That’s How I Became a Villainess - Chapter 49

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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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Episode 49

Again, it was the day Anna had taken Bridget’s belongings to the Royal Palace.
“My lady!”
“Anna.”
Bridget welcomed Anna warmly as she arrived at the Royal Palace.
While servants unloaded the luggage from the carriage and carried it to Bridget’s room, Bridget herself guided Anna to the chamber she would occupy.
“Thank you for coming, Anna. It couldn’t have been easy.”
“What are you saying? To have my own room in the Royal Palace—it’s like a dream! You can’t imagine how thrilling it was to pass through those gates I’d only ever glimpsed from afar. I kept thinking, ‘Is this really allowed?’ I was so nervous the guards would stop me and say, ‘Someone like you has no place here!'”
Anna chattered on, brimming with excitement.
Bridget felt a small pang of concern—someone so fond of talking would find these austere palace halls suffocating in the days to come.
She decided to let Anna ramble freely for today at least, settling herself on the edge of the younger woman’s bed.
“What about the letter I wrote?”
“It was nothing. Your father seemed to trust my every word implicitly.”
“He didn’t suspect I was behind it?”
“Not at all. The moment he finished reading, he chewed up and swallowed the portion with that information. I handled it cleanly.”
Bridget nodded with satisfaction.
“In a few days, return to the Winston Residence under the pretense of running an errand for me. Tell him you’ve seen me yourself this time—that His Highness is in excellent health.”
“Is he really in good health?”
Bridget smiled slightly and smoothly changed the subject.
“From tomorrow on, when you have questions like that, ask only me—don’t ask anyone else. When you’re unsure how to behave, watch those around you and follow their lead. Trust only what you see and hear with your own eyes and ears, and keep your words few. Especially regarding His Highness—you mustn’t speak of even the smallest thing. Life here will be very different from life at the Winston Residence. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I’ll only do as you’ve instructed, ma’am.”
“At the Royal Palace, you’re to call me the Winston Lady.”
“Yes, I will.”
“When you want to chat, come to my room and keep me company. You’re always welcome.”
Anna, who had worn a tense expression, brightened at once and nodded enthusiastically.
“I only need you, ma’am!”
Those words were pleasant to hear.
Anna, so vibrant and transparent in her emotions, would certainly draw Milea’s displeasure more than once.
Even knowing that, Bridget had wanted to bring her here.
Someone bound by loyalty, ready to fight at her side whenever needed. Her people.
Everyone wanted someone like that close by.
In her past life too, Anna had fought for Bridget with all her might, gladly standing as her shield.
She was the only person Bridget could rely on before entering the convent.
Anna made careless mistakes when her emotions ran high, but she was not someone who would commit acts beyond Bridget’s ability to protect her from. Once she adjusted, she would do well enough at the Royal Palace.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
Having someone she could trust in this unfamiliar place gave her strength.

* * *

Several days had passed since Bridget returned to the Royal Palace.
During that time, she had not caught even a glimpse of Julian.
She only sensed his presence—the faint disturbance of magical energy—when he entered and left his bedchamber.
Julian seemed to be deliberately avoiding her.
Because he didn’t appear at mealtimes, Milea grew restless, fidgeting constantly.
Her complexion withered day by day, making it clear she hadn’t eaten properly in several days.
Bridget found herself lingering before the door that connected to Julian’s bedchamber, lost in thought.
‘He can’t keep avoiding me like this.’
That wasn’t why she had come here.
A single door stood between them—and beyond it, Julian would be.
He was out now, but he would return by evening, and this door was never locked.
While Julian was away, Bridget had been practicing, trying to find the courage to open it.
‘Open it, Bridget. Advance. Confront him.’
But courage eluded her.
How absurd—to be stopped by a wall when Julian was so near.
‘I don’t know what face to show him, what words to say when I meet him.’
She wasn’t sure if she deserved to greet him with brightness when she felt herself a criminal, nor could she bear to approach him with anxiety and shrinking fear.
What expression should someone wear—someone who betrayed a former lover and nearly brought her to death?
And if that person has received her help countless times since—what words would even suffice?
‘It’s difficult.’
But this was a mountain she had to cross.
Because she would remain at Julian’s side from now on.
‘I’ll brazen my way through.’
Julian didn’t know Bridget’s true feelings and didn’t care to learn them, but Bridget understood his heart.
“No matter what you do, I could never hate you.”
Julian confessed that he had stopped at the moment she left, waiting for her all this time.
Knowing someone’s heart meant you already possessed the secret to pierce it—you were fighting with that advantage already in hand.
In this relationship, Bridget held the upper ground.
She knew his anger wasn’t genuine, knew he could never harm her no matter what, knew he would ultimately never refuse her.
‘I have to go to him.’
Tonight, Bridget resolved, she would face Julian no matter what it took.

* * *

As dawn approached, Bridget, still awake and waiting, felt Mana surging around her like an incoming tide.
‘He’s here.’
She gathered the fruit and food she’d left on the table and stood before Julian’s bedroom door.
After a deep breath, she knocked softly.
…….
There was no answer from within.
But the way his Mana fluctuated and rippled made it clear that her knock had disturbed his emotions.
“I’m coming in, Julian.”
Again, silence from inside.
No refusal was a good sign.
Bridget opened the door, her tension evident in every movement.
Julian stood by the window, regarding her with a slanted gaze.
His expression was one of silent observation—waiting to see what strange thing she dared to do by crossing this line.
“You haven’t eaten at all, and Milea’s been worried.”
Bridget lifted the plate slightly to show him, then set it on the table.
“You need to eat. Just because your Shadow Knights don’t need sustenance doesn’t mean you can live without it.”
“You’re going to feed me?”
Julian laughed softly, as if amused by the absurdity.
Above his head, the blue moonlight cascading through the window fell gently across his forehead and the tip of his nose.
His smile was beautiful. Even if it was a sneer, it was beautiful still.
Bridget had often lost herself in that face before, unable to look away.
Julian stepped toward her in one fluid motion.
The air he stirred carried a sharp scent of wine.
Whether he’d drunk it or poured it down himself, the smell was rich with grape.
“You walk into my bedroom at this hour for that reason?”
He appeared languid.
He smiled dangerously and pulled her close by the waist.
The firm fabric of his outer coat brushed against her thin nightgown.
She felt his body, close and solid against her shoulders and thighs.
“Or did you come to devour me?”
Leaning down, he gathered a handful of her hair and buried his nose in it.
His forehead was nearly touching her lips.
“So you’re really shameless enough to climb on top of me and play sweet. How bold.”
He held her firmly in place as she tried to pull back, his fingertip trailing across her lips.
Turning her head away did no good.
Before she knew it, she was leaning against him, held in his arms.
He pressed down slightly, parting her lips.
Her lower lip was soft and yielding beneath his thumb. His teeth showed white beneath the moonlight, neat and sharp.
A dark shadow fell across his face as he bent close to her.
Within that shadow, only his eyes—blood-red—flashed with arrogant and mischievous brilliance.
“Your body’s burning? Is that what this is?”
“Julian—!”
As her lips parted, his finger slipped unobstructed into her mouth, teasing the tip of her tongue.
“How should I feed you?”
Black hunger roiled behind his gaze as he looked at Bridget.
His tone was gentle, yet cold.
“I’ll fill you completely. So you can swallow your fill.”
There was a sharpness to it, fine as a blade’s edge.

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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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