[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-a-villain-so-what":3,"chapter-i-am-a-villain-so-what-i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-17":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Am a Villain, So What?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1506342,1956,"Chapter 17: Apologize? Me?","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-17",17,"\u003Cp>The lecture ended, and I began packing up my notes, mind half on lunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was just sliding the drawer shut when I noticed something off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air around me had gone still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I looked up, Kael Ardyn was standing right in front of my desk — tall, broad, all righteousness and tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Celestia stood slightly behind him, arms crossed, expression sharp. Bordon Eisenwald, ever the loyal puppy, flanked the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh great. A morning intervention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned back in my chair, face unreadable. \"Do you have something to say, or are you just forming a wall?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael’s expression didn’t waver. \"Lucien Ashborne. Do you know your mistake?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I make many,\" I replied casually. \"You’ll have to be more specific.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His jaw tightened. \"Yesterday. What you said to Mariella. If you have even a shred of dignity left, you’ll apologize — properly — in front of everyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few nearby cadets stopped pretending to pack up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fantastic. An audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I folded my arms, meeting his stare without blinking. \"Apologize, huh? In front of everyone, no less. Do you people wake up rehearsing this nonsense, or does it come naturally?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celestia stepped forward, her voice clear and cutting. \"Has the blood of Ashborne fallen so low that its heir can insult a lady and show no remorse?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few gasps came from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no idea what she’d just said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smirked. \"Princess Celestia... are you calling the blood of Ashbornerotten?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her composure faltered. \"W–what? No, I didn’t mean—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood, letting my chair scrape loudly against the floor. The sound made everyone flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because if you are,\" I continued, tone icy, \"you’re not insulting me — you’re insulting an entire noble house that’s sworn loyalty to your Empire for three generations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence that followed was delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celestia’s lips parted, her cheeks flushed. \"T-That’s not what I meant,\" she said quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then think before you speak, Princess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temperature in the room seemed to drop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael stepped in again, his voice harder. \"Don’t twist her words, Lucien. You know full well that wasn’t her intention.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met his glare. \"And who are you to talk to me like that? Do you think we’re friends?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked — surprised, just for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or maybe you think you’re above me now because you’re the academy’s golden boy,\" I continued, voice rising slightly. \"Let me remind you, Kael Ardyn, that no matter how strong your sword arm is, you’re still a commoner. Know your place before you address me so casually.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few cadets inhaled sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even I could feel the tension crackling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bordon moved forward, trying to defuse the situation. \"Lucien, that’s enough. You can’t talk to him like that — he’s our friend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned to him slowly. \"Our friend? You think I’m your friend?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated. No answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As I thought,\" I said coldly. \"Then don’t speak to me like one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a slow step forward. \"And just because I was exiled doesn’t mean I’ve been disowned. You understand what that means, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bordon swallowed hard and stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael’s hand twitched toward his sword hilt again — a nervous reflex. I smiled faintly. \"Relax. You wouldn’t want to loseagain, would you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned back to Celestia. \"You too, Princess. Your words carry weight. It’s best to remember that next time you decide to insult a noble lineage — even indirectly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face was flushed crimson, her posture stiff. The so-called perfect princess looked like a scolded child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Satisfied, I grabbed my lunch box from the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I passed Mariella and Elisha’s table, both of them visibly flinched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped right in front of Mariella, the cafeteria falling silent again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll say it once,\" I said quietly. \"I was wrong yesterday. I shouldn’t have cursed at you. That was my fault.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened slightly. For a moment, she looked almost... confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I added, my tone cooling again, \"But don’t pretend you’re a victim. You came to me looking for trouble, and you found it. Next time, keep your self-righteous crusades to yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips trembled, and Elisha looked like she wanted to jump up and argue. I didn’t give her the chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned toward the exit. \"And for the record — stop pretending you’re heroes. If you want to save the world, start by minding your own business.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, I walked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air outside was colder, but cleaner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind me, whispers erupted, spreading like wildfire — shock, disbelief, amusement, outrage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let them talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they wanted a villain, I could play the part better than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the classroom was pin drop silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a whisper. Not a cough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just the thick, suffocating silence left in the wake of Lucien’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one dared to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The class had already ended minutes ago, but not a single person had left. Every cadet sat frozen, eyes darting between the protagonist’s group and the door Lucien had just walked out of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d seen Kael’s group stand at the top of every hierarchy since the first day of enrollment — the princess, the noble heirs, the golden commoner. Together, they were untouchable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But right now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked cornered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air was heavy with something strange — not admiration, not fear exactly... but unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone had heard the rumors of \"Scum Lucien.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone had mocked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what they saw today didn’t fit that image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t the weak noble brat who’d been beaten by a commoner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was someone else entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kael sat rigid in his seat, hands still clenched into fists. His jaw was tight, his expression unreadable — but the faint tremor in his arm said everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been humiliated, and the hero complex that fueled him wasn’t taking it well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bordon’s confident grin was gone; he stared blankly at his desk, face pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celestia...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ever-perfect princess sat frozen, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt, knuckles white. Her face was pale except for the flush of red spreading from her eyes downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had ever raised their voice to her before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had everscoldedher — not her tutors, not her subordinates, not even her father the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, in front of half the first-year class, she’d been struck down by the one man everyone considered beneath dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even have the strength to glare back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her head lowered, golden hair shadowing her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence that followed was deafening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every cadet could sense it — the perfect image of the \"hero’s party\" had just cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none dared to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp noise shattered the stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scrrreeech—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of a desk dragging against the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every head turned instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"H-Hick...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Ariana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She froze mid-motion, her hands trembling on her desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes darted between the stares closing in on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d been waiting for everyone to leave so she could slip out quietly — but nobody had moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, every single person in Class A was staring right at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart pounded in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence pressed down like a physical weight, making it hard to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I-I just wanted to go to lunch...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swallowed hard and took a hesitant step back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chair scraped again, drawing even more attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celestia’s gaze flickered briefly in her direction, dull and unfocused. Kael didn’t even look. The others whispered under their breath, their curiosity now shifting targets. Their gazes bore down on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But between her crippling shyness and the gnawing hunger in her stomach... hunger won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her head, and all but darted out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her footsteps echoed faintly in the hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the classroom, Ariana finally let out the breath she’d been holding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Th-that was terrifying...\" she muttered under her breath, pressing a hand to her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The image of Lucien standing tall before Kael’s group still lingered vividly in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone, his eyes — cold, calm, unyielding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the kind of presence that couldn’t be faked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’He’s really... different.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still clutching the hem of her uniform, she picked up her pace, heading straight for the cafeteria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because whatever chaos was happening in that classroom... she didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, all she could think about was the promise Lucien had made yesterday —\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and the mysterious food he’d said would be \"even better than the last.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1416,"2026-06-06T04:52:01.856Z",1,"novelbin.me","dc5c65291f051c21c6828a2e85dff8621cbb1dd864fccff91cbfaa80ce5b3d99","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-18","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-16",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]