I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead-Chapter 40: Distorted Perception

From cleaning duties with Sera who never stopped complaining, lessons with Beatrice who never stopped being annoyingly competent, and some quiet studying on her own, the day passed by quickly.

By the time Verena collapsed into bed, she found herself thinking: Huh. That was actually a pretty funny day.

Then morning came.

She stood by the gate, waiting. Today, she had promised Beatrice she wouldn't ditch her. For once.

Suddenly, a scream tore through the morning air.

Heads turned. Students murmured. Something erupted.

Verena's brows furrowed as she pushed through the gathering crowd, drawn to the commotion in the school's central plaza.

There was a circle of horrified onlookers.

When she saw it, there was blood.

A dark, pooling stain against the pristine white stone.

Her breath caught as she stepped closer.

A body.

A girl.

Lavender hair splayed out like a broken halo.

Verena's knees buckled. She barely registered falling, her hands bracing against the cold ground. Her ears rang. The voices around her blurred into meaningless noise.

She jumped.

No, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen.

This wasn't in the novel.

Beatrice was dead.

Her skull was crushed. Brutally.

Verena had always known this world wasn't kind, that everyone here was twisted in some way.

But Beatrice wasn't supposed to be part of that madness. Not yet.

Heart pounding, Verena crawled toward the lifeless body, hands shaking as she pulled Beatrice into her arms.

It didn't matter how gruesome it was. It didn't matter how vile it was to hold the woman in such macabre state.

She held her anyway.

"Beatrice...?" Her voice wavered, barely more than a whisper.

The school had been shut down for the day, fear gripping the campus like an iron vice.

Was it the work of a monster? Hours passed as the staff combed through the scene, their magic probing the lingering energy in the air.

Verena didn't leave. They didn't make her.

Beatrice's body had been carefully covered in the clinic, awaiting proper transport.

Outside, Evelyn stood near the entrance, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, trembling. Her face was pale, her breaths shallow.

To Verena, it had to be connected to her somehow.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

This damned doormat... She was too soft, too accommodating, too susceptible. But Verena wasn't one to make reckless conclusions. Not yet.

Instead, she placed a hand on Evelyn's back. "Come on," she murmured.

Without protest, Evelyn followed.

They walked in silence, the weight of the incident lingering in the air, until they reached a quiet balcony overlooking the academy grounds.

The evening breeze was cool, but it did little to ease the tension tightening Verena's chest.

She leaned against the railing, stealing a glance at Evelyn.

"Talk to me," she finally said.

"It was my fault!" she finally screamed, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. "I didn't kill her, I swear! I told Norvan everything. I told him how it was eating me alive, how jealous I was. I was crying, I was desperate. I tried to stop him! But he... he pulled something, and then... then he pushed her!"