I Was Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Who Gets Killed Midway Through the Story but It Looks Like I’ll Be Executed as a Traitor if I Try to Do Good Deeds

21: The Beginning of Hope

For now, I think I’ve managed to get the princess sisters to reconcile. We’ve avoided an immediate enemy situation. That’s why I need to take a stand here. If I fail next time, everything will be ruined.

“Well, now all I have to do is save Lina from assassination. According to the original story, it’s supposed to happen tomorrow. I’ll prepare for it today.”

At this stage, I don’t have many options. If I tell someone to be on guard against an assassin, who will take me seriously? After all, I’m just a kid. If I had a reliable source of information, things would be different.

So, I have no choice but to take personal countermeasures. There’s a risk, but if I don’t do anything and Reina gets hurt, I’ll regret it forever.

At the very least, I can’t do anything in my room. That means I have to go outside.

“Aria, take a break and get some fresh air. You can clean the room while you’re at it.”

“Yes, sir, Rex-sama.”

In the worst-case scenario, I don’t want to get Aria involved. So, it’s better to keep her calm and quiet in the room. For now, let’s just pretend it’s my arbitrary decision.

So, I started preparing to prevent Reina from being assassinated. From my knowledge of “Destiny Blood,” I know that the possibility of being attacked physically is high tomorrow. Therefore, I don’t need to worry about poison. In this uncertain situation, it’s a relief.

“If I use my dark magic to sense things, I can tell the state of objects and the environment around me. It’s convenient.”

Right now, I can sense that Camila is wielding a sword, Mary is practicing magic, and Felicia is holding a staff. Information is being transmitted to me through my magic. In other words, I can use the same method to investigate if anything suspicious is happening around Reina.

So, I’ll spread my dark magic throughout the palace to detect any suspicious activity. If someone tries to enter Reina’s room, they’ll have to go through the areas I’ve covered.

“With this, the route to Reina’s room should be blocked. Now, all I have to do is wait for a change in the situation.”

Then, I stayed up all night to monitor the palace’s situation. By applying my dark magic, I can also eliminate fatigue. It’s convenient for all-nighters.

After waiting for a while, I detected some movement.

“There’s clearly someone trying to erase their footprints. That means it’s an assassin. I have to move quickly.”

I quietly left the room without waking Aria up, and then went to the place where the assassin would pass through.

There, I found a man holding a sword. That’s weird. Why would someone be holding a sword in the palace at night? And he’s even trying to hide his face. The possibility of him being a guard is eliminated.

“What are you doing there!”

“I’ve been seen, so I’ll get rid of you!”

He attacked me with his sword, but it’s easy to handle. For me, sword techniques are just child’s play.

“Dark attire!”

My dark magic protected me from the sword. Of course, the defense was flawless.

“Why didn’t the sword work…?”

“Take a nap for a while!”

I punched him with all my might, and he fainted. It was an easy win, but I have to think of an excuse.

“Now, what should I do? Should I say I was attacked and hand him over to the soldiers?”

As I searched for people around me using my magic, I found a patrol guard. I pretended not to know anything and approached him.

“That person was trying to enter Reina’s room with a sword. Can you catch him?”

“You’re the one who knocked him out… Ah, you’re a dark magic user. That’s not in the records. He’s definitely an intruder.”

I see. So, there’s a guest list, and they can tell who I am based on that. That’s convenient.

I was taken to a place that looked like a detention center, and I was told to sleep until the next day. The next day, I was summoned to the throne room.

The king, the princesses, and the captive assassin were all there. In other words, all the relevant parties were present. I kneeled down, and the king began to speak.

“You did well to save my daughter. By the way, how did you know about the attack? Be honest, and I won’t punish you.”

In other words, they think I’ve done something wrong. Maybe they suspect that I have an inside connection? Either way, it’s not good to lie. The king’s tone is serious.

“I had a bad feeling, so I spread my dark magic throughout the building.”

“Rex, you used your dark magic in my palace without permission. That’s a serious offense. You know that, don’t you?”

If I’m not careful, I might be considered a criminal. I knew that. But I wanted to save Reina. I wanted to avoid the unfortunate events of the original story. At first, I just wanted to create a better future than the original. But after meeting Reina and seeing her smile, I genuinely wanted to help her. She’s a good kid, after all.

“I apologize…”

“And you tried to handle the intruder on your own.”

The king is looking at me with a sharp gaze. I know I’ve done something wrong. If I’m not careful, I might be punished. But if I’m lucky, I might be able to escape.

“I have no excuse…”

“But I’ll forgive you. Your achievement in saving my daughter far outweighs your crime.”

My voice became softer, and my face looked kinder. It was as if I had been forgiven. I was relieved. I had been prepared to accept punishment, but I was scared.

“I’m grateful for this blessing.”

As I responded, Sister Mia turned towards me with a gentle smile. Then, she headed towards the culprit.

“Thank you, Rex-kun. If Lina-chan had been injured, I would have been sad. And there’s someone who can’t be forgiven.”

“Mia-sama, I did it for your sake…”

“Don’t joke around!”

Mia slapped the culprit’s cheek with all her might. Her cold, angry eyes showed that she was furious. She truly cared about her sister. Then, we wouldn’t have to fight like in the original story. We could create a future where we didn’t have to be enemies.

“Mia, don’t use your power recklessly. We should follow the proper procedures and punish the guilty.”

“I apologize, Father. But I couldn’t forgive someone who would hurt Lina-chan.”

“…I see. If I said that to my sister, I’d be the bad guy, wouldn’t I? It can’t be helped. I’ll thank my sister a little. Thank you, Rex-san.”

After hearing Lina’s words, Mia’s face changed into a bright, flower-like smile. From now on, I felt like we could get along. As a fan of the original story and as a friend, I sincerely hoped so.

“Thank you, Lina-chan!”

“I also don’t dislike my sister. At least, not now. Getting along with her isn’t impossible, right? That’s good, isn’t it, Rex-san?”

The future was still unknown, but I believed that these sisters would have a bright path ahead. Mia, who was sincerely happy, and Lina, who responded with twisted words, both had smiles on their faces.

Yes, I had taken a big step forward. From now on, I would prevent the tragedies that would occur in the original story, especially those involving people close to me. To survive and for the sake of my future with important people, I would overcome any difficulties that came my way.