The Villain

Evelyn sat there as she nervously looked at Julia from time to time.

After the initial burst of emotions, she calmed down with her sense of embarrassment setting in. Now, they were chatting over tea and seriously assessing the situation.

Evelyn had explained all about the dungeons and provided the historical records to prove her statement. All that was left was for Julia to send over the information to Marquis Shuzar. But Julia was taking her sweet time pondering over the situation for some reason.

And it was very strange for Evelyn. Why it was strange? It was quite obvious. In the novel, Julia and Ignis were lovers by this time.

They met for the first time at the Brooklyn Library. Julia used to frequent that library for the hidden business she ran using her 'Foresight' called the Secrets' Bureau. And Ignis came to the capital around this time, to graduate from the academy as it was compulsory for all nobles at age 13.

They both fell in love at first sight in the novel. And continued to see each other there.

Later during Behmuth's civil war five years later, Duchess Blaqua used Ignis' love for Julia to push him to go as an envoy to Behmuth. The deal was that Ignis would be engaged to Julia after coming back from Behmuth.

But for some reason, the civil war at Behmuth broke out five years earlier than it was supposed to. It was because the Whitlock Duchy didn't suffer the depression it was supposed to with Prince Donovan and the church's raid. Though the reason why was something unknown to Evelyn.

In the novel, magical artifacts were found in the estate, which led the church to take action. As a result, the head of the Whitlock Duchy, Hector Whitlock was beheaded under charges of blasphemy. Lucifer, later the king was therefore unable to start the rebellion for another five years.

But the Whitlock Duchy didn't suffer and they proceeded with the rebellion earlier this time.

This eventually led to Ignis going over to Behmuth five years earlier than he was supposed to. The choice was similar in the novel too. Ignis was kidnapped in the novel too.

But in the novel, he was 18 when it happened and a full-fledged knight by that time. He easily escaped the Whitlock Duchy. And it was originally Ignis who found out that the dungeons were going to break either way.

But the Ignis right now was just a country boy who had the lowest grade swordsmanship and the mental IQ of a dog. A large fluffy dog that displayed all his emotions on his face. Much less discovering the dungeons' truth, he couldn't even be expected to escape the Whitlock Duchy.

But since Ignis actually went to Behmuth, meant that he and Julia were already lovers. So she came to see Julia the first chance she got.

She expected Julia to act immediately on hearing this news. But her reaction was somewhat lukewarm. It was strangely unsettling.

"Shouldn't you hurry and send over a letter to Marquis Shuzar?" Evelyn said putting back an empty cup.

Julia smiled awkwardly as she refilled Evelyn's cup.

"Well, I wish I could do that. But it's the royal court we are talking about. Most letters would be ignored at this time. We need to send the letter after consideration so that it can get through the court's gate," Julia said. "Honestly, I don't know why you approached me with this information. I can't possibly guess what gave you the idea that I was the best person to share this with."

Evelyn looked up at Julia, quite spooked, and said," But your letter will get through if not any other, through. And of course, you're the first person I should be sharing this with. After all, it's about your beloved person."

Julia paused for a moment. She was so still that Evelyn had to look around to check if time hadn't actually stopped. With trembling lips, Julia asked," What do you mean by that?"

Evelyn touched the back of her neck nervously and said," Aren't you engaged to Lord Ignis Blaqua?"

Before Evelyn could analyze Julia's shocked and horrified expression, a voice came from behind her at the door. It was a cold and chilling voice.

"Who is engaged to who?" this voice asked.

Julia who saw this person standing at the door, immediately shone up with a bright smile.

"Frank! You're back!" Julia said in joy as she ran towards him.

The moment Evelyn heard the name, Frank, she went cold. In the novel, there was a line describing how Ignis saw Julia's smile that she showed only to him. He saw it as sunlight coming out from her and blinding him with how bright it was. And yet he couldn't stop looking because of how beautiful it was.

Julia's this smile was only for Ignis and she never smiled like that at anyone else.

Then why was, Julia, the female lead of the novel, smiling exactly like that at no other one but the very villain of the novel, Frank Evanlite?

Villain. Park Jia didn't like that word much. In her past life, a lot of her friends became the holders of this word for themselves in the game of survival. But the word villain just didn't do Frank enough justice in terms of how cruel and hateful he was in the novel.

With an unrequited love for Julia, he tried everything he could to get her. At some point, it started to seem like he couldn't live without her. As if she was the only reason he was alive. But the hate he gathered wasn't from his obsessive actions toward Julia, it was because of the indifference he treated everyone else with.

There was a scene in the novel, where a pair of beggar siblings was playing around on the street. And a carriage ran over the younger brother. The older brother was pleading with almost everyone to help save his little brother.

Apparently, Frank was in a shop with Julia to accompany her shopping. He heard the older brother crying around for help. Julia couldn't hear it because she was further inside getting fitted. The child's wailings were heart-wrenching.

Frank went to this child and cut off his vocal cords with magic. The child now couldn't scream for help, but he hung onto Frank's clothes pleading, not knowing that it was this man who turned him into a mute. The child's hands were dirty and that was his sin. Frank cut off that child's both hands that touched his clothes.

The child still writhed for help, crawling towards Frank. Pity wasn't something Frank could feel. He cut off the child's legs so he could no longer crawl toward him. Frank walked back to the shop as the older brother bled to death beside his little brother who followed him.

His inability to empathize, making him capable of doing almost anything was what made him the most terrifying and scary character in the novel. And all the while committing those crimes, he would never once change his facial expression. He was the psychopathic villain of the novel. He was the perfect villain if Evelyn had to say.

But reading about him and meeting him in actual life were two drastically different level things. Evelyn just froze there sitting as Julia talked to Frank. She didn't even have the courage to look back and see his face.

The letter was sent over under the butler, Baron Scarlett's name. Now Evelyn's work was done, she just yeeted out of the Shuzar estate. The novel had gone too haywire. But she didn't do anything that could've caused this type of butterfly effect.

The female lead and villain being together?! Then what about Ignis? Who exactly was he engaged to if not Julia?

Evelyn just decided to escape for the day instead of giving in to her curiosity.