The Tragedy of The Villainess

‘Why is he staring at that thing so intently?'

Seria asked to be excused and then quickly went over to Linon's side.

“Linon, do you want that one?"

"Huh?"

Linon looked flustered and waved his hands.

"No! No!"

He was very flustered, which looked very suspicious, but Seria didn't have time to find out.

“Hmmm, Grand Duchess Berg.”

She turned around and saw that Duke Howard had approached her before she knew it. In the meantime, Linon greeted him politely and quickly stepped aside.

Duke Howard asked her how she was doing. In the meantime, he also asked how Abigail was doing with an anxious voice.

In this way, Duke Howard was still a duke, although he was fascinated with Abigail.

Even in the briefest of conversations about her safety, he secretly tried to arrange a meeting with Empress Ekizel.

“I've prepared a mysterious friend for you, and I hope you'll come along with your dear knight."

Duke Howard was full of confidence.

"Your Highness."

Howard's butler approached nimbly and whispered to the Duke.

“What is it?"

Duke Howard, whose face turned blue, glanced at Seria.

‘Why is his face so pale?’

Duke Howard asked to be excused and hurried to his feet.

“What’s going on?”

The question didn't last long.

There was a loud buzzing sound. She could see a self-conscious face in a bright white dress coming through the door.

“Lina?"

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God, it's the Saintess.”

“Oh… I heard that the Howard family ambitiously prepared this banquet, but it seems that all the powerful people in the empire have received invitations.”

What's strange was that she didn't come with Kalis. Why did Lina come to the capital?

While Seria was confused, the music changed.

"Seria. Duke Howard must have sent invitations to all the major families as is customary?"

Marlesana whispered quietly, coming to Seria’s side at some point.

"I guess so."

“But did he invite a religious person who didn't debut in the imperial capital? It's not common to call temple people to private parties."

Seria chuckled as she had the same thought. It's always fun to have a friend you can talk to.

“We'll know for sure in a bit."

Marlesana nodded.

‘I think Duke Howard only invited Marquis Haneton.’ (Seria)

Duke Howard has been very busy trying to please Seria, including welcoming Abigail and arranging a meeting with Queen Ekizel. Would such a Duke be willing to go to the trouble of inviting Lina and Seria together?

It didn’t make sense.

Duke Howard must be well aware of the huge scandal that had occurred between Lina and Kalis in Berg. There was no way Duke Howard was going to invite Lina.

Did Lina come using Kalis’s invitation? By the way, why didn't Kalis come?

Suddenly all eyes turned to Seria.

She became more of a spectacle than the banquet that Duke Howard had ambitiously prepared.

It was at that moment that she felt the atmosphere of the banquet hall was disturbed. The servants of Duke Howard's family dragged the box covered with the white cloth from the corner. It was the very same box that had captured Linon's attention.

"Mm-hmm."

Duke Howard stepped out into the center of the room with a place face was, but he didn't care.

He welcomed his guests.

“I've prepared something special especially for you.”

The well dressed butler standing beside Duke Howard pulled the white cloth away.

The light of the banquet hall poured into the center of the room while the lights of the chandeliers were adjusted in a theatrical fashion.

The rectangular box was made of opaque metal only a third of the way down, and the top was glass. The box, or more accurately, the tank, which was really tall and expensive for this world, was filled with water, and inside it was…

Seria’s eyes widened.

Everyone was surprised.

“Is that a mermaid?”

“It’s a mermaid.”

“What is it?"

As she imagined, it wasn't just a beautiful, fairytale-like being, but anyway, it was a mermaid with a fish tail on the lower half of his body and a human on the upper half. It was a male mermaid. His long hair shook like seaweed. The aristocrats, who had at first been amazed at the exposure to the rumored being, were now silent as they looked at the scales on his tail.

“No….”

“Slavery is illegal, Duke Howard.”

One nobleman's sharp point came in quickly. Duke Howard shook his head. He looked as if he didn’t think so.

“What do you mean ‘slave’? I haven’t introduced it as a noble. The mermaid was injured when it appeared on the imperial beach. And my people saved it.”

“…… Is that right?”

“He can't talk about it in detail right now because he's not feeling well, but under our care, he's steadily recovering his health. He is a friend who takes a great deal of interest in Imperial society, so he will always be present at Howard's banquets."

Duke Howard said with a laugh. Seria tilted her chin lightly.

‘You've taken collateral in the right places.'

It was easy to host a banquet only if you were a member of a large aristocratic family or a famous socialite, but those noble families who weren't always had to worry about hosting a banquet and not having enough guests.

For this reason, they would often prepare especially famous beauties, renowned mystical artists, or unique spectacles.

Duke Howard had never had to do that before. However, the failure of the demon subjugation was painful.

He said the mermaid was noble, but who would think of it as a noble when it is displayed like that?

They would also rather see a precious mermaid than any prisoner, so for the time being, Howard's banquet would be full if he held it….

Of course, prison slaves were officially illegal, so there were many unfavorable stares. Perhaps conscious of these stares, Duke Howard approached the tank with a water bottle, perhaps to express his intimacy with the mermaid.

He said, "I've heard it said that just as we don't nibble on our clothes to eat because we're hungry, mermaids don't drink the water that surrounds their bodies because they're thirsty."

The mermaids took the water that Duke Howard offered them and drank it. She was so young that she almost exploded with envy and curiosity at the look in the hostile aristocrat's eyes. ‘The look was that for the time being, Duke Howard's banquet was going to be unconditionally full.

At this rate, in five years' time, each banquet hall might be decorated with an aquarium filled with mermaids. Seria was staring at the mermaid with these thoughts in her mind. The mermaid's face was expressionless, but he seemed to be strangely scared.

‘Did they torture it?’

But how they can torture it without showing any signs when it has no clothes? The scales didn’t seem to be damaged in any way. Seria looked closely to the mermaid’s fingertips, wondering if they poked them with needles.

"Do you like mermaids?"

At that moment, a low voice resounded in her ears. She turned her head to the side.

“I don't like them at all.”

"Why not?"

“It's just not my taste. Lesche.”

She didn't even know when Lesche had arrived. She just saw a faint smile in Lesche’s eyes as he came to her side. He nodded lightly to Marlesana, whose eyes were wide open. Marlesana bowed her head in surprise.

Lesche held out his hand to Seria. She took his hand and chuckled.

“You are not even surprised.” (Lesche)

‘'I'm never surprised in a situation where there are so many aristocrats staring at me.”

“Apparently, not everyone is a socialite.”(Lesche)

Seria giggled and asked him.

"When did you arrive?"

"No long. It was when the Duke gave the mermaid a drink."

"It really hasn't been that long.”

‘By the way, how did he find me so quickly? Is it because he’s a knight?’

When Lesche appeared, all eyes were on Seria again. He asked as he led Seria to a quiet place.

“Seria."

“Yes?”

“Didn't you come with Linon?”

“Yes, I came with him.”

‘Where is he?’

Seria tilted her head, trying to point to where Linon was. But Linon was nowhere to be seen. Did he go to the bathroom? It didn’t look like it because he didn’t appear even after the mermaid tank disappeared.

Lesche’s eyebrows lifted quickly.

"He must be in trouble.”

"Huh? What do you mean?"

How dazed Linon was….

In a moment, a thought flashed through her mind.

"Is it because I told him to find the mermaid spring?"

To kidnap and torture the mermaid to find out where the gem is? Was that why he wanted to escort her to the banquet?

“You know, Lesche.”

"Hmm?"

When Seria whispered in his ear, Lesche chuckled.

“It can't be. Linon wouldn’t torture a mermaid. He might kill it, though. (Lesche)

“What do you mean kill?” (Seria)

“Linon doesn't like mermaids. To be precise, he doesn't like mermaids in human hands." (Lesche)

"…Why is that?" (Seria)

Lesche stared at Seria. He whispered in a voice that was rarely heard.

"Did Linon ever tell you that he’s a half-blooded mermaid?”

"……."

"Seria?"

"……."

"Seria."

Seria gasped. Telling such a secret did not cause any significant change in Lesche’s expression. After a while Seria calmed down.

She smiled vacantly as she looked at Lesche, who had grabbed both of her hands before she knew it.

“I almost screamed just now."

***

Click.

Linon walked into the large, dark room. He had a map of Duke Howard's mansion, though the Duke knew nothing about it.

He had memorized the map well, and thanks to it, he was able to find his way around easily.

Inside the room, there was a water tank covered with a white cloth. Just a few moments ago, the aquarium had been the center of people's attention, and now it was placed in a dimly lit corner of the warehouse.

Linon walked towards it with a pale face. He wanted to forget the scene he saw today.