I Enrolled as the Villain Chapter 7: Once but not twice

I sat on the edge of the bed, groggy.

"Didn’t I say I’d go back to the academy today...?" I muttered, frowning.

A soft knock ca at the door.

"You’re awake, Lord Kael," a servant said, stepping inside.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "What ti is it?"

"A little past nine."

I blinked, still piecing things together.

The servant cleared their throat.

"Today is a rest day, my lord. Classes resu in three days for Founding Week."

"I see..."

Three days off. Good. That ans I don’t have to pretend to know how to act around everyone yet.

I let the silence hang for a mont.

Then stared at the folds in the blanket. Then around the room—clean, organized.

But...

It didn’t feel like I lived here.

"Oh... so what’s your, uh—"

The maid cleaning my room didn’t respond.

I cleared my throat and spoke louder. "So—?"

She glanced up. "Yes, Lord Kael?"

"What’s your na?"

She paused, barely a beat. "Elira, my lord."

I nodded. "Right. Elina. Got it."

Silence.

She dipped her head politely. "Yes, my lord."

I walked past, scratching the back of my neck.

"Weird na," I muttered.

She stood still until I turned the corner.

Only then did she exhale—slow and quiet—and whisper to no one:

"...It was Elira."

As I walked through the hallway, another servant approached .

"Please allow us to guide you to your breakfast, Sir Kael."

"...Hm. Alright then."

When I entered the dining hall, I found a large round table, every seat perfectly arranged—yet I was the only one present.

"Where’s Evelyne?"

"She eats in her room, my lord."

"I see..."

The breakfast looked straight out of a comic book. A feast fit for twenty, all prepared just for .

There was also decorated food that looked more like display pieces than anything edible.

So this is what Kael eats every day.

I’ll have to request a reduced portion later.

As I began to eat, a maid approached .

"Good morning, Lord—"

"Kael."

"Sir Kael, my apologies. I’m here to brief you on your schedule. Would you prefer I explain it now, or send it directly to Vice Lord Evara?"

So even Kael has a schedule, huh?

"Brief ," I said, chewing.

She raised an eyebrow, but continued.

"Then I will begin," she said, voice crisp and unreadable.

"You’re expected to review and sign docunts regarding the new public academy being built at the Valery compound."

I blinked. Public academy? I didn’t rember authorizing that in Kael’s mories. Hell, I barely rembered what his own academy looked like.

She continued without pause,

"After that, you’re scheduled to visit the construction site for inspection, accompanied by Vice Lord Evara."

I raised a brow. "That’s... a lot."

She bowed slightly. "These matters are usually forwarded to Vice Lord Evara, but since you are awake and present, the staff assud you might want to resu your responsibilities."

Ah. They expected to skip it all again.

I leaned back in the chair. "...How long has Evara been handling these?"

She hesitated. "Since the day after your father left this world, my lord."

"I see... I’ll go," I said softly. "Tell Evara I’ll be there."

She gave a tight nod—professional but her eyes lingered on for a mont longer than necessary. Like she wasn’t sure if this was just another passing whim.

She adjusted the tablet in her hands. "One more thing, my lord."

I didn’t look up. "Let guess—more paperwork?"

"No, sir. A eting. Tonight."

I glanced up.

She continued, careful now.

"The Elder Council has called for an ergency session in the Ergency Chamber. All key factions will be present... They expect you to attend."

I set down my fork.

"Why?"

"The heir succession issue," she said, almost in a whisper. "Your request to give up heirship to Evelyne... it’s destabilized the current balance. The council is—"

"Panicking," I finished for her.

She didn’t deny it.

I leaned back, staring at the chandelier above the empty table.

I wasn’t ready for politics and all its weight. But neither was I willing to hand it off anymore.

"...Tell them I’ll be there."

"Yes, my lord."

She bowed and turned to leave.

I picked up the fork again, poking half-heartedly at the decorated platter in front of .

"So this is what Kael eats every day, huh?"

No one answered.

As I ate, I idly clicked the silver button on the table.

A hologram flickered to life above the plate.

Most of it was reports. Boring. Bureaucratic. I swiped through them lazily.

Then sothing odd.

A video of a public square.

At the center, a man stood on a crate—glasses, short hair, sleeves rolled up—shouting:

"I don’t have a Ketsugan! I don’t have a Lumigan! But you know what I do have?"

He pointed dramatically to the crowd.

"Guts! And a twenty-year plan to transition this empire into a constitutional democracy!"

I blinked, chewing slowly. "...What?"

"The Tier System is a lie! A rigged machine for monarchies and nobles! Vote for —Erian Malks, your next president!"

The hologram zood in on his passionate face.

He was sweating. A lot.

"The empire has too many eyes! Ketsugan! Mythrigan! Lumigan!"

He held up a crude poster with three crossed-out eyeballs.

"But what about vision from here?"

(He dramatically tapped his forehead. Then his heart. Then both. No one seed sure what he ant.)

I stared blankly at the projection.

"...He’s definitely going to get himself arrested," I muttered, picking up my spoon.

In the corner of the screen, a small caption appeared:

Erian Malks — Independent. Tierless. Disruptor Party. Approval rating: 3.7% (mostly outer sectors and forums).

As I finished eating and stood up, a group of servants imdiately entered the dining hall to begin clearing the feast.

One of the maids stepped toward , trying to clean up, but I backed away and called over the head maid who briefed earlier.

"Reduce the portion. Just for . No need for this kind of feast."

"...As you wish."

As I walked through the mansion, lost in thought, a maid passed by .

Then she suddenly backflipped.

Thud.

I blinked. "Did you just—?"

Elira quickly straightened, brushing her skirt. "Stretching, my lord."

"...Right. Of course."

She bowed, expression unreadable, and left.

I scratched my head. "What kind of maid backflips down a hallway...?"

I sighed and looked around. "Aren’t I supposed to review so paperwork? Where is it... in my office?"

A voice answered from behind , calm and composed.

"It’s in the Lord’s study, Sir Kael. Allow to lead you there."

I turned.

It was her again. The sa head maid who briefed earlier.

A little thrown, I asked, "Did you follow ?"

She only dipped her head in response.

My eye glimred faintly—Mythrigan activating without conscious intent.

In that instant, a translucent afterimage shimred beside :

The head maid, walking a step behind, soundless as a shadow. Her presence woven into the hallway like a hidden thread.

"...Huh," I murmured. "That’s not unsettling at all."

When I stepped into the office, the silence hit first.

Spacious. Immaculate.

Luxury dripped from every inch of the room—marble inlays, polished wood panels, books arranged by color. Like a showroom for an heir who never really used it.

I walked to the chair behind the desk and sat down.

It didn’t feel like mine.

The head maid stepped forward with practiced ease and placed a neat stack of folders on the desk.

"Please review and sign these, Sir Kael," she said, bowing slightly.

I stared at the papers for a second too long.

Then flipped through the stack—project approvals, budget revisions, internal surveillance logs—

And then paused.

A line in sharp black font, stamped with the Council seal:

Authorization for Elrian Malks’ Removal

Reason: Direct provocation and public endangernt regarding the Mythrigan and House nas.

Status: Approved. Signed by Elder Council and Vice Lord Evara.

"An assassination?" My voice was low.

The head maid turned slightly. "Yes, my lord?"

I reached for the disapproval seal, the heavy black one with my crest and pressed it against the paper.

"As the current heir," I said, "any attempt that endangers Elrian Malks will be blocked. Swiftly."

A pause.

Her eyes flicked to the seal, then back to . She didn’t speak. Just nodded slow, unreadable.

Then carefully gathered the docunt and stepped back.

I changed into the formal attire laid out near the wardrobe: deep black with silver trim.

A five-star insignia glead on both shoulders, polished and impossible to miss. Across my right shoulder looped a golden braid, ceremonial in design like sothing borrowed from an old naval officer’s uniform.

No dals or ribbons.

And covering my left eye: a thin veil of black fabric.

As I stepped outside the Valery mansion, the estate guards straightened instantly.

They stood in perfect formation along both sides of the path. Each soldier wore a sleek grey uniform and tall, rigid hats reminiscent of old parade regints.

What stood out most were the dark goggles. Not worn for intimidation, but necessity. Every soldier under House Valery bore a unique ocular gift so have Ketsugan, so otherwise and the goggles shielded both their vision and others from their gaze.

Ahead, a sleek, futuristic black car waited at the foot of the stairs—a shadow of modern luxury.

Standing beside it was a tall woman in a fitted grey coat, arms folded.

A scar cut down her right eye, clean and brutal.

Vice Lord Evara.

She didn’t smile. Didn’t salute. She only nodded once, sharp and exact.

"My lord."

I returned the nod, adjusted the braid on my shoulder, and stepped into the car.

A mont later, the door on my right opened.

Evara entered without a word, her presence sharp as ever. She didn’t need to speak.

She just sat—silent and straight-eyed.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Silence settled between us.

She didn’t look at as she spoke.

"If you weren’t the bearer of Mythrigan, Lord Kael...

We would’ve already replaced you.

This House doesn’t forgive twice."