CHAPTER 5
Karlcia Senil Morc. The 27th emperor of the Morc Empire and the man who expanded its territory by absorbing the northern Astaran Kingdom into the four continents unified by the first emperor, Eiffel Senil Morc. Although he ascended to the throne at a young age, as soon as he received reports that the noble lords in the borderlands of the Astaran Kingdom were harassing and exploiting the citizens of the Morc Empire, he immediately marched to the battlefield, annihilated them, and returned victorious after expanding the empire’s borders. He was hailed as a hero and a wise ruler.
Of course, just as a coin has two sides and a sword has two edges, he also exhibited traits of a tyrant, making him unworthy of the title of a wise king. There was even an episode in the original story where he discovered someone insulting his beloved Osborne, unearthed the family’s corruption, and eradicated their entire lineage.
For now, I set aside my thoughts about him. I was no longer a reader, but Elizabeth, and I had to greet the emperor. Leaving the terrace, I re-entered the hall. Unsurprisingly, there he was—the emperor, Karlcia Senil Morc, with the golden hair and eyes symbolic of the empire, exuding charisma that dominated the room.
Unlike Osborne’s gentler tones, his golden hair and eyes gleamed brighter, almost radiant—like pure, unblemished gold. His sharp features made it clear why Elizabeth had fallen for him at first sight.
If Rath Arahan had the air of a refined nobleman, the emperor embodied dignity, solemnity, and elegance. As handsome as he was, though, he wasn’t mine to have. And besides, considering he was the one who’d ultimately kill me, I could only click my tongue in frustration. Sure, I had to feign love for him and approach him, but he was nothing more than an unattainable dream.
As the emperor walked toward me, I quickly bowed my head in respect.
“Raise your head.”
His deep voice was soothing—surprisingly sweet for someone straddling the line between a wise king and a tyrant. Obeying his command, I cautiously raised my head, only to be dazzled by his appearance. It was as if a divine light shone behind him, making him sparkle.
Ugh, my eyes!
As I instinctively squinted, I noticed Osborne looking at me with a slightly concerned expression. No, sister, don’t worry about me. Focus on the emperor. She probably still felt guilty about earlier.
“Hm. Arahan.”
“Rath Arahan, Duke of the Empire, pays his respects to His Imperial Majesty, Karlcia Senil Morc, the Radiant Light and Eternal Sovereign of the Morc Empire.”
The emperor first acknowledged Arahan, his close friend and the empire’s chancellor. Then his gaze shifted to the woman standing beside him—the one with golden hair that seemed to resemble his own.
“And you are…?”
“Ah… I am Osborne Luciella, daughter of the Marquis of Luciella, paying my respects to His Imperial Majesty, Karlcia Senil Morc, the Radiant Light and Eternal Sovereign of the Morc Empire.”
“It’s been a while. Since the harvest festival, has it been a year?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You’ve grown even more beautiful.”
Osborne blushed deeply at his words, lowering her head and mumbling nervously. Right, this was the moment when the emperor fell for Osborne at first sight. Ugh, the meeting of a radiant emperor and a saintly maiden—it was like something straight out of a fairy tale.
Still, Osborne’s romantic storyline was progressing with Arahan standing beside her, which was a bit of a shame. But it had nothing to do with me. Whether they dated or fought over one woman was none of my concern.
I just had to focus on my role as the villainess. For instance, tormenting Osborne, poisoning her, or hiring assassins to kill her. Could I really pull it off? Probably not. But I had to grit my teeth and do it, channeling all the frustrations I couldn’t express in my original world.
The Bangtan Boys concert awaits me!
Lost in my thoughts, I was startled by a low clicking sound.
“Tsk.”
“…”
Snapping back to reality, I realized the emperor was staring at me. I tried to bow quickly, but before I could, he waved his hand dismissively and turned his attention back to Osborne. The emperor had blatantly ignored me. In the eyes of the nobility, this was a major slight, but they seemed too enchanted by the emperor’s attention on Osborne to notice or care.
Damn you, emperor! If I didn’t have to die as a villainess, I’d find a way to ruin you! Even if I die as a villainess, I swear I won’t let you have my beautiful saintly sister!
I fumed silently, but no one paid me any attention.
“Continue to enjoy yourselves.”
With those words, the court musicians resumed their performance, filling the hall with lively music once more. Some couples took to the floor to dance, while others resumed conversations interrupted by the emperor’s arrival.
And now, the much-anticipated moment! The spotlight turned to the saintly maiden—our dear Osborne. Who would she dance with?
“Lat, are you abstaining from dancing again this time? I know you wish to avoid unnecessary gossip, but… isn’t it time for you to step forward?”
“I believe Your Majesty’s situation is more urgent than mine.”
The emperor and Arahan were subtly competing over Osborne through a conversation about dancing. Meanwhile, Osborne, flustered and unable to intervene, simply shifted her gaze between the two, her feet shuffling nervously.
“Or are you planning to dance with Lady Luciella?”
“…”
Arahan fell silent at the emperor’s pointed remark, glancing at Osborne.
Wait, hold on. I wasn’t supposed to be a passive bystander here. I had to bully Osborne somehow. But instead of acting, I’d slipped into viewer mode, watching this unfold like a drama.
What should I do to torment her? Should I approach the emperor as Elizabeth had in the original story? While I pondered my next move, Arahan said something that left me utterly dumbfounded.
I stood there, mouth agape, staring at him in shock.
“No. I plan to dance with the person who owes me a debt.”
“Someone owes you a debt? Wait, Lat, you’re not the type of person who lends money.”
That debt doesn’t seem to be the kind of debt you’re thinking of, Your Majesty.
No!! Osborne should be the one to dance with him! Though I knew the emperor’s gaze toward Osborne wasn’t casual, and I had already given up on that idea, I shouldn’t be the one to dance with him! Well, of course, I wouldn’t be dancing with him. It must be someone else who owes Lat a debt. Yes, that must be it.
“Lady Arlesia, would you dance with me?”
“…….”
Why is it that bad premonitions are always right? Someone, please tell me! The emperor’s gaze is burning! By the time I realized what was happening, Arahan had approached and was offering me his hand. I hesitated.
I didn’t need to accept, but there was no real reason to refuse. Refusing might be fine if I thought about my villainess image, but aside from that, if Elizabeth, making her debut in high society, were to reject the Duke’s invitation, it would be an insult to both the Arlesia and Vincent families. Refusing in that case wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, I was already planning to die as the villainess.
“Um…”
Right, I had planned to refuse. But then I looked at the emperor’s blazing golden eyes and saw Osborne glaring at me with an intense look as well. When I turned to face Arahan, I saw him mouth the word “payment.” Isn’t that a bit of a threat…?
“…Of course. Haha…”
Go away, timid Isehwa. Our villainess sister is about to die as a villain, so just move out of the way.
Despite my inner protests, swept along by the atmosphere, I hesitantly took Arahan’s hand, and we were led to the center of the room as the music for our dance began.
The orchestra’s fantastic music didn’t really fit the image of Elizabeth, the so-called villainess, but in this moment, I could feel many women’s gazes on me.
“…Is the compensation you desire, Duke, a dance?”
Curious, I asked the question, and Arahan gave a formal reply.
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you once refuse all other young ladies’ dance invitations because you didn’t want to be gossiped about?”
“That’s correct. But I thought it would be fine to dance with you.”
The meaning of “fine” seems a little different from what I understand. Is there a double meaning here…? Or am I just imagining things?
“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘fine,’ though.”
“…Sometimes silence is the answer. I’m only using you, so don’t worry about it too much.”
“…Ah, I see.”
When I responded in a calm tone, agreeing with his words, Arahan seemed a bit surprised and asked me again.
“You’re not surprised. And you’re not even angry.”
“Considering I sneezed on your face and clothes, this seems like a pretty good deal.”
“…”
It wasn’t an incorrect statement. I had sneezed on the Duke of the Empire’s one-of-a-kind face and on Amileus’ clothes. Now, I was forgiven with just a dance. How lucky was I? Of course, I hadn’t planned to end up dancing with him, but Arahan wouldn’t be able to kill me, the granddaughter of the Vincent family. Instead, I could demand severe punishment from the emperor or the Vincent family in return.
Even more so, since the emperor didn’t care for Elizabeth, he might welcome Arahan’s request. So, dancing just once seemed like a perfectly acceptable condition.
While we danced in silence, the music stopped abruptly. The dance between Arahan and I came to an end. I still felt his warmth in the hand I held, but I simply nodded to him and turned to leave.
And then, I saw the emperor with Osborne. As expected, the emperor was dancing with Osborne. Elizabeth, once a candidate for empress, had been cast aside by the former crown prince, who was now the emperor, Karlcia Senil Morc. It could be called a bad fate.
From Osborne’s perspective, the emperor was just a secondary lead, while Arahan was her rival and the villain. Could it be that a villainess like me can recognize another villain?
Well, at this point, if I tried to torment Osborne, my head would probably be chopped off before I could even become the villainess. Maybe I should just go.
Since Arahan was surrounded by other young ladies, I didn’t need to pay attention to him. The emperor would be occupied with Osborne, and once they were done dancing, they would talk. With nothing else to do, I decided to leave. As I made my way toward the front door of the hall, I had accomplished my initial goal. To carry out evil deeds, you need careful planning, so I had plenty to prepare. I was about to head home and organize my thoughts about the original novel when, suddenly, a familiar man blocked the stairs.
“Are you planning to run away now after dancing?”
No, what are you doing here? Damn you, Karlcia!!!
