How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 156

I threw out a bait he couldn’t ignore and provoked him. 

 

As expected, Yves Leblanc bit down on it immediately.

 

“Your… secret?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…Does my brother know about it as well?”

 

Seeing that he was the one who brought up Endymion first, despite having avoided any conversation about him until now, it seemed the topic had been quietly bothering him.

 

“He doesn’t know everything.”

 

“…”

 

“What I’m about to tell you now is related to that.”

 

A clear conflict was visible on Yves Leblanc’s face.

 

‘Just a little more pushing should do it.’

 

I didn’t miss the opening and continued to persuade him.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to hear it directly from me now rather than finding out later through someone else?”

 

“…I promise I won’t interrupt your story.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Having finally gained his consent, I took a moment to steady my breathing and organize my thoughts.

 

I had been mentally preparing myself to some extent ever since I decided to unravel his tangled misunderstandings, but actually facing him and having to speak made me even more nervous.

 

‘Whew, it’s okay. It’ll be fine.’

 

I tried to calm my anxious feelings with self-suggestion and carefully began.

 

“The story might get a bit long, but to help you understand, may I start from the very beginning of all the events?”

 

“Understood.”

 

With his permission granted, I soon laid out the circumstances surrounding Selene, the root of all the problems.

 

I told him about her situation: how, due to the power of the gods, she had been invited to the Oannes viscount’s party and had been endlessly repeating a period of five years, suffering unimaginable pain.

 

“Selene’s only goal was to stop that repetition, and to do so, she had to satisfy the god who had granted her divine protection, Nanna.”

 

However, not knowing exactly what the god wanted, she had made various attempts within the never-ending time. 

 

Among them, I also revealed that she had shared love with several men who were cursed.

 

Of course, considering Selene’s position, I didn’t go into detailed descriptions of the days she spent in intimacy with the capture targets. 

 

Still, the moment my own name was mentioned, Yves Leblanc’s brows crumpled sharply.

 

Along with that, his red lips moved several times as if he had something to say, but perhaps because of the promise he made to me, he never interrupted.

 

Thanks to that, the conversation ended as concisely as possible without going off on tangents.

 

I also revealed that my so-called foresight ability was actually just me appropriately packaging situations I had experienced multiple times firsthand, and that neither Selene nor I could truly see the future. Then I naturally moved on to the next topic.

 

That was Endymion—the very source of the misunderstanding.

 

“Originally, the only person who fully remembered the repeating time was Selene. But for some reason, the current Endymion-nim has regained those memories.”

 

To reduce even a little of Yves Leblanc’s suspicion that Endymion was still hiding other motives and only pretending to be friendly, I diligently explained the reason behind Endymion’s sudden change in personality recently.

 

That Endymion truly loved Selene, and thanks to her, he had also come to realize the value of the people around him.

 

“That’s also why Endymion-nim often came to see me. He realized his past mistakes but didn’t know what to do, so he sought advice from me.”

 

When I added that, as comrades who had experienced these unbelievable events together, events that ordinary people would never believe, I ended up sharing information and even listening to his relationship consultations.

 

Yves Leblanc’s expression turned awkward.

 

He seemed to mutter something like ‘That brother of mine…’, as if he felt a sense of disparity between the always-perfect Endymion in his perception and the current Endymion.

 

Looking at him, I gently bit my lower lip.

 

Now, the only thing left was the truth about my possession.

 

“And finally…”

 

Even though Yves Leblanc already looked quite shocked by Endymion’s change, I hesitated until the very moment I opened my mouth about whether it was okay to reveal the possession. 

 

In the end, I confessed everything as I had originally decided.

 

“Actually… I am not Laura Laurus.”

 

Lacking the courage to meet his silver eyes filled with trust, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and spat out the most confidential sentence I had kept hidden.

 

“You might think I’m suddenly talking nonsense, but… I came from another world.”

 

I had simulated in my head many times how to convey this hard-to-believe truth in a coherent way.

 

Yet the moment I stood in front of him, the words that came out were disjointed and rambling.

 

“Um, so… the body is Laura’s, but the soul is different, I guess…”

 

Unable to figure out how to properly end the sentence, I trailed off awkwardly. And the moment I fell silent, the room was engulfed in complete stillness.

 

The occasional chirping of birds could be heard, but the sunlit room was far from peaceful.

 

A tense, ice-thin atmosphere flowed between us.

 

“May I ask questions now?”

 

Surprisingly, Yves Leblanc was the first to break the silence.

 

“…Yes.”

 

Like a criminal awaiting judgment, I simply kept my eyes tightly closed and nodded slowly.

 

“Is that… the only secret?”

 

I had heard the same reply just a few minutes ago, but this time I couldn’t hold back and asked back.

 

“Is there supposed to be more?”

 

I couldn’t grasp at all what Yves Leblanc was thinking right now.

 

“Not really, but… for a secret you’ve been hiding for so long, it feels a bit underwhelming.”

 

“What? Underwhelming?”

 

I was stunned.

 

If I had to pick the most absurd thing among everything I had explained, it would undoubtedly be the fact that I, who came from another world, had possessed Laura’s body.

 

Yet Yves Leblanc answered as if he genuinely found it insignificant.

 

“Yes. To me, the fact that the Saintess Young Lady has been repeating a specific period of time is far more surprising.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I already knew you weren’t Laura Laurus.”

 

For a moment, I doubted my own hearing.

 

The bombshell that came from his mouth struck me like a hammer to the head—it was that shocking.

 

“Since… when?”

 

“From the beginning.”

 

“What?”

 

Oh my god. Good heavens.

 

The sheer enormity of the surprise was impossible to express with any exclamation. I couldn’t hide my astonishment.

 

In contrast, Yves Leblanc continued speaking without concern.

 

“A person changed so drastically overnight. Wouldn’t it be strange if I hadn’t noticed?”

I hadn’t noticed at all.

 

Like in other possession novels, even Endymion and Selene, who had personally experienced the abnormal phenomenon, hadn’t immediately realized that I had completely changed.

 

“It seems my brother and the Saintess Young Lady didn’t notice.”

 

Yves Leblanc, who had been observing me closely, easily read my inner thoughts. Since I had no intention of hiding it, I readily admitted.

 

“…That’s right.”

 

“They probably thought your change was also due to the time repeating, since they knew about the loops.”

 

It was a reasonable inference.

 

‘Well, it’s true that most people wouldn’t even imagine the existence of another world.’

 

I was about to accept his opinion when I suddenly felt unjustly treated and countered with a slightly aggrieved tone.

 

“No. But isn’t the fact that the soul has changed an even bigger secret than time going backward?”

 

“It is true that there has never been a precedent of another soul entering a human body. However, the same applies to the Saintess.”

 

Yves Leblanc told a story similar to what Fenrir had once mentioned.

 

That the only existence capable of bestowing life upon the earth was God alone.

 

Since I was a Saintess chosen by the gods, it would be impossible to understand with ordinary common sense, but if it was God’s will, then it was entirely possible.

 

From my perspective, the most surprising thing was how casually Yves Leblanc accepted this absurd truth, but I soon shook off the distracting thoughts swirling in my head.

 

‘Anyway, good is good.’

 

Having confessed everything to him, I could finally let out a sigh of relief.

 

“Phew… I worried for nothing.”

 

“About what?”

 

“I was anxious that you might be disappointed in me, Yves-nim.”

 

“…”

 

For a moment, Yves Leblanc’s face crumpled miserably. He didn’t say a single word to me, but I could feel his emotions from his expression.

 

It was an immense sense of resentment and dissatisfaction, as if asking why I couldn’t trust him that much.

 

“No. Um, I know that you originally didn’t really… like Laura that much, but there’s always the possibility, right?”

 

The more I made excuses, the lower Yves Leblanc’s eyebrows drooped.

 

“You also said before that if I heard your true feelings, I would be disappointed! I felt the same way.”

 

At the time, Yves Leblanc had been quite depressed, so it was a memory I didn’t really want to bring up. 

 

However, it was the most suitable example to gain his empathy right now, so I had no choice but to mention it.

 

“I thought that if I weren’t a person from this world, you might be disappointed or afraid.”

 

After blurting out my rambling, excuse-filled complaints, Yves Leblanc fortunately gave a small nod in understanding.