I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Sir Walter came this morning! The master said he would like to have a meal with the young lady…”

The ‘master’ she was referring to must be Duke Tigris, Selene’s father.

“The Duke… no, Father?”

“Yes, it seems he heard that you collapsed yesterday. So he must be worried, right? After all… he is your father!”

I looked at Anna with puzzled eyes as she emphasized ‘father’ with a somewhat awkward smile.

For a moment, a very simple and straightforward proposition flashed through my mind and disappeared.

‘Did Selene usually dislike her father?’

And after hearing the response that followed, I was certain.

“…You’ll go today, right? You don’t have any other plans, and it’s been so long since you had a meal together.”

‘Definitely. She must have often refused meal invitations.’

I nodded my head for now.

But all sorts of thoughts were spinning busily in my mind.

Aleon Tigris, Selene’s father, was no ordinary person.

He might even be as formidable as Estelin’s father, Calypso Laurence.

If Calypso Laurence was the Emperor’s sturdy shield, then Aleon Tigris was an uncontrollable sword.

He graduated from the Academy with top honors through tremendous ability and distinguished himself in every battle in conflict zones.

It was understandable since he possessed the Empire’s greatest military power and terrifying abilities.

‘Wasn’t he about the strongest in the world setting in the original work, excluding the male protagonist?’

Though his end was a bit unsightly.

Anyway, given this situation, the fact that Selene could go around committing terrible acts without worrying about consequences was all thanks to her father…

‘So she had a bad relationship with such a father?’

This was another fact I didn’t know.

“…She’s late.”

Aleon Tigris sat at the head of the wide table, looking at the empty seat across from him.

“It’s still five minutes early. Didn’t Your Excellency arrive early?”

Walter, his aide, said.

Duke Tigris fixed his gaze on the tightly closed door with an indifferent expression.

Tap- Tap-

The sound of him tapping the oak table with his fingertips echoed through the vast hall.

Walter glanced at the Duke’s mood and checked his watch once more.

Only 2 minutes remained until the promised meal time.

‘So she won’t come today either.’

Walter rubbed his stiff temples. If the princess didn’t show up today, the backlash would surely fall on him again.

‘I already have a mountain of work to handle…’

It would be terrible if orders for special training came down, claiming to prepare for the winter monster subjugation.

Obviously, his lord would be radiating killing intent while swinging that terrifying sword around.

Walter shuddered as he recalled his previous experience being his sparring partner in combat training.

He never wanted to do such a thing again.

“Shall we bring out the food?”

Then the head chef quietly approached and asked. Looking at the clock, the hour and minute hands were pointing to the exact time.

…Today was ruined too.

Walter let out a small sigh and nodded to the head chef.

The Duke still sat motionless in his seat, his gaze fixed on the door.

The princess would not appear today either. All his accumulated experience told him so.

Soon the head chef stepped back. The cooks began bringing out the food in a line.

Just before the first silver plate was placed on the luxurious tablecloth.

Creak-

Against everyone’s expectations, the tightly closed door opened with a heavy sound.

Soon, a familiar crown of hair peeked out through the gap after a long time.

“Uh…”

I looked at Duke Tigris sitting majestically at the head of the enormous table.

Platinum hair identical to mine, and wine-red eyes.

His lips, positioned below his stubborn-looking forehead and elegant nose bridge, were slightly parted in surprise.

“J-just excuse me for a moment…”

Reading his expression, I quickly hurried across the dining hall with small steps. Then I passed the hesitating cooks and sat down.

While I hesitated about where to direct my gaze, a suffocating silence had settled around us.

I suddenly realized I had forgotten to greet him and quickly bowed my head.

“Ah, hello?”

And after hesitating a bit, I added one word.

“…Father?”

The ending went up, making it sound strange, but it couldn’t be helped.

The word ‘father’ was something I had never said even when I was Sebin Lee.

As I wore an embarrassed expression, I saw the Duke staring directly at me, frozen stiff.

Beside him stood a navy-haired man with his mouth literally hanging open.

‘Is that person Walter?’

I was certain that man must be Walter, Duke Tigris’s aide who had visited Anna this morning.

However, I wondered why he was making an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

I muttered timidly.

“Am I a bit late? I thought I came right on time.”

I even tried to show an awkward smile on purpose, but the atmosphere in the dining hall showed no signs of relaxing.

‘Is there something on my face? Why is everyone looking at me like that?’

And what about the servants’ expressions. As if they had seen something they shouldn’t have…

As I looked around with a bewildered face, Walter cleared his throat.

“…What, what are you all doing? Hurry up and bring out the food.”

The cooks and servants who had been frozen stiff hurriedly placed the food they were holding onto the table.

The silver covers on the plates disappeared. Finally, the appetizing dishes revealed themselves.

From glossy meat dishes to soup with vegetables and bacon, and various desserts on relatively small plates.

Each one had such an amazing visual that I might drool if I lost focus for a moment.

‘Really amazing.’

I cheered inwardly and swallowed my saliva. Then I immediately reached for the fork and knife but stopped.

I realized that Duke Tigris was still frozen in his original state.

“…Aren’t you eating?”

I asked carefully while observing him. All sorts of thoughts were racing through my mind.

Was there some greeting etiquette I didn’t know about?

Or should I have started with small talk like asking how he’d been?

As I looked at him with a tense face, the Duke finally looked away from me.

His expression still seemed uncomfortable somehow.

I glanced at him as he slowly picked up his fork and thought.

‘So this is what it feels like when father and daughter don’t get along.’

The atmosphere in the dining hall was so awkward it was suffocating.

However, I shook my head inwardly and stabbed the steak in front of me.

‘Whatever. I’ll think about it later.’

Other things weren’t the problem right now.

How long had it been since I had steak?

Remembering the days when I was too poor to eat any meat except frozen chicken breast, I felt moved.

My starved stomach churned violently in my belly.

I quickly put a piece in my mouth, and a light, clean taste flowed over my tongue.

But. Closing my eyes to savor the taste was only momentary.

A sharp voice pierced my ears without warning.

“Have you been starving all this time.”

I snapped my eyes open and looked across with a flustered face.

Duke Tigris was staring intently at me, his hand holding a fork suspended in mid-air.

“…What?”

“I asked if you’ve been starving.”

For some reason, his voice was extremely sharp. I opened my mouth with a dazed expression, then closed it before rambling an answer.

“Oh, well, I skipped breakfast this morning so I was a bit hungry…”

“…”

A cold silence followed.

The Duke’s cold gaze was still fixed directly on my face.

I slowly put down my fork and thought.

‘This is… serious.’

Their relationship is really bad.

Otherwise, there’s no way his first words to his daughter at the dinner table would be ‘Have you been starving.’

“Walter.”

Then the Duke quietly called for Walter.

I froze mid-chew, sensing something ominous.

“Who is Selene’s personal maid.”

“Anna Bardi, Your Grace.”

“Lock her in the underground prison and don’t let her out until she starves to death.”

My eyes widened. I was so shocked that the meat I was chewing got stuck in my throat.

“W-wait a minute! You misunderstood!”

As I coughed and shouted, the Duke silently stared at me.

“I didn’t eat because I overslept!”

I grabbed the water glass on the table, gulped it down, and hurriedly added.

“I-it’s not that Anna didn’t take care of me, but I woke up late so I said I didn’t need breakfast…!”

But in the midst of this chaos, one thought struck my mind.

‘Wait, is he doing this on purpose? Since he has many complaints about me, is he trying to make an example out of Anna instead?’

What kind of collective responsibility is this!

But Duke Tigris didn’t respond. He just examined my face thoroughly with incredibly cold eyes.

“…A servant.”

As I anxiously adjusted my posture, the Duke murmured.

“I had no idea you cared so terribly much about them.”

His cold voice echoed through the silent dining hall.

I looked at him with eyes that were beyond surprised—they were bewildered.

‘He’s nitpicking my words right now, isn’t he?’

I was certain. And he even had advanced passive-aggressive skills.

A short sigh rose to my throat.

…Just yesterday I fell asleep happy about escaping the company.

‘Do I have to deal with office politics here too?’

This was truly one mountain after another.

I barely managed to save the female protagonist from being poisoned, and now it seemed I’d have to work hard not to get kicked out of the house.

But then.

“Since we’re on the topic, let me ask you one thing.”

“Y-yes…?”

“What wind blew you out here.”

The Duke said in a low voice with a furrowed brow. This time his expression was even more menacing than before.

I stared at him silently with my mouth slightly open.

‘What on earth is going on with this situation.’

What wind blew me out here. I came because he said he wanted to have dinner together.

But this ridiculous reaction.

‘I don’t know what it is, but he seems really angry.’

It was the moment I thought I needed to choose my words carefully.

“You haven’t come to a single meal in the past 2 years.”

My eyes widened.

So when he said it’s been a long time since we ate together.

That ‘long time’ was actually 2 years?

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