A World Where You All Are The Villains [Novel] Chapter 75

Enduring over three hours in dead silence with that bastard Ethan was an absolute nightmare!

He sat there with his arms tightly crossed without twitching a single muscle, making me wonder if he was even human.

On top of that, if I so much as shifted in my seat, he would glare at me like a hawk, making it hard to even breathe.

When we finally arrived at the Port of Theberon, I felt like shouting for joy.

The port was bustling with carriages that had arrived before us.

Unlike standard banquets, not just anyone could attend the Equinis Ceremony.

Only members of the Imperial Family residing in the capital, powerful high-ranking noble houses, and carefully selected Awakeners received invitations.

Due to the Gate Wave, security was exceptionally tight, and the island's limited size meant guest capacity was strictly capped.

That was the piece of information the Duke had furiously barked at me during our private chat in his office, after I mentioned I was feeling unwell and didn't really want to go.

It seemed the original Edith had treated this day as a major highlight every year.

Unable to find a valid excuse to skip out, I had no choice but to bite my tongue and return to my room.

I was letting out a quiet sigh and idly gazing out the window when I noticed something.

Beside the long line of extravagant carriages, a group of young children in shabby clothes was walking past.

Curious as to where they were going, I followed the line with my eyes and saw them boarding a ship anchored at the pier one by one.

"Why are there children…"

I unconsciously muttered aloud, but an unexpected reply came from beside me.

"Every year for the ceremony, twenty orphans are invited to the island to hold a charity event."

I glanced sideways at the dry voice and saw Ethan, his eyes also fixed outside the window.

I still had no idea why simply saying things were awkward had made him so furious earlier.

Either way, the suffocating tension had finally dissipated.

"Ah… But those children aren't teleporting, they're taking a boat?"

"The charity event will be held tomorrow anyway, so there's no need to waste resources."

In short, they had no intention of wasting spatial teleportation on orphans.

It was a natural reality for a class-based society, but coming from a modern background, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

While I was lost in thought, Ethan suddenly chimed in.

"Do you pity them?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked if you pity those kids."

"Well… It's not that I pity them, but I just thought traveling by boat must be exhausting."

I tactfully spat out a response that sounded like something Edith would say.

In truth, if it were the real Edith, she probably would have said something thoroughly heartless like, "What's there to pity?"

Fortunately, Ethan didn't seem to catch onto the discrepancy.

"They should be more than willing to endure that minor inconvenience,"

he murmured in a tone so cold it completely killed any shred of sympathy.

"Only children showing signs of Awakening were selected. For them, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"…"

"If they make a good impression at this ceremony, they might be lucky enough to be adopted by a noble family when they Awaken, granting them a chance to elevate their status."

Suddenly, he tore his gaze away from the window and looked straight at me.

"Like me."

And just like that, he degraded himself.

A bitter smile, whether of self-deprecation or sarcasm, I couldn't tell, curled at the edge of his lips.

Flustered by his uncharacteristic behavior, I stumbled over my words.

"…I've never thought of it like that."

"That's the exact same thing you said in this very spot last year."

"Who did?"

"You."

At his reply, I nearly bit my tongue.

There is a time and place for everything.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined she had said something like that.

Naturally, since this novel revolved around Llewellyn, such background details were never mentioned.

That was a problem.

Even if I couldn't be a pure victim, it also erased my justification for refusing to purify that guy in the future.

Cleaning up the mess left behind by the body's original owner was deeply frustrating, but having reincarnated into this body, I had no choice.

Swallowing a sigh, I opened my mouth.

"…I don't remember it, but if I said such a thing, I apologize. I'm sure I didn't mean it maliciously."

Probably.

"…What?"

For some reason, Ethan looked as though he had been hit out of nowhere.

"You… said that…?" he stammered, looking genuinely shaken.

Seeing a reaction so similar to the Duke's made me feel a bit strange.

Given that she had apparently never uttered a word resembling an apology in her entire life, perhaps it made sense…

Just then…

"…Then what did you mean when you said it?"

Ethan suddenly pressed, his tone sharpening.

Recalling that memory seemed to have brought back his anger.

I wanted to snap back, but since I was the one offering an apology, I forced myself to hold it in.

Carefully weighing what Edith might have felt at the time, I answered cautiously.

"Well. Rather than having a specific meaning… wasn't it simply because something had upset me?"

"…"

"I was still very immature back then."

If it was last year, her envy and jealousy toward Llewellyn would have been at their absolute peak.

The only thing that would drive Edith to lash out at Ethan's touchy background, his absolute sore spot, had to be something like that.

"The fact that you said you were going to bring Llewellyn to the ceremony last year was…"

I had just thrown out a wild guess, but Ethan voiced the exact same assumption I had just made.

It was chilling.

"Brother,"

I cut in quickly to stop him.

"You don't need to make excuses to me."

"…Edith."

"You acted that way because you believed it was right. I was in the wrong for saying those things, and it won't happen again."

"What are…"

"Whether you bring Llewellyn or anyone else, that's your freedom, Brother. It doesn't matter to me, so you don't need to mind my feelings."

I punctuated my words with a casual shrug.

I meant it from the bottom of my heart.

Yet for some reason, Ethan's expression turned odd.

I assumed he would be pleased to hear this, but like a lost child, his face crumpled for a fleeting second.

It was so quick that I could have easily dismissed it as an illusion.

By the time I blinked, he had already restored his usual cold and arrogant demeanor, giving me a curt nod.

"…Very well. I accept your apology."

"Thank you."

"From now on…"

From now on?

His lips parted as if he was going to add something, but no further words came out.

I was just relieved I didn't have to endure any more nagging.

Checking his mood, he didn't seem as offended as before.

Instead, he seemed lost in deep thought.

Feeling relieved, I turned my attention back to the window just as our turn arrived.

Five or six people who looked like spatial Awakeners surrounded the carriage.

"It might shake, so grab hold of the bar."

Ethan gestured toward the safety handle below the window.

I dutifully grabbed hold of it, and a moment later…

"Neeeeeigh!"

With the startled whinnying of horses, my vision washed out in a blinding white light.

Just as a slight vibration rippled through the carriage, exactly as Ethan had warned, we arrived at a completely different pier.

A flock of seagulls cried out merrily as if greeting the guests.

It was an exotic landscape featuring a dense forest of lush palm trees… a sight rarely found near the capital.

Not far from the pier stood a massive fortress.

It was a pristine white, breathtaking palace, looking straight out of a luxury resort destination.

Leaving behind the sea bathed in the golden hues of sunset, the carriage sped toward the detached palace.

Before I knew it, we had passed through the castle gates.

The carriage finally came to a stop, and Ethan stepped out first.

"Here."

As I carefully stepped down after him, he offered his hand just like when we boarded.

I took it naturally.

There were too many eyes watching us to do otherwise.

The entrance of the castle was buzzing with nobles arriving one after another.

As I walked toward the doors under Ethan's escort…

"…I didn't get a chance to say it earlier,"

he whispered suddenly.

"You look beautiful today."

"…!"

"Except for that accessory. Dark primary colors like that don't suit you."

I stared at him with my mouth slightly agape.

Given what he tacked on at the end, it almost sounded like a subtle jab…

Wait, that line sounded eerily familiar.

It was the postscript from the letter Male Lead No. 4 had sent alongside this very necklace.

And now Ethan had just dropped a remark that left me unsure whether to take it as an insult or a compliment.

It was utterly absurd.

As I hesitated, unsure of how to reply, he slowly shifted his eyes downward to look at me.

"What? Do you think it's presumptuous of me to say such a thing?"

"Pardon? No. It's just…"

It seemed Edith used to throw those kinds of tantrums at Ethan quite often.

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to argue and ask why he had said it looked good on me back at the Duke's estate.

I had no choice but to take it.

"…Thank you."

"…"

"You look very handsome today as well, Brother."

I tossed a polite compliment back at him and offered a bright smile.

I said it purely out of politeness…

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and his clear, lake-blue pupils wavered intensely.

Then, stop.

His feet froze mid-step.

"Brother…?"

Just as I called out to him in confusion…

Abruptly, he yanked his hand away from mine, covered his face with it, and snapped his head in the opposite direction.

"Let's go inside."

And with that, he hurriedly strode inside all by himself!

Left standing there dumbfounded, I belatedly hurried after him.