How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 13

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More recently, Yves has been visiting Baron Laurus daily to observe Laura.

 

In conversations, she seemed to have memories of her life before she acquired the divine pattern.

 

However, sometimes she couldn’t answer or would excuse herself by saying she had forgotten.

 

This was the case with her partner at the foundation party.

 

Presumably Laura Laurus’ memory, but unstable.

 

‘It must be someone else.’

 

Day by day, the more time he spent with her, the more certain he became.

 

That another soul had entered Laura’s body.

 

And that soul was most likely a saint.

 

From the ancient texts of the temple, he had read that only the gods could intervene with the souls of humans, and the brief manifestation of Yves’s curse was proof of that.

 

‘My divine powers were not effective.’

 

Yves’s holy power was befitting of his position as leader of the Astarte Paladins.

 

Yet his divine power hadn’t been able to purify the curse, while hers had.

 

There was more to it than that.

 

Sometimes a person could come back from the dead and look like a completely different person, but Laura was different.

 

The moment she got the divine mark, she changed.

 

At first, I was wary of the possibility that she was still acting with a hidden agenda, but after a while, I began to realize that her taste in clothes had changed.

 

‘Laura Laurus is not someone who would give up overdecorating even if she came back from the dead.’

 

In the short time Yves had known Laura Laurus, he realized that she had a deep sense of inferiority.

 

With nothing of high status, no special abilities, and no beauty to draw attention to herself, the only thing she could claim was her family’s money.

 

Being frowned upon and overdressed to the point of ostentation was both a defense and an offense for her.

 

Now, on the other hand, Laura seems to have no interest in others, let alone feelings of inferiority.

 

From mood to facial expressions, behavior, attitude, personality, and taste.

 

Even though the shell hadn’t changed at all, she had changed so much that he couldn’t recognize a shadow of her.

 

It was for the same reason that he no longer harbored the anger he had once directed at Laura Laurus.

 

In Yves’ mind, Laura Laurus had already begun to be perceived as a different person, and so he saw no need to hold her responsible for what had happened since it was not her doing.

 

‘But why deny that she was a saint?’

 

In essence, nothing was known about the saint.

 

The oracle simply stated that she was favored by God.

 

When, where, and how she would appear was a mystery.

 

‘Besides, the oracle…’

 

Knock, knock—

 

A knock on the door interrupted his musings.

 

“Lord Yves, it’s time for the Queen’s tea party.”

 

“I see.”

 

Clicking his tongue lightly, Yves heaved himself to his feet.

 

‘It’s tiresome.’

 

No wonder he hated royal palaces.

 

Royalty, to be exact.

 

He was the second prince of the Euphrates Kingdom, in a very ambiguous position.

 

He was born to a neglectful king who was too busy with his affairs to pay attention to a prince who was not even a crown prince. 

 

The Queen loved the limelight so much that she lived a life of socializing and disregarded her children. 

 

Likewise, he was raised by his older brother, Endymion, who was also a crown prince. 

 

Although they are only three years apart, the responsibility of being crown prince has weighed heavily on Endymion since birth, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to take care of his younger brother.

 

No, he didn’t. In fact, at one point, he liked it.

 

He loved being able to unmask the crown prince who could do anything perfectly in front of his brother, Yves.

 

When he was younger, Yves had liked Endymion a lot, too.

 

But when he attends a social event, their relationship begins to change.

 

The problem was that his beauty and early manifestation of divine powers attracted the attention of the nobility.

 

A child remains a child, even in maturity.

 

Endymion saw Yves as a threat to his position as crown prince.

 

Despite Yves’s repeated assurances that he had no interest in the crown, once they drifted apart, it was hard to regain their closeness.

 

To ease his brother’s insecurities, he chose to abandon his royal status and join the temple to become a paladin.

 

Funnily enough, it was the Queen who most vehemently disapproved of his choice.

 

The Queen was opposed to Yves’s decision because she knew that if he became a member of the temple, he would be out of her control.

 

But Yves was stubborn, and became a paladin in the temple of Astarte, growing up apart from the nobility.

 

Forgetting about family and politics, he focused on improving himself by focusing on the gods and his sword skills.

 

His talent, coupled with his hard work, allowed him to become the youngest paladin in history by the time he reached adulthood.

 

The King deemed him useful and bestowed upon him the title of Count along with the surname Leblanc.

 

Honestly, he wanted to decline, but since Yves was already royalty, he had no choice but to accept the title.

 

Which explains why the Queen invited him to the tea party today. 

 

‘It would be a shame to waste a useful man on the temple.’

 

Yves’s presence would draw the attention of the nobility, who usually kept a low profile.

 

In a way, her mother, the Queen, was no different from Laura Laurus.

 

That’s why Yves detested Laura.

 

‘She was so much like my mother.’

 

While reminiscing about the ridiculousness of the past, Yves arrived at his destination.

 

“Count Yves Leblanc has arrived.”

 

As the servant announced his arrival, the conservatory fell silent.

 

The eyes of the assembled nobles turned to him in unison.

 

“Yves, you are running late today.”

 

“I apologize.”

 

Yves apologized to the Queen, hiding his true feelings, and took his seat.

 

Despite being a little late, the Queen smiled with satisfaction. Yves’s arrival had instantly drawn the attention of the nobles to the Queen.

 

Even the nobles who had been showing off their precious jewelry before his arrival, or the nobles whose noses had been raised by their recent business successes, seemed eager to speak with him.

 

The Queen, sensing their true intentions, spoke in a deep voice, overcome with a sense of superiority.

 

“Greetings. This is Count Alver, who has just started trading in silk.”

 

“Good evening, I’m Krynvle Alver, the owner of Alver Merchants.”

 

“I am Yves Leblanc.”

 

Count Alver touched his mustache in greeting, and when Yves returned the favor, the other nobles watching them resumed their paused conversation.

 

“The Count is much more beautiful than most women.” 

 

“It is indeed the Count who has come.”

 

“Yes, indeed. He’s so enchanting to look at.”

 

Yves had been listening to the boring aristocratic talk out of one ear when a topic suddenly caught his attention.

 

“Did you hear the news?”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Well, they say that Count Leblanc is visiting the Barony of Laurus every day these few days.”

 

“Ah. I know, it’s been all over social circles already.”

 

“I heard that the young lady of Laurus and Count Leblanc are engaged to be married.”

 

“Oh, no, of course not. How can they be engaged? Oho!”

 

The lady in the pink dress laughed, flicking her fan as if she had heard a very funny story, and the other ladies chuckled in agreement.

 

Meanwhile, the one with the fan covering her mouth whispered in a much smaller voice.

 

“I have heard that Count Leblanc has a weakness for the young lady Laurus.”

 

“Oh, well, someone I know said he saw them together in the common room of the Founding Party…”

 

By now, the ladies’ conversation had shifted from agreeing that Yves must have a weakness for Laura to the question, ‘What kind of weakness?’

 

“This is just my guess…”

 

The woman in the pale yellow dress rhymed slowly.

 

The other ladies looked at her curiously.

 

“Please don’t be so long-winded and just tell us.”

 

“You’re right, I’m dying to know.”

 

When the woman thought she had gotten enough attention, she spoke in a lisp.

 

“I wonder if the Count made the scars on her body at the Foundation Party rest stop?”

 

“What?”

 

One of the noblewomen spoke up before she could finish, and at that, the other glanced around and pointed.

 

“Shh, your voice is too loud!”

 

“I’m sorry, I was so surprised…”

 

“That’s okay, I got startled too.”

 

Everyone nodded as if they understood the lady who had raised her voice and resumed talking.

 

“Please calm down. It’s just a guess I made because I haven’t seen Lady Laurus since the foundation party.”

 

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Lady Laurus lately.”

 

“Isn’t that right? She must have a scar on her face or neck that keeps her locked up in her mansion.”

 

A scar was a major blemish on an unmarried young aristocrat.

 

If it was on a highly visible part of the body, like the face or neck, it was even more problematic.

 

If a scar caused a marriage partner not to show up, the person who made the scar was sometimes held responsible.

 

The ladies sitting at the table were also surprised by the crazy idea, some with serious expressions, and some with envious looks.

 

One of them, a lady in a pink dress, noticed the strange atmosphere and snorted sarcastically.

 

“It’s a good thing, though, because I wouldn’t dare call Count Leblanc every day as Baron, even if I were to use the pretext of my illness as an excuse.”

 

Then the air changed in an instant.

 

The jealousy and admiration that had been directed at Laura had suddenly turned to mockery.

 

“Well, if Baron Laurus knows the truth about the mistake, she wouldn’t dare hold Count Leblanc responsible.”

 

“Yes. It’s a fact that everybody knows, and I’m afraid that Young Lady Laurus is alone in her delusions.”