《For an Elegant Night of Villains》 Chapter 0 Prologue Oh, my head feels heavy. She had no idea what the hell was going on. Her head was throbbing as if she were drunk, and her body was so stiff and sore that she doubted if somebody had beaten her somewhere. Someone was pressing her body. Annoyance rose over to the things that had marred her sweet morning. She eventually forced herself to open her eyes, groaned, and stared blankly at the ceiling. The unfamiliar surroundings made her regain her senses swiftly. Where am I? It was a strange place. Although it was clearly her style, it was something she had never seen before. As soon as she realized she couldn¡¯t recognize it, her body tightened with anxiety. Something was pressing her down. And this isn¡¯t her room, either. She carefully lowered her head, and only then did she find out what was crushing her. It was the arm of a man with fine muscles. She was lying in bed with a man, not wearing a single thread. Before she could even think about who the person was, she tried to recall what the hell she had done last night, but nothing came to her as if a wall had blocked her memory. It was then. A deep-toned voice shook her half-awake senses, causing her to flinch. ¡°Sleep more.¡± It was a voice she¡¯d never heard before. Goosebumps flared up over her in an instant. At that moment, the arm pressing outside the blanket suddenly slid inside and hugged her tightly. Although the man¡¯s body temperature touching her back was warm, she continued to shiver. Then, she heard that voice again. ¡°Why are you awake already?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Sleep more. Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± She took a long breath. No, I¡¯m not like that. Apart from the guy casually hugging her naked body, this is not like that! ¡°Who are you?¡± She gulped and asked carefully. The man, on the other hand, smiled lightly, perhaps because he found her question amusing. And soon, his lips¡ªwhatever they were¡ªbrushed up in her neck. ¡°Who do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Or, who do you want it to be?¡± The question sounded like a whisper of a beast. It was a tone that seemed to grab her by the throat. After asking in such a threatening voice, the man stayed silent for a while. Soon after, his lips moved away from her neck, and a sweet voice rang out once more. ¡°If you¡¯re awake, can you show me your face?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Are you the surprisingly shy type?¡± Uggh, why am I feeling this way? Clearly, this man isn¡¯t her type. In fact, she was itching to kick off the blanket and get out of bed right away. She wished she could grab his neck and scream about what was happening, but she couldn¡¯t act rashly when she didn¡¯t know who the opponent was. So she quietly lifted herself up. Her stomach tightened, and she felt a lump in her throat. Her heart was racing, and she felt like she was about to suffocate, but she forced herself to maintain a calm demeanor and look at the man. And¡­ ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Okay, cancel what I just said. I take back that he wasn¡¯t my type. She didn¡¯t know what the hell she did last night, but oh my, she¡¯s really amazing. Oh my god, how did she sleep with this guy? The man narrowed his eyes, exuding a languid atmosphere like a leopard. Black hair strewed across the pillow, golden eyes gazing directly at me. Why does his nose look like it¡¯s been sculpted? And oh my God, look at his lips. He seems like a good kisser. She lowered her gaze and locked eyes with the man, completely forgetting how to breathe. Then, the corner of his lips rose up and opened his mouth. ¡°Why are you staring?¡± The phrase ¡°you¡¯re so handsome¡± came dangerously close to escaping her mouth¡ªfortunately, she quickly reins it in. Then she took a deep breath and carefully opened her mouth. ¡°Because you¡¯re so handsome.¡± ¡­¡­ No, I told you to keep it in. This snout! The man paused at her reply, then reached out and hugged her stomach again. Oh, my God, look at those thick arms! Ophelia, you haven¡¯t wasted 18 years of your life! The arms that had been holding her stomach tightened and drew her back onto the bed. Suddenly, the man got up and climbed up on top of her with his gaze fixed on her. ¡°Then keep looking.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Keep looking. Today, tomorrow, or for the rest of our lives.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°If you like this face, I¡¯ll live it as it is for the rest of our life, so don¡¯t go anywhere, don¡¯t look for other bastards, just stay here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Stay next to me.¡± After he finished speaking, he kissed my forehead. With a strange feeling tickling my insides, I forgot how to breathe and just lay down blankly for a brief moment. Something is seriously wrong here. She has never seen this man before. Unlike her, who was puzzled, the man acted as if he had known her for a long time. So she just stared into his golden eyes, blankly. Oh, wait a minute¡­ gold? She¡¯s pretty sure she heard it somewhere. A person with golden eyes¡­¡­ Who was it, exactly? She frowned and pondered for a moment. But could not find an answer, so she eventually returned her eyes to the man¡¯s face again. It¡¯s also important how she ended up spending the night with this man, but before that, there¡¯s something she has to check. With the man¡¯s pensive stares at her, she asks quietly. ¡°¡­who are you?¡± The man contorted his face at her question. Whoa, that expression on that face is frighteningly attractive. While waiting for his answer with so much admiration, he replied. ¡°Stop playing around.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not kidding.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The man refrained from expressing his displeasure with her question. And took a deep breath. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re you after all,¡± ¡°Me¡­.?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re a cruel woman. I forgot that you¡¯re not the type of person who would surrender her heart to a man after a night with him.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Why do you sound so pitiful? Anyone who hears it will think I¡¯m the world¡¯s evilest woman. The man mumbled and rose to his feet. Her eyes nearly dropped open at the sight of his muscular upper torso spread out in front of her in an instant, and she barely suppressed her instincts and asked him tenaciously. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°This is not funny, Ophelia.¡± He responded with a distorted expression. However, Ophelia was serious. And, he must answer her question! But, unlike her impatience, the man appeared to be genuinely unaware of why she was asking. And with each word she uttered, his expression steadily hardened. She eventually yelled at him out of frustration. ¡°No, I¡¯m not kidding. Who exactly are you?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s something you don¡¯t want to take responsibility for, just say you didn¡¯t like it. Don¡¯t make fun of me like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not making fun of you! I¡¯m asking who you are?¡± ¡°Did I really do you that bad? Bad enough that you want to lose your memory?¡± ¡°What¡ªwhat did you mean?¡± She stuttered in response to his ferocious gaze. No, why is he staring at her like that? Did she stifle his pride in any way? He frowned and continued, completely ignoring her question. ¡°So, those cubs are better than me? How good are they? Did they do it ¡¯til morning? Which bastard is the best? Phillips? Tristan? Or Ed?¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Your paramours.¡± ¡­¡­what? She blinked blankly. ¡°Can you say it again?¡± ¡°Why do you hate those bastards now? Is it time to change?¡± Paramours? Is it the kind of paramour that you carry around as your lover? ¡­¡­why would she have that? She blinks, trying to appear as innocent as possible, before opening her mouth. ¡°W-why would¡­ I think you¡¯ve misunderstood something.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I¡ªI am not that kind of woman.¡± ¡°Not that kind of woman?¡± ¡°I only date one person at a time¡­¡­.¡± She drew out her index finger and tried to emphasize that she, like a pine tree, would only date one person at a time, but it was futile. Even if she said it in a dying voice, it did not appear to convince the man in the slightest. She cast a quick glance at him and then took a look around. She had no recollection of yesterday¡¯s events as if she had lost her memory. Why is she here in the first place? As she turned her head again, her eyes met the man. His golden eyes were shining very strangely. He was as ferocious as a wild beast, yet in a split second, he looked her in the eye with gentleness. She met his gaze and opened her mouth. ¡°Uh, anyway, please explain why I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Why? Do I have to tell you why you¡¯re in your own home?¡± ¡°Oh, look at this guy. How did this become my home? My home is the Imperial Palace.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The man¡¯s face grew even worse. What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t she even say where she lives now? She gulped deeply. She was worried he would attack her, and so she immediately prepared to defend herself. However, his eyes were filled with even more complex emotions than hostility for some reason. Then, a rich male voice was heard. ¡°Do you remember what happened last night?¡± Chapter 2 CHAPTER 1 ¡°Do you remember what happened last night?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. My memories are¡­¡­..this is why I¡¯m asking who you are¡­.¡± This is unfair. She groaned, her face contorting. She wakes up buck naked with a man who refuses to tell her who he is, but tells her that this strange house was her home, along with the way he stares at her, and, worst of all that she has three lovers. She can put up with everything else, but she cannot tolerate having three lovers. Despite her eccentricities, she was a principled woman. Only date one person at a time. However¡ª ¡°You, do you know my name?¡± ¡°Ophelia. What exactly do you mean? Why are you asking me that¡­¡­?¡± ¡°You know who I am¡­ I¡¯m just making sure that¡¯s why I asked you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s natural. Of course, I know you. Then, do you remember who you are?¡± She gave him a chuckle. She was finely annoyed. She was asking as to who he was, but instead, he was the one who kept prying on her personal information, so she was understandably irritated. She finally opened her mouth, her voice trembling as she did so. ¡°The Vallein Empire¡¯s second princess, and the dragon¡¯s blood¡ª¡± ¡°Serian!¡± The man¡¯s face contorted before she could finish her word. She was perplexed as she read the subtle confusion on his furrowed brow. The man abruptly lifted up the blanket and wrapped it tightly around her body, holding her in his arms, and shouted out. The door swung open moments later, and a man wearing glasses rushed in. ¡°What happened¡­¡­ Your Grace?¡± The man who had wrapped her in the blanket as if to ward off intruders turned his head. Her vision was obscured by him, and she felt a bit frightened, but then she stopped when she heard the sound of a man¡¯s voice. ¡°Call the saint.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It appears as though the Grand Duchess has lost her memory.¡± Problem: Choose the worst-case scenario from the three presented below. First, she lost her seven years¡¯ worth of memories. Second, the man she saw for the first time in her life is said to be her husband. Third, both the first and second scenarios happened at the same time. She rolled her eyes and looked at the people in the room. She has no idea what is going on, but she is certain of one thing. This is not the Imperial Palace. It didn¡¯t take long to figure this out. No matter how hungover she got, no matter how glamorous her nightlife was, it was somewhat questionable to recall her habit of crawling out of her room and sleeping in other people¡¯s rooms. But for now, she decided to get over this situation that her common senses could not solve in the meantime. The man was in the same bed with her, sitting at the bedside, dressed in a black suit attire. Unlike when she just woke up, she gulped while looking at the curly black hair that was neatly pulled back and his peculiar shining golden eyes. Oh, and she is not a fool. Even in their current situation, she is simply looking at his face. Inexplicable words such as Grand Duchess, Amnesia, and so on were spewing forth from her surroundings. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what that meant, but she listened nonetheless. In the end, instead of questioning them, she held her breath and remained still. If only she could, she wanted to sweep them all out with every ounce of her strength. ¡°Grand Duchess.¡± She was puzzled by the unfamiliar title and nodded awkwardly. The woman standing by the door approached her with a graceful smile. ¡°My name is Saint Camilla.¡± Huh? A saint? Camilla? She tilted her head. The temple and the imperial family, which absolutely venerates the power of dragons, did not get along very well. Even if a new saint appeared, they did not give much attention because it was not a threat to them. However, the saint in her memory was not the one who stood before her. ¡®No way¡­¡­. I really lost my memory, did the changing of the saint part of the memories I forgot? But that can¡¯t be true.¡¯ She had her doubts but decided to keep her mouth shut for the time being. Camilla stood a little closer to Ophelia and stared at her. Then she turned to face the man who was sitting behind Ophelia in the morning. ¡°When did the Grand Duchess begin behaving strangely?¡± ¡°There was nothing wrong with her until yesterday. After enjoying the party, as always, we retired to our room for a drink. And slept.¡± ¡°Did your grace, the Grand Duke, attend the party as well?¡± ¡°Do I look like someone who goes to parties?¡± There was coldness like winter in the man¡¯s voice. Oh, he¡¯s handsome, and he has a pleasant voice. However, unlike her, who casually admires the man¡¯s face and voice, Camilla flinched as if she was under pressure. And this time, she shifted her gaze to her (Ophelia). ¡°Your Grace, the Grand Duchess. Do you remember what happened last night?¡± ¡°Not even a single bit.¡± She shook her head. She couldn¡¯t think of anything. She doesn¡¯t even know why she¡¯s being called the Grand Duchess. She was the second princess of the Vallein Empire and the Dragon, who inherited the most tremendous power among her siblings. And the duke, what kind of duke is¡­¡­ A frown came across her face. Oh, hold on a second. A man with black hair, golden eyes, and exuding the aura of a ruler. In an instant, a flood of information came rushing in like a wave, and she trembled. She turned her head and looked at the man. His eyes, sitting like a drowsy leopard, were fixed on her. At that moment, she was suddenly reminded of the fact that she had forgotten and immediately covered her mouth with her hands. ¡°Icard¡­¡­ Auster?¡± The man¡¯s eyebrows twitched at her quivering voice. He appeared to be both happy and angry at the same time, so she unconsciously pulled her butt back and moved away from him. Crap, this is why if you work too hard with your eyes, your defeat will be one of humiliation. Although she was staring at a dangerous man, her freaking brain could only come up with words like handsome and cool. ¡°You, cursed¡­ species¡­.¡± Just as she was about to say the word ¡°kidding,¡± a distorted expression immediately appeared on the man¡¯s face. The beast, who had been dead-quiet up until now, suddenly seemed to growl and threaten. The gold eye, which was slightly tinted with red, shone fiercely. She panicked and stepped back even further. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how well you remember that, even in this situation.¡± It seemed that she wasn¡¯t the only one who was frightened by his subdued voice. Seeing that even the faces of those who looked around them hardened, she hurriedly opened her mouth. ¡°Why¡ªwhy are you here? Why are you next to me?¡± He should not be sitting next to her. The dragon, who conquered the world in the beginning and reigned as the emperor, and the cursed race considered to be the descendants of the gods, have confronted each other fatefully since the moment life existed on this land. The strongest among the cursed races is the family of Auster. The Auster clan, who inherited the gods¡¯ blood, were cruel and cold-hearted. They retained their youthful appearance until their deaths and did not obey anyone due to their pride in being a divine descendant. In some ways, a confrontation between their race and of the dragons¡¯ was foreordained and inevitable, but anyways, that wasn¡¯t the point here. The dragon and the Auster were enemies throughout their entire lives. It could never coexist peacefully. But right now, this man has admitted that he is an Auster. The most brutal leader in Auster¡¯s history, Icard Auster. Oh my god. (T/N: It¡¯s ironic how often she uses the expression ¡®oh my god¡¯ when they¡¯re supposedly enemies, hahaha.) She felt chills run down her spine at that moment. What the hell did she get herself into? What is this? Why is this man referred to as the Great Duke, and why is she called the Great Duchess? What the hell is going on here? ¡°You must be very unfamiliar with being my Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°Grand Duchess, please calm down for now. This is His Grace¡¯s castle, and Her Grace had just lost her memories¡­¡­ ack!¡± As she heard the man¡¯s sarcastic words, Camila immediately consoled her from behind. However, the tension had reached its peak, and she eventually lost control of her power and began firing. Clang¡ª! Camila¡¯s screams and the shattering of glass could both be heard simultaneously, and then suddenly, someone shouted for everyone to be careful. She clenched her eyes shut, completely oblivious to what was going on. And it was at that moment that the man reached out his arm and wrapped his arms around her. tuk-tuk- She blinked in surprise as she was pushed into the man¡¯s arms in a semi-forced manner. She cast a glance around and drew her head back. A shard of glass fell from where she had just been. ¡°Ah, the chandelier.¡± She shook her head at someone¡¯s muttering. Only shards of glass remained where the chandelier had been. It wasn¡¯t hard to notice that it was due to the power she had just unleashed. She gulped deeply. Then she heard a man¡¯s voice from above her head, which she recognized. ¡°Indeed. You¡¯re exceptional.¡± ¡°Grand Duchess, don¡¯t stress yourself too much. The things that you are concerned about will not come to pass. Everybody in this room is on your side¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you a real saint?¡± She muttered half-stiffened, ignoring the man¡¯s sarcastic remark and Camilla¡¯s comfort. Camilla nodded at her question. Chapter 3 [ T/N ¨C Icard is his first name, for which Auster is his last name. Calling him Auster is a way of respect. She most likely called him Icard after she knew she was married to him, or she only thought of him as Icard but called him Auster. Also the length of the chapter is killing me, so I divided it into parts. (£þ £þ|||) ] I swallowed a gulp, fixed my expression and stared at the Grand Duke of Auster, who was looking at me. Even though I was a dragon, me going against Icard Auster, the Grand Duke and winning was questionable. Even though I had the greatest innate strength, I was very clumsy in my attack because I skipped training. I was going to have to coax this person somehow. ¡°How¡­ are you?¡± ¡­This isn¡¯t good. No matter how I looked at it, I shouldn¡¯t have said that. His eyebrows twitched at my ingenious greeting. I looked awkwardly at him, and I opened my mouth. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry about that. I¡­ never meant to be liked that.¡± The man contorted his face. Huh? Why would he? Didn¡¯t he like my face? ¡°The looks at me felt intimidating and I was a little lightheaded.¡± ¡°It makes me feel bad. Are you scared of me?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no?¡± ¡°Then do what I say. You¡¯re just a dead body except for that arrogance.¡± ¡°Y, yes.¡± Did the dignity of a Princess matter anymore? Survival came first. I quickly finished grasping the situation and chose the path to prolonging my life by sticking like a bedbug. No matter what happened, I had to be alive to be able to work. In that sense, I was not going to hesitate at all. If I knew this was going to happen, I would have trained in magic seriously. I didn¡¯t know I would have a thousand regrets not listening to my sister. I took a long breath and looked at the man. His and mine gaze met, and he suddenly raised a corner of his mouth. ¡°What the hell happened for seven years?¡± Well, that was all I wanted to ask. ¡°What happened in seven years? And I wondered if you knew. Oh, I wonder.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re arrogant. Did you think I was your husband?¡± ¡°H-Haven¡¯t we done that?¡± God, the me of the past was the enemy of the present. Ophelia, what have you done? Come to think of it, in the morning, the man was talking about politics. I stuttered and smiled brightly. It might sound crazy, but life was precious nonetheless. I stared at the man with a clear and pure smile on my face. The man who was the Grand Duke. ¡°When did¡­ Auster receive the title of the Grand Duke?¡± ¡°I had it six years ago when I signed a peace treaty, and I vowed that if I recognized the end of the North East as mine and promised peace, we would no longer confront the dragon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re proof of the agreement.¡± Oh, I get it. It was a loveless marriage. I nodded my head a feeling a little sour. In the morning, I acted out desperately, wondering on what a tearful love marriage I had done. But I found out that it was something like an arranged marriage. The situation was roughly understandable. In the end, it was a compromise between the dragon and the cursed race. Well, Icard may have made this choice after a long confrontation. I nodded. It was okay. But he was my enemy, and he didn¡¯t seem like he was going to harm me. ¡°So, when did we get married?¡± I blinked at him, and as I saw him suddenly strain his face. From his expression on my question, I tilted my head. ¡°4 years ago.¡± Oh, it had been a long time. ¡°For your information, yesterday was our first night.¡± Eh? What was with the time difference? I was taken aback. Wouldn¡¯t the first night of the wedding usually be the first night of them together¡­? ¡°You refused me a little intensely.¡± The man stood up, looking at my puzzled face, and then he leaned down slightly, from which he met my eyes. ¡°I was stupid, hoping a bit because I wanted to have a child.¡± Oh¡­ ¡°I waited four years, from the day I knew you.¡± Um¡­ ¡°And you lost your memory the next day, you¡¯re a great woman, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡­I, I did wrong. Silence fell in the room. I took a long breath and exhaled again. And then, as I took another breath, Icard laughed. ¡°Are you going to take all the oxygen in the room?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I stopped breathing. His arrogance bothered me. But the most vivid of all was that¡ª ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I could not even make up for the humiliation I had spat, and I murmured timidly. Icard¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Oh, um, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry I lost my memory. Uh, um, sorry for breaking the chandelier, and sorry for refusing to sleep with you.¡± Somehow, the Grand Duke¡¯s spouse had a duty to produce a heir. But I didn¡¯t let him do that. Apparently, I expressed my intention to have a successor for the first time last night. But today, I lost my memory. Oh, God. What the hell have I done? Icard looked at me with a expression as if he didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh. I declared in anger, ¡°If there is a need for a successor, I will allow it, so it is okay to have a relationship with me. Even if I don¡¯t remember, I will fulfil my duty as the Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you are the Grand Duke, you will need a successor, so aren¡¯t you so angry right now? For refusing to carry my duty¡­¡± As I spoke in a fading voice, Icard¡¯s face turned serious. Soon, he murmured in a voice full of anger, ¡°Are you treating me like a crazy bastard who is obsessed with breeding?¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to express it like that, is there? Isn¡¯t it natural to need a heir?¡± I blinked my eyes. As a dragon born and educated that passing on the dragon¡¯s power was the greatest duty of a lifetime, I didn¡¯t quite understand why breeding was a bad thing. The blood of a dragon with power was precious, and it was my duty to pass on that power to prosper the imperial family. In that sense, as soon as my coming-of-age ceremony was over, a lot of men came into my room. Although, I only dated one person at a time. Bianca and Easton also learned how to produce a heir as soon as their coming-of-age ceremony was over. Wasn¡¯t Auster like that? I tilted my head. If it was so, there was no reason for this man to be angry. It was a marriage of political purposes and having no love. But Icard showed a seriously angry face at me. I staggered back when I noticed the aura of hatred looming over his face. ¡°You.¡± Then a low, enraged voice echoed through the room.