Chapter 16: The Villainess Is Unpopular (Part 2)

Actually, it’s very simple. 

In the novel, the male lead only needed to be nice to the female lead. Rather, that duality became one of Aren’s charms that made him interesting for the readers. Fortunately, the Mage Tower Lord erased his magic.

It wasn’t because I had looked back. It was because the only existence that could stop the lord of the Mage Tower had come.

“Ah, Mage Tower Lord?”

It was the female protagonist, Clie Ruspela.

The Mage Tower Lord, who was glaring at Shael and me as if he wanted to kill us, showed a smile. It was a completely different expression from before.

“You’re not feeling well, so why are you here, Clie?”

“Oh, it’s okay!”

Cough!

Clie coughed. Clie was the female protagonist who was terminally ill all her life. It was a setting often seen in romantic fantasy novels. Of course, also like a romantic fantasy novel, her ending was good. Because Shael, the villainess, would die… and Clie, who was terminally ill, would live.

Aren Jaygers approached Clie and hurriedly took her somewhere else.

“She seems fake.”

Shael looked at them and said to me. 

But surprisingly, it was true. Clie actually faked her own cough. It was possible that she must have come to take the Mage Tower Lord away because of the prince who had come to the banquet in disguise. So yes, her cough was not due to her illness.

You might think she’s a selfish protagonist… but that’s also one of the reason behind the novel’s huge popularity.

It was Shael’s rude words that woke me up from my thoughts.

“We came too early.”

That was what she said as soon as she arrived at the banquet hall. It seemed that the villainess was angry. Since we had arrived too early, there were only a few people in the banquet hall. But this was all intentional. 

Anyways, it didn’t really matter. The Mage Tower with its eccentric owner… had all sorts of things to enjoy that didn’t match its name.

“Please follow me.”

Shael followed me just to kill her time.

The inside of the huge Mage Tower looked as if a festival was being held. Many people were enjoying their leisure time in various kinds of shops.

“What is that?”

It was only now that the villainess showed some interest. She pointed at a shooting range. It was a store where you could take the doll if you manage to hit it with an arrow.

“Would you like to try it?”

Shael nodded her head and grabbed the bow.

“I didn’t know you would like something like this.”

“I thought it would be good if I practiced my archery skills.”

Shael answered me while drawing the bowstring. 

I immediately understood what Shael was talking about. Because she was staring at the doll as fiercely as she usually looked at me. 

Then, the sound of a doll being torn apart by the arrow she had shot was heard. It was, of course, where the doll’s eyes were.

“You are cruel.”

She grinned and handed me the doll. 

‘It wasn’t a compliment.’

“This is a gift, keep it.”

Shael was about to throw the doll on the floor, but as if she had an idea, she handed me a doll with a torn eye.

The first gift I received from the villainess was a doll with torn eyes. After I had no choice but to accept the doll, Shael went looking for other things to enjoy.

What caught her attention this time was the place where one had to catch fish. In a moderately sized fishery, several catfish were released. It was a place meant to experience fishing.

“Are you going to fish?”

The villainess nodded her head. As expected, I couldn’t figure out the villainess’s thoughts at all. 

Shael threw the fishing line. I also sat down next to her and threw a fishing line. A catfish came and bit the bait. 

The bait belonged to Shael. As soon as she started, she managed to catch one.

Splash!

Two.

Splash!

And three. 

It was way different from me who couldn’t catch even one. The villainess had talent in strange places!

“Pugh, you can’t catch a single fish properly!”

Before long, Shael started to tease me. Shael pointed to my fishing line, which hadn’t been touched by the fish even once, and laughed. There was no way I could stand still after that!

“Oh, yes. I see that you’re popular with catfish.”

“…”

“So you can get engaged to those catfish, not me.”

“Haa. What do you mean?”

It was a catfish that answered Shael’s bewildered words.

Splash!

“Hey, it’s quite the strong one, it will be perfect as a groom.”

Shael could only glare at me.

It was fortunate though. Unlike my expectations, Shael genuinely seemed to enjoy this experience.

‘Although there were some strange quarrels.’

If I successfully maintain the current situation… ‘I will be able to prevent the tragic incident at the banquet hall without any problems.’

I took Shael and headed to the banquet hall.

***

Chang!

I looked back at the ominous sound. 

A wine glass had shattered on the floor. It was the wine glass that the female protagonist, Clie, was holding. 

And in front of her… was Shael. Her clothes were stained with red wine.

‘Oh, it’s ruined.’