Transmigration: The Stupid Canon Fodder Falls for the Villain Duke

Ivy gasped, her heart racing, her shoulders suddenly becoming tense.

Her face went pale at his words. It was an instinctive reaction in her body.

"Please don't do anything to me," she said softly, her voice trembling as she begged.

Her body shivered, and tears streamed down her face, but she didn't notice Lucien's intense gaze on her.

Lucien's cold expression melted as he saw Ivy's reaction. She was crying. Why was she crying?

Her reaction toward him was as if she had seen a monster.

Lucien pulled back, thinking that Ivy was disgusted by him, that he wasn't the one in her heart. That must be why she reacted that way.

With his mood ruined, harmless fiery flames wrapped around him. He disappeared and reappeared in his original position on the bed, no longer hovering over her.

His heart grew cold, and he forced himself to stop looking at Ivy, who now appeared as if she had been abused.

"It was just a joke, Ivy. Come back to your senses," he said in an awkward voice.

Yes, it was supposed to be a joke. He wanted to see Ivy's reaction because she had been acting strangely ever since he threw her out of the castle. And now, all of a sudden, she came back saying she wanted to share a bed with him.

For a long time, Ivy didn't respond.

Lucien noticed her silence and finally got up from the bed. Leaning in, he stared at her face. Her eyes were closed, her lips trembling as she bit them fiercely.

Lucien's brows furrowed in worry. Something was wrong. Ivy looked like she was undergoing some sort of breakdown.

With sweat on his face, he gently patted her shoulder, trying to wake her from whatever fear she was trapped in.

The system also grew worried, sensing Ivy's reaction. It clearly understood what was happening to its host, but it didn't know how to solve it.

"Host, what is happening to you? Come back to your senses! Please, Host!"

The system bounced anxiously, and Lucien's face grew colder with concern. He didn't stop trying to wake her. He even condensed his fire magic into cold chills in an attempt to shock her awake.

It was as if Ivy was slipping deeper into a terrible nightmare. Lucien's heart felt like a bottle about to burst with hopelessness and desperation.

Finally, Ivy's eyes twitched, and she woke up.

Blinking twice, Ivy's gaze met Lucien's.

Immediately, she processed everything that had just happened and anxiously said, "Sorry, I overreacted."

Her reaction earlier had been her own mistake. One slip, and all her efforts in the mission would have failed. If Lucien questioned her too much, he might discover that she wasn't the original Ivy Everhart.

Lucien made himself comfortable on the bed, not asking her any questions. After all, they had never been close.

In his heart, he just assumed that she was disgusted by him, which explained her earlier reaction.

After a long while, Lucien noticed that the person beside him had made herself more comfortable on the bed. He couldn't stop his wandering thoughts and eventually asked, "Are you staying here, or are you leaving my room?"

His gaze was now fixed on her.

Ivy scrambled for an excuse before his questions could shift to what had just happened. "I'll stay. Unless... you still want to drive me out?"

She bit her lip, purposely avoiding his gaze by looking at the pillow.

Lucien watched her reaction and sneered inwardly, as if he'd figured something out on his own.

Ivy biting her lip, her eyes deliberately avoiding his, was a simple gesture that told him she was lying.

"Now you won't answer me, huh?" he said with a frown, closing his eyes as though he'd lost all interest in the conversation.

Ivy sat still on the bed, staring blankly at the sheets, unmoving, as if lost in her thoughts.

"Just go to sleep," Lucien said with his eyes still closed.

Though his eyes were shut, he was fully aware of everything happening around him.

For a moment, he didn't get any response from Ivy.

She didn't seem to want to listen to him.

She wasn't okay.

"Ivy?" he called her name softly, his voice low, almost a whisper.

"Yes."

Snapping out of her blankness, Ivy finally responded, turning her attention to him.

"Tell me why you are doing this," Lucien asked, clearing his throat.

"I…." Ivy stammered, reluctant to speak.

"Just leave it. Go to sleep," Lucien said, sensing her hesitation. He dropped the matter, closing his eyes and deciding to let it go.

Ivy let out a deep sigh of relief, seeing that Lucien had finally fallen asleep.

She cheered inwardly, making a swift movement under the sheets as she settled in to sleep.

"One move, and I'll burn you," Lucien growled suddenly when her feet accidentally kicked him.

Ivy immediately covered her lips with her hands and nodded quickly.

"Okay," she said simply.

After the room fell silent, a small chibi bird appeared before Ivy.

"Mission complete, Host! Mission complete! We did it, Host!"

"You and who did it? I did it all on my own!"

Ivy growled, holding the bird excitedly and shaking it.

"I'm not listening! We both did it, Host!"

The system's last words were not heard because Ivy had already drifted off to sleep before it noticed.

Its small body was cuddled up in her arms.

The system tried to escape her hold, but its body bounced back like a rubber band, flexing right into her arms again.

___

"Wake up, Host! Wake up! The villain is gone. The villain is gone!"

"Ahhh, fat bird, stop it! You're going on and on as if the villain has been kidnapped!"

Ivy had been hearing the system's voice for a while, but to her, it sounded like an annoying alarm clock. She couldn't help but yell, a smile creeping onto her lips.

"So that's what you think of me in your heart, Host? Is that it?"

The system gasped, flexing its wings in an exaggerated show of shock.

It had been called fat!

Its mood dropped from maximum to below zero.

"No, Birdy, stop it! You're cute… you're plump, bouncy, and fluffy! That's what I meant to say!"

Without hesitation, Ivy pulled the system into her arms, comforting it.

"Really? You think I'm cute?" the system asked excitedly, its mood instantly improving. Its tiny body skipped happily as its spirits lifted.

"Yes, Birdy, I think you're cute!"

Ivy secretly rolled her eyes but admitted the system was cute. She watched the little guy jump around happily.

"Wow, you're so sweet!"

The moment was peaceful until the system brought up the villain.

"Host, let's go find the villain!"

Ivy rolled her eyes, pushing the system away as she fell back onto the bed.

"What is he, your father? Should I go and find him for you? You can't live without him?"

The system wasn't fazed by her reluctance. Instead, it pestered her even more, this time shrieking in a high-pitched bird voice.

"Host!!! Let's go find the villain!"

Ivy bounced off the bed, throwing her pillow at the system before walking to the bathroom.

"Fine, but only after I clean myself up."

"I can just clean you up, Host—"

The system's last words were cut off as Ivy threw another pillow at its face.

____

The moment Ivy opened the door to go look for Lucien, her eyes met a silver-haired woman. She looked like trouble.

"You! What are you doing in my brother's room?" the girl demanded, immediately pointing a finger at Ivy with a scowl.

Looking at her demeanor, Ivy searched her memory and quickly identified the woman.

She was Elina Vespers Arshburn, the adopted sister of the villain. She was also the only person in the book the villain had shown true kindness to.

As the saying went, the sister of a villain was also a villain.

There was one more fact: Elina secretly harbored feelings for her adopted brother. As such, she was one of the obstacles that led to the downfall of the cannon fodder Ivy.

"I have the right to be here," Ivy said, folding her arms and putting on a displeased face. The air around her carried an authority that Elina could not understand.

Elina stood frozen, shocked. Something seemed different—this was not the same Ivy Everhart she could easily trample.

Speechless and without the vile words she typically wielded, Elina spat in frustration.

"You…!!! I'll deal with you later!"

With that, she stomped away.

The system jumped excitedly in front of Ivy once Elina had left.

"Host! Elina is your greatest rival. You need to watch out for her!"

"Don't worry, Birdy. I know how to deal with her kind of person. Did you forget? I read the book."

Ivy shrugged and walked toward the stairs.

____

Later at the Dining Table

"Maid, bring my meal," Ivy said as she sat at the dining table, wanting to eat before searching for Lucien.

Elina appeared out of nowhere and barked, "Maid! Don't feed her. This woman does not deserve to eat in this home!"

Ivy scrutinized her for a moment, wondering what Elina was up to. Someone stopping her from eating annoyed her immensely.

With her face icy, Ivy asked, her voice sharp, "And who are you to decide if the servants feed me?"

Elina hissed, showing Ivy no respect as she taunted, "A woman like you, who proclaimed her love to another man, doesn't deserve to be with my brother."

"Oh, is that so?" Ivy raised a brow. Elina wasn't someone she could argue with—she needed a clever trick to shut her up.

Smirking as if she had figured it all out, Ivy pulled out a badge and showed it to the servants. She ordered, "Servants, feed me."

It was the Duchess' badge, a symbol of power over the household. Luckily for her, the former Ivy hadn't tampered with this badge but kept it safely in her possession.

And thanks to Ivy's thorough reading habits, she remembered every detail from the book.

"You dare, servants?!" Elina roared, gnashing her teeth in fury.

Her anger spelled doom.

Without warning, Elina formed a flaming whip and lashed it toward the maid.

Ivy saw the whip coming. Instinctively, her body moved to shield the maid.

The fiery whip struck Ivy's back, scorching her skin and causing blood to spill out, staining her dress. Ivy flinched, letting out a sharp hiss as she clung to the maid she was protecting.

Elina's face twisted in anger. Ivy shouldn't have stopped her from teaching the maid a lesson. She hated it when people interfered with her plans!

Now she was going to teach Ivy a lesson for meddling.

With a scheming smile, Elina declared, "Ivy Everhart, I, Elina Vespers, challenge you to a duel!"