A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 51.1
Too horrid of a thing to say.
After all the hell I’m going through, she calls those scoundrels ‘the lady’s men’?!
Seeing me gag and shudder, Eston fell silent with a subdued expression.
Then, as if remembering something, she pulled an item from her pocket and handed it to me.
“…Please take this.”
“What’s this?”
Inside the small bottle was a round flask filled with an unknown liquid that sloshed faintly.
“It’s a self-defense concoction… I put it in an empty perfume bottle.”
“Self-defense?”
“Yes. Volner’s dangerous even in broad daylight. And you’re not the type to carry something like this around, Milady.”
“……”
She was so detail-oriented that I had nothing to say.
As if she expected that reaction, she sighed.
“I mixed a few things together last night. I couldn’t check the concentration since I was rushing, but if you spray it directly on someone’s face, they could even go blind.”
“Blind? Did you put hydrochloric acid in there or something?”
“Not exactly… But anyway, the smell alone should be enough to work. If spraying it isn’t an option, just throw the bottle and break it. Don’t forget to hold your breath.”
I stared blankly at the perfume bottle for a moment before asking,
“How much should I pay you for it?”
“What… Ha!”
At my words, Eston blinked in confusion before bursting into a hollow laugh.
“I didn’t think you were the type to just accept something for free, but… honestly, you surpass my imagination every single time.”
“Was that a compliment?”
She glared at me as if to say, as if.
“…Don’t you ever get tired, calculating and weighing everything like that?”
“Funny, coming from the one who practically cried when she got a ring.”
“Th-That’s why I’m giving this to you as a freebie! Satisfied?!”
“Quite a generous freebie.”
“Yes! And it’s absolutely not because I’m worried about you, Milady! It’s for the sake of my and Theo’s safety…!”
“Thank you, Eston.”
I let out a small laugh, stopped teasing her, and carefully accepted the perfume bottle.
Then, with a slightly bitter tone, I added,
“As you know, I’m a thorough misanthrope, so it’s hard for me to just accept kindness like this.”
“……”
“Still, I’ll try to trust a little.”
To be honest, I still believed there was no such thing as kindness without strings attached.
And if I thought about how Eston and I had started out, it made things even more confusing.
Like how I’d given back the ring Nancy had once offered as hush money.
‘What kind of villainess who’s supposed to be thoroughly shunned by those around her ends up like this?’
Still, I couldn’t deny I welcomed an unexpected means of self-defense.
Awkwardly stroking the outer surface of the bottle, still warm from another’s touch, I suddenly noticed Eston’s cheeks turning red.
A mischievous smile spread across my lips.
“Well, we’re already in the same boat. If I sink, you sink with me. So, help me with everything you’ve got.”
“Ha! How very en-cour-ag-ing of you!”
Snorting, Eston suddenly slammed her forehead against the carriage wall with a thud.
“Mother… I’m ruined. I really picked the wrong side this time.”
“True. It’s unfortunate.”
“Don’t agree with me so calmly with that face of yours―! Uwaaaah!”
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After running for just over an hour, the carriage finally arrived in Volner.
Perhaps because it was broad daylight, the streets were quiet.
When we reached the district where the guilds were gathered, I parted ways with Eston.
“I’ll be waiting at the station. You have to be back by half past three at the latest.”
“Okay. I won’t take long.”
“Please. No, maybe I should just come along with you?”
“That would be cumbersome.”
I answered briskly and hopped down from the carriage.
The reason I wasn’t moving with her was because, in the original story, the female lead had gone alone too.
‘What was it…? Something about needing secrecy to keep things under wraps.’
Fortunately, my memory was good enough that I didn’t have to worry about getting lost.
I slipped onto the main street and walked until I reached the block with a weapons shop marked by a red sign.
Turning the corner, I was on my way toward a restaurant where steam was billowing out thickly.
All of a sudden, a squad of knights clad in golden armor marched in formation.
‘What are knights doing here? I feel like I’ve seen that armor before…’
Tilting my head, I stepped aside to the edge of the street.
Just then, behind them, a familiar face appeared.
Red hair, so bright you could recognize it from a distance at a glance.
‘You’ve got to be kidding! Why is that bastard here…!’
Dylan Frederick!
Male Lead #3, approaching in golden armor that was far more dazzling than the knights ahead of him.
I hadn’t even reached my destination yet.
Quickly, I tried to pull my hood down further, but suddenly froze.
The rampage meter above his head was far higher than I expected.
‘Sure enough. Without the female lead around, his condition is really…’
Frowning, I stared at the black miasma writhing beneath his chin.
Then, all of a sudden, his ashen eyes slid in my direction.
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