Villain's Odyssey: Enslaving heroines, Conquering Villainesses
Chapter 33: Manipulation

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Manipulation

I pulled on a crisp white shirt, carefully buttoning the cuffs before smoothing out any wrinkles. From the wardrobe, I selected a pair of fitted black trousers that seemed to suit me well. I had already trimmed my hair while bathing—not too short, just enough to bring it to shoulder length. Now I simply tied it back in a neat ponytail. Part of me had considered cutting it shorter, but for some inexplicable reason, I couldn’t bring myself to completely remove it.

Sigh.

Now I stood before the door, fully aware of what awaited me on the other side. I wasn’t nervous or anxious—more like... exhausted. From this moment forward, I would need to manipulate every single entity that could be of use to me. That meant acting, just as I had done with Anna.

Click.

I turned the handle and stepped through. Before me stretched a vast corridor—the walls, floors, and even the window at the far end were immaculate. The maids certainly knew their job. I stepped out calmly, casting a sideways glance at a woman approaching me. She had brown hair and striking green eyes, her head held high with obvious authority. I didn’t recognize her, but her dress clearly marked her as a maid—though definitely not an ordinary one. Two other maids flanked her sides. The head maid, perhaps?

"Good morning, Sir Neil," she said with an impassive expression, offering a slight bow that was mirrored by her companions. It seemed I am their objective. But how did they know I when I woke up?

Hmm.

It appears I’m not as free as I initially thought. Perhaps the room was monitored from the very beginning—that way, they’d know if I tried to escape. That also means the unlocked window was left open intentionally. I see. It seems I’m dealing with a rather complicated individual. This is definitely Anna’s mansion, which means she succeeded in convincing her father not to let Albion take me. But it seems her story wasn’t entirely convincing... he wants to test me himself.

It would be rational for a fool to try escaping a complicated situation he couldn’t understand, and it was for this reason the individual would be a fool-acting without understanding the situation. If I had done that, there was a chance that That would have complicated or even destroyed any chances of reaching Vermillion Academy. I have no idea what exact story Anna fabricated to save me. I might have planted certain ideas in her head during our time together in that Legacy world, but that was my limit. I can’t read the future, so I have no clue what Anna actually told her father. There’s a significant chance that trying to escape would complicate my situation, going against whatever story Anna must have told about my ’personality.’

"Morning, miss." In that instant, I adopted a relatable persona—one that appeared naive yet reasonably intelligent.

"Where am I?" I asked, looking genuinely confused. "I don’t seem to remember coming to this place." I placed my hand against my temple, feigning pain. Every single expression and action I was taking at this moment was preparation for the future negotiation that would occur after this conversation with the maid. I had already predicted that she was here for an initial assessment of my character, so I was laying the groundwork for my eventual meeting with the person behind her presence.

Floyd Estelia.

At this moment, I was painting a picture—crafting an option I would likely choose when facing Floyd. My behavior right now was crucial, perhaps even more critical than the actual ’talk’ I would have with the duke. As they say, first impressions matter.

"Do you not remember where you were before now?" she asked, her graceful features contorting with what appeared to be ’concern.’ From this, I understood something important.

This only meeting was... a trap.

Well, it seems the duke doesn’t believe Anna’s story in the slightest, I thought. Though it might appear like hospitality, every single detail was calculated—something I was only able to detect because of my lack of emotions, which would otherwise alter my judgment through sentimental involvement. That was what the duke hadn’t accounted for. A normal person would have fallen for this ’hospitable’ charade and revealed information that wouldn’t match Anna’s story.

[This is getting interesting.]

Interesting? I don’t think so.

"I don’t... remember," I said with a troubled ’frown,’ looking utterly ’confused.’

"I see," the maid replied with a small, gentle ’smile.’

At this point, two manipulators stood facing each other, one, a maid experienced in the arts of deception, the other, I, who couldn’t be swayed by actions and ’feelings.’.

"But you do remember your name... right?" she asked.

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!] The entity in my head burst into laughter, and the reason was simple.

THIS ENTIRE SITUATION WAS DESIGNED TO IMPLICATE ME!

First was the room I woke up in, perhaps from that very moment, I was being monitored. Although I hadn’t known this consciously, I had unintentionally solved that first part of the puzzle by doing something I had planned from the beginning.

Displaying the attitude of someone NOBLE-born.

From the very moment I woke up, to anyone watching me, my actions were... abnormal. A normal person wouldn’t remain so calm, and that was further reinforced by the fact that I had taken the initiative to bathe and dress myself before even thinking about discovering why I was here. This was something I had done initially to give the impression of a privileged upbringing, and there was a strategic reason for that.

CONFIDENCE.

From the environment, someone intelligent should already deduce that they weren’t in immediate danger—the unlocked windows further reinforced that fact. But for someone waking up in an unknown environment to notice this meant they were dealing with someone intelligent... or just stupidly lucky.

So the maid was sent next, and her calm demeanor and approachable manner could have made me relax if I were just a ’smart’ individual. She had used the name ’Neil’ deliberately, and now that she was asking this question, a ’smart’ person would have answered, ’Neil... my name is Neil.’ But that would be playing directly into their hands.

"I don’t... remember," I said.

For the first time, the maid frowned.

I win.