The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 22

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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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The Male Lead Is Actually the Hidden Mastermind, But Only I Know — Episode 22

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The moment I arrived at Marin Palace, I quickly changed into a dress timed for the banquet.
No matter how stealthily I moved, there was no deceiving a demon’s eyes.
So… I planned to slip away before Ibanyi noticed. Time for a nimble day out!
Just as I rose from my seat, nearly ready to depart.
“……?”
I felt a gaze. An intensely penetrating one at that.
“Oh my, it looks like Munzi wants to come along too!”
On the bed, something small and round and pitch-black was looking up at me with the most endearingly wide eyes.
Since when did its name become Munzi? It does suit it rather well, though.
Sith, who had somehow noticed this minute creature’s existence, called it adorable and began stroking Munzi’s head affectionately.
“What should we do, Rene?”
“Hmm? Do about what?”
“Munzi, I mean. Don’t you think it would be all right to take it along? It’s seemed so melancholy ever since it couldn’t go to the Temple.”
“Well…….”
As I was considering Sith’s point that its small size would make it no trouble, Munzi’s beady black eyes suddenly gleamed with such fervent brightness that I felt the heat of that gaze upon me.
“Fine, fine. I surrender. You can come along.”
Defeated by that ardent stare, I lifted Munzi and stuffed it inside my sleeve.
Being a magical creature rather than a full beast, it had such a faint presence that bringing it along ought to be safe.
If anyone asked, I’d just call it dust—close enough that they might believe it.
“I think you’re ready to depart now. His Majesty entered just a moment ago.”
As I was about to follow Sith’s guidance toward the Banquet Hall, the whispered murmurs of handmaidens gathered in a corner of the corridor reached my ears.
“So those prisoners…….”
Wait. Hold on. I’m quite sure I just heard the word “prisoners”?
“What are you all gossiping about?”
“Oh, Rene! That is…….”
When I casually joined their conversation, the handmaidens exchanged glances for a moment before gradually gathering closer around me, their soft voices beginning to cascade one after another.
“These prisoners, apparently there are so many handsome ones among them!”
“You know the Marquess of the Border is said to favor men, don’t you? His servant rode through the night to fetch a slave to attend to his master’s evening needs!”
“There’s also talk that the Duchess of Atlan, known for her dignity, is attending. Lately the Duke keeps going out all the time, so naturally…….”
“Among the prisoners, there was supposedly someone they thought was a nobleman, but he turned out to be just an ordinary subject. How handsome must he be to cause such a mistake?”
“Even street beggars are said to shine with beauty… In any case, everyone’s rushing to catch a glimpse!”
So that’s what it was—they’d been gossiping about high society’s latest scandal.
This is incredibly interesting…!
In the original work, there was merely a passing mention that “rumors of the prisoners’ beauty spread in rosy whispers among the Imperial Household servants,” but for a single line, its impact seemed remarkably substantial.
‘Besides, did the Marquess of the Border do something inappropriate? And I heard Duke Atlan and his wife were quite close…….’
This kind of high society gossip wasn’t covered in the original work at all, making it invaluable information. Note this down, note this down!
“Of course, none of them can compare to the Crown Prince, naturally!”
“That’s right. With his Highness possessing beauty, character, and intellect in equal measure, there is no man more perfect in all the land!”
“Still, more handsome men never hurt…….”
Perhaps because I was attending the banquet, the handmaidens poured their expectations upon me generously.
After promising to share my impressions with them later, I slipped out of Marin Palace.
“We shall wait nearby, Rene.”
Since handmaidens and guards couldn’t enter together, Sith quickly vanished, saying she and Kan would emerge at the whistle of a short tune.
As I stepped into the corridor leading to the Banquet Hall, Munzi, which had been sitting quietly inside my sleeve, suddenly trembled.
– Squeak!
It cried out softly.
“Huh, what’s wrong?”
– Chirp.
“Wait—you can talk?!”
It had been silent the entire time I’d brought it here.
Munzi slipped out from my sleeve and wriggled about before scurrying up onto my shoulder, settling itself there. Then, gradually, its body faded transparent.
“For heaven’s sake. You can do that too?”
– Squeak!
At my surprise, Munzi blinked its eyes rapidly and puffed up proudly.
It must have recovered quickly after eating its fill and sleeping deeply right after I’d brought it.
Moreover, now that it seemed to understand I had saved it, it clung to me like this, and it was proving far more intelligent than I’d expected.
‘An intelligent magical creature that can even communicate… this is genuinely worth studying. Or perhaps it’s no ordinary monster at all?’
I could send it to the Magic Tower and get results within half a day, but then it might bolt. Best to hold off.
The passing attendants offered their greetings without any particular reaction, which meant it was visible to my eyes alone—invisible to everyone else.
Something small and precious, yet blessed with such a convincing ability.
“Your Highness, the Crown Princess Elect, I shall announce your arrival.”
“No, I’ll slip in quietly.”
A knight stood waiting at the entrance to the Banquet Hall. I swiftly declined his thunderous announcement and moved forward in silence.
The moment I stepped into the hall proper, an almost unbelievable sight caught my eye.
‘Ah, so that’s why Ibanyi discouraged me from coming.’
It was strange that he, who ordinarily never tried to stop me from anything, would warn me away this time.
Bloodstained fabric clung to their bodies; tangled hair hung matted; scars from torn flesh marked them everywhere.
The prisoners’ appearance told the grim story of a brutal transport—they looked absolutely wretched.
Within, the hall was packed with nobles who regarded them as spectacle, laughing and prattling away.
It was the moment I faced the true face of nobility, so beautifully concealed behind the genre called Romance Fantasy.
‘Wow. I’ve spent my whole life in a laboratory concocting magical potions, raised in precious comfort. Should I really be seeing something this harsh?’
The original work had been an incident story, yes, but it was supposed to run mainly on healing keywords. How could this possibly be acceptable?
‘Of course, the moment I learned Ibanyi was a slaughterer, it stopped being a healing story for me.’
Perhaps it was only ever meant to be a healing story for the heroine, Shana.
Ugh. A wave of nausea rose from my stomach, and I hastily covered my mouth with my hand. As I steadied my breath and gripped the wall, Ibanyi’s words came back to me.
‘I wish I could show you only beautiful sights, but it’s not easy.’
Yeah, this really wasn’t easy at all. These scenes unfold the moment I turn my head—I never knew because Ibanyi had shielded me from them.
‘Is it because there are so many people, or is the shock of this sight overwhelming me?’
It’s probably both, isn’t it? But if I collapse here, I’ll become a second spectacle. Let me calm down for now.
I slipped behind a pillar as I always did, and only then did I slowly catch my breath.
Truly, there were far too many people. Not quite as many as at the last party, but the Emperor’s favored high nobles and the Imperial Household knights who had distinguished themselves in the war had all shown up in force.
‘I need to get Chahil and leave quickly.’
Having almost steadied my roiling stomach, I slowly lifted my head—and my eyes met those of one of the prisoners who had been looking in my direction.
‘……Huh?’
A man with long white hair and eyes of such ethereal transparency that they seemed almost colorless.
‘Chahil…!’
I knew at once. This was the man I’d been searching for.
In the original work, Chahil hadn’t been injured as severely as the others. So all that blood drenching him….
Between the fabric torn in all directions, blood of unknown origin caked thickly on Chahil’s form—it struck me as threatening rather than pitiable.
Somehow I knew, instinctively, that it was all someone else’s blood.
“….”
Chahil’s lips moved as if he meant to say something. At the same moment, the Emperor at the head seat raised his cup high to begin the banquet.
“Blessings upon those of you who brought glory to Larkis!”
As the crowd shifted, Chahil’s face was lost from view.
‘Did I see wrong?’
I didn’t dwell on it and turned to look at the Emperor.
“Let me see now. Ah, Rene. Come here. It is only proper that I present my greatest treasure first to the new mistress of Marin Palace.”
The Emperor, who had found me huddled in the corner with remarkable precision, gestured me forward with a satisfied smile.
I ignored the weight of countless eyes pressing at my back and made my way to the center of the Banquet Hall, where the Emperor descended and handed me a sharp-edged glass box.
Inside lay a Tiara set with deep crimson rubies—clearly no ordinary object.
“I found it in the treasure vault of Tarant Royal Palace. I’m told it’s a crown passed down through the royal line for generations, and that it possesses quite special powers. It should make fine research material for a mage such as yourself.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor turned away with a pleased expression the moment he placed the gift in my hands, and from among the clustered prisoners came the sound of teeth grinding—Crunch-crunch.
“Curse it. The royal heirloom, treated as mere research material……!”
“To dare lay hands on the Tiara we have cherished for centuries!”
“May the curse of the treasure fall upon you all—aaaaaagh….”
The hot breath of their fury swept across the nape of my neck and scattered cold.
……I should give this to Chahil.
Since he wields the Misfortune Aura, he’ll handle it better than I would, probably.

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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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