Chapter 38: The Damned Male Leads

As Selene, Magnus, and Alaric made their way toward the dining room, Selene sighed and crossed her arms.

"I really wish I could save Eri from being tainted," she admitted. "But the stakes are too high for us to challenge."

Magnus nodded solemnly. "If she was chosen by the Goddess Erma to be the Saintess, that must mean she was once a lovely, innocent girl." His expression darkened. "It's a shame that those hypocrites would corrupt her mind."

Alaric sighed. "And secretly kidnapping her would be an absolutely terrible idea. News of the Demon King's rising has already spread across the entire country. If the Saintess were to go missing, panic would break out."

Selene shrugged. "Even if we did kidnap Eri, she'd still need to interact with the Damned Male Leads."

Magnus and Alaric immediately stopped walking.

Selene, caught off guard, bumped straight into Magnus's back, hitting her nose. "Ow! What the hell, Magnus? Why did you—" She groaned, rubbing her sore nose. "Ugh, that hurt! I almost broke my nose!"

Magnus turned around, his expression unreadable. "What did you just say?"

Selene blinked. "I almost broke my nose?"

"No," Magnus said firmly. "Before that. What did you call just called the boys?"

She hesitated, then repeated, "The Damned Male Leads?"

Magnus exchanged glances with Alaric before turning back to her. "Why do you call them that?"

Selene blinked again, suddenly realizing something. She had been so focused on strategizing that she forgot to tell them about the male leads' personal histories. Four days ago, she had only mentioned Damian's twisted hobby—but she had never explained the others.

Taking a deep breath, she started walking again. "In my world, the players called them 'The Damned' because of their personalities, hobbies, and the fact that they were responsible for Eri losing her powers. And also…" She trailed off.

"Also what?" Alaric pressed.

Selene exhaled. "Except for Damian, the way the other male leads were conceived was questionable."

Magnus and Alaric stopped again.

Selene rolled her eyes and kept walking. "Cedric, Leo, Lucien, and Aldric were all conceived through immoral means."

Alaric's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait… What do you mean?"

Selene glanced back at them. "For instance, Cedric is the result of incest."

"What?!" Alaric exclaimed, before clamping his hand over his mouth.

Magnus looked too stunned to speak.

Ignoring their reactions, Selene continued. "Cedric's father, Viscount Alistair Hargrave, had an affair. Cedric's mother, Lady Sylvia Hargrave, was the result of that affair."

Magnus frowned. "Go on."

Selene nodded. "According to the story, Baron Vincent Hargrave met Sylvia when they were teenagers and fell in love. Their father was vehemently against their relationship because, well… they were siblings."

Alaric shuddered. "That's disgusting."

Magnus grimaced. "I remember hearing about Baron Vincent. He joined the army, worked his way up, and became a noble."

Selene smirked. "Exactly. He risked his life to save the late king from an assassination attempt. In return, the king granted him noble status, and Vincent asked for Sylvia's hand in marriage."

Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I remember that incident. It was the king's birthday. I was there. I saw Vincent take a poisoned arrow to the chest to protect the king." He shook his head. "I understand why the king felt indebted to him, but approving an incestuous marriage is a bit much."

Selene tilted her head. "Well… The king didn't know they were siblings."

Magnus's eyes widened. "What?"

"Their father—Cedric's grandfather—kept his mouth shut to avoid exposing his past affair. He had another son and planned to pass the title to him, treating Vincent and Sylvia as if they didn't exist."

Magnus and Alaric exchanged glances, then both shook their heads in disbelief.

Selene continued. "As for Lucien and Leo… they were the result of rape."

Alaric's face darkened. "We know about that. It was a huge scandal."

Magnus nodded grimly. "Wilhelm was forced to marry Miranda after the truth came out."

Selene sighed. "That's part of the truth. But the full story is even worse."

Magnus's expression hardened. "Explain."

Selene took a deep breath. "Miranda was already in a relationship with another man. Wilhelm fell in love with her, but she wasn't interested. He thought his status as a noble would be enough to win her over, but when it didn't, he resorted to force."

Alaric clenched his fists. "So he…"

Selene nodded. "He claimed her and got her pregnant. Miranda's boyfriend broke up with her because of it, and her parents forced her to marry Wilhelm."

Magnus let out a long breath. "I heard rumors that Miranda's marriage was part of a ploy—that she wanted to join the nobility."

Selene shook her head. "That was the lie Wilhelm spread to justify his actions."

Silence filled the hallway.

Magnus and Alaric walked behind Selene, their faces clouded with thought.

Selene continued, her voice lower than before. "Aldric… was the result of witchcraft."

Magnus and Alaric froze.

Then, in an instant, Magnus lunged forward and clamped a hand over Selene's mouth, catching her completely off guard.

"Mnph?!" she muffled, eyes wide.

Magnus scanned their surroundings frantically, his jaw tense. "Alaric, check if anyone's nearby."

Alaric didn't hesitate. He sprinted down the corridor, threw open nearby doors, and even peered out the window. After a tense moment, he hurried back and whispered, "Coast is clear."

Only then did Magnus let go of Selene. He leaned in, his tone grave. "Be very careful about saying things like that—especially when it concerns a member of the royal family." His golden eyes burned with intensity. "If the wrong person hears you, word could reach the king. You could be executed. And if this information spreads…" He exhaled sharply. "It could trigger an internal conflict."

Selene stiffened. Then, suddenly, something clicked in her memory.

In The Saintess' Chronicles, there was an important piece of lore: Witches were the most feared and hated beings in Vancaster.

Over a hundred years ago, a witch had unleashed chaos upon the kingdom, leading to mass hysteria. Since then, anyone accused of being a witch—or even dabbling in black magic—was swiftly executed.

Selene swallowed hard. If the royal family finds out I know this, they might try to silence me. If the truth spreads, the nobles and citizens could turn against the monarchy… and worse, an enemy kingdom could exploit the chaos to incite rebellion or war.

Her hands trembled slightly, but her curiosity still burned. She glanced at Magnus. "Still… don't you want to know why Aldric exists?"

Magnus hesitated but then gave a short nod. He and Alaric huddled close, listening intently.

Selene lowered her voice. "Do you remember the rumors about Queen Isolde being infertile?"

They both nodded.

"Well…" Selene took a deep breath. "She wasn't."

Magnus and Alaric exchanged confused glances.

Selene smirked. "She bought a fertility potion. And another one that would guarantee she conceived a boy, Virilis Auctor."

Alaric frowned. "Wait… That potion?" His voice dropped into a whisper. "That's illegal."

Magnus's brows furrowed. "It doesn't actually make a woman give birth to a boy."

Alaric shook his head grimly. "No. It doesn't. What it does is…" He exhaled. "It changes a baby girl's body into a boy's."

A heavy silence fell.

Then—

"I'm sorry… what?" Selene deadpanned.

Magnus nodded grimly.

More silence.

Then Selene suddenly grabbed Magnus by the collar, shaking him. "Old man! You were trying to marry me off to a girl?!"

Magnus sighed. "Calm down, Selene. We don't know for sure if Aldric is actually a girl. He'll call off the engagement in the future, so it doesn't matter."

Selene stared at him. Then she slowly let go, crossing her arms. "…Fine. That makes sense."

Alaric, still processing the information, cleared his throat. "Selene, in the game… did Aldric ever do anything that seemed… off?"

Selene thought for a moment. Then she shook her head. "No… nothing obvious."

Then she hesitated.

Actually… there was something.

She leaned in closer. "Since we're already gossiping, I might as well tell you this too…"

Magnus and Alaric looked at her expectantly.

Selene smirked. "The one who was infertile… wasn't Queen Isolde."

Alaric frowned. "Then who—"

Selene's smirk widened. "It was King Roland."

Silence.

Alaric blinked. Then, slowly, he whispered, "…But he has twelve children."

Selene tilted her head. "And only two of them are actually his."

Another long silence.

Magnus rubbed his temples. "I need a drink."

"After dinner," Selene said, then walked away, rubbing her empty stomach.