[Duchess Raven Ashworth - The Villainess].

"There’s our supposed villain," Ha-neul murmured.

I studied Raven carefully. In the Old World, I’d fought her on my first attempt. She was incredibly strong—a master of poison and shadow magic. The system painted her as evil, jealous of the saintess, in love with the prince. Standard villainess motivations.

The truth was more complicated.

"She’s the only real person in this room," I said.

"What?"

"Look at the nobles. Really look. They’re all slightly off. Like NPCs with limited dialogue trees. But her?" I watched as Raven accepted a wine glass from a passing servant, then discreetly poured it into a plant when she thought no one was watching. "She’s making independent choices. She’s suspicious. She’s aware."

"So what’s the play?" Seol-ah asked.

Before I could answer, we were ushered to the dais. Cassian and Luminara sat on thrones that were absolutely ridiculous in their opulence. Up close, I could see the fine cracks in their perfect facades. Cassian’s smile was too wide. Luminara’s eyes had a faint red glow deep in the pupils.

"Ah, the Guards," Cassian said, his voice smooth as poisoned honey. "We are pleased to have such... capable... protection for tonight’s festivities." His gaze lingered on Seol-ah in a way that made my skin crawl. "The Villainess is expected to make her move during the toast. You will stop her. Violently, if necessary."

It wasn’t a request.

『Quest Updated: Protect the Main Characters』

『Duchess Raven will attempt to poison the wine during the Grand Toast. Intercept her!』

『Failure Condition: Death of Crown Prince Cassian or Saintess Luminara』

"We understand, Your Highness," I said, bowing exactly as deep as protocol demanded.

Luminara leaned forward, her glowing dress creating an almost blinding aura. "The Duchess is consumed by jealousy," she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "She cannot accept that Cassian chose me over her. We must... handle her gently. She knows not what she does."

It was a perfect performance. The kind of magnanimous statement that made everyone in the crowd sigh with admiration. What a kind saintess, to show mercy to her rival!

I wanted to vomit.

We retreated from the dais. The banquet began in earnest. Courses of elaborate food were served. Music played. Nobles danced in precise, mechanical patterns. Through it all, Cassian and Luminara held court, accepting praise and adoration like it was oxygen.

"They’re feeding," Sang-ho whispered. He was sensitive to demonic energy as a priest. "I can feel it. Every time someone praises them, every time the crowd swoons, they get stronger."

"Emotional vampires," I confirmed. "The whole empire is their livestock."

Ji-won cracked his knuckles. "So we kill them."

"Eventually," I said. "But if we move too early, the system will override us. We need the villainess."

"How are we supposed to contact her?" Ha-neul asked. "We’re being watched. The system expects us to stop her."

I smiled. "We let her make the first move. Then we fail spectacularly."

The Grand Toast was announced. Servants brought out crystal glasses filled with wine that sparkled with magical properties. Cassian stood, raising his glass high.

"To the Empire!" he declared. "To love! To destiny!"

The crowd echoed him. Glasses raised in perfect unison.

I saw Raven move.

She was fast—faster than anyone gave her credit for. One moment she was by the window. The next, she was beside the dais, a vial of something dark clutched in her hand. She was going for Luminara’s glass.

"The villainess!" someone screamed.

The system expected us to intervene. To tackle her. To save the day.

I stepped forward, drew my ornamental rapier, and immediately tripped over my own feet.

The sword went flying. I crashed into Ji-won, who stumbled into Ha-neul, who knocked over a servant carrying a tray. It was like a comedy routine. The kind of slapstick failure that should have been impossible for trained climbers.

But it gave Raven half a second.

She dumped the vial into Luminara’s glass.

Then Seol-ah—playing her part perfectly—lunged forward and knocked the glass out of Luminara’s hand before she could drink. The wine spilled across the floor, hissing where it touched marble.

"Poison!" Luminara shrieked, clutching Cassian’s arm. "She tried to poison me!"

Guards—real NPC guards—appeared from everywhere, surrounding Raven. She didn’t resist. Just stood there, chin raised, defiant.

"You’re monsters," Raven said clearly, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Both of you. And everyone in this room is too blind to see it."

Cassian’s face twisted with rage. "Seize her. Take her to the dungeons. She will be executed at dawn for attempted regicide."

As the guards dragged Raven away, she caught my eye. For just a moment, our gazes locked. She saw something in my expression—recognition, maybe, or understanding.

Her lips moved silently: Midnight. North tower.

Then she was gone.

『Quest Update: The Villainess Has Been Captured!』

『The Main Characters are Safe!』

『New Objective: Stand guard while the banquet continues. Ensure no further disturbances.』

The banquet resumed as if nothing had happened. The nobles laughed and danced. Cassian and Luminara accepted concerned congratulations. Everything was perfect again.

Except I’d seen the look in Cassian’s eyes when he’d ordered Raven’s execution. It wasn’t justice. It was hunger.

"That was subtle," Ji-won muttered as we took our positions near the wall.

"She gave us a meeting time," I said. "Midnight. North tower."

"We’re really doing this?" Sang-ho asked. "We’re going to betray the main characters? The system is literally telling us to protect them."

I thought about my seventh clear. The one where I’d finally figured it out. The one where I’d allied with Raven, stormed the throne room, and put a sword through Cassian’s perfect face while Luminara screamed.

The rewards had been legendary. The clear rating had been "Perfect Rebellion."

And the Constellations had been so angry they’d tried to delete my account.

"Yes," I said. "We’re doing this. Because ’True Love’ on this floor is a feeding frenzy, and we’re about to crash the party."

Ha-neul checked her interface. "You know what’s crazy? We’re at Floor 22. The USA’s top guild is at Floor 30. We’ve been climbing for what, a few weeks in-game time?"

"Seventeen days," Seol-ah said. She’d been keeping count.

"Seventeen days and we’re eight floors behind the world leaders," Ji-won grinned. "At this rate, we’ll catch up before the month is out."

"If we survive romance novel hell," Ha-neul added.