Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 110

—————

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

—————

Chapter 110
* * *
“Who exactly got rejected?”
Philaf muttered incessantly, thoroughly drunk, his face contorted as he ground his teeth.
No matter how much I drank, I couldn’t escape the wretched feeling of drowning in filth. The more intoxicated I became, the more that sordid sensation intensified.
Insignificant fools whispered about me behind my back, mocking and gossiping, and rumors of rejection spread like wildfire with each passing day. Meanwhile, my father treated me like a worthless fool.
What infuriated me most was that Deborah Simour, the one who made me look so pathetic and ridiculous, was suited to Isidore.
“Ha! Isidore?”
You abandoned me and chose that bastard?
Imagining the two of them conversing merrily, my nerves sharpened to a razor’s edge. The thought that a union between Simour and Visconti would create a sensation in High Society only twisted my insides further.
‘Pretending to have no interest in women, yet he’s the one reaping the benefits. Hypocrite.’
Deborah Simour and everyone else were deceived by Isidore’s polished facade and affected demeanor.
‘That bastard always looked down on me.’
I had disliked Isidore since childhood.
I could instinctively sense that he despised and scorned me. As someone born with a volatile temperament, I couldn’t control the rage that surged whenever something displeased me. Isidore, who rarely showed his emotions while subtly manipulating situations to his advantage, was my complete opposite—fire and ice.
‘Damn water snake.’
Deep inferiority that lurked beneath the surface stirred and writhed.
Whenever Isidore appeared, my presence faded in an instant. No matter how fiercely a flame burned, it meant nothing beneath the blazing sun.
People constantly sought him out despite his rare appearances. He would arrive with an air of indifference, naturally commanding all attention, reigning at the apex of the group.
Moreover, it was Isidore who received the Crown Prince’s favor and inherited the position of leader of Epsilon.
‘I wanted Epsilon.’
Not some Aracron.
I poured the dregs from an empty bottle into my glass, then hurled it away in a fit of rage.
Crash!
The harsh sound struck my eardrums, and my heart suddenly pounded as if it would burst. Abruptly, fury surged at the realization that I, the sole heir of Montes House, was wallowing in such inferiority.
‘I am a chosen one, blessed by a great spirit.’
Fundamentally different from Visconti, with his vague and ambiguous epithet of “golden.”
“Golden?! Which ducal house in the Empire doesn’t have gold mines?!”
As if they possessed some remarkable bloodline.
My teeth ground so fine they nearly crumbled. I rubbed my bloodshot eyes and let out a bitter laugh.
‘That’s right. I’m far superior.’
Deborah Simour must have made such a foolish decision because she doesn’t understand how extraordinary I truly am.
‘Didn’t I tell her she’d regret it?’
If she thought I’d meekly accept rejection of a marriage proposal, she was sorely mistaken.
‘…She’ll be angry for now.’
But eventually, Deborah Simour would come to be grateful to me.
* * *
The response to the one-time mathematics lecture was favorable enough that Bert Marquis arranged a larger-scale class that students from other departments could attend.
‘Damn it.’
If he hadn’t exempted me from class, I might have grabbed him by the collar, uncle or not.
I had subtly coerced him into subscribing to the newly launched formula service before leaving the classroom. As I walked down the corridor, my name suddenly caught my ear, and I stopped in my tracks.
‘They’re saying Philaf Montes went into hiding out of embarrassment because of Deborah Simour….’
‘They say Deborah Simour will castrate a man if he’s not careful.’
‘Hmm.’
Vicious rumors seemed to be spreading, but I felt oddly pleased that the atmosphere linking Philaf and me had finally dissipated.
‘I’m really not into that hot-blooded macho type anyway.’
I had no idea how long it had taken for this misunderstanding to clear up. I walked toward the carriage with a light step, thrilled at the prospect of going home and lounging about.
“…!”
That is, until I saw Simour’s escort knight and coachman sprawled out like corpses in front of the carriage.
I had grossly underestimated the madness of Philaf Montes, one of the male leads in this pathetic novel.
‘This lunatic. How does he plan to handle the aftermath?’
I thought he wouldn’t act recklessly since he had too much to lose if he collided with me.
“Deborah.”
The scorching heat before my eyes made my skin prickle.
Seleana, the phoenix-shaped spirit I hadn’t gotten a proper look at last time because I was hiding behind Isidore’s back, was burning an eye-searing crimson red. Purple, whom I held in my arms, trembled, but I clenched my fist and signaled desperately for her not to emerge.
‘If I end up fighting a high-ranking spirit mage, Purple will dissipate in less than ten seconds.’
I couldn’t lose my precious child.
‘I have to resolve this through conversation at all costs.’
Cold sweat kept forming on my palms. I steadied my trembling nerves and forced myself to speak calmly.
“Philaf. Using force against a student at the Academy is grounds for disciplinary action. This is a challenge to the Imperial Court.”
“I have no intention of using force against you. I only just realized I love you—how could I do such a thing?”
“Love? It’s obsession.”
He didn’t even pretend to listen and continued speaking with utter composure.
“By the way, this place where the carriage is parked doesn’t belong to Academy grounds. Those commoners dared to lay hands on me, so I merely put them to sleep for a moment.”
“You’re insane.”
“We’re even then. Deborah, you’ve done plenty of crazy things because of me too.”
“Dwelling too much on the past isn’t attractive.”
‘Just a little longer….’
While pretending to engage in conversation, I was slowly tearing the teleportation scroll in my bag.
Then, the object in my hand vanished without a trace. Philaf had callously incinerated all my belongings.
“Do you think I’ve only faced a mage once or twice?”
‘This is maddening.’
With my last resort gone, my heart sank.
“What’s the purpose of all this?”
“I came to persuade you, Deborah. It seems you’ve lost your sense of judgment.”
‘It looks like it’s actually him who’s lost his grip on reality.’
The whites of Philaf’s eyes before me were bloodshot, and his pupils gleamed with obstinacy and madness.
“Is this how you persuade people—through threats?”
“I’m sorry you felt threatened. Deborah, you said you found it fascinating how I handle spirits and that you liked it. I’m simply kindly showing you what you love.”
‘God, this is driving me insane.’
“I saw your spirit contract, and you’re strong. Impressive.”
“When you mock me like that, it infuriates me beyond measure. But I’ll tolerate it. Once you witness the true power that flows through Montes blood, your mind will change soon enough.”
He suddenly withdrew a hexagonal object from his pocket.
“I’ll persuade you kindly, and you need only accept that persuasion. Simple, isn’t it?”
“What is that?”
“A fantastic place.”
He bit his thumb hard with his canine tooth, letting blood drip onto the suspicious object before channeling mana into it. Strange patterns—similar to those I’d seen on the sword he’d acquired at auction—began etching themselves across the hexagonal artifact, each of its faces a different color.
‘Could this be an ancient artifact?’
The landscape around me suddenly began warping in an eerie manner. That’s when it happened.
Boom!
Dozens of golden sword auras came hurtling toward me. Simultaneously, the artifact in Philaf’s hand was knocked upward and tumbled to the ground.
“Damn it, sword auras? Where did they come from? There was no sign of intrusion past the water barrier!”
I could see the shock written across Philaf’s face.
“You insane bastard!”
“Spatial magic… Isidore, were you a Sword Mage?!”
Isidore appeared before me as if he’d used spatial transfer magic, cursing roughly as he urgently pulled me into his arms.
“Stop that right now!”
“No!”
My brief moment of relief was short-lived. The artifact on the ground trembled as if it would explode at any moment, and the space around us swirled and distorted. Soon, I felt my body being sucked into something like a black hole.
“Ugh!”
A nauseating vertigo crashed over me. I crackled with electricity in Isidore’s warm embrace before losing consciousness.
* * *
‘She lost consciousness momentarily from the massive mana surge.’
It seemed Deborah Simour’s constitution made it difficult for her to accept mana, so she went into shock when the ancient artifact ran wild.
‘At least she wasn’t injured.’
I examined the unconscious Deborah Simour carefully, then rose to my feet and slowly surveyed my surroundings.
An artificially constructed space that felt alien. Except for the blue stone platform where Isidore and Deborah stood, everything around them rippled with crystalline blue water. Given the abundance of mana and natural forces permeating the area, it appeared to be a manifestation of the Spirit Realm.
‘That hexagonal artifact must be a gateway to this subspace.’
I’d heard that the Montes House possessed a unique secluded training method, but I never expected Philaf would attempt to use that artifact to abduct Deborah Simour.
In my urgency, I’d damaged the artifact Philaf brought with my sword aura. As a result, he and Deborah Simour were forced into the subspace together with me.

—————

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

—————