I Didn’t Mean To Save The Villain - Chapter 13.1

Chapter 13 – I Started Monitoring the Villains (1)

“She’s really as lovely as a fairy as the rumors say.”

“She’s like an angel…”

“All the members of the Imperial family are beautiful, but it must be hard to be as beautiful as the fourth princess…”

“She is intelligent enough to understand and follow through. I heard that she has already finished her academic courses…”

“She’s overflowing with elegance.”

I found myself in extreme embarrassment.

I held Theodore’s hand as we walked upstairs to where our family members awaited us.

My cheeks flushed as I heard the whispers of the nobles about me.

‘Noticing that there was not even one bad comment, it seemed that the standing of the Imperial Court was strong.’

I hid the nervousness in my heart that would burst anytime when we went up to the podium, like I practiced just for this day.

“My youngest Cecilia, come here.”

Dressed in robes, my father beckoned to me from the front of the podium.

Theodore smiled and escorted me to my father, then went to one of the chairs on the platform and sat down.

I noticed the chair that was at the end of the row was empty; it seemed that the seat was designated for me.

‘That seat… I realized that the Imperial family was really now my family.’

For the first time in my life, I attended a New Year’s celebration in formal attire, the favorable gazes of all the nobles, and even the luxurious chair seemed to emit an authoritative impression.

I took a deep breath and headed toward my father to calm my overwhelmed heart.

My father beckoned me to go to his side and soon spoke.

“I am grateful to my vassals who persevered in the New Year.”

All the eyes of the crowd were directed toward me and Father.

As if to show his gratitude, my father glanced at the crowd for a moment and bowed his head, and extended his hand to me.

Accepting his hand, I took a step forward.

“Today is a joyous occasion to introduce to all Cecilia, my youngest child, the last blessing of the Asuramasura Imperial family.”

My father took a half step aside, and I was left alone in the center of the podium.

The eyes of all the nobles of the Empire that filled the room were fixated on me.

I felt dizzy for a moment… I recalled then how I felt when I entered the hall.

‘The attitude of the audience, the attitude of the audience!’

In a situation where the target of the audience was me, I desperately repeated those words.

Since I was born as Cecilia, it was a situation I had to get used to.

“I hope your loyalty will also extend to our gifted child, the Imperial family’s youngest.”

‘To our gifted child’, my heart filled with emotions when I was called like that in front of everyone.

‘Yes, I have really become the princess in the VGT!’

With a fluttering heart, I raised one hand and waved it to the audience, even though no one had asked me to.

“Long live the 4th Princess!”

“Viva!”

“Glory to Asuramasura!”

“For the eternal honor!”

At the start of someone’s cry, cheers soon erupted everywhere.

I felt like I was about to faint at the exhilaration that my heart felt that would anytime burst and the nervousness of being noticed by so many people.

‘I have to get used to it…!’

* * * 

After the introduction that almost had me fainted, I was finally able to sit on the chair that I had been eyeing.

My father then sat on the throne at the center of the platform, and a full-fledged New Year’s celebration commenced.

The attendant called the families according to the order of the ceremonies.

“Greetings to the Duke of Aulenbach, the Lord of Axen, the Lord of Zabent, and the Lord of Mison!”

The first person to appear, was of course, the Duke of Aulenbach, the head of the Imperial faction.

“I wish the Imperial family a blessed New Year.”

“May your New Year’s be blessed, too.”

“Yes, the Duchess and the family, I wish you all a Happy New Year.”

Duke Aulenbach climbed to the podium under the throne, knelt down and bowed his head.

I had seen the Duchess countless times, but it was my first time to see Leopold’s grandfather, the Duke.

‘As expected, he is the male lead’s grandfather, so he is still handsome at his age!’

Suddenly I regained my composure, and I began to appreciate the characters, my real purpose.

He, who will appear as the ‘former Duke’ in the original, was the first person among the Dukedom’s people to open his heart to Amelie.

‘It seems that Beth and Lawrence’s grandfather’s homage in 〈Little Women〉was why the title contained ‘Violets’ in it.’

Behind him, Leopold’s aunt and Leopold’s parents, who would then faithfully play the role of ‘opposition to their in-laws,’ were lined up.

‘There’s nothing I can do about these people’s thoughts. Be strong, Leo.’

They are the opposite of the prospective in-laws, and in the original story, you couldn’t even call them frustrating.

Not knowing what I was worried about, Leopold was smiling like an angel today and waiting for me to glance at him.

‘It must be I am excited because we are seeing each other for the first time in an environment like this… If I had been able to find Leo earlier, I would have felt a little more at ease.’

Three years had passed since we became friends, and since then, I had become emotionally reliant on the bright child.