I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree - Chapter 84

Napolis Duchy, City of Romulus.

In the ducal mansion, Giovanni glared at Donny, who stood obediently before him.

Since being taken away that day, Donny had undergone questioning by the Imperial Court. Ultimately, he was found not guilty due to a lack of evidence, partly thanks to Giovanni’s influence.

Tyril, however, wasn’t so lucky. After betraying Donny, Giovanni refused to intervene, and Tyril’s father didn’t dare help him either, fearing Giovanni’s wrath. Plus, even if Tyril were released, he would still be a target of Donny’s resentment. In the end, leaving him in prison was the safest option.

Thus, Tyril was sentenced to ten years in a tightly guarded Imperial prison.

As for what would become of him after ten years, no one knew.

“Tell me everything that happened,” Giovanni said to Donny, his voice calm but filled with suppressed anger.

After all, rescuing Donny had cost him considerable favors and funds.

“Yes, Father.” Donny nodded stiffly, a far cry from his usual arrogance at the academy.

He recounted everything he knew, organizing the events into a timeline and explaining them in detail to Giovanni.

“I see…” Giovanni nodded thoughtfully, then fell silent for a long while.

Finally, he looked at Donny.

“Since I was the one who told you to deal with them at the academy, it’s not entirely your fault that you fell into Orson’s trap,” Giovanni said evenly.

“Father, you’re not mad at me?” Donny was pleasantly surprised by Giovanni’s lack of anger.

“Consider it a lesson learned,” Giovanni said. “Just don’t let it happen again.”

“Father, there’s one other thing I’d like to discuss,” Donny said hesitantly.

“What is it?”

“It’s about Celineina Bonaventura, the daughter of the president of the Silver Moon Trading Company.”

“What about her?”

“I think Orson might be involved with her…”

“What?!” Giovanni slammed his hand on the table. “Louis is playing both sides?”

“No, no,” Donny quickly waved his hands. “President Louis is a good man and has always been on our side. He even scolded Orson at the banquet. But for some reason, Celineina seems infatuated with Orson, as if she’s been bewitched.”

“So you want me to help you?”

“Yes,” Donny nodded. “Father, I think you’re the only one who can help me with this.”

“You’re full of shit,” Giovanni snapped, slamming the table again. “Losing to a woman—how is that not your own fault?!”

“Stop bringing everything to me!” he shouted, pointing to the door. “Get out and think about what you’re going to do. I’ll give you three days. Come back when you have a plan. Otherwise, even if you marry a pile of dung, I won’t care.”

“…” Donny had no choice but to nod and leave the room.

—

A few days later, a fast horse arrived in Antica City, delivering two letters to Celineina at the Silver Moon Trading Company.

One was Orson’s reply, while the other was a dismissal letter from the company’s headquarters.

“Hah, looks like Father is really desperate after losing such a big sum,” Celineina said, glancing at the dismissal letter before looking at Paul, who had delivered it. She smiled.

“Grandpa Paul, you wrote this dismissal letter, didn’t you?”

“I did,” Paul admitted. “Miss Celineina, please try to understand the president’s intentions. He’s doing this for the good of the Silver Moon Trading Company. By aligning with the Duke of Napolis, the company can operate freely in many regions.”

“Grandpa Paul, is that what you really think?” Celineina asked, her eyes glinting with amusement. “If nothing goes wrong in the Napolis Duchy, fine. But if something does, won’t we sink along with that ship?”

“Grandpa Paul, you and Grandpa built the Silver Moon Trading Company from the ground up. Surely you understand the importance of self-preservation?”

“True, but the six great dukes of the Empire, aside from the Duke of Antica, have been stable for centuries. There’s no safer investment…” Paul trailed off, lowering his head.

“But if risks arise, we’ll lose everything,” Celineina said, turning away. “As for this dismissal, I cannot accept it.”

“Of course, I’ll hold a meeting with the branch’s representatives. If they feel I’m unfit to lead and want me to step down, I’ll comply.”

“But if that’s not the case, and you still insist on dismissing me, then I’ll have no choice but to sever ties with the Silver Moon Trading Company and set out on my own.”

“…” Paul stared at Celineina’s back.

For some reason, he suddenly saw a glimmer of the old president in her.

If the old president were still alive, he would never have allowed his children to be sacrificed for political alliances.

The old president had always avoided entangling the company with politics.

—

A few days later, representatives of the Silver Moon Trading Company from various cities in the Antica Duchy gathered in Antica City.

A full representative assembly was held to decide Celineina’s fate.

During the meeting, Paul and Celineina sat on opposite sides of the podium.

When the representatives saw Paul, many were taken aback.

They all knew Paul was Louis’ right-hand man and a senior figure in the company.

For someone of his stature to appear here, it was clear that this was no ordinary meeting.

“First, let me explain the reason for this meeting,” Paul began, addressing the audience.

“Miss Celineina has been accused of leaking trade secrets to the Ali Trading Company, resulting in a loss of four million gold coins for the headquarters. As a result, the headquarters has decided to remove Miss Celineina from her position as branch president.”

After delivering this announcement, Paul sat down, waiting for Celineina’s response.

The audience buzzed with murmurs.

The representatives didn’t fully understand the internal power struggles within the president’s family and were baffled by Celineina’s actions.

“Now, let me explain why I did what I did,” Celineina said, addressing the representatives. “Many of you have likely noticed that over the past month, trading houses outside the Antica Duchy have severed ties with us. This was a directive from the headquarters, aimed at suppressing our branch and forcing us out of business.”

“What?”

“That can’t be true…”

“Why would President Louis do such a thing…”

The representatives below began murmuring among themselves, filled with confusion and disbelief.

“Wouldn’t you all like to know the reason?” Celineina continued, her tone becoming more serious. “It’s because President Louis, in order to prevent me from inheriting the family’s business, deliberately created obstacles for my operations, intending to force me to give up the competition voluntarily.”

The moment these words fell, the room erupted in an uproar.

Celineina paused briefly, then resumed, “Everyone, though my time working here hasn’t been very long, the development of the branch during this period is plain for all to see. I trust you’ve all witnessed my abilities firsthand. The question of who is truly capable of leading the trading company to greater heights should be clear to all of you. Therefore, I leave the decision about my position in your hands.”

With that, the room moved into a voting process.

Throughout the proceedings, Paul remained silent, refraining from making any remarks to sway emotions. Instead, he quietly observed as the representatives cast their votes in Celineina’s favor.

When the voting concluded, not a single vote was against it—every representative had voted for Celineina to remain.

“Alright then, the voting is complete. Thank you all for your trust in me,” Celineina said as she turned to Paul with a composed expression.

“Director Paul, you’ve seen the results.”

“Yes,” Paul nodded. “I’ll return to headquarters and report this matter to the president. Consider the dismissal canceled.”

As he spoke, Paul offered a faint smile.

“President Celineina, I hope you can lead the Antica branch to even greater success.”

“I will,” Celineina replied with a nod before sending Paul off.