When the Villainess Died, the Male Lead Went Crazy - Chapter 85
The highlight of the founding festival is a masquerade ball hosted at the palace. Since masked men and women often engage in secret affairs, nobles with spouses were not particularly interested in the foundation day ball.
Usually, people without partners attended. If one wanted to find a potential spouse, they would go to other noble-hosted balls. However, participants in the palace ball were mostly high-ranking nobles closely associated with the imperial family. So, playing with fire carelessly could lead to one’s own downfall.
“…I hope that this Foundation Day will enhance the reputation of our Cypnos Empire, which has unified the entire continent.”
Kylian concluded his speech. On the eve of the Foundation Day, a ball was held, and on the same day, ceremonies were conducted at sunset. From the next day onward, guests from various vassal countries would participate in various friendly competitions.
It was a form of stamping and suppressing that powerful countries usually do. Even though the entire continent was unified, such activities continued. Because the nation was big, there would always be impure factions.
“It’s fortunate that you can hide your miserable expression behind the mask.”
“Yes, it is.”
Anais replied casually.
However, despite wearing masks, the Empress and Anais were different. Above all, the jewels were different. Anais had no jewelry. The necklace around her neck could be hidden with a black choker. The Empress was very extravagant. The fan she was waving while it wasn’t hot could have built a separate palace. It was that expensive.
“Shouldn’t she go before His Majesty arrives?”
“I don’t know how the Empress has been so patient with her.”
“Is that the Saint?”
“She clings to Her Majesty like that; it’s really pitiful.”
Anais listened to the whispers of people gossiping around the Empress
.
“How is it that the grace visible in the Empress is completely absent in the Saint?”
“Dressing a beast in clothes won’t make it look like a human, hohoho.”
“To think that she would be in His Majesty’s favor like that.”
“I feel a bit sorry for the Empress.”
Anais was anticipating when Kylian would come down after finishing his speech. It had been some time since the end of the speech, so he would likely come down soon.
At that moment, the Empress casually started a conversation.
“Lilith.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Why are you wearing the same clothes as me?”
“….”
“Everyone is curious. Will you tell them?”
“Oh my! Even Her Majesty!”
“Pfftt!”
“Wahaha!”
The nobles surrounding the Empress laughed heartily, covering their mouths behind her, mocking Anais. For some reason, Anais finds it amusing.
It had been five years since the Empress last revealed herself. Were they so desperate to flatter her?
Anais observed them coldly, wondering how many of them were genuinely useful.
“Let’s all wear masks before His Majesty arrives.”
“Oh, the Empress is indeed merciful.”
Anais sighed quietly and put on the mask she had brought. Unfortunately, it was identical to the Empress’s. The only distinctive feature was that, upon wearing the mask, her eye color changed.
Anais spoke to the Empress.
“I’d like to go outside for a moment.”
“Sure, bring Lucy instead.”
“Yes.”
Avoiding the Empress who was openly mocking her, Anais went outside and told the attendant.
“Please call Lucy Lombert. Her Majesty urgently looking for her.”
“Yes.”
Then she went outside.
Anais didn’t want to stay in the hall, so she went upstairs. Unlike the area where Kylian had given a speech from the opposite balcony earlier, the place Anais was now had a more discreet atmosphere, resembling a lounge for the guests.
However, as the banquet had just begun, there was no one there. Anais felt uncomfortable in the shoes, and her feet hurt. So, she walked over to the nearest sofa and sat down.
“Ho.”
The sofa made a creaking sound as the leather compressed. Leaning back on the sofa, Anais took off her shoes. In her original body, she might have endured such high heels quite well. However, she finds them uncomfortable now. Her ankles hurt, and every step seemed to send heat to the soles and heels of her feet.
At that moment, she heard a voice nearby.
“What are you doing here?”
“So, what are you doing here?”
Recognizing the voice of the person lying on the opposite side of the sofa where she sat, Anais immediately asked. It was Leviathan.
“Surveillance in my own way.”
“Is Lewarren here?”
“Downstairs.”
Anais thought it was strange that Leviathan was pointing downstairs with his finger, without looking at it so she laughed.
“You’re actually not doing surveillance diligently, are you?”
“That’s true.”
“What if someone targets Lewarren?”
“No one can target him. They would know how strong he is.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
They had said that the priests of death did not snatch prey from each other. Anais thought of that saying and glanced down at the first floor, which she hadn’t noticed before. Lewarren was standing by the curtain leading to the first-floor terrace.
His sky-blue hair was neatly tied and swept to one side. Perhaps due to the conspicuous hair color and build, even with a mask, it wasn’t difficult to recognize that the person was Lewarren.
“How did you become the chief priest?”
“Can I tell you that over a drink?”
Leviathan didn’t think she would easily leave. So, that’s why he said it. She had been getting closer to Phileal recently. In Leviathan’s perception, the person in front of him was not Lilith but Anais Percival. Although he couldn’t know what she was plotting within someone else’s body, there was a bit of curiosity.
“Whoo.”
He got up from the sofa, grabbed two bottles of liquor piled on a nearby table, and then handed one to Anais.
“Drink straight from the bottle?”
“Do you want to drink with courtesy like a noble?
“No. Instead, you have to open it for me.”
Leviathan handed her the bottle again after uncorking it. Then, he opened his own bottle. As soon as the cork was opened, a pungent and intense aroma pierced through the air.
“Isn’t this alcohol too strong?”
“Anyway, all the ones over there have the same alcohol content.”
Anais understood as she looked at the neatly arranged bottles.
“Let’s exchange information equally.”
“Is how you became a priest such valuable information?”
“No. But since no one knows, it has value.”
“Ho.”
She thought he was a strange person, but she understood because Phileal wasn’t someone to be taken lightly, either. It seemed like all the priests of death were somewhat like this.
“You won’t?”
“Do you want to hear information from me?”
“It’s not wrong.”
Anais chuckled softly as Leviathan said so.
“You go first.”
“Fine.”
He took a gulp of the liquor. After drinking the bottle halfway, he spoke.
“I was a slave. So, I found and killed the family that sold me and offered them as sacrifices.”
“….”
“After killing them and offering them as sacrifices, I didn’t receive much favor from the god of death. I should have burned the sacrifices while they were still alive, but that’s a bit regrettable.”
“Why did your family sell you?”
“Isn’t it obvious? There was nothing to eat, and they couldn’t afford to raise a child, so they sold me.”
“You must have resented them.”
“No.”
This time, Anais took a sip from the bottle. Despite only having a few sips, her head felt dizzy, indicating how weak her body was.
“It’s ironic. If they had sold me, they should have lived well. But even after selling their child as a slave, they didn’t live well.”
“….”
“My family died partly because of you.”
“What?”
“I could have returned to my family if you had abolished slavery.”
Anais widened her eyes in surprise. Then, she quietly mumbled while taking another sip.
“I shouldn’t have come back to life.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I keep hearing about the wrong things I’ve done since I came back to life.”
“Is that really wrong? You must know how slaves are treated.”
“I know. Still, your story feels unnecessary.”
“Haha.”
Leviathan laughed as if he didn’t care and took another gulp of the liquor.
“Can you see the future? Even though you’re not a priest, do you receive visions or something?”
“No. I can’t see the future. If I could, would I have stayed quiet even though I knew it would turn out like this?”
“I see. Perhaps your abilities have disappeared?”
“No. I never had such abilities in the first place. I just gathered information from where I used to be.”
“You found information from the afterlife? You’re beating around the bush.”
“Think what you want.”
Leviathan thought she might have kept the secret of dying and coming back to life. She had a slightly different soul than others, which might not be apparent at first glance but could be discerned upon closer inspection.
“You’re hated by Goddess Julias.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you almost died a couple of times before?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Leviathan was about to tell her willingly, but seeing her becoming serious, he lost interest. Perhaps he wanted to torment her because Phileal cared for Anais.
“If I tell you, will you give me a strand of your hair?”
“Fine, take it all! Take it!”
“Alright. I’m not as soft as Phileal, so remember that.”
“Don’t take too much, just a strand.”
“…so mean.”
While saying that, he took out the dagger he had and, holding a strand of Anais’s hair, asked,
“This much?”
“Isn’t that too much?”
He asked again, halving it.
“This much?”
“Fine.”
After cutting it to about half the length of a finger, he immediately put it in his mouth. Anais, thinking his taste was truly awful, lowered and then raised her gaze.
After quickly absorbing it, he took a gulp of liquor and said.
“Goddess Julias is the goddess of life. She belongs to the concept of order, not chaos.”
“I don’t need an explanation on the basics of theology.”
“The goddess Ju;ias, the leader of order, dislikes beings like you who disrupt order because you change the fate she created.”
“…”
Anais unknowingly voiced an unpleasant thought that crossed her mind.
“When Lilith and Tower Master Lionel tried to kill me….”
“That’s right.”
Leviathan laughed confidently, as if he had just revealed a great secret to her.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Anais looked as confused as Leviathan had hoped.
“Because it’s amusing how you continue to believe in that saint like a fool.”
“…”
Anais felt like even the brief drunkenness she had been feeling had completely dissipated. Reluctant to accept it, she lowered her gaze.
At that moment, Leviathan twisted his lips even more and laughed louder. He found it extremely satisfying to inflict wounds upon Anais, much like he enjoyed hurting the seemingly innocent Phileal.
“How foolish can you be not to realize that what’s inside you is the saint of Goddess Julias?”
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