The Dead Villainess Is Pregnant With The Male Lead's Child (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
“Snap out of it, Veronica! You’re a princess! Countless people are watching you right now! If you don’t want to ruin everything, focus!”
Veronica clenched her molars tightly and steeled her resolve.
“My goal is to break free from the villainess’s frame. I must stray from the original plot!”
It was a resolve she could never afford to loosen.
After all, her very life was at stake.
“So first… I must get away from this man.”
Once she organized her thoughts, her mind felt considerably lighter.
She even felt a bit more confident.
Veronica gently took Killion’s hand and stepped down from the carriage.
“Thank you, Lord Killion. And congratulations on your return!”
“Thank you, Your Royal Highness the Princess.”
Killion briefly kissed the back of Veronica’s hand over his glove.
“Wooaah!”
“You two look absolutely perfect together!”
“Get married soon!”
“Long live Her Royal Highness the Princess!”
“Long live Commander-in-Chief Drea!”
“Long live the Empire of Aethernadum!”
The crowd’s affectionate cheers scattered Veronica’s concentration.
The countless gazes fixed on her, along with the presence of this world’s male lead, weighed down on her like immense burdens.
Thump-thump-thump—her heart began pounding fiercely.
Her hand, clasped with Killion’s, started trembling uncontrollably.
“What do I do? What should I do?”
Veronica bit down gently on the tender membrane inside her mouth, struggling to regain her composure.
Meanwhile, Killion was also trying hard to calm his own startled mind.
“She didn’t rush at me right away today? I thought she’d ask for a kiss, but she didn’t even hint at it.”
Her reaction was utterly different from what he had expected.
He’d assumed that after two years apart, meeting her fiancé again—especially before such a huge crowd—she’d never be satisfied with just a hand-kiss, but he’d been wrong.
Veronica asked nothing more of him.
“And she’s even looking tense like this…”
Just who was Princess Veronica?
She had attended countless grand and minor events alike—from state ceremonies and international gatherings to noble galas and even local festivals.
She had lived her life considering it both her duty and joy to represent the royal family before the people.
She’d been like this ever since the day she was born.
If one were to name the person in the empire who had stood before the largest crowds, it would undoubtedly be Veronica.
“Then why is her hand trembling so? And that nervous expression… It’s as if she’s never stood before people before.”
Killion scrutinized Veronica’s face carefully.
“I heard there was an assassination attempt using poison on her birthday… Could it be that she still hasn’t fully recovered? Perhaps that’s affected her…?”
Killion’s worried gaze wouldn’t leave Veronica’s face.
Sensing his stare, she looked up at him—and the moment their eyes met in midair, Killion couldn’t help doubting his own vision.
“What… what’s this…?”
Veronica had pressed her lips together but lifted the corners of her mouth ever so slightly, forming a polite smile.
Her eyes had barely dipped at the outer edges—almost no change at all.
It was nothing more, nothing less than a smile of pure courtesy.
It was a look Killion had never once seen among the countless expressions Veronica had shown him before.
“What on earth… happened to Your Highness all this time?”
The smile Killion remembered from Veronica was always the same.
Eyes crinkled like crescent moons, mouth stretched wide in a beaming grin—the kind a beloved, adorable girl would wear.
Not this reserved, demure smile befitting a dignified lady.
“She really must not be feeling well…”
That seemed to be the only explanation Killion could think of.
After all, though two years had passed since their last meeting, a person’s true nature couldn’t change so easily.
While Killion pondered Veronica’s changed demeanor, the ceremony began.
First, the Emperor, standing at the center of the dais, congratulated the Allied Knights on their victory and expressed gratitude for their efforts.
Then he bestowed rewards upon Killion, the supreme commander who had led the knights, as well as his deputy commanders.
The leader of these heroes who had defended the empire’s borders was granted a fiefdom and imperial jewels.
The Emperor presented the fiefdom’s deed, the Empress handed over the jewel case, and finally, the Princess delivered a bouquet.
In return, each of them kissed the back of the Princess’s hand.
Every time a robust, noble knight took the Princess’s hand, the crowd’s cheers rose higher.
Normally, such ceremonies included a toast between the honored guests and the Princess, sipping champagne together—but today’s event skipped that part.
It was due to the unfortunate incident at the Princess’s birthday celebration just half a month prior.
By the time the victory ceremony ended, Veronica had grown somewhat accustomed to the crowd’s stares and shouts.
“At last, it’s over! Ah—no, not quite yet. There’s still something worse coming…”
The victory banquet.
Veronica bit down hard on her lower lip to suppress the sigh threatening to burst out.
[This is the timeline separator]After two straight hours of dressing and styling, Veronica was utterly exhausted.
“What even is this… Am I really going to collapse from exhaustion before the banquet even starts?”
She’d been startled by her own reflection in the mirror—made ever more beautiful by the maids’ touches—only the first few times.
After two hours of constant primping, she no longer felt any reaction at all upon seeing herself in the mirror.
Instead, stray thoughts began creeping into her mind.
First, Killion’s face from the victory ceremony came to mind.
“Being a villainess’s vessel is incredibly tough, but at least gazing upon a handsome male lead is still a pleasure.”
Though her hands had trembled from nerves, a deep smile spread across Veronica’s lips as she slowly pictured Killion in her mind.
“He must be well over 180 cm… Tall, with incredibly broad shoulders. And that chest! And that waist!”
Remembering his solidly built chest and flawlessly tapered waist, her mouth involuntarily fell open.
But Veronica quickly snapped back to her senses.
“This isn’t a relationship meant to be! Not in the original plot—and especially not now!”
So she’d give herself no leeway whatsoever. She’d treat him merely as a handsome statue—something to admire with her eyes only!
Veronica reinforced her resolve again and again.
“If the male lead is this handsome, just how beautiful must the female lead be!”
To shake off thoughts of Killion, Veronica turned her mind toward the heroine, Evangelina.
Evangelina hadn’t attended the victory ceremony, but she’d said she would join the evening banquet.
“At last, the male and female leads reunite after so long! A fated meeting!”
They’d surely crossed paths several times already on the battlefield at the border.
Back then, Evangelina had been a priestess of the temple, tending to wounded commoners.
That was before her immense holy power had manifested—back when she was just another ordinary temple attendant.
“But the male lead always recognizes the heroine! Didn’t Killion take special notice of her as she tirelessly cared for patients, even sacrificing sleep?”
A month ago, the ordinary priestess Evangelina had manifested tremendous holy power and was hailed as a saintess.
The temple—and indeed the whole nation—erupted in excitement over this saintess, whose holy power had manifested for the first time in over a century.
Her healing ability was extraordinary: rather than healing one person at a time, she could bestow blessings upon entire infirmaries or even whole villages, healing countless people simultaneously.
After receiving the saintess’s blessing, patients who had passed the most critical stage would then be treated further by physicians.
“I can’t wait to see her. As the heroine, just how stunning will she be? How noble?”
Still, Veronica intended to end her connection with the original’s heroine after just a single greeting.
She had absolutely no intention of getting entangled with Evangelina beyond that.
After all, lingering too closely around the original heroine might lead to strange misunderstandings.
It was better to eliminate every possible chance of entanglement from the very beginning.
She needed to be cautious.
“For now, I’ll focus solely on my plan: break free from my engagement to the male lead, and escape the royal family that binds me by blood!”
Just as her final touches were completed—
Knock, knock. A soft knock, and the door opened. Empress Sandra entered the room.
“I greet Your Imperial Majesty the Empress.”
Sandra waved her hand dismissively toward the maids, who bowed gracefully in greeting.
“Yes. I’ll handle the finishing touches myself. You may leave.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Veronica felt intensely awkward being left alone with the Empress.
It felt suffocating, as if the air itself had vanished.
Sandra remained silent until the sound of the maids’ footsteps had completely faded from the room.
“She’s surprisingly thorough about this sort of thing.”
She must be fearful—afraid that it might be revealed to the entire empire that their beloved princess was merely a puppet of the royal family, subjected daily to gaslighting laced with personal attacks.
Sandra’s sharp eyes scrutinized every inch of Veronica’s body.
Her piercing gaze resembled that of a meticulous merchant inspecting a piece of merchandise—not a mother looking at her daughter.
Sandra’s eyes locked precisely onto Veronica’s chest.
“You seem to have lost some weight. Didn’t I tell you long ago to pay attention to your diet? The lack of volume is disappointing, but I suppose there’s nothing to be done about your natural build.”
Sandra let out a long sigh.
Her criticism didn’t stop there.
Next, Veronica’s neatly braided hair came under scrutiny.
“Oh dear! Didn’t I clearly instruct the maids to style your hair up?”
“I told them I preferred braids over an updo.”
Veronica answered calmly to the Empress’s irritated question.
Perhaps her composed reply displeased Sandra, for her eyes narrowed further and her voice sharpened.
“Why’s that?”
“I thought braids would better highlight a sense of innocence.”
“Innocence?”
Sandra frowned as if the word were absurd.
“You’re no longer a little girl—you’re an adult now. It’s time to show maturity. You should be emphasizing your allure as a woman, not innocence!”
Unable to contain herself any longer, the Empress finally burst out in a shrill cry.
Startled by the sudden high-pitched sound, Veronica flinched.
“Didn’t I say you must firmly secure Lord Killion’s heart at tonight’s party?”
“…”
Sandra tapped Veronica lightly with the fan she was holding.
Tap—once on her head, tap—again on her arm, tap—on her back, tap—on her chest. Though it didn’t hurt, each tap filled Veronica with shame.
In front of the Empress, she didn’t feel like a human being—only an object, a commodity on display.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (138)
Cliche much Killan , I mean u are entitled to like who you like but still disappointed
Wendy ! How are you seeing about everything with such keen insight
I need to sterilise this vile woman to prevent any more possible victims
Inline Comments (417)
Gasp! Was it really that obvious? Veronica’s voice trembled slightly in panic.
Did you just ask if it was obvious? Were u even making effort to appear like og Veronica?
"It’s fortunate you’ve finally realized, even if late. You’re simply too dim-wit
I think the Empress character has a narcissistic mother personality — she uses her daughter as a mirror for her own glory and doesn’t see her as an independent person
All the way back to his room, Killion grumbled to himself.
Awww this makes me feel sad for my younger siblings
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VKotaku28
You are giving rather air head vibes FL. Not liking it