A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Trace (2)

As I arrived at Font Mesul, the restaurant I often visited, I naturally expected Yulie to be there. What surprised me was the person smiling beside her. It was Josephine. In Deculein's eyes, she was more dangerous than anyone else. Although it was my first time meeting her in person, I had seen her several times on the monitor and knew her background well.

"You must have turned a lot of heads when you walked in," Josephine said.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to sit or leave. However, leaving wasn't an option. In fact, meeting her now might be better. Josephine was bound to cause trouble sooner or later. It was safer to deal with her in an unexpected moment of daily life than to face a critical blow at a crucial time.

I took a seat and looked at Yulie. She looked back at me with eyes that reflected a mix of confusion and a hint of apology. Yulie had no reason to feel sorry for me.

"Yulie is my sister, but she is truly beautiful, and you, as a fellow man, are quite handsome yourself," Zeit said, who had entered right after and was making some comments. I didn't pay attention to them. My focus remained solely on Yulie.

"What do you think? How does Yulie look today?" Josephine suddenly asked.

I shook myself out of my daze and nodded and replied, "She looks beautiful."

For a moment, I was mesmerized. Even in her usual armor without makeup, her beauty was striking. Today, she appeared more beautiful than anyone I had ever encountered. Perhaps this was the effect of Defamiliarization.

"Hahaha! Exactly. She is my sister, after all!" Zeit said, laughing heartily.

"By the way, it's been almost three years since the engagement. When do you think the wedding should be?" Zeit asked, already holding a knife and fork even though the appetizers hadn't arrived yet. He seemed ready to cut through the table itself. Such an impatient man.

"Uh, brother—"

"This is a matter between the elders of the house," Zeit declared. Yulie, startled, tried to speak, but Zeit's large hand silenced her. "Yulie, you stay quiet."

Yulie pouted her lips in silence. At that moment, I noticed a faint red aura starting to spread. At first, I thought the aura of Villain's Fate was coming from Yulie, but that couldn't be right. It was actually from Josephine, the woman smiling warmly at me.

"When do you think is a good time for the wedding, Deculein?" Zeit asked.

"Yes, please tell us. We will follow Professor Deculein's opinion," Josephine added.

Josephine was the personification of deceit. She spoke kindly, without revealing even a hint of the murderous intent she harbored. The sign of Villain's Fate was so subtle that it could easily be mistaken for a speck of dust. By now, the aura had already vanished, masked by her facade that could deceive even the keenest observer.

"Bitro Sygien. Grucious, Kigirln," the chef said as he entered, speaking what sounded like alien words while serving the appetizers.

Zeit took a piece with his fork and ate it in one bite. Despite his gluttony, he maintained a certain warrior's elegance.

"... I plan to leave the decision about the wedding entirely to Yulie."

"Leave it up to her?" Zeit asked after swallowing.

I chose my words carefully, but my attention remained on Josephine. I knew her true nature better than anyone. Beneath her beautiful exterior lurked a monster capable of consuming even demons.

She was a cold-blooded, ruthless sociopath who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, a wolf in sheep's clothing and nearly as powerful as Zeit. Yet, she genuinely loved only one person in this world—her sister, Yulie.

Because of this, she was an enemy to Deculein. She had the power to kill him and controlled a network that spanned the entire continent. This wasn't a metaphor; it was literally hers. The organization she controlled, Shadow, spread like a web across the continent's underworld. The reason she hadn't killed Deculein yet was a mystery known only to her or the game's writer.

"Deculein, what are you thinking about?" Zeit asked.

"... I was just lost in thought for a moment."

This potential death variable was particularly dangerous because Josephine, usually so adept at hiding her intentions, had momentarily slipped. But I had no idea how to counter this. Josephine was unpredictable and elusive, like a true shadow.

"I know one thing," I finally said.

I promised myself that I would no longer cause any harm to the Yulie he loved. This was my vow, not as Deculein, but as Kim Woo-Jin.

"What do you mean, you know? Know what?" Zeit asked.

"I know Yulie has doubts about this engagement. I have no intention of forcing her into a marriage she doesn't want."

"... What do you mean, you have no intention of forcing it?" Zeit asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Everyone knows me as a spendthrift who wasted two hundred million in one night in Luten. If we break off the engagement, everyone will blame me," I explained.

"So, you wasted all that money at the auction intentionally for Yulie?" Zeit asked, incredulous.

"Not exactly," I said, shaking my head. "But don't worry. Even if Yulie wants to break off the engagement, the alliance between Yukline and Freyden will remain strong."

Yulie lowered her head, and I initially thought it was out of gratitude. But I quickly realized she was trembling with barely suppressed anger. Beside Josephine, the red aura of Villain's Fate flickered briefly before disappearing. I was wrong. I moistened my parched mouth with cold water.

"No, no, no. How can you speak so lightly of breaking off the engagement?" Zeit said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Josephine, still smiling, added, "How considerate of you, Professor Deculein. You are indeed a remarkable man~" Despite her smile, it was clear she didn't truly accept my sincerity.

"The elders will never approve of breaking off the engagement for such a trivial reason. Your willingness to end it only makes us want to keep you even more," Zeit continued, his tone firm and unwavering.

I sighed inwardly. Breaking off an engagement between noble families involved too many complications, especially for large families with thousands, if not millions, of members. The elders of Freyden, those who Deculein had already won over, would be shocked.

I could almost hear Yeriel saying, "First, you wanted to get engaged, and now you want to break it off? Fine, but you'll take full responsibility. What? You still want us to cooperate after breaking the engagement? No way! Why should we help that margrave? Once the engagement is off, we're strangers. Now give me back the two hundred million elne!"

"... Brother," Yulie said just as the main dish, steak, was being served. "Please, let us be alone in this room. I ask this as a favor."

She looked at me with clear, earnest eyes. Sensing her seriousness, Zeit spoke, "Deculein, if you permit it."

"It's fine."

"Alright then. Josephine."

"Okay~"

The two of them stood up and left. Well, Josephine pretended to leave, but then she poked her head back in from the doorway.

"Have a nice conversation~," Josephine said. With that, she finally departed. Or rather, pretended to. I knew her well enough to expect she had set up some means to eavesdrop. But fortunately, she didn't know that I was aware of her true nature.

"... You've become more clever," Yulie muttered first, her lips jutting out as she clenched her teeth.

"Clever, huh?" I said, nodding.

Indeed, I hadn't been very clever before. I knew all about Deculein's simplistic evil deeds, not just from the game, but from all the rumors circulating in this world.

Before the formal engagement, Deculein used family connections to force the engagement, promising various benefits to Freyden, persuading vassals and elders, and having them constantly pressure Yulie.

He kept her off the battlefield, citing the dangers of combat, and out of jealousy, expelled her fellow knights, intimidated her superiors using the family's influence, and isolated her within the Imperial Knights Order.

Eventually, Yulie quit the Imperial Knights Order, damaging her career. Shamelessly, Deculein promised her the position of Grand Knight in Yukline's Hadecaine Knights Order. When she refused, he spread malicious rumors about her in the social circle.

Even when Yulie stood up again on her own merit, he schemed to prevent her from joining any other knights orders, thwarting her every move.

He harassed her, made her cry, and angered her until she sought help from Josephine. He continued to torment her, mistaking his obsession for love, wanting her to depend solely on him by destroying everyone around her.

I knew all this. So, I understood Yulie's hatred. She despised Deculein, not me.

"It seems you can't break off the engagement as you please. No, from now on, we can't do anything as we like. We've come too far," I said, cutting into my steak nonchalantly. "Why didn't you refuse from the start?"

Yulie trembled, then glared at me with intense anger.

"Are you starting this all over again?" Yulie asked, her voice shaking as if she were on the verge of tears from the torment she'd endured.

"What do you mean? Do you want me to pressure your new knights order? I heard they are doing well lately," I said.

The knights order Yulie founded with her colleagues, Freyhem, was only a year old but had already gained a strong reputation due to her character and the knights who admired her.

"Ah, god!" Yulie exclaimed, gripping her fork in reverse and stabbed her steak. "You really forced me into this situation!"

She tore into the steak and shoved a large piece into her mouth, causing the sauce to splatter onto her lips, dress, and the table.