A Guide to Raising a Villainess Chapter 91: Private conversation (2)

What I heard was so astonishing that my mind simply refused to accept it.

For a few monts, I was frozen, unable to utter a word or even move.

"Wait..." I finally managed to say, barely finding my voice, "you know that this world is... a ga?"

The boy didn’t answer right away. He leaned back in his seat, crossed his arms, and seed to smile thoughtfully. There was a barely noticeable movent under his hood.

"I know," he said calmly, almost casually, but there was a slight, barely perceptible mockery in his tone.

My mouth went dry. My heart skipped a beat — I could almost physically feel it jolting my chest before beating again.

He knows.

I hadn’t misheard him. He had said it in all seriousness.

I was once again overco by a feeling close to numbness. Only one thought remained in my head: the thought that in this world, I was not the only one who knew the real truth.

This thought was both stunning and frightening at the sa ti.

Could it be that the person sitting in front of was just like ? Soone who had also played this ga before, and then... for so reason ended up here?

"Were you... a player?" I finally asked, feeling my voice betray with a tremor.

He turned his head toward . From under his hood, I saw a slight movent of his lips — an almost invisible smile.

"No," he replied softly, "I’m not a player."

For a mont, I was stunned.

"Then..." I swallowed hard, "are you a developer?"

This ti he laughed quietly.

"Developer... If only. But, alas, neither one nor the other."

"Then who are you?" I asked more firmly, though my heart was still pounding wildly.

He tilted his head slightly to one side, as if pondering the answer. For several long seconds, silence reigned in the carriage, broken only by the faint wind outside.

Finally, my companion spoke:

"For now... unfortunately, I can’t tell you that. Everything in its own ti."

I pressed my lips together, barely containing my irritation. Of course, his answer did not satisfy at all.

I wanted to know who he was. Who was this boy who suddenly claid to know about this world what, in theory, no one but should have known?

But he obviously had no intention of opening up to — at least not now.

I sighed quietly, realizing that I wasn’t going to get any more out of him than he was willing to give.

"All right," I said finally, trying to keep my voice calm. "Then at least explain one thing."

He lifted his chin slightly.

"I’m listening."

"A little earlier," I began, trying not to betray how nervous I was, "you ntioned ga music. What did you an by that?"

For a few monts, a tense silence reigned in the carriage.

The boy was silent for a while. Then he exhaled quietly and said, "Ah... you an that." There was a slight weariness in his voice, as if he were saying sothing self-evident. "As I said, when that music plays... all our actions are being watched. That’s why it was so difficult for to find a mont when it wasn’t playing. Like now."

I frowned involuntarily. His words sounded strange, almost insane, but there was no hint of jest in his tone.

"Observed?" I asked quietly.

He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to sothing outside the carriage, then looked at again from under his hood.

"Have you never noticed?" the boy asked, a faint smile flickering in his voice. "Have you never heard it? It plays almost constantly. That’s why I had to wait so long before I could contact you."

I thought for a mont, chanically interlacing my fingers.

Ga music...?

At first, I didn’t understand what he ant. But then, gradually, a quiet, barely perceptible lodic accompanint ca to mind, one that really did almost never stop. Light, repetitive notes, a background the from the original ga that had been playing since I first appeared in this world.

Before, I just didn’t think it was important. After all, I thought this music was just part of this ga-based world, brought here along with the system.

Until that mont, I had never thought that it could an sothing more.

Now, when the boy said this in such a calm, confident voice, a feeling of unease arose within .

"Are you saying..." I slowly looked up, "that soone is watching us through the music?"

"Exactly," he replied briefly.

"But who?" I asked, feeling my voice betray . "Who is watching?"

The boy slowly straightened up, and for a second, the edge of his face was illuminated from under his hood. I saw pale skin and a thin, calm smile.

"Oh," he said softly, almost affectionately, "you know her very well."

I didn’t even understand the aning of his words at first.

"What... do you an?" I asked, swallowing with difficulty.

He smiled a little wider, but there was nothing cheerful about that smile.

"Of course, I’m talking about the main villain of this ga. Rubiella Weinstein."

"What...?" I froze, unable to believe my ears.

For a mont, I thought I had misheard him.

Rubiella?

My Rubiella...?

"Wait," I finally exhaled, "but what does my niece have to do with this?"

The boy smiled again.

"Your niece?" he asked again, tilting his head to one side as if studying my reaction. "Hmm... It seems you’ve really gotten into the role of your character. Do you seriously consider her your niece?"

Those words made everything inside tighten. I pressed my lips together, trying not to show my excitent.

"Be that as it may," I said firmly, "in this world, I am her aunt. That is a fact."

"Well," he nodded lazily, "you’re probably right about that."

We were silent for a few seconds, and I couldn’t tell if he was laughing at or being serious. But there seed to be no mockery in his gaze. Yes, perhaps there was sothing like anxiety flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Then what did you an?" I finally asked, feeling my patience running out.

The boy looked up, and his voice beca quiet:

"Don’t you know," he said, "that she knows everything that happens in this world?"

I blinked, not imdiately understanding what he ant.

"Knows... what exactly?"

"Everything," he replied. "Absolutely everything." Much more than you can imagine.

He spoke calmly, but his words sent shivers down my spine.

"She knows everything," he continued, "about people, about events, about you. She sees what you don’t see, hears what you don’t hear. There is not a single action in this world that escapes her attention. You have no idea how hard it is for to hide from her."

I instinctively stepped back, staring at him and trying to figure out whether this man was lying or telling the truth.

"That’s... nonsense," I muttered, shaking my head. "You must be mistaken. What are you talking about? How can Rubiella watch us?"

"It’s much simpler than you think," he whispered. "Her influence in this world is incredible."

I frowned, feeling everything inside tighten.

"What are you trying to say?"

"If she wants to," he said quietly, "this world can change in a matter of seconds. She is capable of changing everything around us, and none of us can do anything about it."

He paused, as if giving ti to comprehend what he had said.

"One wish from her, and day will turn to night." One word from her, and any of us could cease to exist.

I froze, as if I had lost the ability to breathe. For a few seconds, I just stared at him, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"That’s..." I finally exhaled, feeling my voice betray , "that’s crazy. You’re wrong!"

The boy didn’t answer right away, just bowed his head slightly, continuing to watch .

"You... you don’t understand!" I continued. "Rubiella is just a character in this ga. She doesn’t have that kind of power!"

I fell silent, taking a deep breath.

"And besides... she’s just a child now," I added, trying to sound confident. "A sweet, kind girl. She doesn’t even know what’s going on here. And even if you," I emphasized, "are aware that this is all a ga, I don’t understand where you got such ridiculous ideas!"

The boy smiled quietly. His laughter was almost silent.

"Lady Weinstein," he said after a short pause, "listen to carefully."

There was no irritation or sarcasm in his voice, only cold seriousness.

I didn’t answer. I just looked at him, feeling a sense of unease rising in my chest.

"You should have taken off your rose-colored glasses a long ti ago," he said quietly, "and finally seen how things really are."

I frowned.

"What do you an by that?"

He leaned back slightly in his seat, and the shadow from his hood once again completely hid his face.

"Everything you see around you," he said clearly, "is just a beautiful illusion."

I shook my head, not wanting to hear it.

"That’s impossible."

"It is possible," he replied firmly. "And you should also accept the cruel reality as soon as possible. It will be better for you."

He paused briefly and added in a whisper:

"This world is already rotting from within. And if we don’t do anything, very soon everything will turn to ruins."