How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 120

The fake tears I had seen at the Laurus barony were nothing compared to this.

 

Like a soulless doll, like someone whose emotions had completely faded after years of erosion. Thick droplets rolled down her hollow face, now just an empty shell.

 

“Why… must I suffer such terrible things?”

 

“…”

 

I could only part my lips, frozen in place, unable to offer any response.

 

The despair in her vacant eyes felt too vast, too unfathomable.

 

“Perhaps the ones truly cursed were never the crown princes… but me?”

 

Even though I had seen her like this many times through a screen, facing her in reality left me powerless to console her.

 

No matter what I said, it would only feel like deceit from her perspective.

 

But the heavy atmosphere didn’t last long. Before I could even react, Selene let out a deep sigh and wiped away her tears.

 

“I’m sorry for rambling. I know complaining won’t change anything, and yet…”

 

I never imagined she would apologize to me, of all people.

 

‘What should I even say here?’

 

Honestly, I believed that, in this world, no one understood Selene better than I did. Through the game, I had indirectly experienced her life, and through dreams, I had even glimpsed the unspoken pains hidden behind the story.

Yet, faced with her sorrow right before me, I couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

 

“It’s been so long since I’ve confided in anyone… I must look pathetic, crying like this.”

 

I was already berating myself for standing there uselessly when Selene broke the silence with a self-deprecating remark.

 

Seeing her bitter smile only made my own heart grow heavier.

 

“N-no, not at all. You should cry when you need to.”

 

With great difficulty, I managed to open my mouth, but what came out was a sentence of little substance.

 

Selene didn’t seem to mind the pitiful response—one so lacking it could hardly even be called consolation—and instead let out a dry laugh, muttering to herself.

 

“Why did things get so tangled up?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Her words were brief, as if carrying many unspoken meanings.

 

Yet, like cracked glass, they seemed fragile enough to shatter at the slightest wrong touch, leaving me unable to ask anything in return.

 

I could only watch her cautiously.

 

“I thought things would be different since it’s the first time Miss Laura has received divine protection, but… too much has changed from previous situations. I couldn’t respond properly.”

 

Abruptly, as if spurred by impulse, Selene pulled out a small glass vial from her pocket.

 

“Even if nothing else, if only I hadn’t incurred the wrath of the divine beast… But of all things, I had to make a mistake. Everything’s gotten too tangled.”

 

There was something oddly familiar about it—then I realized it was the poison I’d often seen on screen.

 

“Wait—what are you doing?”

 

Sensing the ominous shift in the air, I hurriedly grabbed her hand, the one holding the vial.

 

“I’m starting over.”

 

“No—wait! Let’s just talk first!”

 

Just as I’d feared, Selene seemed determined to die.

 

“Next time.”

 

Her voice was so flat it sent chills down my spine. It was far too calm for someone about to drink poison and end their life.

 

I knew she took death lightly, but I never thought she’d try to drink poison right in front of me… 

 

No, actually, isn’t it a good thing she tried to do it in front of me?

 

At least this way, I could stop her.

 

Unlike Laura, whose very bones seemed sturdy, Selene was physically frail—so prying the vial from her grip was easy.

 

“…!”

 

For the first time, a flicker of bewilderment crossed her hollow, sky-blue eyes. Before she could impulsively rush off again, I hastily spoke up.

 

“First, calm down and let’s talk.”

 

“Give it back!”

 

“You know this is poison, right?”

 

“So what? You know about my ability too. I don’t die.”

 

“It’s not that you don’t die—you just reverse time to before your death.”

 

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

 

“I think it’s different.”

 

I directly refuted her claim, but Selene didn’t seem to be listening at all.

 

“This time, I messed up and things got complicated, but I’ll start over. When I do, I won’t frame Miss Laura either.”

 

She began listing all the things she would change upon regression—how she wouldn’t come to the Holy Kingdom even if she became a Saint candidate again, or how she’d ask for help to meet Xenon.

 

But I couldn’t just sit and listen.

 

“I might not even be there next time!”

 

Frustrated, I blurted out a guess that wasn’t even certain yet. Finally, Selene, who had been lost in her own world, snapped back with a normal reaction.

 

“…Are you saying Miss Laura will disappear?”

 

She looked somewhat dazed.

 

It wasn’t a lie, but guilt pricked at me anyway, so I quickly clarified.

 

“No. I’ll be there, but… I might not remember anything that’s happened so far. Then I’d just go back to being Laura, jealous of you.”

 

Of course, it was just a hypothesis.

 

Given that I had experienced regression with Selene multiple times since possessing this body, statistically speaking, the chances of my guess being wrong were much higher.

 

And yet, for some reason, I feel like there won’t be a next time.

 

It wasn’t a statistically grounded probability but an instinctive premonition—one I couldn’t dismiss as mere moodiness.

 

Part of it might be due to what Lord Fenrir told me, but more than that, this is the first time I’ve felt such near-certainty. The thought that if Selene dies and the regression begins, I might not be able to follow along the axis of time.

 

Moreover, there was another reason.

 

‘That would be the divine prophecy Selene heard.’

 

Only now did I realize it—Selene didn’t hear Nanna’s voice while she was alive on earth, but after her death.

 

In other words, during the regression, in the brief moment when Selene’s soul traveled back through time.

 

Thus, that loophole must have been an oversight in the covenant between the gods, and it was highly likely that Nanna had deliberately exploited that timing to intervene directly.

 

‘Well, this is just speculation, though.’

 

But if this hypothesis is correct, I would be excluded from that gap in time.

 

Even if Nanna’s exact motives were unclear, one thing seemed certain—she intended to make Selene the protagonist.

 

“First, let me ask you something—did you ever hear Nanna’s voice while you were alive?”

 

“Suddenly asking that… What do you mean?”

 

“I know you’ve occasionally heard Nanna’s divine prophecies. So please answer me honestly.”

 

“…Y-yes, that’s right.”

 

After hesitating for a moment, Selene eventually nodded in agreement.

 

“And you never heard it while you were on earth, correct?”

 

“On earth? When I was alive?”

 

She seemed unfamiliar with the term ‘earth’ and repeated it questioningly.

 

When I confirmed, she agreed without the slightest hesitation.

 

“Yes. That’s also true. I only ever heard Nanna’s prophecies in the dark space I briefly enter after death.”

 

“Just as I thought. This is just my speculation, but… Nanna might erase my memories in that space.”

 

“But since Miss Laura also has divine protection, wouldn’t it be fine?”

 

“Hard to say. A mere human can’t dare to guess a god’s will. The only thing certain is that the only time I can help Selene with a sound mind is right now.”

 

“…”

 

💫

 

“I want to end this tiresome, repeating regression. This might be my first and last chance.”

 

“Last chance…”

 

It seemed my persuasion had some effect, as Selene’s pupils wavered.

 

“You’re right, the current situation isn’t great, but at the very least, we should try until we’ve done all we can. Right?”

 

“That’s true. Even if we incur the wrath of the divine beast, the worst outcome would be death. If it’s the same death either way, then following Laura’s suggestion and seeing it through to the end would be better.”

 

That wasn’t exactly what I meant, but at least it seemed to have changed Selene’s mind.

 

“Good thinking. In that case, I’ll hold onto this for now.”

 

I tucked away the small glass vial.

 

‘Just in case she suddenly loses control and tries to die again.’

 

Of course, there are countless ways to die, so hiding the poison wouldn’t completely stop Selene from regressing. Still, it was something.

 

“Alright.”

 

Fortunately, Selene didn’t resist.

 

‘Whew, now we might finally have a proper conversation.’

 

Seeing Selene finally calm after the earlier commotion, I let out a quiet sigh of relief and spoke in a slightly drained voice.

 

“Honestly, there’s a lot I want to ask, but first—would it be alright if I tried to see if I can absorb Huluppu’s divine power?”