I CHOSE to be a VILLAIN, not a THIRD-RATE EXTRA!!-Chapter 40: Duchess

"I know! I know! Stop wasting time with chit-chat. I have other places to be." Ashok’s voice cut through the air, thick with disdain. His words were wrapped in a commanding tone that radiated authority superior to the Head Butler.

Without waiting for a response, Ashok turned around, his eyes briefly locking with those of the Head Butler and the Sword Saint. For a split second, their faces registered a flash of surprise, perhaps even wariness. But it was fleeting, and the next moment, Ashok was already walking in the direction of the spatial tear.

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The knight’s patience was wearing thin, his pride stung by Ashok’s impertinent tone. The way Ashok spoke to the Head Butler was downright disrespectful, and the knight was determined to act quickly, his true motive was to score some favor with the Head Butler and assert his own authority in the situation.

"You DARE—" the knight shouted, his voice rising. His hand tightened around the spear, lifting it with the intent to thrust it at Ashok and put him in his place. But the moment he moved, his eyes met the intense, blood thirsty glare in the shadow of the Bamboo Hat.

His body stiffened, and before he could even comprehend what was happening, his instincts kicked in. His body reflexively shrunk back to the bowing position again.

The knight’s thoughts raced as he stood there, still bowing in submission, his grip on the spear slackening. ’What is this feeling? What’s wrong with that chilling gaze, that even from a mere servant? I’m a knight of the Southern Duchy, loyal to the Duke. How could I be made to bow like this by a servant.’

But as he tried to raise his head, his muscles tensed, an invisible force holding him down. ’It’s like my neck would be severed the instant, I lift my head’. The knight’s face paled, his breathing shallow as the unnerving presence of the Bamboo Hat’s glare loomed over him, a weight he couldn’t escape.

Unlike the knights, Ashok felt nothing. The same chilling, intense glare that had paralyzed the knight in place was directed at him, yet it had no effect. With an air of nonchalance, Ashok slipped his hands into his pockets and walked forward, unfazed by the invisible intent surrounding him.

Behind Ashok, the Head Butler and the Sword Saint exchanged a brief, silent glance. There was no need for words between them; the shared understanding was clear. After a moment of stillness, they both followed, stepping into the fissure one after the other.

The moment the Head Butler and the Sword Saint stepped into the spatial tear, the tear itself seemed to close and recover, the very fabric of space mending as though it had never been torn open in the first place. The air that had once felt charged with tension now felt oddly still, almost serene.

The knights left bowing behind, slowly raised their heads.

"Did you feel it, too?" asked the knight who had delivered Ashok’s message, his voice weak, his hands trembling slightly as he struggled to regain his composure.

"An intent extremely sharp and precise, and it only targets the neck. To think I would get the chance to feel the swordsmanship of that man," said the other knight, his voice trembling slightly as he slowly regained his bearings.

"Who?"

"You don’t know since you are new but it was the Knight Commander who once told me there’s another individual stronger than him and as strong as the Head Butler in the mansion. The reason his identity was hidden is because it was the Duke’s wife who brought that man in during one of her outings." said the knight while rubbing and scratching his neck all over.

"WHAT?" the knight shouted, but the outburst was quickly smothered, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper. "But isn’t it forbidden for noble women to be involved with any other man aside from her husband? How did the Duke even permit this man to stay in the mansion? It’s also a known fact that the Duke only had one wife—the Duchess, and she died about seven years ago. Then why the hell is that man still here?"

"You will get me killed, fool," the man hissed, looking around nervously, his eyes darting from side to side as if expecting someone to overhear. "Don’t you ever bring up the Duchess’s death anywhere near the mansion? In the entire empire, only the Head Butler knows the true identity of the Duchess. Even I, who’ve served here for ten years, have never laid eyes on her. And don’t even think about mentioning this to the Knight Commander—he’s been in service for over thirty years and even he doesn’t know what she looked like either.

The Duchess’s identity is as mysterious as that man with the bamboo hat. The Duke made sure her identity was never revealed. He never took her to any banquet, any meetings with other nobles—not even at Imperial Banquets. She was a figure who stayed mostly holed up inside the mansion, kept out of the public eye. The public never knew her face or her name."

The knight leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper, eyes still scanning the area. "The only things the entire Empire knows about her are that she bore a daughter with the Duke and of her death. That’s it. No one knows anything more. And as for the rest… nobody dares to question it. Everyone remembers the Hunt Duke committed after her death."

The knight shivered, a cold chill running down his spine as the name of the Hunt was mentioned. He took a deep breath and said "There’s also something seriously off about that kid who talked down to the Head Butler. The fact that he talked so easily even under that kind of pressure... it’s unsettling."

"Yeah, I’m just as shocked," the other knight agreed, his voice low and wary. "The Head Butler is one of the few who possess the extremely rare Space Affinity, and he’s a retired Imperial Mage. Mages like him... their egos are massive. It’s surprising, to say the least, that he didn’t just kill that kid on the spot. The kid didn’t even flinch or show any fear when ordering him around like that."