Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 47: 

Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only

Killian slowly blinked his eyes at the surreal scene unfolding before him.  

Time seemed to pass in slow motion.  

The coachman tightened his grip around Killian’s mouth to prevent him from screaming.  

Whether it was due to the coachman muffling his voice or from some injury he had sustained, Killian found it hard to breathe.  

And then, there was the rough sound of falling rocks hitting the ground.  

A thud, the sound of shattering, and an eerie, unfamiliar wailing.  

Soon after, a piercing screech reached his ears.  

The assailant mercilessly struck them with the blood-stained rock repeatedly.  

A red beaded bracelet gleamed on the wrist of the assailant whose hands struck the rock.  

Killian couldn’t even close his eyes as he captured the scene in front of him.  

Is it a nightmare? Yes, this can’t be happening. It’s too frightening to be real. I should run to my parents’ room as soon as I wake up.  

He looked at the blood flowing like a river under the broken carriage.  

With that thought, Killian lost consciousness for the last time.  

And when he opened his eyes again, the nightmare didn’t end.  

He was the sole survivor of the carriage accident. The coachman who had protected him also died in the “carriage accident.”  

Even during his parents’ funeral, he felt numb.  

It felt unreal.  

It’s unbelievable, that such a thing could happen…  

Even after surviving battles at the northern border, how could my father, who returned alive several times, die in a carriage accident? It’s absurd, right?  

My mother, who used to embrace me with a smile, is suddenly gone from this world? It just doesn’t make sense.  

It took quite a long time for the young boy to accept reality. Even longer than it took for his broken leg to heal.  

At night, he would dream of a man with the red bead bracelet coming to kill him.   

When he woke up screaming from his sleep, the image of eyes like black pupils standing on bright red ground remained buried in his mind, refusing to leave.  

After such terrifying dreams, he would long to see his mom and dad even more. He wanted someone to hold him and sleep beside him to comfort him, but there was no one.  

He was alone.  

People argued about what to do with the young Killian, the last surviving member of the Rivelon family. He was too young to lead the Rivelon lineage, and there were many beasts seeking to take advantage of the Rivelon’s downfall.  

Even with his young mind, Killian could sense that the beasts responsible for his parent’s deaths were lurking somewhere out there.  

He knew that if he were to confront them, claiming that his parents were murdered, he too would be targeted for death. The weak child cowardly kept his mouth shut, even though the suppressed secret tore at his heart, tormenting him, and haunting his dreams with haunting memories of everything he had witnessed. To survive, he buried that secret deep within his heart, using it as a catalyst for his relentless growth. He pledged to one day uncover the truth of that day.  

He spared no effort in acquiring the skills and abilities that would be necessary for revenge. Despite having natural talents, what propelled him to this position were the scars and anger from the past. The child who once trembled in fear had grown into someone unafraid of faceless beasts. Having learned the art of hunting, he began to follow the trail of the past. 

However, unravelling the events of the distant past was not an easy task to undertake alone. It was Marquis Fideut who first came to his aid, providing the help he needed on his journey to uncover the truth.  

“There was once a forbidden rumour about the Emperor’s illegitimate child.” 

Fideut began. “It was quite a specific rumour, and the late Duke Howard Rivelon also mentioned it.”  

“The Emperor’s illegitimate child…?”   

“While it was just a rumour, it seemed unusually detailed. Moreover, the late Duke Howard, who was always serious, seemed concerned about that dangerous rumour,” Fideut explained.   

He thought it was strange for someone like Howard to be swept up in such rumours, as he was not the type of person to be affected by gossip.  

And then, a year later, a carriage accident happened.   

Also, the truth was told by Viscount Percel, who was a faithful vassal of Rivelon at the time.  

“Duke Howard Rivelon, your father, tried to protect that child.”  

There really was an Emperor’s illegitimate child.  

And his father had tried to protect that child.  

“Duke Rivelon took the child and sent it to a safe place for adoption.”  

“Is the child still alive?”  

“I cannot say for certain. It’s possible that they may have already met an unfortunate end.”  

“Didn’t you, Viscount (Percel), serve the duke closely? Yet he didn’t tell you about it?”   

“I was in charge of the financial matters for the Duke, that’s all. It seems His Grace didn’t want those close to him to be involved in that matter.”  

Percel knew nothing about the origins, appearance, or whereabouts of the emperor’s illegitimate child. He only knew that the child was likely just one or two years old at the time of the incident.  

“Oh, there was one server who served His Grace back then.”  

As Percel helped Killian with the investigation, a new memory surfaced in his mind.  

A servant who helped the former grand duke secretly steal the child and send it for adoption.  

After the Duke had completed the task, he gave the servant a large sum of money and arranged for them to leave for a safe place. He even suggested that they change their identities if possible. With the help of these individuals, Kilian slowly filled in the missing pieces of the puzzle on this wall.  

But…  

Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only

“I lost everyone right before my eyes.”  

Killian’s fist clenched, and the veins on the back of his hand surged.  

On the night when he was supposed to meet Marquis Fideut in secret, he found the Marquis already fatally poisoned. Fideut handed him a letter with a date indicating Percel’s arrival in the capital, then passed away soon after.  

Percel faced a similar fate. (T/L: Wait what so he didn’t kill them. What a plot twist.)  

On the day he came to the capital, Killian went to the alley they agreed upon to meet him. Percel seemed to have found some clues about the missing servant and wanted to share his findings with Killian. (T/L: There’s some link between that child and his parent’s death, hmmmm .)  

However, right before his eyes, Percel was murdered.  

And the culprit behind both incidents turned out to be the “Black Moon” present at the scene.  

Killian had no choice but to flee without being able to explain or reveal his pursuit of the past truth. If he were to expose his true intentions and explanations, he would become the target of the one who killed Fideut and Percel. (T/L: OMMy, I’m curious who is the killer.)  

Before finding more definitive truths and evidence, things turn awry.  

So, once again, he cowardly chose silence. Just like when he lost his parents, he had to helplessly let go of them.  

Feelings of powerlessness, self-loathing, regret, and guilt overwhelmed him.  

But such emotions were familiar to him.  

He knew better than anyone how to embrace the rotting turmoil within and endure it.  

He had to rise again, drawing strength from it.  

Because…  

Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only

‘This is it. The poison used in the murder!’  

The bead that appeared in his nightmares every day, the fragment of the only memory that surfaced.  

The bracelet on the murderer’s wrist, the one who killed his mother and father.  

It was unbelievable.  

Until now, he thought the vivid red bracelet was just a terrifying illusion created by haunting memories. He had never seen such a gem anywhere.  

But now, the Rosary had reappeared. (T/L: the red seed found at the Marquis and Viscount crime site.)  

Piece by piece, the puzzle of the past was coming together.  

He couldn’t stop here, for the sake of those who had died because of him.  

With Rosary seed, the outline of the culprit became clearer.  

The one who tried to hide the emperor’s illegitimate child. And the one who is still desperately trying to cover up the truth.  

Killian’s gaze slowly shifted to the opposite side.  

Another name occupied one side of the wall.  

“The Orhel Imperial Family….”. (T/L: Whaaaaat.)   

An ornate royal crest is attached to one side of the wall.  

Until facing this truth, they were the family and nation he trusted and loved more than anyone else.  

But he couldn’t deny it.  

The only one with the motive to conceal the emperor’s illegitimate child and the power to secretly assassinate the viscount and the marquis was the Orhel royal family.  

As he unveiled each layer of the past, he could finally see the true nature of the grace and kindness the royal family had shown him.  

‘Do whatever you want, Killian. There is no need to study. Rest well and play to your heart’s content.’  

The words the Empress always said to him when he first arrived at the palace.  

She tried not to educate Killian. After the great accident, she considered it fortunate that he was alive and healthy. She bought him toys instead of books and showered him with expensive luxuries as gifts. (T/L: My baby Killian, sniff sniff*.)  

At that time, Killian believed that the Empress was genuinely acting that way for his sake. He thought she was showing affection to a pitiful child.  

But it wasn’t the case.  

As Killian followed Mihail to learn and grow, the Empress disguised her concern and tried to hinder him.  

‘I think you’re overdoing it, Killian. Why don’t you go out and meet a girl? It’s not good to be too naive.’ She would say this, pretending to be worried.  

As Killian grew older, the palace encouraged him to indulge in alcohol and women. When he showed no interest, they offered him a lot of money to indulge in extravagance.  

The fact that the palace encouraged him to indulge in pleasure and extravagance felt a bit strange to Killian, but he only thought that they were worried about him not being humorous enough. 

Unlike Killian, Mikhail had never been told such things. As the crown prince, Mikhail believed he had responsibilities to fulfill, so he received the best education and was taught to be cautious of pleasure and extravagance like steel. 

Moreover, there were people around Killian who frequently approached him in a rather tangled manner. Some offered him horse racing or gambling, while others recommended alcohol or dubious substances. There were also women who shamelessly approached him. 

If he didn’t have the will for revenge, he might have become a completely broken individual by now. 

A long *sigh*. 

To be continued……. 

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