How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 20

 

Of course, I didn’t back down, unperturbed and unapologetic.

 

“If it’s the truth, it doesn’t matter.”

 

“It does.”

 

She nodded, but there was a hint of disgust on her face.

 

Before she could interrupt, Laura brought her right hand to her left chest and declared.

 

“In the name of Astarte, I swear to tell the truth. I, Laura Laurus, did not push Lady Selene.”

 

As I expected, nothing happened, and the chattering nobles fell silent as mice.

 

I, on the other hand, was quite amused.

 

‘Nice.’

 

I felt like I’d just punched a punch in the face of the nobles who’d been mocking me without even bothering to find out what was going on.

 

I felt like I’d thrown cold water on a party, but it was none of my business.

 

With a satisfied grin that belied my feelings of being sued to death, I asked, “Is that settled?”

 

Then Asel, who had pulled Selene out of the fountain and draped a shawl over her shoulders, stiffened and apologized.

 

“I apologize for jumping to conclusions without hearing the full story.”

 

To be honest, I was a little surprised.

 

I hadn’t expected someone to admit their fault so easily and offer an apology.

 

The thought crossed my mind, ‘Even though god’s power is absolute, foolish humans often fail to recognize the truth when they see it.’

 

Scared to have such a thought in my head, the noblewoman stepped forward.

 

“Isn’t it wrong to swear an oath?”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at the line, because it sounded like a stereotypical extra villain.

 

“I saw it, Lady Laurus shoved her hand away, and because of that, Lady Selene fell into the fountain, but you’re not wrong when you say that you didn’t push, that’s why you weren’t stigmatized!”

 

The nobles chuckled at her argument. Like they were desperate to make me a villain somehow.

 

‘At least they’re not the only stupid ones.’

 

I don’t know if it was the power of the oath, or the embarrassment of being wrong, but the number of nobles who agreed with me dwindled considerably.

 

The problem was that the few with malicious intent were louder than they should be.

 

“That’s right, I saw it, too. Lady Selene grabbed Lady Laurus wrist and was talking to her about something, and she slapped her hand away without a second thought.”

 

“Me too!”

 

One of the others started to join in.

 

‘They must be real fools.’

 

Anyone capable of thinking could have guessed that I was going to swear again.

 

Nonetheless, I could almost feel sorry for them now, as they wailed over their own misery as if they were the apostles of justice.

 

“I saw it.”

 

There are a lot of fools at this party.

 

…And at the same time, I realized that the voice sounded strangely familiar.

 

“Count Leblanc saw it too!”

 

The first lady exclaimed, unable to contain her laughter.

 

Turning to follow her, I saw Yves approaching with a cold air.

 

‘I thought we’d built up trust during our time together.’

 

Perhaps I was alone in my delusion.

 

It didn’t bother me, though. I knew Selene’s presence would change Yves’s mind quickly.

 

‘Well, even if she hadn’t yet awakened as a saint, he must have felt a fateful attraction.’

 

In any case, I would have to prove my innocence and return to the Baroness

and move away from the original.

 

After shrugging off Yves’s reaction, I opened my lips to swear again.

 

“I noticed that the lady have fallen into a fountain all by herself, while Lady Laurus standing still.”

 

“What?”

 

The curious noblewoman repeated, stunned by Yves’s completely different opinion.

 

She wasn’t the only one. Everyone at the party was stunned by Yves’s comment.

 

Including me. Then another nobleman caught Yves’s eye and asked cautiously.

 

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

 

“Yes. It is impossible for Lady Selene to have fallen into the fountain alone.”

 

“Let me ask those who saw the scene in question, what were Lady Laurus’s hands like?”

 

“They were…”

 

“Hmm…”

 

The nobles who were accusing me of being at fault trailed off.

 

“If, as you claim, Lady Laurus struck out with her hand, there should have been at least a slight recoil.”

 

“Ah…”

 

There was a sigh among them, as if they had realized something in hindsight.

 

“But Lady Laurus’ hand didn’t move an inch.”

 

It was a sharp point. Selene hadn’t even realized it.

 

‘Actually, I hadn’t noticed either, until Yves pointed it out.’

 

Yves, now standing right next to me, spoke with a sternness that froze the nobles who couldn’t make eye contact with him.

 

“Apologize to Lady Laurus”

 

None of the nobles, who had been so eager to jump into action just a moment ago, were willing to apologize.

 

“I apologize. I’m afraid I’ve caused more trouble than I need to.”

 

A heavy silence descended.

 

The soaked but still beautiful Selene interrupted. Her boisterous voice lifted the mood of the frozen party.

 

“I apologize to Viscount Oannes and the other nobles who were caught up in the commotion.”

 

She bent slightly at the knees and lifted the hem of her skirt, each movement graceful and beautiful. She caught the nobles’ eyes, and the tension in the room instantly dissipated as she apologized with a heartfelt expression.

 

“And to Lady Laurus.”

 

For some reason, I got goosebumps in her otherwise clear eyes.

 

‘Like a psychopath.’

 

There’s something uncanny about the way she walks toward me, unconcerned by her soaked and heavy dress.

 

“I’m sorry, I almost had the wrong idea.”

 

Selene apologized with a lopsided smile, but she took an involuntary step forward after Yves.

 

Then she suddenly winced.

 

“Ouch!”

 

The fall was in my direction, but Selene ended up in Yves’s arms.

 

It was because Yves was standing between me and her.

 

At that moment…

 

A light burst from Selene’s body.

 

[A gentle, warm blue glow enveloped the party]

 

At the same time, I remembered a sentence I had read to death in the game.

 

I remember thinking, ‘How on earth can the color blue be warm, but it feels like this.’

 

It wasn’t just that it looked visually warm, but that it felt like a warm sensation washed over me, like when Yves imbued me with divine power.

 

“What is this…”

 

“Didn’t you feel something very warm?”

 

“Exactly!”

 

Yves was the first to recognize the anomaly amidst the chaos.

 

He fixed his gaze on the back of Selene’s hand and muttered, “Divine mark?”

 

A whisper, barely above a murmur, but enough to carry through the silent party.

 

“If it’s a mark of the gods, is it the saint from the oracle?”

 

“My goodness!”

 

His words sent a ripple through the air, and exclamations of astonishment came from all directions.

 

‘At last…’

 

Meanwhile, I was inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

 

There were still a lot of issues to address, but at least I had accomplished what I wanted to do most.

 

On the other hand, I’m even more afraid of Selene.

 

I don’t know if it was all calculated, but thanks to the saint’s manifestation, the nobles’ attention had been diverted away from the incident where she had fallen into the fountain herself.

 

“Are you all right?”

 

Yves’s voice suddenly broke in as I pondered what Selene had in mind.

 

‘Why is he here?’

 

While all eyes were on Selene, I had managed to sneak out of the crowd.

 

Imagine my surprise, then, when Yves, who was carrying Selene as she fell, was next to me.

 

“You look tired, should we turn back?”

 

Yves tugged at me, still trying to assess the situation.

 

I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on, so I question him as we walk away.

 

“Uh, we’re just leaving?”

 

Leaving the heroine? Even though she’s awakened as a saint?

 

I had a million questions, but what came out of my mouth was a question that left out everything.

 

Glancing back at him, Yves said nonchalantly, “Uh, yeah. By the looks of it, the party’s about to end, so there’s no need to stay.”

 

He was right.

 

‘Oh, not like this.’

 

I was about to nod absentmindedly, but I managed to regain my composure.

 

‘Why aren’t you taking Selene with you?’

 

This was as unexpected as Selene, who was trying to make me the villain.

 

Yves’s attention would naturally turn to the new saint.

 

Not because of some vague notion of fate, but because the moment Selene’s divine mark appeared, the divine power that enveloped the party was so strong that even I could feel it.

 

Unlike me, who has less divine power than a grain of rice.

 

‘No matter how many days we’ve spent repairing our relationship, I’m still not convinced.’

 

He even asked me to marry him, but that was only because I was the only saint at the time.

 

But now there’s a new saint, Selene. There’s no reason for him to be so desperate for me.

 

‘Is it because the symbol of the gods appeared on me first?’

 

Oh, no way. It’s not like a newborn animal recognizes its mother as the first thing it sees.

 

The chances of Yves having such a one-dimensional thought were close to zero.

 

‘Then why?’

 

Spinning, turning, in place, no. Instead, I felt like I was falling into a quagmire.

 

Now I couldn’t tell what was different…

 

“Stop overthinking it.”

 

Yves’s firm voice snapped me back to reality from the labyrinth of my thoughts.

 

‘I’d better cover my face with a fan.’

 

It was too late for regrets, and Yves would have recognized that I was deeply troubled even if I had covered myself with a fan.

 

I wiped at my hardened cheeks and suddenly realized I’d walked all the way to the front of the carriage.

 

‘If I’d been paying attention, I wouldn’t have noticed.’

 

I sighed softly and climbed into the carriage.

 

“I know you’re confused by how quickly this happened. To be honest, so am I.”

 

Yves escorted me into the carriage and sat down beside me, naturally.

 

I wonder why, since we sat across from each other when we came to Viscount Oannes.

 

“But we’ll talk more about that tomorrow, and for now, get some rest.”