A World Where You All Are The Villains [Novel] Chapter 84

"Vincent Leandro!"

Ethan's voice grew louder as well.

I stared blankly at Vincent, who was getting excessively worked up.

I stopped talking because he told me to stop.

I even used his formal title out of a desire for mutual respect.

So what on earth was he so unhappy about that he couldn't control his anger?

As if proving his unstable state, the number above his head jumped up by a full 2%.

It was slowly entering the danger zone.

I silently tried to step aside to the left, but he quickly blocked me.

My stomach began to boil.

"Would you please step aside?"

"Stop being sarcastic and just answer me. What are you so unhappy about?"

"Does this sound like sarcasm to you?"

I didn't really want to get angry at him.

It wasn't worth the effort.

Besides, whenever I did try to get mad, his sneering, "Are you mad, Edith?" annoyed me so much that I stubbornly pretended to be unfazed just to spite him.

But why did he always push me to my absolute limit when I was just trying to let things go smoothly?

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Why don't you?"

"Because I don't."

"Hey."

"What?"

"Knock it off. How long are you going to act like a child?"

He sighed, looking at me as if I were completely pathetic.

Who is the one who wants to sigh here?

At that sight, my rationality, which had been hanging precariously on the edge, finally crossed the line.

"Why don't you knock it off?"

"What…"

"I have nothing to say to you. I said I have nothing to say! Do you know I say this every single time I see you? Exactly how many times do I have to repeat myself before you finally get it through your thick skull?!"

Words laced with intense irritation finally exploded from my mouth.

Was it because it had been a very long time since they heard Edith shout so sharply?

Vincent, of course, but even Ethan and Dylan turned to look at me in surprise.

But I couldn't stop.

Once ignited, my anger erupted like an active volcano, leaving no time to stop it.

"Unhappy? I'm unhappy about this entire moment I'm spending exchanging words with you! I don't want to talk to you. Are my words just noise to you? Do I need to send a formal letter of complaint to your family through my father for you to accept it?"

"…Edith."

"I said I want to cut ties! Sever our relationship, end our friendship, disown each other! Don't you know what that means? How long ago did I tell you this, so why do you keep following me around like a bad omen!"

The last part was practically a screech.

If his intention was to make me sick and tired of him, then he had thoroughly succeeded.

Even those wavering pupils, looking panicked by my outburst, were incredibly hypocritical.

He only ever seemed to listen when I spoke to him like this, only to act like nothing happened a few days later.

Oh, how I wanted to beat him to a pulp every single time!

"Hah, hah…"

Perhaps because I had screamed with my entire body, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

But I had no regrets.

With my final words, silence fell over the lobby.

Not just Male Lead No. 2, who had been on the receiving end of my verbal barrage, but Male Leads No. 1 and 3 also looked quite shocked.

It seemed they hadn't realized I… No, Edith, despised him to the point of shuddering in disgust.

"…"

Vincent's face turned pale as he opened and closed his mouth for a while.

He had been quick enough to babble on when he was defending Llewellyn, so I had no idea why he was suddenly acting tongue-tied now that I was airing my grievances like he asked.

Vincent's gaze, which had been wandering aimlessly in the air, finally landed on me.

"Am I… a bad omen to you?"

He muttered, sounding almost like a shriek.

He seemed to be trying to invoke pity, but maybe that would work on the female lead.

It would never work on me.

"Yeah. You're a bad omen, you're disgusting, and I'm sick of you. I'm sick and tired of it all, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"…"

"Do I really have to spell it out like this? You always seem satisfied only when you make people out to be the villain."

I let out a scoff that leaked from my lips without hiding it.

And as I brushed past his coldly frozen form, I showed him what true sarcasm was.

"I'll gladly play the villain just like you want me to, so please stop clinging to me. Don't talk to me."

"You leech-like bastard."

I whispered the last part just quietly enough for him to barely hear it.

Well, it didn't matter if he heard it or not.

I had already spat out all the words I had been desperately holding back.

"…"

Fortunately, this time, everyone just stared blankly at me, so no one grabbed me.

I walked the remaining distance and left the lobby.

Stepping out the side door, the cool night breeze greeted me.

I stood blankly in the corridor for a moment, calming my trembling body and breathing.

I didn't know if it was because of the female lead or the male leads, but my heart was still pounding like it was going to burst.

Honestly, it wasn't something to get this angry over.

In fact, I should be grateful it ended here.

If it had been the female lead sprawled on the floor instead of me, would those guys have let me go so easily?

While I felt relieved that I was the one who tripped over my own feet, a belated sense of embarrassment rushed over me.

It was just so pathetic and ridiculous, me backing away in terror from the female lead and falling over so awkwardly…

It was obvious they would immediately barrage her with questions about what happened as soon as I left.

I wondered if Llewellyn would give them a normal answer.

Seeing how she answered me earlier, she definitely didn't seem in her right mind…

Just as I put strength back into my uninjured foot with that thought in mind…

"L-Lady Edith…?"

Suddenly, someone called out to me from the opposite end of the corridor.

I widened my eyes at the very familiar silhouette.

"…Nancy?"

"My Lady!"

Nancy, who had been standing at the entrance of the right-wing building where my room was, came trotting toward me with a bright face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well… I saw you going up earlier, My Lady. I followed you just in case you needed anything, but you weren't in your room…"

At those words, a warm feeling bubbled up in a corner of my heart that had felt as cold as if it had a hole punched through it.

Just a moment ago, it felt like the whole world was trying to bury me alive.

Barely dealing with one guy, only to have another step up.

And after that guy, another, and another, and then another…

They drove me into a corner without even giving me a moment to catch my breath.

At this point, it felt like a divine revelation telling me to just admit they were all right and die like a proper villainess.

But…

"Haa, My Lady. What happened to your foot? Are you hurt?"

Nancy noticed there was a problem right away just from seeing me standing awkwardly.

It felt a little embarrassing, but it also made my heart swell.

To think that in this crazy world, there was still someone who actually worried about me.

That there was at least one person who saw me not as a villainess, but just as myself.

I never knew it could bring me such comfort.

Enough to make my eyes hot and my throat tight…

"What's wrong, My Lady? Does it hurt a lot?"

"…Yes. It hurts, Nancy."

I mumbled as if whining to a maid younger than me.

At that, Nancy turned pale and stamped her feet in panic.

"Oh my god, what should we do?! W-we can't just stand here, lean on me quickly. Let's go to Aston right now! No, would you rather I carry you on my back?"

Seeing her offer her back, looking ready to hoist me up at any moment, the suffocating feeling in my chest finally cleared.

I let out a silly laugh.

"How are you going to carry me when you're smaller than I am? We have to go down the stairs, too."

"I may look like this, but I'm strong enough to easily lift three laundry baskets."

"It's fine. I don't want us both to die of concussions together. Just help me walk."

"Aww… Yes, My Lady."

Nancy wrapped my arm around her shoulder with a sullen face.

Maybe her claim about being strong wasn't a lie, because her support felt quite stable.

Thanks to her, I could walk without putting much strain on my left foot.

"Wow! It's so pretty here…"

"Hey, wait for me!"

"Kids! Shh! It's late, so you shouldn't be too loud!"

As I slowly walked in sync with her, the sound of children's bright laughter suddenly reached my ears.

Looking over, a line of scruffy-looking kids was following a woman who appeared to be their teacher.

"Oh my, what are these children doing here…"

"I heard they're orphans invited to the charity event."

I briefly explained to a fascinated Nancy.

They seemed to have boarded a ship before us earlier, but it looked like they had only just arrived.

It was hard enough for adults to ride a ship for that long.

The thought that fully grown adults had comfortably teleported while those young children suffered made me feel uneasy.

Still, seeing their bright, unwearied faces put my mind at ease a little.

Even if it was just pathetic hypocrisy, there was nothing I could do.

After watching the children all enter the left-wing building, we turned around.

As we were about to head down the stairs, Nancy carefully asked.

"…How did you hurt your ankle?"