Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 59

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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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#59.

The Fourth Interrogation
The Fourth Sin

“Still no word?”
At Prince Dominic’s impatient voice upon returning to the Royal Palace, his Aide bowed his head apologetically.
“I have delivered two additional letters since then, but there has been no response.”
He was referring to the confidential letter sent to Emperor Arseno.
The Emperor of the Empire had certainly shown his intention to help him.
But since then, there had been nothing but silence, and Admiral Kelcedni was keeping Octavia within his sphere of influence as his lover, was he not?
“Given that the Imperial Palace has confirmed receipt, it does not appear that someone intercepted it.”
Did that mean the Emperor had changed his mind?
As the apex predator notorious for his madness, I knew he was capricious, but….
The Prince clenched his teeth, feeling crisis and rage surge through him.
‘If the King passes away in this state, my Mother, ruling as Regent, will purge all forces that would obstruct the Crown Princess’s ascension, beginning with Lady Roxan.’
Lady Roxan was the King’s mistress, and she currently remained out of sight, keeping vigil at the bedside of the King who lay ill and having entered into prayers for his recovery.
It was practically a matter of hiding herself, as she was in the most vulnerable position to attack.
A mistress who wielded greater influence over High Society than the Queen Regent herself would fade away with the King’s lifespan.
Unlike my Mother, who was ruthlessly pragmatic and valued ability above all else, Lady Roxan was the woman who had shown me, always cast aside as a child, the true warmth of a mother’s love.
I recalled the piercing gaze in my Mother’s eyes as she watched me in Lady Roxan’s presence.

“You resemble His Majesty, my Prince.”

I would be among those targeted for purge.
I might be disposed of as a son-in-law to some noble house, or left to rot in the Frontier until death.
Not only had the Regent system, which had designated Crown Princess Dekima as the next King, become entrenched, but with Ludovisi’s support cut off, even my standing had become precarious.
Chloe’s awakening, which I had anticipated, was also delayed.
Moreover, as a member of a fallen noble house, my lack of sophistication in High Society knowledge and worldly wisdom meant I showed no remarkable qualities in High Society either.
‘Perhaps I should have seized Octavia instead of Chloe.’
Recalling my glorious past, I was seized by an indescribable emotion and ran my hands through my hair in agitation.
I turned my gaze toward the window, staring at the starless night sky.
‘No, my choice was not wrong.’
Suddenly, an impulse surged within me—a desire to ruin everything about her and prove myself.
My crimson eyes fell upon the final personnel roster for deployment to the Western Border, lying among the documents on my desk.

***

The day of departure for the Western Border.
Octavia stopped by the Main House to gather her belongings, then stepped outside and gazed back at the Mansion.
“You really didn’t tell Father and my brothers?”
At Octavia’s question, Lothear, laden with luggage, nodded.
“This time it seemed real, so I didn’t mention it.”
Prince Dominic, apparently stung by his own pettiness, hadn’t informed his father either.
For an ordinary person to venture into Unprotected Territory without the protection of barriers was tantamount to suicide.
And if a gate crisis erupted, spewing endless Chaos entities, everyone in that region would perish.
‘Father and my brothers would lose their minds if they found out. They would never have let me go if they’d known beforehand.’
But I had to go myself.
In the original story’s progression, Chloe notices the gate’s warning signs too late, alerts people to evacuate, and those who dismiss her and refuse to believe her die.
Afterward, the Ludovisi Family—with their high information credibility—clouds the Regent’s judgment, and all manner of claims emerge: it’s Octavia’s slander born of jealousy toward Chloe, and so forth.
Eventually, it all culminates in the conclusion that “Octavia opened the Chaos Gate by aiding the Chaos Forces.”
Yet the reason I don’t warn of the disaster in advance is the lack of certain precursor phenomena and concrete evidence.
Those critical-thinking scholars and ordinary people who blame everything on me, plus Prince Dominic’s persistent pestering—it’s all predictable enough. Rather than waste time on that, it’s better to prepare directly.
‘So while I hold the initiative during this mission, I’ll construct defensive positions and preparatory facilities to prevent the gate’s devastation.’
Besides, if danger strikes, there’s someone who will save me, so it’s not entirely reckless.
The Admiral would find it troublesome if I, his dedicated maintenance technician, died.
As Octavia pondered this, she naturally turned to Lothear, who sat at the steering wheel.
“Lothear, why are you coming with me?”
“I’m temporarily fleeing. The Representative might try to kill me for not informing him that you’re heading toward danger.”
He then started the engine, his tone becoming somewhat grave.
“As your dedicated secretary for crisis response and risk management, your safety is my priority.”
Octavia turned back once more, watching the Mansion recede beyond the car window.

“Bia, would you like to have dinner together?”

I couldn’t help but regret refusing Father’s proposal, which he’d asked with such courage.
“…I should have just eaten with him.”

***

Octavia let out a low chuckle as she observed the personnel gathered at the Royal Palace Training Ground beforehand.
Across five designated locations with fifty total personnel, they were divided into five squadrons: North, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest.
The North Squadron was concentrated with upper-tier personnel—one Grade 2 ability user and Grade 3 and 4 ability users.
‘That’s the squadron Chloe is in.’
The Northeast Squadron, which included Octavia, had only a Grade 4 commander, while the rest were Grade 8 and 9 ability users from Prince Dominic’s Squadron.
In the past, the Prince had used the pretext of ‘accepting lower-tier ability users’ to recruit the Grade 9 Chloe into the squadron, and these were the people who had benefited from that hastily assembled arrangement.
The lowest Grade 8-9 users were merely humans with slightly unusual talents—a magician who could bend spoons or a human flashlight who could produce light were both Grade 9.
‘I and the rest would be completely wiped out by a single low-grade Chaos Entity.’
While contemplating the Prince’s pettiness, someone in squadron uniform approached Octavia and greeted her.
“Good day, Lady Octavia. I look forward to working with you.”
The commander was Julia, who had previously made a candid remark to the Prince: ‘Our squadron fell apart because you threw Chloe under the bus.’
Fortunately, it seemed she hadn’t been dismissed for speaking the truth.
‘The fact that she didn’t transfer to another squadron suggests she has considerable integrity and sense of responsibility.’
“Really, do you think you’re going to a ball?”
The lower-tier ability users in the same squadron clicked their tongues disapprovingly at Octavia’s attire.
The gazes from other squadrons were equally unkind.
They assumed her carriages and supply wagons lined up in the Royal Palace Corridor were filled with luxury goods.
“Dressed up all fancy like that. You have no ability, yet your very posture is wrong.”
“There’s no one here to pamper you like a rich girl, so try not to be a burden.”
Octavia maintained her radiant smile throughout.
At the crude remarks from the Northeast Squadron members, Julia stepped forward to mediate.
“While I will handle combat command, Octavia is an aide within the same command structure. Show proper respect.”
“Commander, are you telling us to serve that woman?”
Behind the man who objected loudly, someone appeared and adjusted their glasses with a swift motion.
“I’ll attend to the lady. It’s not as cushy a posting as you might think, so don’t get greedy.”
It was Lothear, whose capitalistic tendencies were strong but who occasionally proved surprisingly dependable.
Octavia turned to observe the low-grade team members offering their comments one after another, then stepped forward with a knowing smile.
“Among you all, who volunteered to be here with me out of genuine desire—not because you were forcibly conscripted?”
Amid the prevailing sentiment of ‘Who would volunteer for this place?’, Grade 4 Julia raised her hand with an embarrassed expression.
“Since no one volunteered for Octavia’s squadron, I felt a sense of pity and….”
Then a Grade 8 ability user who had been quietly observing raised their hand.
“Um… I barely managed to graduate thanks to the Ludovisi Scholarship Foundation’s scholarship… so this is my way of showing gratitude?”
Octavia smiled warmly at the two and pointed to the sky.
“Perfect. We didn’t have many transport aircraft slots available.”
Whirrrrrr—.
As people looked up, they spotted a transport aircraft flying overhead, and their eyes widened like saucers.
“Volunteers receive exclusive benefits: lifetime free provision of specialized weapons, housing and vehicles upon marriage, educational support for children, preferential employment at Ludovisi Corporation and affiliated companies, and so forth.”
Those who had dismissed Octavia fell silent like they’d swallowed glue, overwhelmed by the immense magitech capital on display.
People from the other squadrons also stared wide-eyed in this direction.
“As for the rest, you can come if you wish, but since you’re not particularly needed, it’s fine if you don’t.”
The arrogant woman cast her gaze elsewhere.
Chloe and Prince Dominic, who had been watching intently, followed Octavia’s line of sight.
“Those two are… participating in this mission? Well, that’s fitting for a prince.”
It was Logan Ortega Duke and Ewain, the commander of the Holy Knight Order, walking in their uniforms.
“The Holy Knight commander must be here because Saint Chloe requested it, right?”
One of the members from Chloe’s squadron muttered with an excited expression.
Going on a mission alongside the Duke and the Holy Knight commander was an achievement to be passed down through generations—an honor that couldn’t be surpassed.
Behind the two men, another extraordinary figure appeared.
When people saw the Saint of Mercury, Matteo, walking alone with a sacred aura enveloping him, they felt nothing short of awe.
“Even the Saint of Mercury? Goodness, the recruitment abilities of the Prince and the Saint are…”
Before anyone could finish their thought, the three men turned their steps toward where Octavia stood.
“Octavia, Chief Strategist and Conductor, my apologies for being late.”
“What are you apologizing for? You’re only a minute late.”
Logan grumbled while watching Ewain bow so formally.
Matteo brought his hands together in a gesture of blessing.
“At last, I shall witness with my own eyes the Trial Wilderness that Octavia created.”
For someone in his position, this was an opportunity to directly observe the practical demonstration of enhancement technology and weapons wielded by the highest-tier ability users.
With this, it became certain that they had all volunteered for Octavia’s sake.
Behind Logan and Ewain, their subordinates—2nd and 3rd-tier ability users—could be seen following.
Octavia, who had organized the most formidable squadron consisting of a Saint, the Holy Knight commander, and Special Forces executives, spoke.
“I make absolutely certain to treat my people well.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
A pink-haired beautiful youth who had appeared without warning, draped in a cloak, answered shyly.
Febrien. Another former Saint had been added to the roster.
Octavia was not a person who suffered discrimination—she was an entity who built new distinctions.

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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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