I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 162

Episode 162

It seemed like a crazy person. Everyone, including the soldiers, gathered there, thought so.

Who would suddenly disarm and lie down during an operation?

And it wasn’t just any soldier, it was Sergeant Velirian.

“Sergeant Velirian, please get up!”

“What, what are you doing?!”

Despite voices of astonishment erupting all around, pointing out the absurdity of Neriant’s behavior, it was futile.

Neriant lay sprawled on the ground as nonchalantly as if she were floating on the sea.

Amidst the injured and the dead, she appeared as an alien presence.

She looked no different from a soldier lying unconscious from anesthesia.

“Is she really not interested…?”

A comrade recalled Neriant’s previous antics and burst into laughter.

There was simply no way to follow Neriant’s train of thought; she seemed like a life form from another planet.

Lowering his gun, the comrade walked slowly towards Neriant.

“You’re really nuts.”

Apart from incredulity, there was nothing else to say upon seeing her calmly placing her hands on her chest.

“Really.”

“To think this lunatic will become the empress. Is our country doomed?”

“If you don’t like it, lie down too.”

The comrade kicked his own gun away.

Thunk!

The gun hitting the ground was unimpressive.

The threatening voice was scary, but it was already too late.

And he lay down beside Neriant, placing his hands on his chest.

Though his back ached from the cold floor and its rough texture, it wasn’t too bad a feeling.

Closing his eyes, he couldn’t see anything and felt no sense of threat.

Finally, he could understand her peaceful demeanor.

“Really, what, what is it?”

The man who witnessed the scene stepped back. The violence meant to harm had ceased.

“I don’t know either!”

Another soldier who had been watching quietly rushed forward and lay down beside the comrade. One person came out and lay down, then two, then three.

As if clearing a path, they lay down, relinquishing their weapons, and guarding the gates of the palace.

Silence descended. Other than the tense breathing, nothing could be heard.

The soldiers lying on the ground behind the towering barricade felt symbolic.

The people hesitantly walked past them. Legs, heads, and arms were visible under the carriage wheels.

With each breath, misty breaths scattered, and the ground, devoid of breath, was bone-chillingly cold.

“Break down the gate!”

The leader of the protest, regaining his composure, raised a weapon. It was a massive hammer.

At the commander’s command, sharp sounds echoed again as they attempted to break the massive iron gate.

The people cautiously moved forward, avoiding the soldiers, and the soldiers, as if avoiding death, put down their weapons.

It was a remarkable sight.

Behind the crowd, the injured regained their breath, and the soldiers who had put down their weapons supported them.

“I must be crazy. Just doing whatever I want.”

The comrade muttered to Neriant, looking up at the sky.

The winter sky was unexpectedly clear and blue. Has he seen the sky lately? It seemed like it had been a while since he last looked up and instead kept his gaze on the ground.

Despite knowing it was wrong, he was forced to search for the misguided populace. He rationalized the necessity of the task while feeling tormented by guilt.

“The sky is so clear.”

For no reason, he felt a surge of emotion at the sight of the cloudless sky. 

Neriant’s comrade couldn’t tear his eyes away and murmured.

Neriant let out a mocking laugh.

“You should live a little and look at the sky.”

“You need time to look.”

It had been a while since they engaged in meaningless chatter. How long had it been since they did what they had to do of their own volition?

The winter ground didn’t seem so bad.

Clang! Clang! A chilling metallic sound rang out incessantly until the lock broke.

“Find the Emperor!”

The crowd of people surged into the palace, pushing past the soldiers and guards waiting inside. They threw sedatives and shot at them to hold them back.

From afar, it looked like a horde of repulsive ants was swarming in.

“Mindless insects who don’t even know their place…”

Nelsie, who had been confined to her bedroom under the pretext of protection, stood by the window.

A red flush rose over her dry throat.

“Why aren’t they cleaning up everything? What are they doing?”

The soldiers lying beyond the palace were disgusted. Why were those who should be loyal to the country not following orders and acting on their own free will?

They should be acting for her. They should follow her orders. Otherwise, what’s the point of their existence?

Nelsie raised a finger and pressed it against the glass. Beyond her firmly pressed finger, the heads of the people flickered.

“Can’t you hear me? I asked you what they’re doing without cleaning up.”

“I don’t have the authority.”

“Then you should have taken care of DeVirté.”

Nelsie shouted in a voice full of suppressed emotions. As she scratched the glass with her nails, an unpleasant noise echoed.

Nothing was reflected in the glass except for Permette’s face.

“I don’t like anything. It’s all a mess!”

Neither the disobedient Ceteran, nor Neriant who acted as she pleased and undermined authority, pleased her.

How infuriating this stupid swarm of ants was that didn’t move as she wished!

Nelsie snapped her fingers and yelled at Permette, grinding her teeth.

“Bring my son here immediately! He may not have been crowned yet, but he’s still the Emperor. What’s the point of not being able to handle even this?!”

“It’s for safety reasons. We can’t do that.”

“What exactly can you do?”

Permette smiled at the clattering voice.

“We can confine the Empress for the sake of her safety.”

With a sardonic smile, his yellow eyes glinted cunningly. There was no emotion in his dry eyes, and his lips were lifted in a feigned courtesy.

Only then did Nelsie realize that Permette was not on her side.

There was no room for doubt.

Permette was a tool sacrificing himself for DeVirté, and Nelsie was one of DeVirté’s people.

He committed all sorts of atrocities for Nelsie’s sake, and this time, betrayed Vehen and even killed the Emperor.

“…Didn’t I promise to grant you the title of Duke if this matter ended safely?”

An uncomfortable sense of crisis set in. It was a fear she had never felt before.

Nelsie leaned against the window, taking shallow breaths.

Neither Ceteran, Vehen, nor Permette was on her side. Nelsie raised her voice urgently to call other nobles.

“There, find someone else…!”

“Why are you looking for someone else when I’m supposed to protect you?”

Permette sneered and laughed mockingly, as if innocent, then suddenly threw a bottle from his arms to the ground.

The stench spread through the room, sealed tightly against the winter wind and barricaded for safety. Even the ventilation was inadequate, and the foul smell permeated.

It was a nauseating smell. Nelsie coughed dryly, wrapping her sleeve around her nose, only to reel from the thick odor.

“You…”

Struggling to open her stubborn eyes, Nelsie called out softly to Permette.

Permette covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and tilted his head. He maintained a calm demeanor as if nothing had happened.

Two, three tables. Doors were stacked upon doors, and the chandelier on the ceiling swayed as if about to fall.

The man’s long legs in front swayed, and the muddy shoes scattered about danced.

The floor seemed to rise as if to swallow the body, then collapsed.

Nelsie’s body convulsed on the floor. Permette did not bother to reach out or support Nelsie.

Instead, he walked past the sprawled Nelsie to open the window.

The foul odor mixed with the wind and dissipated. As the sedative gas in the air dwindled, Permette removed the cloth covering his face.

“Since you’ve had previous experiences sleeping deeply, it shouldn’t be too difficult the second time.”

Permette grabbed Nelsie’s arm and dragged her to the bed.

Shoes and hems stuck together and spread on the floor.

After easily laying Nelsie on the bed, Permette sat at the head of the bed.

“…Noisy.”

A scream calling for the Empress echoed through the open window.

Everyone fought desperately for their future and desires.

Permette didn’t have that confidence. He didn’t want it either.

Previously, if he had coveted the position of the head of the household, now that he had achieved what he wanted, there was nothing else he wanted.

The only thing he had was his relationship with Min-joo, but even that was now out of reach.

“I wonder if I’ll have a new goal…”

Is there even one?

He pretended to follow Nelsie’s advice to get rid of Vehen and become a duke because he thought it would be useful for this operation.

A freshly crowned Ceteran would be unaccustomed to the throne and would be sloppy.

It was necessary to render Nelsie unable to act against Ceteran, and this was communicated effectively to Vehen.

‘I seem to be asking too much of you.’

Vehen sounded quite apologetic when he reported what he was going to do.

‘I’m grateful every time for the way you’ve been so accommodating and the way you do your job.’

It seemed Min-joo had softened him, now that she was by Min-joo’s side. It was disgusting to hear such strange words from a man who was used to working with him.

“Disgusting. Disgusting…”

Permette murmured the words softly several times. Strangely, there was no emotion in them.

Compliments, what are they? What is it about them that makes people so excited?

Permette rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window.

Despite the fire burning hot in the fireplace, the winter air was cold.

This wasn’t a decision made as a tool but as a person. He judged it to be right and thought it would minimize harm.

‘It’s a decision based on ethics, not reason or efficiency.’

It was the first time he had made such a decision.

Permette lazily closed his eyes.

As the crowd surged in beyond the window, and the gate collapsed without mercy, it was a moment when people were trying to split into groups to find the Empress.

“Emperor!”

“Drag him down!”

Ceteran, descending the stairs with his escort, looked down at the people who had invaded his space.

Their heads filled the space, and the weapons in their hands were countless.

If it weren’t terrifying, it would be a lie. If they decided to attack, he might be defenseless and lose his head.

Despite preparing himself, it wasn’t easy to speak up.

“Look at that shameless face!”

A woman shouted sharply. Because of the tense atmosphere, the flow quickly threatened Ceteran.

Some of them bravely climbed the stairs. The knights tried to stop them, but it was difficult to stop those who had already gained momentum.

His stomach churned, and his breath felt like it was being choked off. It felt like everyone hated him.

‘What should I do? What should I say?’

Ceteran felt like he would suffocate under the ominous gaze of those looking at him.

He couldn’t even taste the overpowering taste of the mighty power he had just obtained.

He was scared, terrified, and wanted to run away and hide somewhere. To hunch over from the head down, grab onto his legs, and hold on with his arms.

He held his breath so as not to make a sound, his heart beating so quietly he surprised himself.

“Presenting a matter to His Majesty the Emperor.”

A resounding voice echoed. The knights, as well as the people, stopped their movements and turned their gaze to the source of the voice.

Nobles who had participated in the council with Baroness Meghini were coming down the stairs.

“We request to establish a new monarchy by dividing the Emperor’s power.”

Baroness Meghini adjusted her round glasses. The lenses sparkled as they caught the light.