I am Late so I am the Villain? - Chapter 5

Seir smiled once again at Riya’s blunt and bold remarks.

“I feel like I’m drinking refreshing sparkling water while listening to you.”

“It’s… it’s… it’s not true!”

He swiftly grasped Riya’s wrist as she attempted to get out of bed.

Riya fell and slammed her body against his chest after losing her balance in the air.

Seir smiled as she looked down at her in her arms.

Riya raised her eyes to Seir’s bright smile.

Riya felt Seir was such a handsome man that she could understand how the original Princess Riya Lisburn may have fallen in love with him at first sight and chose to marry him when she saw him from afar.

‘However, this man is going to kill me.’

“As expected, Riya Lisburn. I, too, fell in love with you the first time I saw you.”

“What?”

She had a vague idea.

Riya Lisburn gained weight from stress eating, but her face was more stunning than Elijah’s.

“But, ever since we got married, you’ve been openly envious of Elijah and have begun to abuse her. I’m really dissatisfied with how you behave. I was weary of you staring at me and following after me all day, so I had no choice but to avoid you.”

Riya excitedly nodded her head.

‘Yes, Seir, keep avoiding me like that. Don’t get in the way of my writing. I aim to be successful by writing a large number of novels. Because my life is more valuable than a handsome man or a damn love.’

“But I’ve been having odd sensations whenever I see you recently…What should I say…… now that you’re starting to avoid me, my heart is pounding……”

“What?”

“…… that’s right. I suppose I should confess now. I’m tired of you chasing after me, yet if you ignore me like this, it makes me want you even more.”

Riya shook her head.

‘Are you a pervert?’

“Riya Lisburn, I can’t control my thoughts right now, and I want to spend our first night officially.”

“What?”

Riya was taken aback and scowled upon without even realizing it.

Seir caressed her face in awe as the bridge of her nose wrinkled.

She was nothing like Elijah, who was solely concerned with his appearance.

“You have the appearance of a beautiful raccoon! Not as appealing as a nice pet.”

He kissed her on the cheek as he lowered his head.

“You know, we hadn’t even had our first night together yet. I had to nurse Elijah that day as well, because she had fainted abruptly after the commotion. So we hadn’t yet had our first night.”

“Okay, I see. It’s fine to do it later. It’s……okay.”

Oh, it meant Riya Lisburn was still a virgin!

Then she should move out of here and find another man to remarry and change her fate.

‘I’d appreciate it if you could just leave me alone. Please, throw me away. Throw me away. Throw me away……’

Riya was reciting a spell in her thoughts at the time.

“Oops!”

Seir suddenly hugged her and started stroking her lips.

Riya, terrified, pushed his chest away as hard as she could.

‘No, you pervert. Why are you acting this way?’

“Let’s just have our first night here.”

“What?”

Riya shook her head in disbelief.

She didn’t want to lose her virginity in this way, even if this body wasn’t hers.

But it was illogical for her to reject it until the very end.

Because the man standing in front of her was her legal husband.

Riya diligently rolled her brain in a moment of despair.

In the script, Riya was executed for attempting to murder Elijah, but what would happen if she was on good terms with this man?

Then wouldn’t it deviate from the script?

‘Then maybe I’ll be able to live. Maybe……’

Meanwhile, Seir assumed Riya was shy, so he grabbed her waist and threw her to bed, regardless of her intentions.

“Kkyaaa!”

Unknowingly, a scream resembling that of a roller coaster ride erupted.

This man brushed his sharp jawline on her cheek the more she yelled.

“Wait a minute! I’m not feeling good at the moment!”

“You are not required to do anything. Allow me to handle everything.”

Riya’s sanity was vanishing as Seir caressed her body softly and passionately.

She was on the verge of disintegrating her mind in her first experience.

On the other hand, she reasoned that she might have to accept this man in order to survive.

‘Yeah, this is my fate as well. Perhaps I should simply accept obedience.’

However, perhaps because Seir’s behavior did not match the original storyline, someone hurriedly knocked on the door and interrupted their affair.

Seir glanced up and sneered at the guy who had just entered, just as he was about to pull Riya’s dress down.

Charlson, apparently, was the one who entered rudely.

He talked hastily, his snake-like eyes gleaming.

“I apologize for interrupting you.The situation is too urgent to be delayed. We have received information that the green dragon destroyed all the castles in the east and turned to this direction again.”

“What?”

“Yucal-nim has just joined us, but I believe it would be appropriate for the prince to join us this time, so I take the liberty of suggesting so.”

Seir sprang up and put on the clothing he had taken off.

“It appears that they are seeking vengeance for the last time; prepare my horse and armor, and assemble our knights.”

Seir dashed out the door and turned to face Riya.

“Gasp.”

Riya immediately placed her arms over the striped dress’s shoulders.

Seir walked over to Riya, kissed her on the cheek, and murmured tickly in her ears.

“Let’s wrap up what we’ve been doing tonight.”

Riya, whose eyes had darkened, was seated in her seat after Seir had left.

Charlson, who had gone outside, returned and stared at her.

“What… What are you looking at? How dare you……”

Her heart sank as she looked into those snake-like icy eyes.

Despite Riya’s protests, Charlson came and grabbed her thin shoulder with his rough hand.

“Argh!”

Riya shouted as she banged her fist into his chest.

Charlson took a step back in disbelief and mumbled something threatening.

“If you make Madam Elijah cry, you’re done. Do you see what I mean? Because I’m willing to put my life on the line to murder you.”

Riya shook her head at the dreary voice.

She had previously learned about Elijah and Charlson’s relationship through Miryu.

Charlson, Elijah’s knight, whom she took with her when she married.

He hailed from a line of knights who had sworn fealty to Elijah’s family for years.

In order to defend his master, he is willing to kill anybody who gets in his path.

“You’re freaking me out, you crazy bastard. Do you believe I’ll die at the hands of someone like you?”

Riya forced herself to suppress her fear and widened her eyes as Charlson grinned and gazed down at her.

“If you keep bothering Madam Elijah, you will die at my hands. I can kill you all at once if it’s for Madam Elijah.”

He stated this while tilting his head.

As he glanced down at Riya, he noticed that the idiot who was frightened of himself had changed. He had no idea what she was thinking when she confronted him like that.

Riya returned to her wits and leapt to her feet after he departed.

It wasn’t the right moment for her to be this way.

The more he attempted to avoid Seir, the more obsessed he became.

Furthermore, Charlson’s threats were lethal.

If she continued like this, she felt like she was going to die at the hands of someone.

Riya chose to remain up all night after making up her decision.

She wasn’t just writing for the sake of making money.

She was writing in order to survive.

She needed to be a successful author, purchase a castle, and live independently in it.

She was rummaging in the drawer for a pen when she returned her attention to the script Elijah had handed her.

Then, taken aback by the content, she collapsed to the ground.

“What exactly is this?”

The script’s content has been altered.

Originally, the script said that Riya Lisburn was discovered while attempting to murder Elijah and was executed by Seir.

However, in the altered script, it was said that as Seir fell madly in love with Riya, Elijah became disheartened and stopped eating and drinking.

It was stated that her henchman, Charlson, would finally murder Riya Lisburn for the sake of his Madam.

‘Argh! Because Seir grew obsessed with me, the plot altered. Is the script developing in the same way that a living thing does? No wonder, Charlson’s eyes were remarkable. I thought he was going to kill me straight away!’

Riya yanked her hair out and read the script over and over.

The cover color had changed from green to yellow, just as the damned script’s contents did.

She had no choice but to confront reality.

It was not just merely possessing another person’s body. It was a matter of life or death.

There was no other option for her now.There was no other way but to earn money by writing novels.

“Don’t come inside, Miryu. It’s off limits.”

“Madam? You should eat something.”

“I won’t put bread in my mouth until I finish the first draft!”

Riya made her decision and began writing.

The title was altered to “The Crown Prince is Fierce at Night,” and the scene’s intensity was enhanced as well.

Riya ate a cup of soup and got back into writing after almost staying up all night and finishing the manuscript in two days.

It wasn’t because she liked writing them. But because her life and death depend on this novel.

‘I need to get out of here, please.’

As if reflecting such aspirations, the speed of her writing has increased tremendously.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Madam!”

Miryu screamed in surprise when she saw Riya’s face, who was leaving the study in three days.

The black bags under her eyes were heavy, resembling a raccoon dog.

Riya swayed and waved her hand, as if everything was fine.

“Have you done any research on the publisher?”

“Madam, I discovered that there is just one publishing company.”

Miryu’s face when she responded, on the other hand, was odd.

“Why?”

“Oh, Madam, there’s nothing.”

Riya handed her a stack of manuscripts she’d completed thus far.

It was difficult for her to move since her wrist was sore from writing with her hands instead of a computer keyboard.

“Take that with you, please. Please refer to the author as Liz rather than my given name.”

Miryu shook her head, a distressed expression on her face, as she approached Riya, who smiled as she said her pen name, Liz.

“Madam, I am a devoted maid who goes above and beyond for you……but, I’m not going to be able to accomplish this.”

Riya got dizzy in front of Miryu, who shook her head firmly and rejected her.

“What exactly are you protesting? Why are you unable to accomplish it?”

“The publisher’s representative is…….”

“Representative?”

“The infamous Marquis of Hyena!”

“Yes, there is a landowner family in this region who also works in the usury bussiness. He’s….”

“Who?”

“The famous body collector.”

“Body collector?”

“There’s a rumor that he made a deal with the devil that if anybody can’t pay back the money, he’ll retain their body and soul and offer it to the devil. And because he is the sole publisher, Madam will have no choice but to hand over the manuscript. Are you sure, Madam? Many people, I’ve heard, are unable to publish their works because they are too scared to meet him.”

Riya smacked the table with both her fists.

“Miryu, do you think I’ll be scared of that? Huh?”

Miryu looked at her with a frustrated expression on her face.

“I wish you do not meet him, Madam. You used to be terrified merely by the sight of a passing cat.”

Riya Lisburn appears to have been a huge coward in the past.

‘Hm, but I’m not such a coward.’

Riya nodded and stuffed the manuscript into her bag.

“Are you certain you’re going, Madam?”

“Miryu, I must publish a novel. I need to make some money!”

Miryu, of course, will not comprehend.

She couldn’t understand how desperate her Madam was to get out of that place, but the only talent she had was writing.

She had to make money no matter what! She didn’t have time to be frightened by that publisher!

It was worse to do nothing than to be killed.

Riya’s approach to Hyena Publishing Company, on the other hand, was tough.

The R-rated manuscript in her bag, to be honest, may be considered obscene in this nation.

Will it ever be published?

‘Maybe I’d be embarrassed, but let’s not back down!’

The gatekeepers stopped her as she attempted to exit the gate.

They stopped for a moment before proceeding on their walk when Riya smiled.

The way they were looking at her wasn’t flattering, but she chose not to care.

‘Well, Riya Lisburn, you need to be more confident.’

She thought to herself.