Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

With everyone's attention on him, Vritra knew he had to make this moment count. The confident expression on his face was enough to make both Cedric and Lord Kris visibly uneasy.

"Alright, nobles of Gladius. I don't intend to drag this out, so let's keep it brief."

He pulled out a [Memory Crystal], and the moment Cedric saw it, he panicked.

He knew exactly what Vritra was about to do.

『THIS BASTARD──?!』

Without thinking, Cedric rushed forward, waving his hands in a desperate attempt to stop him, his face full of panic.

"We don't need to go through this again! It's clear my wife despises me and would do anything to ruin me, right?"

Sweat had already begun to form on his forehead, and his nerves started to show.

Standing nearby, Lord Kris was fuming.

『What in the three worlds is Lord Cedric doing?!』

He had worked hard to sway the nobles back to Cedric's side, and now Cedric's nervous behavior was making him look foolish. Kris clenched his fists in frustration, trying to keep his anger in check.

Vritra smiled and looked back at Cedric.

『He fell for my trap, not because he's stupid, but because he's clever enough to figure out what I'm going to do next.』

This was exactly what he wanted.

To expose the self-preserving instinct that every guilty human shows when faced with their own wrongdoings and pressure they couldn't handle.

Now, all he had to do was play his role perfectly.

"Is something wrong, Cedric? You seem upset."

"I… I…"

Cedric stammered, his face pale with panic.

Suddenly, he spun around to face the nobles, shouting at the top of his lungs and waving his arms wildly, like a man on the verge of breaking down.

"Don't listen to him! Whatever he plans to show with that [Memory Crystal] is a lie! All of it—fake evidence, nothing but pure lies! He's making it up, trying to pin something on me! I'm innocent!"

Cedric's words tumbled out in a frantic, confused mess, as though he barely knew what he was saying. He looked like a child caught misbehaving and desperately trying to avoid getting punished.

The most confused person in the room was probably Lord Kris, who just stood there, struggling to make sense of Cedric's erratic behavior.

Why was he acting so bizarrely?

It was the question on everyone's mind.

And soon, Vritra would voice it aloud.

"Hm? Does anyone know why Lord Cedric is so worked up over me pulling out a [Memory Crystal]? I mean, I haven't even said what I'm going to use it for, and here he is, claiming it's fake evidence. Sounds a lot like someone with something to hide, doesn't it? I was just going to show the nobles a few vacation photos of me, my wife, and the kids. Is that really so bad?"

Vritra's smile was sly and heavy with mischief.

But Cedric wasn't buying the act.

"SHUT UP, YOU LIAR! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE KIDS!"

Ignoring Cedric's outburst, Vritra turned back to the gathered nobles, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"To think the High Marquis of Gladius City could act like such a fool. Honestly, it's sad. Anyway, let's get back to showing the real truth, shall we?"

Every noble shifted their attention to the new evidence Vritra was about to reveal.

As Vritra channeled magic into the [Memory Crystal], it lit up with a bright white glow, projecting a small holographic video for everyone to see.

Just as Cedric had feared, the recording showed their earlier conversation, packed with so much fabricated evidence that he knew there was no way to fight it. The only thing keeping him from collapsing in despair was the faint hope that Lord Kris might still pull off a win for them.

What was on Vritra's recordings?

The Aldwyn Scandal.

Illegitimate Son.

Treasonous Plot with Marquis Kris.

Assassination Plot against Princess Luciana.

Three out of the four accusations were complete lies from Vritra, but Cedric's biggest mistake was his inability to firmly deny them.

Instead of responding with anger or defending his honor, his panicked and disorganized denials—especially his worry over the real Aldwyn Scandal—made him look guilty of everything.

Cedric's vague statement…

"Most of what you're saying is a lie!"

It left too much room for doubt, implying that while some claims were false, others might be true.

This hesitation allowed Vritra to plant seeds of doubt among the nobles, making Cedric appear guilty not just of the scandal, but of far worse crimes.

The dark prince had masterfully manipulated Cedric, turning his one real crime into an avalanche of false accusations.

Vritra smiled inwardly.

『Where there's smoke, there's fire…』

That's how these nobles in general reasoned.

『Lawyers always advise their clients to stay silent until they arrive for a reason. It's easy to frame someone for crimes they didn't commit if you have a camera and the right words to provoke them. But that's not the only reason nobles are quick to jump on this.

『The main reason is that they're all shameless dick riders. Every noble you meet is just looking for the biggest, richest, and most powerful dick to ride in order to climb the social ladder. They see Lord Cedric and immediately want to back him, knowing he can reward them well.

『But now that there's a chance Cedric wants to assassinate the princess, this becomes the biggest opportunity they could ever get in their noble careers. The first one to jump on this is someone I should never trust, no matter what.』

Just as Vritra had predicted, the first to speak up was Lord Edmond Redwood, the host of the party.

"YES! Lord Gordias and I have been investigating this for some time, my princess! Lord Cedric has had his eyes on you. At first, I couldn't understand why he would want to kill you, but when God Vritra told me about the possibility that he and Lord Kris are in cahoots with the Military Kingdom of Serathen, it all makes sense.

They want to create chaos by assassinating you and spreading panic throughout our great nation!"

The moment he finished, a wave of pure panic swept through the room. The nobles gasped and shouted in shock, quickly casting disgusted looks at Cedric, their faces twisting as if they had just tasted something incredibly bitter.

"How unspeakable!"

"To think of trying to assassinate our wonderful princess, who has been nothing but a blessing to our nation! How ungrateful, Lord Cedric!"

"Lord Cedric? Are we forgetting Lord Kris, who is also involved? He just tried to deceive us and turn us against our all-knowing God Vritra! He should be punished too!"

"Yes! I agree with that!"

"Can you believe Lady Katherine had to endure being near a man so heartless? He clearly doesn't know how to treat a woman! He calls God Vritra a monster, yet the young lord was the one who exposed Cedric's plans to kill Princess Luciana, God Vritra's beautiful fiancée!"

"Truly, God Vritra is a wonderful husband!"

It was a swift and expected shift in the crowd's mood.

The nobles didn't bother to question the truth of the claims; once Lord Edmond, a member of the Council of Four—the highest authority in Gladius City-confirmed it, there was no going back.

But it wasn't over yet.

Just as Lord Kris attempted to deny everything, Lord Gordias stepped forward, pointing at both Kris and Cedric.

"There's no need to defend yourselves! It makes complete sense why you two would want to assassinate the princess. You' re both close friends because you share the same dark intentions. Birds of a feather flock together, right? You are both attempted murderers and schemers who want to ruin the lives of our people and tarnish the reputation of nobility that Gladius City holds dear! You deserve to die!"

Kris and Cedric were left speechless, shocked into silence.

They couldn't believe their own council members were turning against them.

Flabbergasted.

That was the only word that fit their state of mind.

"Burn them!"

"Strip them of their noble titles and stone them to death! I want nothing less!"

"My Princess, we must take action!"

Princess Luciana stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

『I… why would he want to kill me…?』

Her body trembled as she stared at the ground, completely confused.

Meanwhile, Esmeralda and Ghislaine stepped out of the crowd and made immediate eye contact with Vritra, quickly exchanging information with him.

After that, they rushed over to help Katherine, who still looked mentally shattered on the floor.

Vritra then approached Luciana, who was barely holding up under the chaos that had taken over the hall.

"My love, are you okay?"

Vritra gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He took a soft sniff of her hair, which smelled like daffodils in the sunshine.

Luciana looked like she might cry as she clung to him, seeking comfort in his strong arms.

"Wh-, What do I do now?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"It's simple, my love. You need to arrest these men. You have the highest authority in this hall, and no one can challenge your orders."

"But I…"

"Listen to me, Luciana. Focus on what I'm saying and ignore everyone else. Unlike Lumis, I promised to keep you safe, and this is how I'm fulfilling that promise. I believe Cedric and Kris have received information from Serathen suggesting you might be a God Vessel, and they want to kill you. Or maybe Lumis is involved with them."

"I… how can you be sure?"

"Do you really think I don't love you enough to keep my eyes above the oceans and my ears beneath the clouds? We're both the same in the end… just heavy burdens to our fathers. We're the only ones who can support each other… and protect each other."

"God Vritra, I…"

"You know what you must do."

Game over.