《I Will Save the Villainess》


 Is This Really My Life?

    I lied in bed staring at the ceiling willing myself to come to grips with the situation I was in. Although I had been in denial for the last three days, reality was starting to seep in.


    "Young Master, I have prepared breakfast for you." I heard a sheepish voice saying from the other side of the door. I knew I should reply but I was not in the mood to talk to anyone just yet.


    ".....I may be out of line..but whatever you are worried about, eating something might make you feel better." I heard the sound of what was likely a tray being set down in front of the door. Once the footsteps faded away I forced myself to get up and peeked outside of the door. I saw a tray filled with sweet and savory breakfast foods, including pancakes..my favorite. To be more precise, it was the favorite food of the male lead of the novel I used to love reading back when I was still living as Dante Williamson in New Orleans, Louisiana. This world I am currently in is a far cry from the ward I used to live in. The fact that a novel I used to read actually existed as a world with real characters is not something I could have imagined would be true.


    I have always loved romance stories. Something about the idea of love has always fascinated me but been a foreign concept I could actually never relate to. Growing up in a very stoic religious household, I always felt like love was something that was preached to me but never actually given. Luckily I was able to escape in good stories about what love should be or had the potential to become. My favorite story recently had been of the very story I''m currently living in: The Duke Learns to Love. It was an interesting story that I could relate to. A lot of the same experiences the Duke experienced were things I could personally relate to. Having strict parents that pressured you to be perfect, doubts about whether you are good enough, and being judged for not being like the other people around you. In many ways, Henri de Luc felt like a character that had been inspired by me. The irony of my current situation, in some ways, is actually amusing.


    The first day I woke up in this body I freaked out. Although I have read many novels about transmigration, reading about it and experiencing it first hand is completely different. It''s jarring and in my case it has felt like settling into a new shell that was not originally designed for me. The second day I tried many times to kill myself to no avail. I''d hoped that by dying I would be able to return or just....stop existing. After all, doing the same thing in my previous life ended up putting me in my current situation. Many of the servants freaked out and begged me to stop. They were especially afraid since the parents of the male lead were gone to the imperial city on business. The level of punishment they would receive for allowing the only young master of the de Luc dukedom to die would extend to their families as well. Any money they had and their very lives would be taken and it would have been as if they did not even exist.


    By the time the third day had come I was basically catatonic. I couldn''t die and I had no idea why I was even in this world to begin with. What was my purpose? Now, sitting at the table in my room, I decided to take the maids advice. As I took a bite of the stack pancakes I felt warm tears falling down my face. I could feel the sincerity of the servants who had made and brought this meal to me. It was as if they were telling me to keep going, to live. I made up my mind. I would not allow myself to stay like this.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Young Master! You have to get ready quickly," the maid from earlier said bursting into my room hurriedly along with a few other maids. Looking at her thick curly red hair and freckles that dotted across her nose like a row of tiny stars reminded of the novel and I recalled her name.


    "Laila...what''s going on?"


    "The Master and the Madame are almost back to the mansion. You have to get ready quickly so that you can greet them. You must not give them more reason to find fault in you."


    "Regardless of what I do, that will always be the case. Besides I have made up my mind. If I have to live this life, I''m going to live it the way I want to."


    She looked at me with worried expression but did not press the issue further. Looking at her shimmering bluish-green eyes made me think about her description in the novel. Laila was the most loyal person to the Duke when he was still the young master of the de Luc Duchy. It was through her that he had gained a glimpse of what affection should look like. She was the reason pancakes was his favorite food. The first time his father punished him for making a mistake during training he was made to starve for five days in order to learn some discipline. During that time, Laila was still young and the only dish she knew how to make was pancakes. Whenever she had a chance she would sneak to the young master''s room and feed him pancakes. It was not the healthiest food for him to eat when being started but she did not know better at the time, she just wanted to make sure he was able to eat something delicious. As a result, she was beaten by the Grand Duke and almost fired. If it had not been for Henri interfering she would have likely actually been killed.


    The Grand Duke hated people not following his orders the most, but he backed off when he saw that by getting angry in Laila''s defense, Henri was able to manifest his ego. This was something only possible for the de Luc bloodline. It''s also why, generally most descendants of this bloodline are so cold to everyone. Being emotionally unstable is dangerous for those who manifest their egos so they are trained from a young age to forget emotion and that feelings are deadly. If one is not careful, their ego will consume them and reek havoc on those around them.


    Henri was different though, he was able to manifest his ego without the same drawbacks. The Grand Duke was not aware of this so he was single-mindedly determined to train Henri in the same way he had been in order to create an heir with power that surpassed his own. What he didn''t know was that this training had the opposite effect on Henri. His trauma would cause him to be tormented for years before he was able to truly manifest his powers to their full ability. Everything would change years later when he would meet the female lead of the novel, Olivia. That would be years from now though. Right now, Henri was just a young teenage boy who had yet to fully be able to show off his potential power. In fact, before he would meet Olivia he would meet the antagonist of the story, the youngest daughter of the Marquess d''Alarie, Gabrielle. Right around this time is when the Marquess would approach the Grand Duke about forming an alliance through marriage between their families. If my guess is correct, around now is when the two will meet. It''s where Gabrielle will fall in love with Henri, but he rebuffs her attempts at getting closer because he is still under the strict thumb of his father. It isn''t until later that she becomes crazy from being rejected by the male lead and slowing becomes more and more obsessed once she sees that he has fallen in love with Olivia instead of her. In the end, she ends up like most villians do: miserable, alone, and dead. For the sake of the story someone has to be the evil that is overcome by good, but this is real life. I don''t intend to make someone else miserable just so I can have a happy ending.


    "Laila, just dress me in something comfortable. I don''t believe this conversation will take long. I don''t intend to sit and listen any longer."


    "A-a-as you wish Young Master."

 Eat or Be Eaten?

    Walking down the hallway I could hear my heartbeat growing louder and louder. I quickly reassured myself this was the right decision. I would make my own path in this story. As I walked through the immense double doors to the drawing room, I felt as if all the breath had left my body and fell immediately to my knees clutching my chest. When I found enough strength I looked up and saw a pair of cold steely silver eyes staring down at me, no emotion. This could be none other than my father the Grand Duke Jean-Pierre de Luc. This was the pressure of his amour propre, or ego, and he was sending me a message. This was a message to show me that he is the one in charge and although he has been gone the last few days, I should not forget this fact.


    My eyes scanned the room from my doubled over position on the floor but I could only make out the silhouette of the other people in the room. This wasn''t being done to anyone else just me. The voices of the others sounded distorted so there was no way of telling who else was around. Suddenly a voice cut through the noise with clarity.


    "Wouldn''t now be a good chance to ask for some help?" I heard a voice ask me sarcastically. I looked around but there was no one standing close enough to me other than the Grand Duke.


    "Who''s talking?" I muttered.


    "No one can hear me except you. You don''t have to speak, just think it. Besides in your current situation I''m sure it''s hard enough just to stay conscious."


    The voice sounded foreign to me but felt familiar. Thinking of the current situation there was only one conclusion to make. "Loic"


    "So you do remember my name. You should have called me as soon as you realized you were being pressured by this, cretin."


    "You couldn''t have spoken to me sooner? If I''m in danger it stands to reason you are too."


    "Why do you think I spoke up now? Besides, be grateful human. I''m blessing you with my presence." He said sounding smug. His attitude wasn''t suprising considering how he was described in the book. As the most powerful spirit in the Luc family, he has been sought after by each generation of the family. The only other person in there history that had been able to form a contract with Loic was the founder of the family. Henri, being the male lead, would obviously be given the privilege of also being able to form a contract with Loic.


    "So. Are you going to continue letting him intimidate us? I really cannot fathom why you have been hiding your abilities all this time. If you would use some of my power no one would be able to look down on us."


    Of course he was right. Henri single-handedly wielded more power than the current Duke and Duchess combined. The problem wasn''t an issue of power. It was trauma. That was part of the reason I was so drawn to Henri as a character in the novel. Abuse was not something that could be easily overcome just because you gained power you''d never had before. It is much harder to unlearn what has been systematically built into you since the day you were born.


    The first thing anyone learns in the Luc family is that no matter who you are, it''s eat or be eaten. Any sign of weakness means you could die. Even before Henri was born, he''d had other siblings die simply because they were not able to handle being starved and consistently neglected. The only thing that likely made Henri different was that he was the main character. As the host of a powerful spirit like Loic he was able to withstand much of his harsh treatment because the presence of Loic acted as a sort of battery that kept him going. He could go longer without eating than most people, and because of Loic his injuries healed a lot faster as well. Despite this, it was almost inevitable that he would not challenge his father''s authority.


    The memory that was deeply implanted into my mind as a reader was how the Duke hadn''t even met Henri until he was three years old. Just old enough for him to retain memories. After seeing Henri, he thought his son looked too weak. This made him almost kill Henri. The idea that something so weak had come from him was an insult, and challenged his authority as the almighty Duke of the empire. The only reason he didn''t was because he was reminded by his butler that Henri was the only potential successor he had, as the other children had already died or had been killed by him for other nonsensical reasons. This made him stop and subsequently kill that butler for speaking out of turn. In that moment, he had struck down a life and left the impressionable Henri in shock, covered in the blood of his father''s subordinate.


    Things only got progressively worse as the Grand Duke then decided that his son needed some "strength" training. That training only amounted to him torturing his son every day in order for him to build up a higher pain tolerance. He was unknowingly turning his son into a monster. Henri''s only respite was after his father was sent to war by the Emperor.


    Sadly, even after his father left the treatment he was given wasn''t much different. There were only two types of people that could be found in the Luc estate: those who would hurt him, and those who would ignore him altogether. There was no shortage of people who attempted to poison him or would ignore his plea for help.The only exception was his maid Laila.


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    Laila barely stood as tall as Henri''s chest, and her chestnut brown curls were constantly falling across her face and covering her eyes. They hid a face full of freckles that delicately dotted across her nose and round cheeks. She was timid and small, but had a soft spot in her heart for the young master that allowed her to be bold, when needed, in order to help him. Being brought in from a young age, she had not yet been tainted like the other staff, although she had witnessed first hand the harshness of living as a part of the Luc dukedom.


    Unfortunately, she was too weak to do much other than bringing him food that wasn''t rotten or helping him treat his wounds. After all, as a normal person working in the Luc estate, even a small mistake could cause you to perish. Even now, as his vision began to clear, he could see Laila fighting back tears. If she moved even a millimeter, she could lose her neck. Seeing her so desperately try to hold back encouraged me to stiffen my resolve.


    I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on stabilizing my energy. "Loic"


    "Speak"


    "I''m done hiding my strength. I''m ready..to embrace this power"


    "Finally, I''ve grown tired of your cowering. Time to put this disgusting thing and his lowly spirit in their place."


    All at once I felt my strength surge back into my body. It felt like every pore was open, all of my senses heightened, and my heart beat increasingly loud in my ears. So this, was what my ego felt like.


    My eyes scanned the room and saw the confusion that framed everyone''s faces. The Grand Duke in particular had a very distorted look of confusion on his face.


    "What the hell?" He thrusted out his hand and I could feel the same pressure I had before, but this time it amounted to a light push that did not even make me budge.


    "Father, I think it''s about time to make some changes around here." With just a look the Duke was on his knees. It almost looked like gravity was sitting on top of him.


    "How dare you do that to your father?!" The Duchess yelled, approaching me from the left.


    "My father...?" I said, scoffing in disbelief. "Since when?" I approached her, watching as she too fell to her knees next to the Duke.


    "Henri--"


    "Oh no," I said, gesturing for her to seal her lips. Immediately, mouth closed as if glued shut. "You are not allowed to call my name. Not once, have you ever turned to look my way when I called yours. Don''t even think about calling mine now."


    My mind couldn''t help but think back to the Duchess'' description in the novel. She was said to have never shown interest in Henri a single day of his life. Whether he lived of died was never a concern for her. In fact, she never visited her son after the day she''d had him.


    His first time seeing her was when he was two. One of the maids had told him that his mother was in the parlor down the hallway having tea. He was nervous, but made his way to the parlor. With excitement, he entered the room and called out for his mother only to be met with a look of bewilderment.


    She calmly took a sip of her tea before asking, "Laura...who is this?"


    The maid was hesitant but answered ".....that is the young master...your son madame."


    "So one of them survived. Well at least one of you were useful." She remarked before picking her teacup back up again. "Take him back where he came from and see to it that he doesn''t disturb me anymore. This has made my tea time...unpleasant."


    With that she dismissed him, and never sought him out after. Even as Henri cried and called out to his mother, she continued to sip her tea. His tears fell on deaf ears. Now all these years later, she was in front of him again. Her look of disinterest replaced with one of contempt.


    "Laila."


    "Ye-ye-yes sir?" She said running to my side.


    "Go tell the knights in the hallway to come inside"


    "Yes!" She said immediately hurrying out of the room.


    I turned my attention back to the Duke. "From today onward, I am establishing myself as the family head. You will no longer act as the Grand Duke of the de Luc estate. You will relinquish all authority to me and establish me as the rightful heir of your legacy....you may speak."


    "Do you really think we will take this lying down?" He asked, without attempting to hide his hostility.


    "This, isn''t a request. It''s a command. You no longer have the authority to do anything other than what I allow you to do."


    "What makes you so confident?"


    "Do you not feel it? The power?! The pressure!" I kneeled down to his level and grabbed handful of his hair. "Until now I''ve been holding back. Habits are scary really... I''m so used to letting you push me around that even when I understood that I had gained the ability to fight back, I didn''t"


    "Get to the point." He murmured staring at me defiantly.


    "Loic." I said gleefully.


    The look on his face was priceless. Just a moment ago he had been staring daggers at me, but the fear that appeared on his face now was so unlike the father that had tortured Henri for years.


    "Impossible...the ancestral spirit formed a contract with you?"


    "Yes! Hard to believe right? This weak son of yours, that you''ve mistreated until now, has the power to turn you and everything you''ve built into nothing." I stood up and gestured at Laila to bring the knights inside at that moment. "Everyone in this room, with the exception of Laila and the knights, are fired."


    "Young Mast--" One of the maids tried to interject but was immediately silenced.


    "That will be my only warning. You all have two hours to gather your things and leave the estate. Anyone still here after two hours have passed, better be sufficiently prepared for the circumstances."


    A crowd of feet could be heard shuffling out of the room ad everyone pushed to get out.


    "As for the knights in this room, I''m sure you all can grasp the current situation"


    "Sir" the young knight said saluting and directing the other nights to round up the Duke and Duchess.


    "It''s understood that in this family it''s always been eat or be eaten. So please don''t make things harder than they need to be during this transition. I''d rather not carry on the tradition of unnecessary bloodshed."


    "Even if you have that power, do you think it will be easy for you to live up to the legacy of our family? Someone like you? Can you really become the head of this family?!" He spat out bitterly.


    "That''s not something you have to worry about anymore... take him away"


    The knights began dragging them out of the room.


    "Don''t think that you''ve won!" He yelled as they dragged him away.


    "But I did! I did win, and YOU lost. You lost, the moment I decided to stop being your victim."