Chapter 3: 3

The Villain’s Merit, Chapter 3

It was a young voice, but that voice made me shrink. The surroundings then became quiet. I felt the same as when I realized I am living inside the novel.

“Ha.”

The young person ruffled his black hair. I saw a glimpse of the silhouette of his face, which looked like a boy about my age. However, compared to the other children, he was about a head taller and had a more intimidating atmosphere.

The market child shuddered at his light gesture.

‘What is this atmosphere?’

Even just by standing behind him, my heart was pounding like a warning signal.

‘I understand that they feel scared because of what they did to me, but why do I feel so afraid?’ 

Strange feelings.

Not only that, along with fear, I felt a faint pain as if I had been stabbed in the stomach by a sharp object. Thanks to him blocking the objects being thrown, nothing touched me, but I felt like something did.

‘It’s strange.’

Then, the boy asked the child.

“What are you looking at?”

“You, who are you?!”

“What differences will it make if you know?”

At the boy’s words, the market children clenched their teeth, ready to pick up the objects they once had.

Swing! Punch!

“Argh!”

“Blood!”

However, the boy’s hand moved once, and the dagger slid across the child’s neck, who was the leader of the group. The head hit the board behind the group, and the boys’ faces turned white. 

“Get lost.”

Before he finished his sentence, the children ran away.

‘What’s going on? That was really dangerous.’

Coming into a fantasy world, and a fantasy-like thing happened⋯⋯! Do all the people in the world have at least one skill like that?

I was scared too, but I licked my lips and thanked him anyway.

“Thank you for your help⋯⋯.”

“Why are you still here?”

He ruffled the hem of his clothes in annoyance. My hands fall like dust at that cold action. It was a moment of gratitude as well.

“There is nothing wrong with attracting others from your work. If it’s your job, don’t hide and attack them directly. Against those young children⋯⋯ Tsk.”

The boy coldly said and walked away.

‘He didn’t help, he was caught up in this because of me.’

I was embarrassed and muttered to myself behind his back.

“Huh, and I almost thanked you.”

Then he quickly jumped away as if flying.

“Honestly, who was that guy? He had such an overwhelming presence.”

Somehow I finished my errands and came back to my room to reflect on my memories.

Was there a scene like this in 〈Suspicious Princess〉? But no matter how much I think about it, I couldn’t think of any scene like this or a character like that scary boy.

“I only saw the back of his head, but he looked really cool. I guess he was just a normal person that passed by. But anyone who saw him would’ve thought that he was the main character.”

I shrugged off the thought of the boy.

But one of his words stood out and shook my heart.

-If it’s your job, don’t hide and attack them directly.

Why does it bother me so much?

“Adoption might be a good opportunity, but am I really just going to run away?”

Suddenly, a revelation came to me without any connection, like some sort of fate.

I’ve never been the main character in my life.

If I were to divide the people who receive a lot of spotlight in their groups A, B, C, and D, would I be the last one in group C?

The reason I’m not in group D was that I was loved by my bosses while I worked all kinds of part-time jobs. I am a reliable worker, a worker who doesn’t waste money!

“I’m used to being noticed as a slave to the world, but how am I the main character of this world⋯⋯?”

No, maybe God felt so sorry for me that he gave me a chance to become the main character through possession. At least it was obvious that he gave me the chance to live as a daughter of a wealthy family!

“That must be it⋯⋯!”

When I thought about it that way, it felt like adoption was my destiny.

Freddia’s face was so well known that it would be difficult to find a way to escape right away.

“I get adopted by a duke, enjoy some luxury, and receive love from a great male lead! When would I ever get an experience like that besides here?”

Could it be the boy earlier was a messenger of God that came to give me this kind of realization?

After being inside the main character’s body, it seems as if the world began to revolve around me. My heart was relieved

“Plans have changed.”

Let’s attack it as the boy said. 

“I will try to become an aristocrat.”

Back then, I didn’t know. That the boy was closer to the devil than being the messenger of God.

Only later will I look back on this and lament that I didn’t receive a divine revelation, but that I have met the devil.

You are reading story The Merit of the Villain at novel35.com

***

A few days later, the orphanage was excited. This was because the Imperial family has notified them that they will visit.

“Director! I want to meet the Prince too!”

“It’s too much for a kid like Freddia to meet the Imperial family.”

“Me, me! I would like to see Her Majesty, the Empress, instead of Freddia!”

“Guys, you guys are all well-behaved. You all know the rule that you don’t come into the director’s office unless the director calls you, right?”

The orphanage children were in a frenzy. However, the director smiled kindly and sent the children out, and turned around and looked at me fiercely.

“The First Prince and Her Majesty want to see you. You have to be more polite and modest than ever before.”

“Yes, director.”

I was nervous at the thought that I would be chewed alive if I caused any trouble.

‘How will I act more polite and modest when I’m this nervous?’

Empress Iana, an active philanthropist, visits Curtis orphanage regularly once a year.

However, this time, the First Prince pointed out and begged Iana to take him to the orphanage, saying he wanted to meet Freddia.

The First Prince, who has a gracious and kind personality, was always on the 〈People’s Daily〉in which the Emperor, who looks after the people, doesn’t even read.

While reading〈People’s Daily〉with the mindset that he can only become a good leader if he knows about how the people live, he saw a picture of Freddia drawing something. From there, the First Prince learned about Freddia’s orphanage life, future hopes, and hobbies.

Of course, she was impactful because it was all made-up stories to help the aristocrats’ image marketing.

The story was made up interestingly to catch the sympathy of other subscribers, and the First Prince was caught out of nowhere.

The first prince, who was tricked by Freddia’s story, visits Curtis as a big fan of hers that supported her since the beginning.

However, as a buff of the heroine, the First Prince fell in love with the heroine, at first sight, this was a part of “Suspicious Princess.”

‘Honestly, it seemed like a forced setting.’

Originally, Freddia was an extra in the original story of “Suspicious Princess”, but that was the story’s content before the main character came into the novel.

The author gave the main character a buff because they wanted to use the theme of the main character being an extra.

When I was a reader, I complained about the ridiculous story development, but when it became my story, I had to sleep well tonight and use that as an opportunity to be adopted into a rich family. I just hope that this buff will work well.

A few days later, the Empress and the First Prince finally visited.

I greeted the Empress and her party with the director, who was dressed differently than usual. There were also reporters from the Imperial family.

“I see your Majesty the Empress and Your Majesty the First Prince.”

As I learned, I bent my knees to greet the Empress and the First Prince. The Empress smiled kindly and stroked my hair, and flashes went off three or four times.

“You are such a pretty kid.”

I put my hand on my head and glanced at the empress who spoke softly.

‘I can’t believe I’m meeting someone I’ve only heard of in a novel. That’s so cool.’

Of course, the characters felt different compared to my imagination, but when I looked at them closely, they didn’t look much different from what was depicted in the novel.

The Empress was a very good-looking person. Her soft drooping eyes and faint smile made a gentle impression that caused her to look fragile. Her black hair and eyes that seemed to brighten made her look calmer.

I looked at her as if possessed.

‘She’s acting. I almost fell for it even though I knew the truth.’’

She was known for being a frugal philanthropist and was praised for her compassionate and gentle nature.

‘A thorough opportunist.’

In the novel, she is portrayed as a character who moves solely for her benefit.

However, she was a character who had the strongest desire for power compared to anyone else in the novel. She sacrificed her children without hesitation for herself.

‘So, even now, the Second Prince, who was her biological child, was abandoned, she stayed on the side of whoever was closest to the throne.’

I sneakily rolled my eyes and looked at the First Prince.

Herace Allen von Arsel.

The male protagonist of this novel had curly silver hair, warm green eyes, and a friendly expression on his face.

The 15-year-old boy seemed about two or three years older than his age because of his height and broad shoulders compared to his young face.

Maybe because he felt me staring at him, for Herace looked at me with a genuine expression which was different from Iana, who had a fake smile.

It was then, the moment I looked into his curiosity and energy-filled green eyes, my heart pounds.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly my face turned red. 

‘Uh ⋯⋯?’

What? It felt like I was falling in love out of nowhere.

As if some invisible force was compelling me to fall in love with him.

‘Am I being influenced by the novel? It’s strange.’

Then I suddenly remembered that I had experienced a similar feeling before.

‘When I met the boy with the bad personality in the market.’

At that time, it felt similar to this, but it was fear, not excitement.

‘⋯⋯ Ah let’s not go overboard. He’s not even a main character of the novel.’

Fortunately, my heart soon calmed down. I looked at Herace again. Then he suddenly smiled at me.

“⋯⋯?”

Was this meeting originally meant to start so sudden, active, and comfortable?

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