I Became The Villain's Trainer - Chapter 107
Chapter 107
The sunlight blazed down as if it were going to scorch Alexa, beating mercilessly overhead. She dragged her weary body forward, her steps slow and unsteady. The overwhelming sense of crisis, an urgent awareness that she could not stop here, was the only thing propelling her onward.
“Where am I…?”
Alexa rubbed her eyes. It felt like she might cry. But standing alone on the empty sand, without a single drop of water to drink, she knew she couldn’t afford to shed tears. Just when she had started to feel a bit of comfort, she found herself in this dire situation. Had she grown too complacent?
She had forgotten that her second life was only meant to last a year. She had immersed herself in it, becoming accustomed to happiness. But fate, like a relentless wheel, had tightened around her neck. Perhaps the death she had been destined for had merely been delayed. The sand felt as if it were swallowing her feet.
“Am I really dead?”
Just like that. So meaninglessly? Alexa’s steps grew slower. Still, it was better than her previous life. Back then, she had made foolish choices herself, and no one would have mourned her. But in this life, there were people who would grieve for her. People who would remember her for a while, who would pray for her, at least for a time.
“But…”
Even so. I thought I would have more time. The novel was far from over… and I believed that the world, which had changed because of me, had accepted me.
Alexa had once wondered if she had been given the role of the ‘female lead’. That was why she had remained wary of herself. She couldn’t simply be swept up in the novel’s flow and assume that, just because she was the ‘female lead,’ she would be loved by others.
She had thought that Ysildus and Terrun had shown her kindness only because the plot demanded it. That they could never truly love her. After all, she was someone who was never meant to exist in the first place.
But Alexa had made a mistake. She had given them her affections first. And now, leaving them behind so soon made her heart ache.
Drip—
Her tear ducts gave way. I am truly alone now. She buried her face in her palms, curling into herself. The thought of being abandoned made her chest feel as if it were being ripped apart. Just as she was about to sob like a forsaken child…
“Why do you weep?”
Alexa lifted her head. Perhaps it was the grim reaper, come for her once again. If she clung to them and begged for just one more chance… But the person tilting their head at her in curiosity was someone entirely different from what she had expected. Those familiar blue eyes and hair as radiant as the moon…
Alexa’s eyelids trembled.
“…Ysildus?”
“Hahaha. Do I look like that boy to you?”
The man raised his hand and rubbed his cheek.
“What a pleasant mistake.”
“You’re not Ysildus…?”
“I am something far older than him. In the past, I created Thersion and was betrayed by the Red Clan, the Taraya. I have wandered ever since. Do you know who I am?”
Alexa’s eyes widened. Standing on the red desert sand, a place he did not belong, she recognized him.
“The wolf… the wolf god!”
The figure from the founding myth of the Temperchi Empire. As if confirming her realization, the man smiled gently.
“My name is Dephensores.”
“W-where is this? Have I truly died?”
Dephensores smiled at Alexa. He did not answer, but somehow, she felt as if she already knew.
* * *
Alexa’s face flushed red, burning as hot as its color. Ysildus spoke calmly.
“I think I should take Alexa back to her room, Mother.”
“Yes.”
Essellia patted Ysildus on the shoulder. It was a small gesture, signaling that he needn’t worry about the aftermath.
As Ysildus carried Alexa out of the shocked banquet hall, Terrun and Jeremiah followed closely behind.
“Essellia, I should go too,” Carlisle said anxiously.
Knowing that the children would need a guardian, Essellia nodded. To identify the culprit, she needed composure. A man like Carlisle, whose eyes burned with fury, was ill-suited for this task.
“Lock the doors,” Essellia ordered.
The knights guarding the hall drew their weapons, their presence growing menacing as they secured the exits. Those who had been trying to leave the banquet in unease were stopped in their tracks. Every door leading outside was closed, while the ones leading further inside stood wide open.
Yet no one dared move recklessly.
Essellia narrowed her eyes as she studied the crowd.
They were uneasy, yes, but none of them were acting suspiciously. No one showed signs of guilt or unnecessary fidgeting.
Carefully, she examined each individual. Her heightened senses aided her scrutiny. The nobles of Thersion, who had been lively and carefree at the ball, were now murmuring anxiously among themselves, trapped in the hall.
Essellia’s pupils dilated. Her irises, contracting vertically into slits, glowed with an intense blue light. Her lengthened nails only added to her imposing presence.
‘The culprit is here.’
There was no reason for the wolves to want Alexa dead. Which meant someone with motive was among them.
Essellia’s gaze landed on a figure with striking red hair, wearing an expression that almost seemed amused.
“What is that?”
She pointed a finger at the figure.
A maid standing beside her bowed and answered, “That is Selina, Alexa’s former handmaid.”
“Selina?”
Essellia tilted her head slowly.
“Still reeking of that foul scent. What was her reason for being here again?”
“The steward brought her in as a companion for Lady Alexa. However, she was dismissed after behaving disrespectfully.”
Essellia remembered. They had kept Selina in the castle even after she had once harmed Alexa, simply because Alexa had taken a liking to her. And now, it seemed that kindness had been repaid in a most unexpected way.
While everyone else was gripped by shock and confusion, Selina was the only one humming a tune.
“Bring that girl to me,” Essellia murmured softly.
A sweet smile curved her lips. But a closer look would reveal that her eyes were not smiling in the slightest.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
* * *
This had been too easy! I almost clapped my hands in triumph. The thrill of watching Alexa collapse had been intoxicating. Selina swallowed down her urge to twirl in joy. Alexa had drunk her poison; she would die, no doubt. As long as Ruella had given her the right substance. No one would suspect Selina.
People had seen her offer Alexa a drink, yes, but Alexa had collapsed long afterward. And Selina had spent that entire time tending to noble ladies, serving refreshments. They were all perfectly fine.
Alexa had eaten plenty of other food after that. And the remaining poison had already been diluted and disposed of. A dose that weak would barely affect the wolves.
Selina lowered her gaze. She had prepared a small safety net, just in case. In the end, the culprit would remain unidentified, and she would return to her cozy bed. By tomorrow, everything would be different. Her heart pounded with anticipation.
But her excitement was shattered far too soon.
Essellia’s eyes locked onto her. Though the Grand Duchess should have known nothing, her gaze gleamed with an eerie blue light, as if she could see right through her. Selina stepped back instinctively. But there was no escape as Essellia’s attendants had already surrounded her.
“Selina.”
“Yes? You called for me?”
Selina forced a calm tone to mask her fear.
“Her Grace wishes to see you.”
The attendants seized her arms.
“W-why are you doing this?! I didn’t do anything!”
“The very act of saying that reveals your guilt.”
Selina struggled, but the attendants hauled her away. As they dragged her through the crowd, people stepped aside.
“Aaaaaah! It wasn’t me!! I didn’t do anything!!!”
Selina quickly lost her composure and screamed, hoping that someone would come to her rescue. Just then, her eyes met those of Prince Jeremiah, who had just returned to the banquet hall. Yes, there was no way she had to die just like this!
Jeremiah was the safety net that Selina had painstakingly prepared. He was soft-hearted and compassionate by nature. Moreover, as a prince from the imperial palace, even the wolves could not easily lay a hand on him.
“Please, Your Highness! I didn’t do anything wrong…! You promised to help me!!”
Selina reached out toward Jeremiah.
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