I’m a villain, but I want to live a long life.

chapter 2    “I’m a villain, but I want to live a long life.”

The ballroom was crowded with people. I was sitting in the corner, watching Estelin.

Not Estelin, exactly, but Eria, who was clinging to her like a duckling next.

“Ah, Peter, dear, thank you for coming.”

Estelin spotted someone and greeted them brightly. She smiled brightly, and the faces of those around her blushed collectively.

‘I heard you’re a human cherry blossom…….’

Estelin’s surroundings were like a flurry of petals, and she was radiating a cheerful energy.

I shook my head at how heroine-like she looked.

Estelin was not only beautiful.

She was also angelic in disposition, which she was referred to as the “second coming of the saints after a thousand years” on the island.

“Though she didn’t know it.

Estelin didn’t realize that her nickname was “Saint” until later when she met the male protagonist.

The nickname had gotten so bad that no one had ever told her.

Anyway. It was a female protagonist, but that was about it.

Her father, who was said to be fond of his daughters, was the patriarch of the famous House of Laurent, one of the four dukes who held the empire together, the so-called Four Dukes.

He was a very gentle man and had two daughters, Estelin and Eria, and to her surprise, they were both Manifestors.

In this world, manifestos were also called ‘godlike humans’.

They were the lucky ones who received “powers” from the gods, and in the novels, these powers came in a wide variety of families and ranges.

From elemental ones, like water, fire, and earth, to specialty ones, like healing, offensive, and defensive.

The manifesters often amazed their surroundings with their abilities and even saved the world from crises.

‘In real life, Estelin’s exploits in the novels were immense.

But there were two such manifesters in the Laurent family.

Of course, in the original story, Eria was poisoned today, leaving only Estelin.

“……We have to stop it somehow.

I clenched my fists.

There was no other way to survive in this world without being executed.

I took a deep breath, my heart racing, and my heel, which I’d just stepped on, was aching unbearably.

I frowned and looked at the wound, which was oozing blood, and then bit my lip tightly.

Suddenly, I felt a pang of resentment.

“It’s good to be reborn, but why do I have to play this role? I was so good in my previous life.

I woke up in possession and was immediately sent on a mission to clean up someone else’s shit, or rather, my past shit.

And the shit was huge.

“Poison, poison, poison!

I glared at the floor, my eyes blazing, and when I looked up, I saw Sister Estelin, who was talking to Dorando.

As I watched them, my eyes slowly widened.

I jumped to my feet.

In Estelin’s hand was a goblet I hadn’t seen before. Eria was looking at it, her eyes sparkling.

“Not even a sip?”

Estelin shook her head as Eria tugged at her clothes with an arched eyebrow.

“No, no. Eria has juice, right?”

“But my sister……, Sophie Young Ae, has already had wine a long time ago!”

“Still not you, if you want to drink it, wait until you’re seventeen.”

Disappointment and disappointment flashed across Eria’s face at the ironclad answer.

Estelin looked at her sister as if she were cute, then burst out laughing.

“Eria, don’t be so upset.”

“But I’m the only one in our club who hasn’t had wine!”

Eria cried, her lips curling into a sneer. Estelin’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

She hesitated for a moment, frowning at her pristine brow, then smiled as if she had no choice.

“Okay, so it’s just one sip?”

“Really?!”

Estelin laughed and nodded. Then she held out the glass she was holding to Eria.

Eria’s face lit up with excitement as she got what she wanted.

“Wow, sis, this smells like grape juice.”

Eria said as she brought the wine to her mouth. The glass tilted and the red liquid was about to touch her lips.

Thunk-!

Eria’s eyes widened in surprise.

Over the back of her numbed hand, she saw someone roughly snatch the glass from her hand.

Someone with long, lustrous platinum hair was staring back at her. Blue eyes flashed murderously.

“Three, Selenea Young……, what is this?”

All eyes in the ballroom turned in this direction at the sudden commotion. I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my expression as calm as possible.

“Uh…….”

“…….”

“……Why do you suddenly feel like drinking?”

Estelin stared at me in disbelief, her lips pursed.

“What the hell is that…….”

I swallowed hard and looked at her, my voice dripping with embarrassment.

“Young-ae…… I understand that you don’t like me, but…….”

Estelin’s eyelashes fluttered, and soon her honey-colored eyes slowly began to moisten.

“Are you going to cry?

I looked at her in disbelief. But Estelin murmured, her voice still filled with sorrow.

“I don’t care how you treat me……. But to do this to little Eria……….”

A murmur erupted from the crowd that had gathered around them.

“Oh my, what’s going on over there?”

“It must be the famous Princess Tigeris again.”

“How dare she even show up at the birthday party of Estelin the Younger……!”

“Just as I heard. You know what they say about the Tigerris family.”

I huffed, listening to the fierce accusation that didn’t hold back on the personal attacks.

I could almost see what kind of reputation Selenea had in this world.

I hadn’t expected that level of vitriol, even though I had done a hundred things wrong.

Swallowing a short sigh, I reluctantly opened my mouth.

“That’s…… I’m sorry, I had a valid excuse, but Eria Youngae would like another drink instead…….”

And that was when I turned my gaze toward Eria.

I froze in place, stunned.

Eria, who had just turned twelve this year, was holding out her tiny hand to me with a look of defiance.

“Give it back to me now, Selenea.”

Eria snapped, sounding furious.

Her face looked like she was about to pounce on me at any moment.

As I slipped the goblet behind my back, Eria shouted again.

“What do you think you’re doing? That was given to me by my sister, and I want it back now!”

“…….”

This was unexpected. Even Estelin stared at her sister in surprise.

I furrowed my brow and looked down at the sparkling red wine.

“……I know you’re trying to save your sister’s face, but this is poison.

This is poison!

I sighed, frustrated with the situation.

Of course, she couldn’t tell him the truth, or things would spiral out of control.

Selenea was the one who had bribed the maid to poison the goblet.

She was told that if she ever admitted what was in the glass, she would be in trouble if the Laurent family ever formally investigated her.

He didn’t want to be hanged less than a month into his new life.

“…… Huh.”

I finally concluded.

I’d rather fight that brave kid than risk dying in the first place.

And, at this point, there was only one way I could be sure of defeating Eria.

‘I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but…….’

The next moment, without hesitation, I poured all the wine from the goblet into my mouth.

Every last drop.

“Selenea!”

Eria exclaimed. I quickly gulped down the rest of my drink.

The liquor slid down my esophagus, filling my mouth with its sweet flavor.

I shook the now-empty glass and everyone’s faces turned to horror.

But it was the only way.

“Because this is not poison, at least not for me.

The poison I had my maid slip into Estelin’s glass was called Tear of the Gods.

It was a drug that amplified the powers of the Manifestors.

But there were certain things to keep in mind when taking it.

The proper dose of Tear of the Gods was only one or two drops, and if you took more than that, you could die.

“But I gave them the whole bottle to drink.

When the manifesters drank such a large amount, they would immediately experience a power surge.

The surge was so intense and explosive that it could be fatal if things went badly.

I don’t know where Selenea got this stuff,

“If a manifested Estelin or Eria drinks it, they will die.

But not Selenea, who was not a manifesto.

The tears of the gods were nothing more than venomous water that did not affect non-Manifesters.

So, the fact that I don’t mind drinking it!

Feeling the liquor slide down my esophagus, I held out my empty glass to Eria.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I already drank it all myself…….”

But then. Somewhere inside me, a strange energy stirred.

Suddenly, his chest felt hot as if it were on fire, and a dull pain shot through his body.

“Ugh!”

I staggered back, instinctively clutching at my heart. My hand went limp and the glass I was holding fell to the floor.

Glass shards flew everywhere with a loud clatter. Screams erupted from the crowd.

“Selenea!!!”

I blinked painfully as I looked at Estelin, who was rushing towards me from the other side.

My vision was getting blurry and my eyes were turning white.

“……This can’t be…

I could feel my body slowly tilting to one side. The sounds around me were drowned out as if I were drowning.

“Selenea, someone gets a doctor, now!”

The world fell silent as Estelin’s screaming voice ended in a lie.chapter 2