How a Villain Defies Destiny – Chapter 24

Author: Nikss

Just in case, I had a backup plan for how I would respond, and fortunately, it seemed to work well.

“Actually, after the last party, I’m a little scared of meeting people.”

The answer, playing the victim.

“You know, no one believed me when I told them the truth at that party, and I realized then that there was a lot of hate around me.”

I lowered my gaze and sighed softly, trailing off.

“All this time, I thought it didn’t matter what people said around me as long as I could get my father’s attention…”

The words trailed off deliberately. I couldn’t read the Baroness’s and Selene’s expressions because my eyes were fixed on the floor.

“…”

To my surprise, no tackles came.

‘I don’t know about Selene, but I thought the Baroness would have something to say.’

She was trying to undermine Laura somehow.

Instead of the usual snide remarks about how she should have known better, or how she should have behaved, she was silent.

‘I guess I’ll just have to keep playing the pitiful card.’

My attempt to gauge the atmosphere with a rebuttal failed, but I continued.

“It’s just so painful when you realize you’re being stared at hostilely by everyone at the party.”

I also replayed Laura’s unfortunate past in my head. The idea was to take advantage of Laura’s emotional vulnerability.

I practiced in front of the mirror whenever I was alone in my room, so it wasn’t hard.

“After that, I kept thinking, ‘Maybe this person doesn’t like me,’ and I started to get nervous about meeting someone.”

It sounds like a pretty credible claim, especially since Yves, who was visiting every day, had also stopped coming.

“…”

There was an awkward silence in the room, as if it was a shock to see the usually angry and nervous Laura show such a weak side.

“That’s why I refused the Viscount’s visit, because I didn’t want to see anyone until I was forgotten by everyone.”

I spoke the last words, holding back the urge to see the expressions on the Baroness and Selene’s faces.

“So please, could you please go back today? I haven’t gotten my bearings yet, and I need to be alone.”

I leaned in even further, as if I were asking a favor.

In reality, it was just a precautionary measure to prevent them from seeing my face in case the corners of my mouth twitched.

‘Anyway, since I’ve stooped this low, I suppose good ol’ Selene can’t help it, can she?’

It wasn’t a blunt refusal, but a request with a good reason and a promise of something to come.

Selene, who has to protect her good image, would have no choice but to back down.

But my expectations were beautifully dashed.

“Well… I guess I’m glad I took time out of my busy day to visit.”

Excuse me?

Her response was so nonchalant that I almost asked her what she was talking about for a moment, but I held it together with my superhuman patience.

Instead, my hands were clutching the quilt, and Selene’s cheerful voice came through.

“As I explained to the Baroness earlier, I came to apologize properly for what happened at Viscount Oannes.”

“I’m sorry, but perhaps another time…”

“You can’t! How could I leave you alone when you’ve been so deeply hurt by my actions?”

Oh, crap. That was a miscalculation.

‘I knew you’d do anything to get your way, but I never thought you’d push it this far.’

My behavior today differs from the original Laura.

So it’s not unreasonable to be surprised at how different someone has become.

Like Yves.

‘I thought I’d at least retreat for a while and see what happened next…’

My head was down, trying to organize my thoughts, when suddenly a white hand appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around mine.

‘What’s going on?’

The question was quickly answered.

Selene, who had just approached, knelt down to make eye contact and wrapped her hand around mine.

“Miss Laura, I don’t hate you, and if you don’t believe me, I can swear on a god’s oath.”

Then she looked up at me with a benevolent smile.

‘A real saint.’

Everyone around me seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Perhaps if I hadn’t known her madness at Viscount Oannes’s party, I would have believed it too.

“Please listen to my story, if only for a moment.”

I felt like I’d dug my own grave.

‘Let’s stay calm. There’s still a way out.’

I’m about to make a quick retort before the conversation turns to Selene.

“Baroness, would you mind stepping aside so I can speak with Miss Laura in private?”

Selene wedged in. The Baroness nodded her approval.

“Of course.”

Oh, no! But if I fidget here, it’s a bad idea.

‘Isn’t there something that can be done?’

Selene’s voice sounded casual as I racked my brain furiously for some small loophole to get out of this situation.

“Oh, and black tea, please.”

Why was Selene so obsessed with black tea?

It was ridiculous to ask for tea at this point, but the Baroness didn’t seem to mind.

“You, hurry up and make some black tea.”

“Yes, but…”

She must have been referring to Charlotte.

“Hurry up.”

“…I see.”

Charlotte, who had been wondering if I noticed, reluctantly left the room when the Baroness ordered.

“Take your time, then.”

“Thank you.”

Soon enough, Charlotte brought in tea, and everyone in the room left with the Baroness.

In the blink of an eye, the situation had been cleared. I lifted my head, which had been lowered to hide my emotions, and glared at Selene.

The maids had moved the tea table closer to the bed, so she wasn’t too far away, leisurely sipping her tea.

When their eyes met, she smiled brightly.

“You seem quite surprised to find me here.”

Her tone changed strangely.

‘You don’t hide your true nature when it comes to me.’

Selene continued, unperturbed by my wary glance.

“Well, this is certainly the first time I’ve seen you in person.”

“…”

“It’s also the first time I’ve heard what you’re really thinking.”

The sentences seemed to drift off.

I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be better if I tried to find out what Selene was thinking?’

But I didn’t want to. There was a clear difference between me and her.

A huge gap between heroine and extra villain.

I wasn’t even sure what she was looking for. In Viscount Oannes, I had Yves’s support, but in Baron Laurus, I had no one on my side.

I’d be lucky to gain a single sympathy vote with the performance I’d just put on.

If anything similar happened to me in this situation, I’d be blamed for it.

‘Best to just get out of here,’ I thought.

Of course, I could reveal the truth about the possession and tell her that I’m not the real Laura, but I was skeptical about that, too.

I doubted that revealing my secret would change her attitude.

‘Let’s just get out.’

My mind racing, I chose physical avoidance from my few options. I ignored Selene and left the room.

“…!”

But I couldn’t take a single step. Two knights and a butler waiting at the door stood in my way.

“…Get out of the way.”

“You can’t leave.”

“Why should I listen to you?”

“My lady has ordered me to assist you two to have a smooth conversation.”

It was a ridiculous excuse.

‘How do you expect to stop me at the door…’

Just as I was beginning to wonder if Selene had said something to the Baroness, the butler added an afterthought.

“She also told me to keep an eye on you, in case you might do Lady Selene any harm.”

This seemed to be the real purpose. If Laura got too soft, she might grab Selene by the hair.

‘I’m surprised she left so easily.’

While I was reeling from this unexpected turn of events, one of the knights put a hand on my shoulder.

“Please come inside.”

“Don’t touch me.”

“My lady has given me permission to touch you without harming you, in case something happens.”

“So you’re threatening to force me into the room even if I don’t want to?”

“I am merely following my lady’s orders.”

My status as Baroness Laurus was higher than the two men and the butler, who only had business letters and a knight’s title, but the next most powerful person in the manor after Baron Laurus was, of course, the Baroness.

‘I could have gotten away with it if it was just the two of them.’

They wouldn’t be able to wound me anyway, so I might be able to get away with a preemptive kick to a vital area, knocking one down and then running away, but three would be too much.

Even if I took one down, I would be easily subdued. I had to give up on getting out of the room.

“Please go in.”

With that, the door closed again.

“Your legs are going to hurt if you keep standing. Why don’t you sit down?”

“…”

“I have a lot of things I want to say.”

“…”

“You may not remember, but I’ve actually asked you to be my friend several times.”

The words made me cringe. I was stunned by what I was hearing.

‘When?’

Selene had never existed in Laura’s memory in the first place, and there was no such scene in the game.

‘Is this just an attempt at an exploit?’