I Am The Game's Villain Chapter 839: Gathering in the Veyra’s Forum Crown Terrace [2]

Unexpectedly, the Teraquin family had attended the Saintess’s world reveal.

Their presence drew attention almost immediately. Queen Tanya Teraquin was not known as someone who wasted her time attending ceremonies simply because the rest of the world considered them important. She rarely appeared unless there was a reason worth her effort. Yet there she was, entering the Crown Terrace with the same imposing beauty and cold presence she had always carried.

She wore an elegant green gown that flowed neatly around her figure, while her green hair was tied back with great care. Despite being the mother of three children, she looked nothing like it. Her appearance remained refined, powerful, and almost intimidatingly youthful. Her expression, however, looked as displeased as ever for some reason. Maybe she caught some unpleasant faces, especially a certain grey-haired man who should be rotting in prison from her perspective.

Still, that sharp expression did nothing to diminish her beauty.

Victor suddenly heard a low whistle from behind him. Turning his head, he spotted a bloated man who appeared to be a noble from Edenis Raphiel staring at Tanya far too openly.

Thankfully, Tanya had not noticed him.

Tanya moved forward without acknowledging the attention around her. Behind her came Allen Teraquin, quietly pushing a wheelchair. Sitting in it was a beautiful young girl with blondish green hair, her large green eyes shining with excitement as she looked through the high windows toward the breathtaking view beyond the terrace.

It was Bryelle.

She had grown into a very pretty girl. Unlike her mother, she could not hide her wonder. Her gaze kept shifting to the immense amphitheater below.

"Tanya," Leora greeted, being one of the closest people to the arriving family.

Tanya gave her a small nod in return. It was not exactly warm, but it was still a greeting. Without sparing much attention to anyone else, she continued toward the back rows and took a seat.

Victor watched her settle in before glancing around the rest of the family.

"As always, Alvara is absent," he said.

"Nothing new," Rodolf replied with a shrug.

After the death of her brother Kendel, followed by Edward’s death, Alvara had withdrawn almost completely from the world. She rarely showed herself in public anymore. Even when her mother, brother, and sister attended events, Alvara remained absent. Sometimes people wondered whether she still lived in Sancta Vedelia at all, or whether she had disappeared somewhere far away in an attempt to escape the grief that refused to leave her.

"I think I might have seen her twice this past year," Rodolf added, his voice casual at first.

"She is having a hard time, Rodolf," Cylien said quietly.

"Her whole family had a hard time too," Rodolf replied. "But look at them. They all moved forward."

Cylien gave him a sad look.

"You know it is not only about Kendel, do you?"

Rodolf’s face changed at once. His expression became bitter, and his hands slowly clenched into fists.

"Right..." he muttered.

Victor overheard the exchange and understood exactly what they meant. He would have been an idiot not to know. Alvara had been in love with Edward. The truth had shocked many people, but she had kissed him openly in front of everyone in the academy. On that terrible night, she had lost both her brother and the person she loved. It was only natural that the loss had shattered something inside her.

"I still cannot believe that bastard is walking around as though nothing happened," Rodolf suddenly said, his voice filled with anger.

His glare moved across the room toward Kleines, who stood smiling as he spoke with Amael.

Victor followed his gaze, and his own expression hardened.

"He is a Falkrona, and he is married into the Olphean family," Victor replied. "What did you expect?"

"This is insane," Rodolf snarled. "There is no justice in any of this."

Cylien did not argue. She only rested a gentle hand on Rodolf’s shoulder.

She had suffered too. Nyr had been one of their closest friends, and she still remembered his final words. Accepting that he was gone had never been easy. Even surrounded by people, there were moments when the absence of those they had lost made the world feel painfully empty.

Before anyone could say more, the doors to the Crown Terrace opened again.

This time, the guests who entered came from the New Celesta Empire.

John arrived first, Amelia at his side. Behind them came Eric, Jeanne, and Rubina.

Their arrival immediately caught Victor’s attention.

"Hey, John!" Victor called, raising his hand.

John looked over and spotted him. He began walking toward Victor’s row. Amelia followed beside him, her expression brighter. She raised her hand in greeting toward Cylien, who returned the gesture with a welcoming smile.

Amelia did catch also her father; Reiner waving at her but Amelia proceeded to ignore him which triggered Reiner to glare to John instead.

"Come sit here and let me have Amelia," Cylien said, rising from her seat. She gestured for John to take her place before moving toward the row behind with Amelia. Perhaps she wanted to give the men time to speak, or perhaps she simply wished to spend time talking with Amelia and checking on her pregnancy.

"Wait a minute!" Rodolf complained the moment John sat down in the seat beside him. "I want to sit next to my fiancée, not this weirdo!"

"As noisy as ever," John sneered, making himself fully comfortable in the seat before leaning back with clear satisfaction.

Rodolf stared at him in disbelief.

"You came all the way here just to steal my seat?"

"I came here because I was invited," John replied . "Taking your seat is merely a bonus."

Victor let out a quiet laugh, while Cylien covered her mouth to hide her own amusement. Even Amelia could not stop herself from smiling as Rodolf’s ears twitched with annoyance.

Then Victor shifted his attention toward the row where Jeanne had taken a seat beside Eric and Rubina. The brunette beauty stood out even in a room filled with royalty and extraordinary figures. There was something in her which was definitely special and everyone could see it.

"So, John," Victor said, lowering his voice slightly, "the brunette over there is Celesta’s Hero, right?"

John followed his gaze toward Jeanne.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

Victor had certainly never met Jeanne before. As far as John knew, he had never even seen a picture of her. Yet Victor had identified her almost instantly.

"I just had a feeling," Victor replied. "She has the same kind of presence Sean and Keith have."

"Sean and Keith?" John asked, the names unfamiliar to him.

"They are the two Heroes who were summoned in Sancta Vedelia," Rodolf replied.

"Oh..." John nodded briefly.

The names meant nothing to him, and judging from Rodolf’s reaction, they were not people he knew from Earth either.

"Well, your Hero seems much better than those two clowns pretending to be Heroes," Rodolf added with a snort.

John turned toward him with a questioning look.

"How so?"

Victor laughed quietly, though there was a trace of weariness behind it.

"Well, they might be taking their roles a little too seriously," he began. "And they are also, well..."

"They like spending their time around women," Selene finished dryly from Victor’s side.

John’s expression flattened at once.

"Scumbags, then."

"Yeah," Rodolf added, leaning back in his seat with clear irritation. "And they are twins. That is the worst part."

John immediately shot him a glare.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean about twins?"

"You and Layla are fake twins. That does not count," Rodolf said dismissively. "I mean real twins. Same irritating faces, same arrogant smiles, same habit of acting like every woman in the room should be impressed by them. We really drew the short sticks with those two, did we not?"

His narrowed gaze drifted back toward Jeanne.

For some reason, something about her face felt strangely familiar. He could not remember seeing her before, not clearly at least. It was not enough to form a real thought, only a vague sensation that quickly slipped away when he tried to grasp it.

"And where are these Heroes?" John asked.

"They said they would not come," Victor replied with a sigh. "Apparently they will see the Saintess at the academy anyway, so they saw no reason to attend the reveal."

"Good luck dealing with them," Rodolf said, his tone growing more serious. "Because they have the status of Eden’s chosen, you cannot do much against them even when they deserve it. God knows how many times I had to stop myself from beating the shit out of them whenever they tried approaching Cylien."

"More like Cylien stopped you from beating them up," Victor corrected, amusement returning to his voice. "You would have caused an enormous diplomatic issue. Attacking a Hero summoned from another world through Eden’s divine power is not something people take lightly. You could have ruined your entire engagement over it."

Rodolf only shrugged, unconvinced.

"If they had pushed too far, I would not have cared."

"You would have cared once Aerinwyn finished with you," Victor said.

That earned him a sharp glare.

"I am just glad I will not have to see their faces for at least the next year," Rodolf muttered. "Hopefully longer."

"What about the other Heroes?" John asked. "Are they any better?"

"No idea," Rodolf replied at once. "And I do not want to know either."

"Right," John said with a faint nod. "You are going to stay safely back home in Sancta Vedelia."

Rodolf’s ears twitched, and he turned toward John with a scowl.

"Fuck off. And try not to get yourself beaten there. If you thought you had it hard in Sancta Vedelia, you are not surviving at the academy here."

"Shut up," John groaned back.