How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 29

 

💫

 

After leaving the prison, Yves washed his face dry.

 

Laura’s unexpected reaction made him feel ashamed.

 

‘That’s embarrassing. Honestly, I thought she’d be happy to see me visit.’ 

 

I’d expected her to vent her frustrations to me and ask me to help her clear her name.

 

But in reality, she was terrified of Yves.

 

She believed without a doubt that he had come to kill her.

 

Shaken by this, Yves blurted out a harsh statement.

 

‘I really didn’t mean to hurt you…’

 

I was surprised to see Laura so angry at the same time.

 

And also relieved. Because I could feel the desperate desire for life that still lingered.

 

‘I think we have a strange misunderstanding.’ 

 

Perhaps because of the difference in the way he had treated her in the past, Laura thought he liked her.

 

‘I suppose it’s because you think I haven’t noticed that another soul has taken possession of Laura Laurus’s body since the time of the divine mark appeared.’ 

 

It’s not that I didn’t mention it because she seemed to not want to admit it.

 

Already, in his perception, they were two completely different people.

 

So their attitudes were bound to be different. But he never imagined that it would lead to a strange misunderstanding.

 

As he walked down the hall, he thought back to the conversation he’d had with Laura in prison.

 

“You said you were here to see Miss Laura?”

A clear voice stopped Yves in his tracks.

Lady Selene. 

 

The second person whose identity was revealed to have the divine symbol.

 

“Lady Selene. You have quite the ear.”

 

“Because you’re so popular, Yves, you’re a topic of conversation everywhere you go, even if you’re not particularly curious.”

 

“…I don’t think I ever gave you my name, Lady Selene.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, it just came out of my mouth so naturally, Count Leblanc, I’ll be more careful next time.”

 

Selene smiled brightly, unperturbed by Yves’s sarcastic tone, and replied with natural virtue.

 

‘I knew you were unusual when I saw you at Viscount Oannes’ party, but it’s more than that. It was a far cry from the information that she was a noble young lady who had barely completed her debutante,’ thought Yves inwardly.

 

Without giving anything away, she was like a seasoned lady who had been in social circles for years.

 

“How is Miss Laura? Is she all right?”

 

“One would think you were worried about her.”

 

“You’re right, I’m still wondering if someone hasn’t assassinated Miss Laura.”

 

Yves’s eyebrows knitted together.

 

The phrase reminded her of Laura, whose death might have been her own.

 

“Are you asking if I killed Lady Laurus?”

 

“Judging by the silence of the light cavalry, I believe Miss Laura is still alive, but I wanted to check just in case.”

 

“…”

 

“That’s surprising, though. Word on the street is that you two don’t get along very well…”

 

She trailed off and stared at Yves as if observing him.

 

“Perhaps the Count and Miss Laura are closer than I realized.”

 

“We are not close.”

 

Yves denied it sharply.

 

For some reason, there was an instinctive gut feeling that he shouldn’t give her even the slightest bit of information, and he didn’t want to prolong the conversation.

 

Selene, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice Yves’ reluctance and continued to ramble on.

 

“Don’t you care enough to stop by and see how she’s doing?”

 

“I’m just stopping by to ask a few questions.”

 

“Aha, I see, you are the Count I knew.”

 

I suddenly remembered Laura’s words in prison.

 

The sentence about not speaking without knowing anything.

 

‘I don’t like it when people who clearly don’t know anything about me claim to know me.’

 

I hadn’t exactly met Selene, but I hadn’t formally introduced myself, so it was hardly an acquaintance.

 

Staring down at Selene with an indifferent gaze, a twinge of disappointment suddenly rose in Yves’ chest.

 

Still, compared to Selene, it was safe to say that they knew each other.

 

Still, the question arose in his mind, did his words offend her?

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Selene apologized, lost in her own thoughts about Laura.

 

“I don’t mean to pretend to know, it’s just that you seem so insensitive to others, I didn’t realize you’d be so offended.”

 

Yves involuntarily winced.

 

It was as if the look on my face revealed all my feelings.

 

‘I’ve been so carefree lately.’

 

In order to survive, I had learned to hide my emotions since childhood, so I was confident in my facial expressions.

 

Though his recent association with Laura had loosened him up a bit, forcing him to let out things he didn’t like, he still thought he had it under control when he met others.

 

Selene, her complexion darkening slightly from Yves’ prolonged silence, spoke slowly.

 

“By way of apology, I’ll let the Count in on a secret.”

 

Her eyes, which resembled a warm spring sky, were so clear that it was difficult to discern her true intentions.

 

“I can actually see things.”

 

Yves looked at Selene with calm eyes, but inwardly panicked.

 

He hadn’t expected the word ‘foresight’ to come out of her mouth.

 

‘Does having a divine symbol give you the ability to foresee?’ 

 

Selene continued, even as Yves harbored new doubts.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’ve gotten carried away with my own sense of familiarity with the future Count.”

 

Yves still felt offended by her slip of the tongue. But he didn’t correct Selene’s mistake.

 

“So you can see the entire future?”

 

“Only the ones that are relevant to me. When I called you by your first name earlier, it was because I saw the future with the Count.”

 

“…”

 

Unfazed by Yves’ lack of response, Selene lowered her voice even further and whispered.

 

“I’m not asking you to believe me right now, I’m just saying…”

 

Before she could finish her sentence.

 

A voice echoed down the wide hallway.

 

“Selene!”

 

The voice’s owner called out, looking as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

 

“Endymion.”

 

“I found you. Why didn’t you tell me…? Yves, why are you two together?”

 

Endymion, who had been smiling softly as he put an arm around Selene’s shoulders, stiffened as he caught sight of Yves.

 

Accustomed to the overt wariness, Yves greeted him with his usual calmness.

 

“It’s been a long time, brother.”

 

Endymion glanced at him, not liking his nonchalance.

 

“Alas, yes. A year? I was more concerned with why you two are together.”

 

Endymion’s fierce glare and accusation was clearly jealousy.

 

‘Have you already taken a liking to Selene?’

 

Recently, rumors have been circulating in social circles that Selene and Endymion have been spotted together.

 

She was even being talked about as a possible candidate for Queen, but Yves felt it was the responsibility of the Crown Prince to keep her at his side.

 

However, Endymion’s mood seemed to indicate that the rumors had been diminished.

 

She hadn’t even been officially recognized as a Saint yet, and the rumors were already swirling around her.

 

“Yves told me he had met Miss Laura, so I spoke to him briefly, as I was worried about her.”

 

“Tsk, tsk, Selene. You’re too good to be concerned about the well-being of a person who tried to kill you.”

 

Endymion looked at Yves disapprovingly.

 

“By the way, I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been hooking up with her, so you’d better behave yourself.”

 

“…”

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“Alright, then, Yves, I’ll see you later.”

 

As Yves watched them walk away, he thought to himself.

 

‘You sure do change.’ 

 

Ever since they had first met, he had felt like she was wearing a thick mask, but in front of Endymion, it was something else.

 

Speculating that it wasn’t just a thick mask, but perhaps a variety of them, Yves shook off his thoughts and took a step forward.

 

Because whatever Selene’s true purpose was, it wouldn’t change what he had to do.

 

💫

 

Deep in thought.

 

Just when I was about to give up on everything, Yves came to visit unannounced.

 

An argument with him had left me with a bad case of cold feet, and it had fueled my passion to try one more time.

 

‘If I’m going to die anyway, shouldn’t I at least make a choice that I don’t regret?’ 

 

After all, I’ve already died once.

 

In a way, this was a better chance.

 

Unlike my previous life, where I had to die quickly due to a sudden car accident, I still have time.

 

Moreover, there were people who wanted to help me.

 

‘Let’s save the resentment for the execution table.’

 

All I had to do was get my head around it.

 

‘I have no idea how Yves will turn out, but I have to prepare myself for how I’m going to behave in court.’

 

I’d certainly have a chance to prove my innocence.

 

‘Besides, the oath of the gods won’t be completely useless.’ 

 

In this world, the gods were absolute.

 

Not even the High Priest or the Emperor are known to be able to resist being stigmatized.

 

So the mere fact that I am not stigmatized may be enough to confuse people.

 

‘The problem is Selene’s strange behavior…’

 

I couldn’t figure out anything about her.

 

It was hard to guess what her purpose was, what she was trying to accomplish, or what she was hiding.

 

The only clear thing was that Selene was a regressor.

 

Of course, when I spoke to her, I couldn’t tell if she was acting or not, so I just assumed she was a regressor based on my gut feeling.

 

However, after reflecting on it in prison, I realized that it wasn’t just a gut feeling, but an instinctive recognition of something out of place.