I Think the World Made Me Its Enemy

Before I could even fully comprehend what was happening, I saw a huge man being carried away by two healers and a guard. After that, all eyes around me kept glancing my way, but most of the attention was still on that unconscious body.

This is bad.

I hadn't expected things to end like this.

—Haa...

The only thing left for me to do was sigh in disappointment.

Ah, right.

Strange as it may seem—or maybe quite logical—I was locked up in the dungeon. It really was a solitary cell. And they weren't joking when they said I shouldn't cause any trouble.

My humble abode looked terrible.

Stone walls, the smell of dampness and possible mold, and rats. I could definitely hear the squeaking.

It was awful here. Maybe that was the nightmare, huh?

Even the bed had no cozy mattress. The conditions were worlds apart from what I had before.

—Still, all this is strange… — I whispered quietly, staring at the ceiling.

They left me alone with my thoughts, locked up so tight that the only thing that came to mind was to lie down on that "bed" and think.

—This has to be a dream, right?...

This time, doubt colored my voice.

Everything felt so real — the cold, the wind swirling through the cell, it all felt truthful.

"I'm not stupid enough not to notice this."

—Of course, something like this would never happen in reality. Ha!

"Or maybe not."

Surprised by my own thoughts, my face twisted into an ugly grimace.

After thinking a little more, if I hadn't betrayed the CEO, I wouldn't be in this tight spot.

Huh... Ironic, really, to say that, but that old man is an idiot. He's got brains, sure, but he doesn't know how to use them. How did he, with that thick skull, find out about my affairs? Or maybe he was just pretending to be like that from the start? Choosing me as his secretary was dumb. Idiots like him are often under the influence of people like me.

And yet — here I am. Ha...

Funny.

(When did all this start anyway?...)

My family was rich, and my life was luxurious, until our house burned down in an accident, and I ended up in an orphanage.

Then I was thrown out on the streets like a stray dog. Then came a string of misfortunes. To be honest, it wasn't a huge problem, and I just started earning money through various tricks, of course, not without some betrayals and eliminating people.

Or maybe that's just an excuse, and I was that kind of person from the very beginning.

Elementary school? I immediately understood how the world worked by pretending to be a good kid to get good grades and praise from others.

Middle school? Smiling at others, becoming an authority figure and class president for my own gain; using their trust against them wasn't hard.

High school? No need to even say.

Even my favorite Marvel hero was Loki.

Ha!

Maybe I really was "a rare kind of trash," as others called me. That was just my nature.

But even so, my life was fabulous. So why regret what I've done?

Alright, I need to try to sleep.

Who knows, maybe when I wake up, I'll snap out of this—ha-ha...

Pulling a thin prison blanket over myself, I tried to fall asleep.

As I found out later, sometimes accepting reality is much harder than making up pointless excuses…

---

"Father, I can't go to jail!" — the young man, about twenty, protested, clutching his chest and furrowing his brow. He was the eldest son of the marquis and seemed reasonable, yet he uttered that nonsense.

"Please, dear, calm down and sit," the marquis's wife said soothingly, looking at their only son.

"How can I calm down?! I won't last a day there!" — the son raised his voice, frowning even more.

"Calm down, we will find a way."

"That's right, besides, does a marquis's son behave like this?" — the elder daughter cast a stern, disapproving look at her brother.

She was the marquis's second child.

After a long silence from the head of the family, his rough voice echoed through the mansion's living room, silencing everyone.

"But father… am I the criminal here?"

A bitter smirk appeared on the son's face, and the heavy atmosphere in the room instantly pierced the floor, and the silence returned.

The quiet creak of the door quickly drew everyone's attention, and their gazes fixed on the person who entered at such a tense moment.

"How much do we owe?" — the timid voice of the girl who stepped into the living room filled the space.

She was the third child.

"Rose!! You useless bitch, do you think I'm going to jail because of debts?!" — the fragile girl was suddenly grabbed by the collar, and her eyes widened in shock.

"N-no! What are you, brother…" — she barely managed to say before the collar of her blouse was carelessly released, and she took a few steps back.

"Haah..." — the head of the family sighed wearily, glancing indifferently at them before continuing:

"The interest alone is about half the sum."

"W-what?! Then if we don't pay off the debts by the end of the month...!" — Rose covered her mouth in fear, her hands trembling as she imagined it.

"But… what if we sell some diamond mines?" — a moment after the first phrase, she offered.

"What nonsense? If we do that, do you know how badly our status will be shaken?!" — this time, the marquis himself was displeased and clicked his tongue.

"But… won't Alfred have to go to jail because of this?..." — Rose lowered her lashes sadly.

"Right... why should I go to jail because of father's stupid mistakes?" — the eldest son nodded defiantly, looking at the marquis.

"Haven't I told you already?"

The marquis sighed again.

"As head of the family, it's simply unacceptable. Your mother is ill, and your sister Marianne has just recently married into a duke's family." — he repeated it like a broken record. He was tired of saying it for the past fifteen minutes.

"Then... aren't I your heir? I won't do it, Rose will! — Alfred jabbed a finger at his younger sister as if he'd found the solution to the difficult puzzle, then smiled triumphantly.

A shiver ran through Rose's body, and she trembled again.

"That useless girl will finally be useful! Isn't that a wonderful way out?" — Alfred grabbed her by the elbow with a vice-like grip.

"I-I don't want to go to jail, father!" — Rose's eyes trembled and rounded like the bottom of a coffee cup.

Slap! — the sound of a slap echoed as the marquis struck her cheek.

"Father?..." — Rose still looked at the man she considered her father with hope.

"Don't be a child. It's all for the sake of our family," he said coldly.

Yeah, in this family, they treated mines better than her.