Chapter 35
Herace tore through the darkness at an unnatural speed. Hunched over, sprinting through the forest like a beast, his form was barely human.
The fact that he wasn’t running straight to the Gray estate gnawed at him—but there was something he needed to confirm first.
I should never have let this slide.
He had been braced for this possibility, yet still felt unprepared.
After Philena told Whisler they should “take some time,” Whisler had changed.
No—he’d gotten angry.
It wasn’t even a situation that called for it, and still, Herace found himself letting out a bitter laugh. Damn it, I should’ve spotted the mistake sooner.
Until Philena agreed to “take time” with Whisler, there had been no threat at all. And that much, he had expected.
Whisler always believed Herace wasn’t even worth competing against. He must have thought Philena’s time with Herace was just a brief detour—a passing fling before she inevitably returned to him.
Whisler had been arrogant.
Still, he’s not completely oblivious. You can’t hold a title like his without at least that much awareness.
But after that “time apart” meeting, Whisler began to feel threatened. From that point on, Herace had felt eyes on him, the constant presence of surveillance.
Of course, he’d been careful. He’d kept every move discreet. Even his meetings and agreements with Count Blick had been hidden from Whisler.
All his focus had gone into preparing for the party. He hadn’t had the leisure to investigate why Philena’s scenario draft hadn’t reached him.
And today, the problem had burst open before he realized it.
“…At least Philena accepted my confession.”
The moment Whisler began running his mouth with that damned speech, Herace knew he had to act. Whisler had planned to claim Philena as his girlfriend again, right there in front of everyone.
If he had allowed it to play out, things might have gone Whisler’s way. Whisler’s image was spotless, while Philena’s reputation was only just beginning to recover.
“At the time, I couldn’t understand why he’d been so reckless…”
Whisler wasn’t the type to take risks. He hated even the smallest blemish and went out of his way to avoid trouble.
For him to suddenly make such a public declaration, when he and Philena weren’t even on friendly terms—that was no small thing.
“It means something must have provoked him.”
Something that convinced Whisler this wasn’t just a short fling. That Herace and Philena would go as far as dating.
That alone had been enough to push him over the edge.
“Damn it.”
Herace finally reached the villa, his heart heavy. The darkness pressing at his back felt heavier than ever tonight.
“What the hell kind of crap situation is this?”
His shadowed body began to contort, muscles swelling unnaturally, like an insect undergoing metamorphosis.
Becoming a monster, he stepped inside. His slow, stumbling gait was filled with confusion.
—Let’s date. Today is our Day One, isn’t it?
Suddenly, his mind filled with Philena’s lovely image. Bright and soft, like a watercolor painting, her memory lit his heart even as his body twisted into something inhuman.
Clutching his chest with a massive, beastly hand, he let out a broken laugh.
“I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”
When Philena had unexpectedly accepted his confession, he’d been happy—so much that he hadn’t known if he was standing on solid ground or floating above the clouds.
But now his smile was twisted.
“I knew it would all vanish anyway. So why am I being this selfish?”
He’d tried to delay their relationship, knowing Whisler’s interference would only worsen once they started dating. But Philena had accepted him, and he hadn’t stopped her.
He should have said something stern after the party. Or come up with another excuse on the spot. Or at least claimed they were just “getting to know each other.”
Instead, he’d been carried away by instinct, by happiness.
I shouldn’t have just stood there, glowing like a fool.
Philena’s reputation wasn’t completely healed yet. And now Whisler would come at them harder, more strategically than ever.
…And my secret might come out sooner, too.
“Grhh…”
Losing his voice, fully transformed into a beast, he slammed a hand into a bookshelf. Wood splintered, the shelves collapsed.
And there it was—harsh reality crashing down.
The contract. The hidden contract behind the shelf was gone.
The beast’s face twisted into nothingness.
Whisler. It had to be him.
Before, maybe Whisler would have hesitated. But now—now that Philena had accepted Herace’s confession—he would act brutally.
And Herace had no idea how to stop him. No plan, no answer.
Maybe because he wasn’t human, maybe because he was a monster—his mind was blank.
“Grrr…”
With that guttural growl, the doors of the villa burst open. The knights of House Gray stormed in.
The beast lashed out, rampaging as his sanctuary was invaded. But even then, he held back—refusing to use his full strength.
Because a beast had no place anywhere but back in the Gray estate.
***
Meanwhile, leaving the party, Philena and I had solved many problems.
Herace had shown himself as a brother who would sacrifice for his family. I had managed to reframe myself as misunderstood rather than villainous.
If the Saintess’s Prophecy Day went as planned, building connections would be simple. Becoming a beloved noble lady instead of a villainess was finally within reach.
“Mother, greetings.”
I stood at the center, bowed my head, and raised my hands in prayer. Bathed in radiant light, my mother appeared holy as always.
I prayed for Whisler’s downfall, and for the success of Herace’s and my plans. Nothing unusual—just the usual important prayers.
Afterward, I sat back down comfortably.
Without realizing it, a priest began a sermon.
“Since the Saintess arrived, the heavens shine, nature stirs, and we live in peace. May this peace continue—”
Boring. Irrelevant. Not about me. I already read the scriptures diligently—my faith was fine.
I only needed to listen when something caught my curiosity.
“And our Lady said: always be grateful for the blessings we receive. So today, we lift our wishes for them—yes, today.”
One by one, unfamiliar names were spoken. Likely the names of past Saintesses, all the way up to Mille.
The list of strange names went on and on—until suddenly, an old man jerked his head up.
“No—! How can you forget our Saint! Wasn’t there also a Saint?”
Realizing he was near me, I quickly stood and stepped far away to show I wasn’t with him.
“There was a Saint, not just Saintesses! Are you trying to erase him from history? Even this temple ignores him! This is a conspiracy!”
The priest didn’t respond to the man’s thunderous cries. She only smiled serenely, while knights approached to seize him.
Ugh. If I get linked to this, they’ll call me a villainess again.
Pulling my hood low and bowing my head, I carefully slipped away from the crowd.
