A World Where You All Are The Villains

Even from quite a distance, those pitch-black eyes were staring straight at me.

Suddenly, he lifted one eyebrow and slowly tilted his head.

I froze on the spot, startled out of my wits.

‘…No way, did he recognize me?’

I reflexively denied it, but I couldn’t avoid his gaze.

If I looked away, it felt like he would rush over and grab me by the neck in an instant.

In the novel, Edith and Serge never had any personal interaction.

Besides, as the ‘Grand Duke of the North’, he wasn’t someone who frequented the capital.

They might have run into each other once or twice at a banquet, but not enough for him to recognize me at a glance…

‘But people have been running their mouths about me kidnapping the Purifier!’

Now, I couldn’t be certain of anything.

It had long since become impossible to rely on the plot of the novel, because everything was a complete mess…

It was then.

“My lord, what should we do with this one?”

A knight approached the Grand Duke.

Pop!

The suffocating black gaze that had pinned me so completely vanished as if it were a lie.

“He’s a Sephirot cultist. Take him to the dungeons.”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights dragged away the limp middle-aged man.

Thankfully, it seemed he hadn’t been killed.

“Sephirot cult…?”

“Then does that mean His Highness the Crown Prince had contact with heretics?!”

“My goodness, no matter how desperate he is to awaken…”

The nobles who had overheard Serge’s words were in an uproar.

If anything, they seemed even more shocked than when he was confronting the Crown Prince.

I listened carefully to the murmurs as I kept a close eye on Serge.

Fortunately, he didn’t look back at me again.

‘…It must have been my imagination.’

Maybe he was looking at Vincent standing next to me, not at me.

That’s what I decided to believe, glancing sidelong at Vincent, who was sticking close by.

Unlike when he’d been acting like a madman toward the Crown Prince, the Grand Duke now handled the situation with cold precision.

In an instant, the monster corpses were cleared away and the hall was put back in order.

“My apologies for all the commotion. As you all know, His Highness isn’t in the best of health… It’s just a family matter, so please, don’t mind it and continue enjoying yourselves.”

Serge said this nonchalantly, wiping his hands on a towel brought by an attendant.

At his words, the music started up again.

The banquet resumed as if nothing had happened.

“Wow… That was one hell of a power play.”

Fweet—

Suddenly, Vincent whistled and looked back at me.

“See? Didn’t I tell you? The Crown Prince isn’t a pushover. Looks like he finally got a good shot in on the Grand Duke.”

It was only then, hearing that joking voice, that my tension snapped.

I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath, watching Male Lead #4 so closely.

Trying to calm my still-racing heart, I spoke.

“…What’s the Sephirot cult?”

Vincent looked at me, a little surprised.

“It’s a cult led by some lunatic who claims he created the world.”

“A cult…?”

“You don’t need to know the details.”

Hmm. I’ll have to look into it more once I get home.

With that thought, I turned away.

The moment I took a step, my shoulder was seized, as if he’d been waiting for it.

“Where are you going?”

Vincent frowned as he asked.

I answered as if it was obvious.

“I’m done being your bait now.”

“It’s not over yet. Llewellyn hasn’t come.”

“If she hasn’t shown up by now, she’s probably not coming.”

“Still, you never know. Stay by my side.”

At his unreasonably stubborn words, I scowled.

When I tried to ignore him and leave, the hand gripping my shoulder tightened abruptly.

“Hey.”

“That hurts.”

Smack!

I shook off his hand sharply.

“Would you knock it off? Are you going to follow me all the way to the restroom?”

“…W-Well, you could at least say so if you’re going…”

Looking flustered, Vincent awkwardly withdrew his hand from the air.

I glared at him, annoyed, then abruptly turned away.

‘…Ugh, what a pain in the ass. Seriously, he’s more trouble than he’s worth.’

There was no point regretting it now, the water was already spilled.

All I could do was get myself out of this mess.

I asked a passing attendant where the restroom was and quickly left the banquet hall.

The corridor was empty.

No doubt everyone was busy gossiping about the Grand Duke appearing out of nowhere and tossing a monster corpse at the Crown Prince.

In a way, it was fortunate.

Click, clack.

Striding quickly down the hallway, I mulled over what had just happened.

‘So… While the Grand Duke was off suppressing Gates, the female lead disappeared from the palace. He asked the Crown Prince where she’d gone and ended up in a trap. That’s what all that roundabout talk meant, right?’

With that, I’ve summarized Male Lead #4’s twisted words in a single line.