The Novel’s Antagonist: I walk the path of a Villain - Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Can’t run from the past….

“Long time no see, dearest.”

“M-Miranda…?”

Fuck.

This can’t be happening. This can’t be fucking happening!

“…Oh, don’t bother,” she said, watching me struggle against the ropes binding me in place. There was amusement in her voice, a twisted sort of pleasure. “I came prepared.”

My movements froze as I caught sight of the syringe in her hand.

“No… Is that—?” I stuttered, praying fervently that it wasn’t what I thought it was.

“Necrotox,” she purred, a slow, deliberate smile stretching across her face—one only a lunatic would call normal.

It was a psychotic grin.

I am fucked.

Completely fucked.

“How the hell did you even get that in here?” I asked in disbelief. Smuggling something like Necrotox into the academy was nearly impossible.

But then… Silver was attacked with Necrotox too. Could she be connected to what happened to him?

Krrrrr!

“AHHHH!” I screamed as her nails raked across my chest, the sharp sting of torn flesh searing through me. Fresh blood dripped down in warm rivulets.

“…You feel pain too. Wonderful~,” she hummed in delight, her bloodied fingers pressing against my cheek.

“Shhh,” she hushed, her touch almost gentle, if not for the madness in her eyes. “…Remember the promise I made you?” She leaned in, her hand resting lightly on my wounded chest.

“I didn’t kill them,” I rasped out, meeting her gaze head-on. “You know I’m telling the truth.”

She frowned.

But then…

She giggled.

Soft at first. Then harder. Until she was laughing uncontrollably, bloodied hands smearing crimson across her own face as she convulsed with mirth.

Fuck.

She’s crazy.

She’s fucking crazy.

THIS IS BAD. LIKE, REALLY, REALLY BAD.

In the novel, Miranda was one of Lorelle’s greatest enemies.

No.

She wasn’t a heroine.

She was a villainess.

A dangerously unstable one.

She had tried countless times to kill Elena, which led to numerous clashes with Lucas.

But in the end… she died.

At the hands of none other than yours truly.

Lorelle.

Me.

Problem is…

…I might die here, and no one would even realize I was gone.

“…You killed my family, El,” she whispered, her fingers trailing along my cheek as she circled me like a predator playing with its prey.

“I didn’t. I was framed, goddamn it!” I snapped.

AHHHHHHHHH!

Agony ripped through me as something sharp tore into my back.

“…I hate it when you say that,” she murmured.

BAM!

A tremendous force slammed into me, and in the next instant, I was crashing into the wall. The wooden table I’d been tied to shattered on impact.

“Argh,” I groaned, struggling to move, but my body refused to respond.

Necrotox.

This was its effect.

“…I didn’t kill your fucking family, bitch!” I snarled, rage burning through my veins.

The Silerrins.

In the novel, Lorelle was accused of countless heinous crimes—one of them being the destruction of the Silerrin Family.

A noble house. One of the wealthiest in the entire empire.

The novel never explained why Lorelle was blamed for their downfall. But the problem was, the Silerrin lineage wasn’t completely wiped out.

Two people survived.

One was this psycho.

Miranda.

And the other… was her brother.

But setting the novel aside, I was certain—I wasn’t responsible for any deaths. So why was I still being accused of it?

“I saw you…” she murmured, her voice laced with something between rage and grief.

I frowned. “…What…?” I stuttered as she grabbed the back of my head roughly, forcing me to meet her eyes.

“You killed them.” Her voice was steady, chilling. “Yes, you may have looked different that day, but I could never mistake it. I saw you, El. You turned my life upside down.”

Her fingers dug into my scalp, her breath shaky yet venomous. “It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life—my birthday. Everyone was celebrating with me. Everyone who loved me was there. All my relatives… even the one person I never thought would make it, my so-called best friend and childhood crush, the ever-busy Prince Lorelle.” She let out a bitter laugh, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“…And then you ruined everything.” Her voice cracked, her nails biting into my skin. “You killed them all. My family. My friends. And you ripped my heart apart. You killed me from the inside.”

She took a step back, gripping the rope that bound my legs and dragging me across the floor. The chair that had once restrained my hands lay in pieces.

“…I… What?” I stammered, my mind spinning. This couldn’t be real.

Her birthday?

Yes, I was there that day.

She wore a beautiful emerald-green gown that complemented her hair. That’s all I remember.

I don’t know what happened.

I think I dozed off.

Yeah… That had to be it.

I dozed off, and when I woke up, I was in my room… in the palace.

Wait.

No.

God, no.

“Just shut up,” she snarled, her voice trembling with unhinged fury. “I will make sure you pay dearly.” A hollow, broken laugh escaped her lips. “There’s so much to do… but where should I start first?”

Before I could react, I was slammed against a cold, wooden surface, the impact rattling my bones. Pain shot through my body as my teeth clenched instinctively.

“Argh,” I groaned, but she was relentless.

She grabbed both my wrists, snapping chains onto them—chains that stretched taut from either end of the room.

What do I do?

What the fuck do I do?!

“Wait… What are you going to do with that?!” I screamed, thrashing against my restraints as I watched her manifest a box from her meta-watch.

She opened it with eerie precision. Inside lay an assortment of potions and tiny knives, but what she picked up sent ice down my spine.

A syringe.

I could never mistake its contents.

Necrotox. Again.

“You already know what Necrotox can do,” she mused, tilting her head. “But… do you know what happens when it’s abused?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she gripped my neck, yanked me closer, and plunged the needle into my skin.

The liquid fire burned its way into my veins.

“Argh…!” I gasped, my vision swimming. “Ahh!” My body spasmed violently, every nerve in me screaming for release.

I was trapped.

I…

…I was done for.

“Ugh!” A fresh wave of agony tore through me, my insides set ablaze. My mana was already sealed by the Necrotox.

I was powerless.

Completely and utterly helpless.

Damn it.

If I didn’t do something soon…

I would really die here.

“Argh…” My body trembled uncontrollably, my groans dissolving into ragged sobs.

I had never felt so much at once.

My mind.

It was breaking.

An amplified sadness.

Pain.

At this point, I didn’t even know what to feel.

“AHHHHHH!”

Veins bulged beneath my skin, glowing an eerie blue.

I…

I… am dying.

Nelia.

Where the fuck… are you?

“Hmm… Pretty nice, isn’t it?” A voice cooed. “Just so you know, I always did this to myself whenever I saw you living a normal, happy life—especially when you were with those girls. I hated it. Not because I once felt something for you, but because you took away my happiness.”

She grinned, her voice laced with something unhinged.

“I always harmed myself in the most painful way possible. But trust me, this is only the start.”

It’s over.

No wonder she’s this crazy.

She’s long past salvation.

“Please… no… more.” My voice trembled. I felt strange. Disconnected.

I was losing touch with reality.

This isn’t good.

I am dying.

“Oh… That’s right,” she mused, tilting her head. “You’re only a Level 2+, my bad. This could actually kill you.”

She giggled. As if she were discussing the weather.

She strolled back to the table, retrieving two vials—one blue, one red.

“I’ve waited so long to do all this to you,” she murmured, stepping closer. “Can’t have you dying on me now, can I?”

She pried my mouth open and forced both potions down my throat.

I foolishly thought they were healing potions.

They weren’t.

I didn’t know what they were, but already, my fingers twitched uncontrollably, my neck stiffening.

“I’ll break your mind first… Oh, how much I’ll enjoy it~” She grinned wickedly. “With time, all that will remain of the once-proud El will be my personal dog.”

Her hands trailed down my chest. She straddled my waist, her warmth pressing against me.

My body burned.

I was melting from the inside out.

“But first…” Her voice dropped to a sultry purr. “Don’t mind if I relieve myself of these… pent-up urges.”