The Villainess Who Accidentally Stole Their Hearts - Chapter 28

Chapter 14.2

“Ahem. Well, in any case, all that’s left is the grand finale.”

At her words, Belinda and April nodded, saying, “Mm-hmm.” I looked around at the three of them, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, and asked,

“Are you all okay with the rumors getting out? It could damage our reputation.”

“Why should I worry? I’m the one who’s been wronged.”

Their casual response made me stop short.

‘…That’s true. I’m the victim.’

Everyone blamed me.

It was my fault my husband had an affair.

It was my fault my cousin cheated with my husband.

It was my fault my friends turned their backs on me.

It was my fault my family abandoned me.

Because I wasn’t an Awakener.

Because I was cruel.

‘…It was all my—’

“It’s all that bastard Ulysses’s fault!”

“People can laugh at us if they want, but I don’t care! I have nothing to be ashamed of!”

“If people come to the boutique just to see my face, that’s even better. They’ll fall in love with my clothes!”

The three women looked at me, all wearing wide smiles.

“Let’s spread the word everywhere, loud and clear!”

“Everyone has to see that bastard’s disgusting true colors!”

“And then, we’ll clear up all the misunderstandings about the lady, too.”

Following April’s words, Lady Vesril Bethril chimed in.

“We all misunderstood and unfairly hated Nikaearsha.”

I never thought they would be concerned about my misunderstanding. The three of them looked away from me, clearing their throats awkwardly, with a hesitant ‘ahem, ahem.’

Their faces flushed red.

‘The reason for all this grandeur is probably because of me.’

It seemed the three of them had spoken with each other beforehand.

Lady Bethril suddenly burst out.

“Wh, what?! Were you surprised when I suddenly called your name? If you don’t like it, Nikaearsha can call me Selena too!”

“….”

“I-If you don’t want to, forget it.”

Even though she turned away nonchalantly, Selena’s shoulders drooped slightly.

“Selena.”

She whipped her head toward me, her eyes sparkling.

“I’ll speak more casually.”

“G-Good!”

“Your personality’s changed.”

“…Who do you think caused that?!”

Selena’s temper flared.

Belinda and April chuckled.

The afternoon sunlight was warm, and the coffee was delicious. And tomorrow, I was going to make a public spectacle of Ulysses.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

The next day.

Ulysses made his way to Belinda’s boutique.

‘She said she had something important to tell me… It’s probably an apology.’

She must have realized that he’d been humiliated by the outfit she’d forced him to wear. After that, he hadn’t contacted her again.

It wasn’t surprising that the desperate Belinda would plead tearfully, apologizing for her actions.

As soon as Ulysses reached the boutique and glanced at the sign, Belinda came rushing out the door. She looked so remorseful that she couldn’t wait a second longer and rushed out the moment she saw him.

“Bel—”

Wh—ap!

With a sharp slap, Ulysses’s head whipped to the side. He stood dazed, the sting of the sudden pain ringing in his ears.

“Wow—Did she seriously just slap him?”

“Who is that? Belinda and… Ulysses?”

It was midday on a busy street, right in the heart of the shopping arcade, where the popular designer Belinda’s shop was located.

As the crowd murmured, Ulysses, caught off guard, began to open his mouth when—

“How could you do this to me?!”

—Belinda, full of indignation, shouted at him.

“B-Belinda?”

“We’re breaking up!”

With that, she stormed into the boutique, locking the door behind her. The people who had been watching, still stunned by the sudden drama, began whispering.

“Huh, they were dating? That’s crazy.”

“But what could he have done to get slapped and dumped? With their class difference, Belinda would usually be the one bowing down to him.”

“Maybe Belinda didn’t know her place? Ulysses is such an upright person.”

“I think Belinda got the wrong idea and thought she was in a relationship on her own. Why would Ulysses ever date someone like her?”

At this point, there were still plenty of people defending Ulysses.

His reputation was stellar, and he was incredibly popular.

…But what they didn’t know was that round two of the slapping was waiting for him.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

The very next day.

A social club in the heart of the city.

“Ulysses, what’s going on? There are rumors everywhere that you got slapped on the street yesterday.”

Since it was a question he’d expected, Ulysses smiled calmly and responded.

“…It seems there was a misunderstanding. I had nothing to do with that designer, but out of nowhere…”

“Wow, so she was mistaken and slapped you all on her own? That’s crazy.”

“…I don’t want to talk about a woman like that.”

His response sounded very reasonable.

After all, there had been many women who had misinterpreted Ulysses’s kindness in the past. Just then, someone grabbed Ulysses by the shoulder and spun him around.

Wh—ap!

April, who had suddenly slapped Ulysses, exclaimed.

“We’re done!”

“?!”

“To think you were dating Belinda too, not just me…! You jerk!”

April said this and stormed out of the club. Ulysses didn’t even have time to respond. In the meanwhile, the remaining people began whispering among themselves.

“Was April mistaken as well?”

“Do you think she’d act that way based on a misunderstanding, especially when Belinda’s already being bashed?”

“Did he really date April? But if that’s true, does it mean he was also with Belinda…?”

The reason April had decided to end things was because of Belinda.

So, if that was true…

“Could he be… two-timing?!”

Public opinion began to shift.

Ulysses realized that people were looking at him differently, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

But this wasn’t the end.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

The next day.

Ulysses climbed into the carriage to attend the Imperial Palace party. Even though he wanted to stay home and keep a low profile until the rumors settled, he had no choice.

‘I can’t just skip the palace party that I already promised to attend.’

To make matters worse, today’s party was hosted by Duke Oruma. As the emperor’s younger brother, he was known for his petty and vindictive personality.

If Ulysses didn’t show up, there would definitely be some kind of retaliation.

‘At least Selena still trusts me.’

As soon as he returned from the social club yesterday, he went straight to see Selena. Before he could say anything, she put her finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh!”

“It must have been those strange women, misunderstanding everything and causing all this chaos. I trust you. Rather, I’m more worried about you. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you…”

“Selena…”

“It feels like all of this is my fault, starting from the day I left you in that rainy forest…”

“That day, you had an accident on the way, so you couldn’t have helped it. I’m fine as long as my love believes in me.”

Selena gazed at Ulysses, her face brimming with emotion. There wasn’t a trace of doubt or resentment in her expression. Maybe today’s party at the Imperial Palace would be the perfect chance to turn things around.

‘Selena will help me.’

As soon as Ulysses arrived at the party, Duke Oruma welcomed him as if he’d been waiting for him.

“Oh, here he comes. Welcome, young lord.”

“Greetings, Duke Oruma.”

Duke Oruma waved off the formalities and went straight to talking about the rumors.

“I heard you were wandering down an abandoned road, soaking wet, looking like some kind of criminal.”

“…No, that’s—”

“And then you looked at some fake art and called it the greatest masterpiece of all time.”

“That’s…”

“And then you showed up in rags and begged for charity from Lady Delosif?”

“….”

When you put everything together, it really did make him seem crazy.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“So you were cheating on both Belinda and April, and what was it… uh, what was that thing called again?”

Nikaearsha, who was beside him, replied to Duke Oruma’s question.

“A hectopascal slap. They said it sent him flying eighteen meters.”

“Yeah, that’s the one! What happened for him to get slapped like that?”

‘…What kind of ridiculous rumor is that?’

When Ulysses stared at Nikaearsha with incredulous eyes, she shrugged while Duke Oruma looked at him with wide, sparkling eyes. He really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that gleaming, middle-aged stare.

Just then…

“Lord Ulysses.”

When Selena approached with a calm voice, Ulysses greeted her with a bright smile. Since Selena didn’t like Nikaearsha, she would surely clear up that ridiculous rumor.

“Oh, Lady Bethril…”

Wh—ap!

Lady Bethril delivered a powerful hectopascal slap.

Duke Oruma’s bright eyes glittered like stars.

“Th-this is… hecto—hecto…!”

Nikaearsha, standing nearby, explained.

“A hectopascal slap.”