft hissing sound.
Through billowing smoke, Octavia—clad in a protective suit imbued with Febrien’s barrier ability and wearing a gas mask—lifted metal tongs.
“It’s done.”
At the tip of the tongs, a geometric crystal gleamed, its surface refracting light in different hues depending on the angle.
‘A next-generation special alloy on an entirely different level.’
Existing special alloys could withstand mana only up to Grade 1 at best, and despite their limited output, they frequently fractured.
‘But this—this has no ceiling on mana transmission. In short, it’s the unlimited version designed for enhancement technology.’
She had created the most advanced special alloy in existence, forged from Runsteel sand harvested from the Precious Metal Territory.
The moment when the bankruptcy of nobles who had hoarded goods on credit became inevitable.

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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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