I’m the Villain? Heck No!

Raziel spent quite some time spouting nonsense, desperately trying to convince Nozomi that he didn’t have the ability to flow aura through his body. Thankfully, Eve came to his aid, with Clarice backing her up, and together they managed to craft a somewhat plausible explanation.

Eve explained that the aura trace on Raziel's body was a remnant of a tracking technique she used on him to determine his location in case someone tried to kidnap or harm him.

As the sole heir of a powerful household, he had already suffered several kidnapping attempts, so she always took these precautions to protect him.

Nozomi tried to counter the argument, but Eve always found a plausible explanation, with Clarice constantly nodding in agreement.

Reluctantly, Nozomi decided to let the matter go for now. Still, she could sense that Raziel's faint aura was very different from that of the orange-haired girl.

It was more blue than the ocean.

Liliane, overhearing the entire conversation, didn't understand why they felt the need to explain themselves to the strange girl, but she said nothing.

After Raziel narrowly avoided a crisis, Sylfi appeared and sat at the table, noticing two other girls besides Clarice and Eve. The moment she took her seat, Liliane glared at her with hatred, biting her lips and barely managing to restrain herself from cursing.

However, that didn't mean she would stay silent.

"Older brother, why is there a white snake siting at our table?" Liliane asked, disdain evident in her voice.

"Don't say that, Liliane," Raziel replied firmly.

"What!? Are you still involved with this unfaithful snake?" Liliane's voice nearly rose loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"Calm down, let me explain," Raziel said. He began to clarify Sylfi's current situation, explaining that the rumors about her infidelity were false, originating from his reckless declaration on a particular occasion.

Liliane ignored his explanation and continued to glare coldly at Sylfi, who narrowed her eyes in anger.

Sylfi recognized the girl who always made sarcastic remarks about her. She considered the brat a pain in the ass, someone who constantly got on her nerves.

"Tsk, annoying brat," Sylfi murmured to herself as she sat beside Clarice.

Feeling a bit weary of the situation, Raziel resumed drinking his wine while chatting with Eve and Liliane. Meanwhile, Clarice began talking to Sylfi, who appeared annoyed but maintained a friendly demeanor with her.

Only Nozomi seemed out of place, staring intently at Raziel. She decided to try locating the mana flow inside his body using her Sensibility.

While they were finding ways to distract themselves, an imposing figure suddenly appeared on the elegant stage at the end of the party hall, dressed in a fancy black suit and a majestic black magical cape.

The tall, bulky man with blonde hair and a villainous face stood at the center of the stage, attracting everyone's attention. This was Mikael, who wasted no time activating a voice-enhancing spell to begin his speech.

"Good evening, my dear guests. My name is Mikael Harvestead, the current head of the Harvestead family. I know many of you are already aware," Mikael began, giving a brief introduction before continuing, "I didn't intend to host this party at first, as I didn't think it was necessary. However, things got a little out of control, so I have to address the current situation involving my family's image."

Mikael began by denying the rumors spread through the journal and reaffirmed that, for now, the betrothal would not be canceled. Sylfi breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Raziel was right about his father not recklessly breaking off their engagement.

"Now that everything has been clarified, the real announcement is that the Harvestead family now owns half of the Silver District. We intend to expand our operations, so anyone interested in a collaboration can come to me later for negotiations."

"WHAT!?" Sylfi shouted, standing up from her seat, which drew the attention of everyone in the party hall.

With all eyes on her, Sylfi quickly covered her mouth and sat back down, still stunned by what she had just heard.

The Silver District is one of the ten most lucrative areas in the entire capital city, and it is the territory of the Valternorths. That area is responsible for nearly seven percent of their income, so losing half of it would deprive Sylfi's family of a critical revenue source, weakening them even further.

Sylfi couldn't believe her father would give up such an important place just to maintain the engagement. He must be truly desperate to secure the Harvestead family's protection, which makes sense given all the wealth and influence Raziel's family possesses.

Many guests were dumbfounded by the announcement. Recognizing the advantage of collaborating with the Harvesteads, numerous merchants and even some nobles present headed toward Mikael, who had stepped off the stage to speak with Jasir.

As Raziel watched the scene unfold, he felt a small burden lift from his shoulders. However, Liliane and Eve, standing beside him, wore dissatisfied expressions upon hearing the news. The two girls shot angry glares at Sylfi, who, noticing their reactions, sighed before putting on a smug, victorious expression to annoy them further.

A heavy, chilling sensation settled over the table, making Clarice and even Nozomi feel somewhat uneasy.

Raziel decided to head to the restroom, wanting to hide for a while and avoid catching his father's attention.

While he walked alone through the corridor, someone suddenly hugged him from behind and said, "Oh, I found you~."

He already knew who this person was, which prompted him to say, "Cut it out, Anya. Let me go and tell me what you want."

"Woo~ You're treating me very badly, you know? I have feelings too... sniff..." Anya faked a cry while letting Raziel go.

"You deserve an Oscar for that high-level acting performance," Raziel sarcastically commented, turning to face the girl.

"Oscar? What is that?" Anya asked, not understanding what he meant, but then added, "Forget it. Still, you shouldn’t be treating your future bride like that, you bully~”

Upon hearing Anya’s words in a cute tone, Raziel's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to recall if he had heard correctly. Noticing his confusion, Anya let out a laugh, clearly enjoying seeing him in that state.

“What the hell are you talking about? Didn’t you hear my father? The betrothal is still valid,” Raziel retorted, somewhat nervously, as the girl's words were not something he could ignore.

"Oh, darling~ I think you're the one who didn't hear correctly. Your father said the engagement is not canceled for now, and the rest you can guess~"

As Anya finished speaking, she smiled at Raziel and walked back to the main party hall, leaving him bewildered. He began to piece together what she had meant.

‘Shit! His declaration was just to appease the rumors. If what she said is true, then... the engagement is now a bait,’ he thought, feeling tired of the entire situation.

This turn of events really worried him because when an engagement is used as bait, it means that the position of main wife could be taken by any other suitor who gains favor with the family leader or the groom.

This meant that other influential families might try to engage their daughters by offering something that could attract his father’s attention.

If Sylfi did not become the main wife, her family would no longer be entitled to mandatory support from the Harvesteads.

Despite having many wives, a powerful man can only have one main wife who receives all the benefits from his household.

Such marital traditions are really complicated in this world, and to avoid conflicts, most wealthy men marry only one or two women at most.

"This can’t be real, right? She wouldn’t dare..." He really wanted Anya's words to be a bluff because just thinking about being engaged to that wicked woman made his head ache.

***

One hour after his encounter with Anya, Raziel decided to return home early since his father showed no interest in his presence. In fact, Mikael was occupied with Jasir, discussing his new project with nobles and wealthy merchants.

Liliane tried to convince him to stay longer, but he declined, promising to visit her again when he had more free time. Clarice and Eve were also in no mood to stay and followed him.

Sylfi tagged along as well, but she was very concerned. Earlier, Anya had come to their table looking for Nozomi and ended up staying with them for a while.

The girl surprisingly befriended Clarice, Liliane, and even Eve with her friendly demeanor, while recapping some of Mikael's statements.

Her remarks quickly made Sylfi realize her true current situation.

After everyone arrived home, they each went to their respective rooms. Raziel changed into his pajamas and lay down on his bed, finding solace in his dreams, which had become the most peaceful place for him during these turbulent times.

Falling asleep swiftly, Raziel didn’t notice his door opening to reveal his childhood friend wearing a familiar light blue nightgown. The girl walked toward him and gently stroked his hair.

Eve then pushed her bangs aside with her other hand, revealing her left eye, which was almost entirely white. In the center, where the pupil should be, was a strange symbol, indecipherable to anyone who saw it.

Luckily, only a few people knew about her bizarre eye, and Raziel was not among them.

Since her birth, this eye had always been with her, and until a few years ago, it had shown no signs of any powers or harm. It seemed to be only an uncommon eye.

Sadly, when she turned twelve, a constant nightmare began to plague her every day, causing Eve to fear sleep.

This made her hate her left eye because, in the recurring nightmare, she would always find herself trapped alone in a white room, feeling as if an eternity had passed before she finally woke up.

She hated the sensation of loneliness in that place and wished to stop sleeping forever. However, one day, after accidentally falling asleep in Raziel’s bed alongside him, she didn’t experience the nightmare.

Eve initially thought it was just a coincidence, so she decided to test it.

She sneaked into his bed for an entire week, and as a result, Eve stopped having that nightmare. Since she discovered this, Raziel always found her asleep on his bed, peacefully like a baby. Even when he ordered her to stop, she didn’t obey, so he eventually chose to ignore it.

Remembering it, Eve giggled softly and covered her bizarre eye again while lying beside Raziel, embracing his body tightly.

The girl felt very safe hugging his body like a body pillow. After savoring his warmth for a little longer, she said, her face flushed with embarrassment, “Good night, Raz. I love you.”

Then Eve fell asleep, unaware that Raziel had heard her words, causing his heart to beat uncontrollably.

'I’m sorry, God, but your son is losing this battle. I won’t be able to resist future temptations.'