WHCP 27

Chapter 27.

Mio swallowed dryly and approached Aletheia.

“Other than the nickname… is there anything else……?”

“What do you mean, anything else? Everything else is the same, so don’t worry.”

Aletheia replied curtly.

“I also remember that you said you’d nurse me and then ran away every single time.”

“…….”

So his memories had come back in an ambiguous way? Or perhaps only the biased memory about the nickname had resurfaced.

‘Damn it, I should never stimulate him again when he’s not in good condition!’

She had given in to his stubbornness and accompanied him all the way here, only to unnecessarily bring back memories about nicknames. She needed to go back as soon as possible.

“But that dress…….”

“Yes?”

“No, never mind. You said you’d go greet them earlier, right? I think it’d be better to do as you said.”

Fortunately, it seemed Aletheia himself knew that he needed to return to the mansion as soon as possible. Mio brightened and spoke.

“Really? Then I’ll go quickly and come back.”

“No. You’ll go with me.”

Aletheia stood up from his seat. This was bad.

‘If he goes out into the banquet hall, the villainess pattern will definitely activate……?’

She wasn’t confident that it was okay to give new stimulation to Aletheia in his current state. Mio hesitated before speaking.

“It’d be better if I just go alone…….”

“Leaving without saying goodbye would be rude.”

At times like this, he was uselessly polite. Maybe it was because he was royalty.

With no other choice, Mio grabbed Aletheia’s hand tightly.

‘He might start retching again from the pain and recall another memory.’

If he remembered something else here, it would surely be about that strange contract. She had to prevent that at all costs. Without realizing it, Mio squeezed Aletheia’s hand firmly.

At that moment, Aletheia stopped moving. Seeing that, Mio asked in an insincere tone,

“…Shall we go?”

If he hesitated even a little, she planned to just leave him behind and go. But his pause lasted only a moment, and he soon began walking ahead of Mio. Once again, like a leashed dog being taken for a walk, Mio had no choice but to follow Aletheia out into the banquet hall.

‘Fine. If you want to walk into the villainess pattern on your own, how could I possibly stop you?’

Mio muttered inwardly as she walked toward the hall with Aletheia. If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it, they say. At this point, Aletheia getting caught up in the villainess pattern was already unavoidable. So she decided to enjoy it.

‘Forget memories and whatever else—just get caught in the villainess pattern and curse and point fingers at me like everyone else.’

That way, even if the worst came to pass, she could at least cling to the premarital contract and insist that this marriage couldn’t happen.

“I heard there was a public proposal… I guess he really does intend to marry Mio Northam…….”

“What a shame. To think he couldn’t become a grand duke, and with a woman like that of all people.”

The growing whispers around them meant they were getting close to the main stage where Caleb was. Sensing this, Mio steeled herself. She was already in a bad mood, so this worked out well. She should look forward to today’s villainy.

Caleb spotted Mio from afar and came running over, shouting,

“Mio! I knew you’d come!”

“Of course. You personally delivered the dress and the invitation, didn’t you?”

Even though it was something she’d already worn. At Mio’s barbed remark, Caleb replied in a dispirited voice,

“I was just worried you might forget about today’s banquet…….”

“Right. Thanks. Did someone say something nasty to you? Why do you look like that? People will misunderstand.”

Perhaps because of the head-on clash between the heroine and the villainess, people began to gather around little by little. It was certainly an entertaining spectacle.

Strangely, though, Wyden wasn’t among them. As Mio subtly glanced around, Caleb spoke.

“I—I was afraid you might go out again and spend the night somewhere. That’s why I did that…….”

At Caleb’s words, gentle only in tone, the surrounding crowd began to murmur.

“I knew it! So that’s why he made a public proposal?”

“How shameless! You really can’t hide a lack of proper upbringing.”

As the gossip in front of her grew louder, Mio glanced up at Aletheia. Perhaps because his mind-reading was turned off, Aletheia’s face was calmer than it had ever been. It might be a problem—or maybe not—that he seemed completely uninterested even though the topic of the whispers had shifted to him.

‘Fine. If you’re not interested, that just makes things easier for me.’

She didn’t have to watch her words—how nice. If he did become interested, she’d end up being dragged into it and insulted together with him, and then he wouldn’t be able to stand it without disparaging the villainess himself.

Thinking that either way was a win, Mio let out a small laugh.

“Heh heh heh…….”

Caleb continued saying what he needed to say, paying no attention to whether Mio laughed or not.

“Mio. Don’t ever do that again. Even if you’re going to get married, spending the night so carelessly at someone else’s house doesn’t look good.”

Caleb continued on the same topic, even though he had already been told how his earlier remarks were leading people to misunderstand, and what circumstances had surrounded the night Mio stayed out.

So this was today’s villainess pattern? The insult of being a light and easy woman? Mio snorted and replied,

“Caleb. But coming from you, that’s kind of funny.”

“Funny? What do you mean……?”

Caleb rolled his innocent-looking eyes around as if he truly didn’t understand.

“Well, if you think about it, you’re also living in the house of Wyden, whom you’re supposed to marry. So why are you only scolding me?”

“I—I’m different……! At the Kelt estate, the duke and duchess are there too. Wyden and I didn’t spend the night with that kind of meaning.”

“Oh, come on. And who did?”

For the record, Aletheia lost his parents at a young age.

She had already guessed it from coming and going through the empty Moro estate, but the balcony meeting with Baron Duon just earlier had driven the point home. Hadn’t the baron mentioned that they were included among those whose deaths he had foretold?

In any case, that fact wasn’t Aletheia’s fault, and both Mio and Caleb shared the same circumstance of having lost their parents early. Yet for one person it became a weakness, while for another it wasn’t even considered a flaw. How unfair.

“My parents passing away early isn’t something I could help, is it? That doesn’t mean I can live with His Majesty the Emperor.”

At that moment, someone whispered,

“Well, that can’t be helped. You can’t exactly bring dead parents back to life.”

At this point, Mio felt something was off.

‘This is strange. Why are they agreeing with me?’

Normally, this would be the moment when she’d get glares for viciously twisting advice that Caleb had given in good faith…….

‘Is there some bigger humiliation still coming?’

Usually, opinions like this—ones that seemed to side with villainess Mio at first glance—would soon sway like reeds and be used as weapons to attack her.

‘Damn it. This villainess pattern can’t drag on.’

With sickly Aletheia in tow, today was not the day for that.

This wouldn’t do. She needed to land a decisive blow. Mio sneered at Caleb and said,

“And maybe it’s because, as someone said, I lack proper roots, but I like being at the grand ducal house more than at the Kelt estate. Strictly speaking, the Kelt estate has nothing to do with me anymore. But the grand ducal house is where the people who’ll truly become my family live.”

“…….”

Caleb closed his mouth and stared at Mio. His expression asked whether she truly thought that way. Even to Mio’s own ears, it did sound a bit ungrateful.

‘After all, I’ve been freeloading off Caleb until now, so it makes sense they’d feel betrayed.’

Saying now that it had nothing to do with her was, by the standards of past villainess patterns, a remark guaranteed to draw harsh criticism.

‘So, where’s the abuse?’

Come on, people. Start talking. Curse villainess Mio. Better yet, curse Aletheia along with me and make him angry.

But for some reason, Mio’s wish wasn’t granted.

“Well, that makes sense. If you think about it, isn’t it natural for your fiancé’s home to feel like your real home? The Kelt estate is already a place that no longer concerns you. Especially since you’ll be getting married and leaving soon.”

Someone openly sided with Mio once again. The situation was starting to go in a very strange direction.