Chapter 68: A Commoner

“I, I have an appointment with someone else! I, I think I have to go now!”

The cunning young lady, with an implausible lie, darted away from him.

Though her desperate attempt to escape displeased him, the sight of her trembling like a frightened rabbit was endearing enough for her to let it slide.

Mardian clenched and unclenched her hand, recalling the firm yet soft sensation of her bottom from earlier.

Perhaps from touching Tina all day, the faint scent of her fresh fragrance still lingered on her fingertips.

“How far does this sly little girl intend to go to rile me up?”

A crooked smile crossed her face as a red flush crept onto her cheeks. Her bloodshot eyes, filled with madness, looked upwards.

“Don’t you think so, Lady?”

Standing where her gaze fell was a woman.

Amid the cascade of her hair, dark as the night sky, her amethyst-colored eyes gleamed.

Even just standing there, the woman exuded an overwhelming aura.

Viviana Merdellia.

But her presence wasn’t what it used to be.

There was a subtle sense of restraint in her eyes, once filled with arrogance, as if something weighed heavily upon her.

Seeing how much she had changed, a sneer crept across Mardian’s lips.

“You’ve been glaring at me for quite a while now. Isn’t that rather impolite?”

“…Don’t you dare lay a hand on Tina.”

Mardian had known from the moment she stepped onto the balcony with Tina that Viviana’s gaze had been fixed on her.

Especially when she touched Tina’s bottom, the murderous intent in Viviana’s eyes had been palpable.

“You’re acting as if you’re her guardian, Lady.”

“I don’t need to be her guardian to intervene in something like this.”

“But I share a much deeper connection with her than any guardian could. So, I think you should stop this unnecessary meddling now.”

Mardian’s voice, laced with mockery, made Viviana’s expression harden.

“…Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten what you did to Tina? You’re a rapist.”

An intense energy radiated from Viviana.

Once, the overwhelming pressure would have sent shivers down her spine, freezing her in place, but now, Mardian merely chuckled mockingly.

“Well, at the very least, being a rapist is better than being a murderer, wouldn’t you agree?”

Viviana’s eyes wavered slightly.

The intimidating aura surrounding her lost its strength and gradually faded.

“I’m sure you know how much attention Tina draws in society. Everyone must know what happened to her.”

“That…”

“For someone who used to care so much about honor, I’d appreciate it if you could explain how things turned out this way.”

Viviana clenched her teeth and remained silent.

“There’s nothing I need to explain to you.”

Her amethyst-like eyes glared at Mardian, but she remained unfazed, leaning elegantly against a nearby table, crossing her legs with a light smile.

“Lady, I never intended to rape Tina. I only wanted to give her my boundless love.”

Viviana’s insides twisted at the absurdity. To anyone, it was clearly rape. Yet Mardian shamelessly tried to beautify her actions.

“But, I admit I was a bit hasty back then. That’s why I made a mistake. I won’t ever make that mistake again.”

Mardian’s eyes gleamed with amusement as she watched Viviana’s reaction.

“At the very least, I’ll make Tina… incredibly happy. So much so that she’ll be unable to escape from the pleasure, unable to even dream of something as drastic as suicide. Unlike someone else, that is.”

At the mention of ‘suicide,’ Viviana found it hard to breathe.

A strong urge to crush Mardian’s twisted reasoning surged within her, but the weight of her own sins kept her from speaking.

“The House of Merdellia is a family that values honor above all else, isn’t it?”

“So, continue to pursue that precious honor you hold so dear.”

Under her pale face, her red lips twisted into a sneer. It wasn’t merely the smile of a villain.

It was the smile of a madman, addicted to love.

“As for me, I will only chase after my mischievous little pet.”

***

In the gradually ripening atmosphere of the banquet hall, the soft melody of the orchestra resonated sweetly.

In the center of the hall, nobles showcased their graceful dance moves, while those not dancing exchanged pleasantries with warm smiles.

“Haah…”

I leaned against the wall and quietly let out a sigh.

I had somehow managed to escape from Mardian with some excuse, but the overwhelming feeling of helplessness still weighed heavily on my chest.

This was a situation I hadn’t anticipated at all.

Mardian wasn’t showing any interest in Lilian.

No matter what choices I made in the game, this kind of development shouldn’t have been possible.

It felt as if the game knowledge I had so strongly believed in was crumbling beneath me.

‘…Does this mean I have to keep dealing with Mardian from now on?’

The thought of her piercing, blood-red eyes scanning me sent another shiver through my body.

I had expected that, as per the original plot, her attention would naturally shift to Lilian, but far from it—Mardian was too busy squeezing my backside.

No one could possibly think she was interested in Lilian.

So, does that mean Lilian gets to live peacefully without being tormented by Mardian?

One of the few remaining hardships in Lilian’s otherwise flower-filled life was Mardian’s obsession, and now, even that seems to have disappeared.

She’ll probably live smoothly and happily from now on.

What is this?

In the end, it feels like I’ve only done something good for Lilian.

“…Annoying.”

I felt wronged and frustrated, as if a part of me was twisting inside.

At first, I didn’t understand why Lilian bothered me so much, but watching her converse with others at the banquet with a bright smile made it clear.

She stands in a position completely opposite to mine.

Lilian is the kind of character who is loved by the world just because of her personality.

While I live my life adapting to the world with a facade of pretense, Lilian captivates people with genuine kindness.

Her pure heart, which forgives everyone, and her benevolence that even her enemies praise, draw people to her naturally.

From now on, countless people will continue to like her, without any hidden agenda, simply because she’s Lilian.

They will love her authenticity, her humanity.

That deep affection, the kind that I have craved my entire life but can never possess as someone like me—Lilian grabs hold of it effortlessly.

Meanwhile, all I can do is rely on the artificial attention I receive by forcing a pleasant smile and showing off contrived charm.

The days I spent putting on a pretty smile, lowering my pride, and flattering the noble ladies felt pitiful in front of Lilian’s existence.

The bright light radiating from around Lilian made me feel endlessly dark.

“…A mere commoner.”

It was something I couldn’t accept.

When I played the game, I didn’t think much of it, but looking at it now, that setup was utterly absurd.

The empire is a strict society bound by a rigid class system.

In such a place, someone like Lilian, who is no better than a commoner, would be trapped by countless restrictions.

Her situation is so dire that she can barely support herself and must spend her life crawling under the feet of nobles, crushed by the weight of the system.

How could someone like that smile so brightly and purely in such a reality? It made no sense.

What was the game director thinking when they created a character like that?

It was utterly ridiculous.

Humans are inherently wicked from birth.

Lilian, too, must be hiding some dark malice behind that hypocritical innocence.

As I continued to dwell on Lilian alone, I suddenly realized I had forgotten to even smile.

Noticing that my mask had slipped, I hurriedly forced a smile back on my face and shook my head, trying to regain my composure.

“…What’s wrong with me?”

My thoughts kept losing focus and going astray.

Every time I thought of Lilian, it felt as if an abnormal sense of hatred was welling up from deep inside me.

If I didn’t like her, I could have just ignored her.

I didn’t understand why I was feeling this way.

I picked up one of the delicately arranged sweets on the numerous plates and put it in my mouth.

As the sweet taste seeped onto my tongue, the heavy feeling in my chest seemed to ease just a little.

I let out a small sigh and tried to pull my scattered thoughts together.

Unintentionally, as soon as I lifted my head, the first thing I saw was Lilian’s pink hair.

Though it was some distance away, Lillian was engaged in conversation with a lady close enough for their voices to be heard.

The pale face she had when we first met was gone, and now, fully accustomed to the atmosphere of the banquet, she greeted the woman with a fresh smile.

‘So clueless.’

The lady Lillian was speaking with wore a deeply displeased expression. However, Lillian, oblivious to the subtle discomfort, continued speaking with a bright expression.

The woman talking to Lillian, I had encountered her a few times before.

If my memory serves me right, her family was aristocratic to the core.

If that’s the case, then it’s only natural that she’d dislike Lillian. The existence of a saintess is a stumbling block for the aristocracy.

‘I believe her family holds considerable power.’

Was it because I had been staring too intently?

As if sensing my gaze, Lillian’s pink eyes rolled over to meet mine.

The moment our eyes met, my stomach churned for a second.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

I quickly shifted my gaze to the woman standing beside Lillian.

Though brief, the smile that flickered at the corner of her mouth was suspicious.

She glanced around her surroundings once and then subtly adjusted her posture, making it seem as though Lillian had pushed her.

At that moment, the wine glass in her hand naturally tilted, and the red liquid spilled over the woman’s body.

Splaash-!

“Kyah!”

With the scream, all eyes turned toward them. The crimson wine soaked into the hem of the yellow dress, and the stain spread visibly on the luxurious fabric.

“Saintess…! How could you so carelessly grab someone’s hand like that?!”

The woman glared at Lillian with a face full of annoyance. Taken aback by the unexpected situation, Lillian took a step back, her voice trembling as she barely managed to speak.

“W-What…?”

“Ugh, really! Do you know how expensive this dress is…!”

The surrounding nobles began to murmur amongst themselves.

Lillian’s pink eyes wavered anxiously, as though she was trying to make sense of what had just happened.

At first glance, it seemed as though Lillian had rashly reached out, causing the wine to spill.

“To lay a hand on a noble so recklessly—where on earth did you learn such rudeness, young lady!”

The woman, taking a sweeping glance at the onlookers, deliberately twisted her face into an expression of outrage as she directed her sharp words at Lillian.

In high society, the loudest voice often holds the power. Even if the accusation is unreasonable, a loud voice can never be taken lightly.

Her voice echoed sharply, and one by one, the nobles began to fix their gazes on Lillian.

“N-No! It wasn’t like that! I didn’t do that!”

“Then are you saying I tripped on my own?!”

Lillian hastily tried to explain, but all she got in return was the woman’s booming voice.

“Th-That’s not what…!”

“Haah? Just because you’re a saintess, does that mean it’s okay to falsely accuse people? You grabbed me first, didn’t you?!”

“Th-That’s true, but that has nothing to do with this…!”

Touching someone without permission was undoubtedly a grave offense. But Lillian, who had grown up pure and innocent, likely couldn’t grasp the importance of such social etiquette.

As soon as Lillian admitted that she had touched the woman without permission, the atmosphere around them grew colder.

Voices filled with criticism and mockery began to spread among the nobles.

Perhaps out of fear of those gazes, Lillian’s eyes lost focus and darted around, as if searching for someone to help her.

But the blue-haired woman who could have come to her aid had momentarily stepped away.

That was the woman’s intention from the start, the reason she orchestrated this farce.

Lillian’s eyes trembled with anxiety.

In the end, her pink eyes, unable to find a place to rest, landed on me.

“Please, you…!”

Lillian rushed toward me with a desperate expression.

“You saw what happened, right…? Could you please explain for me?”

Her voice was filled with desperation.