[{"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-29":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},1506354,1956,"Chapter 29: Tragic past","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-29",29,"\u003Cp>\"Alicia, stay. I need a word.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused mid-step, slowly turned back, then lowered herself back into the chair. Fingers interlaced over her skirt. Quiet. Waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t speak immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Lily disappeared into the kitchen with the dishes did I finally open my mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were a noble once... weren’t you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The change on her face wasimmediate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, her empty eyes actually cracked — bewilderment flickered, then surprise, then suspicion. She had never told anyone. Every soul who once knew that truth was either dead... or ashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t tense up,\" I said, lifting a hand. \"If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t be sitting at the same table, having dinner.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was small, but steady. \"H-How... do you know about my identity?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never said I know who you are.\" I shrugged. \"But I can tell you aren’t someone who grew up in a gutter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared, processing my vague answer — still wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I fed her a convenient lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have a special ability — I see the flow of mana in people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your mana capacity is absurd. Commoners don’t get that kind of foundation. The only ones who touch magic so young — are nobles.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant: she bought it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Do you want to tell me how you ended up here?\" I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t push her — I let the quiet settle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, her lips parted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My name... is Alicia Valemont.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was brittle — like she was scared the syllables might shatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was the youngest princess of the Valemont Kingdom. My parents doted on me. My siblings spoiled me. Our nation was small but beautiful...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone frayed as she continued — memories no longer held back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dungeon outbreaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cities falling overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her father at the borders, her brothers at the front lines — the capital collapsing from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words turned into fragments — choked, painful fragments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My mother—\" her voice cracked — \"I saw her get torn apart... right in front of me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pressed her trembling hands to her face as if trying to erase the memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the knights who escaped with me... they died one by one... they died to buy me time...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then everything broke at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I ran... and ran... until my legs stopped working. And when I woke up — I was in chains. Just another cage. Another product to be sold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears poured silently down her pale cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to say something. Something comforting. Something appropriate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what do you say to that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t a therapist. I wasn’t her savior. I wasn’t some righteous hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was just sitting there — with no idea how to patch that kind of wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could fumble with words, Lily suddenly appeared — quietly but firmly — and wrapped her arms around Alicia from the side. Held her. Steady. Soft palm patting her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alicia broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her suppressed grief came pouring out — raw, real, agonizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, this tragedy was one line in a wiki page — \"Valemont Kingdom was destroyed, only one royal survived.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing it in front of me — seeing the actual damage that one line represented — her broken voice, her trembling frame — it hit me in the gut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world wasn’t a VN route or a stat page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their pain wasn’t text anymore. It wasn’t narrative convenience. It wasn’t flavor lore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll be upstairs,\" I said quietly, grabbing a pen and writing on a small scrap of paper. \"Your rooms are on the first floor. Pick whichever you want. We’ll talk business tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither of them replied. The sound of Alicia’s crying was the only thing in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I left them there — closed the door behind me — and climbed up to my room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time since arriving in this world — I couldn’t shake it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world wasn’t a game anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tragedy wasn’t a plot point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a heavy mind I walked to my room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*****\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, when I stepped out of my room, the first thing that hit me wasn’t the cool air — it was howcleaneverything looked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The furniture had been dusted, floors wiped, shelves organized. Even the window frames gleamed faintly in the morning light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...When did all this happen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked the clock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[ 6:00 AM.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the entire house was already spotless?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Downstairs, Lily was standing on a small stool, broom in hand, cleaning the wall corners like a seasoned professional maid. She must’ve been up at dawn — maybe earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She noticed me and immediately bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good morning, Boss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good morning,\" I replied. \"Is Alicia still asleep?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" she said softly, expression dimming. \"She cried until very late last night. I think exhaustion finally caught up to her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Let her rest. She needs it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lily hesitated for a moment. Then, quietly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t know she had lived through something so cruel.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was genuine heaviness in her voice, not pity — but empathy from someone who had seen her own share of hardship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah,\" I exhaled. \"Neither did I.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clapped my hands lightly to change the mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyway, about breakfast—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes immediately lit up like a cat who heard a can opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like Ariana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, food truly is the universal religion of this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing complicated today. Something light. Something quick. I’ll handle the main part. You prepare the ingredients.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened the pantry and pointed one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wash the vegetables, slice them thin — not thick. Don’t crush the onions, keep them crisp. Crack four eggs and whisk them — evenly, no lumps. And set aside that piece of meat — small cubes, not strips.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded rapidly, absorbing every word like scripture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Boss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll go wash up,\" I said, stretching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the time I come back, have everything ready. Today is your first lesson — let’s see how fast you learn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her posture straightened, almost military-like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won’t disappoint you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smirked and headed toward the bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>",1040,"2026-06-06T04:52:01.856Z",1,"novelbin.me","25c1c8406ac9db180bd5f591bac3793497d12c3d35aaefa2aa3b22fe77f40276","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-30","i-am-a-villain-so-what-chapter-28",230,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-a-villain-so-what-cover.jpg"]