Voyage Of The Villainess

Malaya began shedding fake crocodile tears.

"His highness got upset when I didn't talk to him," Malaya said. She put her hands on her left eye pretending to wipe the imaginary tears. "Sniff. I apologize for that, your highness. It's just that you sounded so angry and stup... I mean scary that it frightened me to speak to you. You even destroy the table."

"This!" The crown prince couldn't find any words on how to refute this. Malaya said the truth but in a twisted way.

'Heh. Now that I'm no longer in the academy. There is no need for me to act as the bad one here. Well, it doesn't mean I will be good with these fools.' 

"I see..." Hyun Jae dropped the pot she was holding at another table. "Did I tell you that there are no fights here, right?" 

"But Hyun Jae!" The crown prince closed his mouth when Hyun Jae looked at him upset. 

"No food for you two." Hyun Jae pulled Malaya with her. "Come, Malaya, let's eat now and leave those fools there."

'She called them fools.' Malaya tried to stop herself from laughing. When Hyun Jae went to get the pot, Malaya gave a side glance to the prince and gave him her biggest smug smile. "Heh."

'You! Vile woman!' The crown prince gritted his teeth out of frustration. He could feel very soon that he would be having a heart attack due to anger that he couldn't let out.

Malaya remained calm now trying her best not to laugh or give any sign that she was laughing. She looked away from the crown prince. 'Now that I think about it, it would be my first time eating the female lead's own cooked food.'

As Malaya thought about it, a foreboding feeling rose inside her. "The female lead's cooked food..."

[They thought it was a dream come true because Hyun Jae usually makes exquisite pastries for them. Aside from pastries, it was the first time they ate Hyun Jae's own culinary meal. And they swear they will never eat or let Hyun Jae in the kitchen again if she will not create pastries.]

Certain passages from the novel came inside Malaya's mind. 

"Hyun Jae's food..."

"Malaya, I hope you enjoy this meal. I really do my best to cook this." Hyun Jae said with full enthusiasm.

The approaching footsteps of Hyun Jae sounded like a ticking time bomb to Malaya.

"Um Hyun Jae, I think I should..."Malaya attempted to stand, but Hyun Jae put her left hand against Malaya's shoulder, causing her to remain sitting in the chair. Then she placed a large bowl full of strange ingredients in front of Malaya.

Malaya gulped when she saw the black and purple colored liquid in front of her. 'Is this my karma for lying? Swear, I will be more careful next time.'

"Where are you going, Malaya? It's best to eat the food when it's still hot." Hyun Jae said as she sat in the opposite direction of Malaya. "Let's eat now, shall we?" She flashed a very sweet smile.

"I swear Iris, why did you have to make Hyun Jae's setting to be bad at cooking!"  Malaya cried internally. 'How come she can only bake but still be bad at cooking dishes!' She started to scoop the food that would cause her death. 

"Ah wait for a moment, Hyun Jae!" Malaya said as she dropped her spoon.

Hyun Jae was already going to eat her food, but she stopped midair and looked at Malaya.

"Yes? Is there anything bothering you?"

'Yes, it really bothered me! Do you not feel weird with the color of the food you are going to eat?' Malaya thought.

"I feel too bad if only I will eat. Besides, I have already forgiven those two, so let's eat with them."

The crown prince Aadel and Theo's eyes lit up with Malaya's words.

Hyun Jae glanced at them and the two looked at her with expectant gazes. 

"I see…Then if that's what you want, Malaya." Hyun Jae said. "Both of you can eat with us."

The two faces became even brighter. Malaya used this chance to stand up. " Wait here, I'll go get another table." As she walked away, she grinned behind their backs. 'The more, the merrier. I will not be the only one who will suffer.'

---⚓⚓⚓---

Meanwhile…

"Achoo!" Iris rubbed her nose. 'That idiot must have been thinking of me saving her. Heh.' A smug grin formed her lips. 'Hah. What must I do with that student of yours Gin...Ah, crap. I almost said that annoying name.'

"Lady Iris?" Dorris called out. "Why are you smiling like that? You look like a creep…. And weird."

*Smack!* 

Dorris touched her head when Iris smacked it. 

'I'm just asking nicely, why did she have to hit me.' Dorris cried out loud inside.'She is like Lady Malaya who always flicked my head as well.'

The three of them, Iris, Dorris, and Elred had been walking around for quite some time in the mist. There was a rope tied at their hands so that they would not lose each other in the mist.

"Do you sense anything now, Elred?" Iris asked. 

Elred just shook his head. Iris moths that she sent to find Malaya and the others were not reporting anything to her as well. 'Plus, since I came to this island, somehow my character detection was not working. If it could work, things would be easy for me now.' Iris clicked her tongue in annoyance.

But then...Dorris suddenly started running. "Guys look! There's someone there!"

Both Elred and Iris glanced at each other as they got dragged with Dorris.

"Rein?" Dorris stopped as soon as she saw the familiar back of someone kneeling on the ground.

"Dorris?" Rein glanced back, surprised at seeing them. 

"Dorris! Don't run like that…" Iris paused her words when she saw Rein.

"You're here as well, Lady Iris, and…hmm...nothing." 

Somewhat Elred felt offended when Rein ignored him. 

"What are you doing here?" Iris asked.

"I spotted this man." They all look at the man sprawling in the ground. 

"Is that Maru?" Iris asked as she leaned the torch she had to take a closer look.

"I heard a loud sound of an explosion and followed it. Then I found him, lying here." Rein explained.

"An explosion? And that guy was on the ship before right?" Iris remembered the ship. 

All of them realized something. "The ship?!"