I Plotted The World Destruction With The Male Lead - Chapter 10

“What is the meaning of this? You’re not causing trouble, are you?”

Eleanor’s father glared at her with bloodshot eyes, clearly irritated after having been interrupted during his afternoon plans, no doubt to drown himself in alcohol. His gaze was harsh, but Eleanor didn’t flinch.

The knights from the Duke’s household, including Apis, were present in the room, and Eleanor had long since abandoned any respect or fear for her father. Ever since she turned eighteen, she had stopped caring what he thought.

“This house is peaceful as long as you don’t cause trouble,” Eleanor said, her voice cold and firm.

“Eleanor!”

Her mother’s voice rose in indignation, as if shocked by how her daughter could dare speak to her father that way. But Eleanor’s frosty glare quickly silenced her.

Her father’s reckless behavior and her mother’s endless enabling were the tiresome hallmarks of their household.

Eleanor had planned to leave the moment she came of age. She had been saving money and even secretly looking for a small place to rent.

But then her father caused trouble.

This time, it had involved a fight. His drinking buddies had assaulted someone, who, unfortunately, came from a powerful family. If a large sum of money wasn’t raised, her father would be thrown into prison.

Eleanor had been forced to hand over her savings, every coin she had painstakingly hoarded over the years, tears burning her eyes as she gave it up.

And yet, there wasn’t a single word of gratitude.

Instead, her parents had accused her of hiding money from them, treating her like a villain. Even her siblings, feeling abandoned, had accused her of planning to run away alone.

While her relationship with her siblings eventually mended, her parents acted as though none of it had happened. They behaved as though they had never received her money. Worse, they pretended the whole incident had never occurred.

When Eleanor went out to work, she was certain they would rummage through her room, searching for anything she might be hiding.

“This is why I hated them,” she thought bitterly.

Her feelings about her parents were clear—she despised them. But her siblings were different. She had practically raised them herself.

The only reason she hadn’t left this house yet was because of them.

Eleanor’s father shifted in his chair, looking like he was about to stand up and lash out at her. If the knights hadn’t been present, he would have struck her across the face, as he had done so many times before.

And then, as always, Peter and Leo would have intervened, shouting at their father while their mother tried to calm everyone down. It was a miserable, repetitive cycle.

“He failed to sell me to some rich old man. He failed to sell Millie because I stopped him. He must despise me for it,” Eleanor thought, her eyes narrowing.

Her father’s smug grin was missing today, which only meant one thing—he hadn’t been able to find where she was hiding any money.

Eleanor thought back to her pre-regression life, recalling that her father had eventually succeeded. He had sold her off to the Duke of Armoir as a Guide.

The result? The entire family had been killed.

Since the moment she saw Van and Carlyle again, Eleanor knew her dream of a quiet, ordinary life was over.

No matter what happened, she couldn’t abandon her siblings.

And now that Carlyle knew just how much she cared about them, he would undoubtedly exploit that fact.

She had betrayed him, undone everything he had achieved by resetting time. If Carlyle got hold of her, he wouldn’t treat her kindly.

The only person Eleanor could trust now was Van.

For the time being.

“The number of royals seeking a Guide…” Eleanor mused.

Currently, there were eight in total. Excluding Van and Carlyle, six other royals were desperate due to the lack of available Guides. Most of them had already resigned themselves to despair, convinced that the opportunity would never come.

Guides were so rare that even when one appeared, it was practically guaranteed that the most powerful individual would claim them.

And the one with the most power was Van.

The Emperor’s nephew, head of the Eastern nobility, and a man who would undoubtedly be named Crown Prince the moment he found a Guide.

Next was Carlyle.

He was someone who prostrated himself before the emperor due to the sins committed by his father. The emperor, burdened by a sense of debt to some degree, believed him to be a loyal subject.

‘Though that loyalty ultimately got him killed.’

Other than him, there were members of the imperial family whose bloodline was even more diluted than Carlyle’s. The weaker the imperial lineage, the weaker their abilities. And those with weak abilities experienced less depletion from guiding, allowing them to endure somewhat.
As proof, most direct descendants of the imperial family who lacked guides couldn’t live past their thirties, but collateral relatives, as long as they didn’t use their abilities, could live into their forties or even fifties.

‘Could I escape from the Duke?’

It would be impossible as long as her family was held captive. Even if her family weren’t in captivity, escaping was clearly out of the question.
If she made a mistake, she might fall into Carlyle’s hands instead.

Charlotte even considered the possibility of taking her place, but it was unlikely that someone who had experienced betrayal once would trust her again.

He was destined to become the emperor, after all.

While she was mulling over her thoughts, the knight guarding the door lit up with recognition and opened it. Since he had been peeking outside through the window the whole time, it was obvious who had arrived.

Without waiting for the homeowner’s permission, Van stepped into the house. Among the many people present, his gaze immediately found Eleanor, and he froze in place.

Eleanor, standing near the door as if it were her own house, looked at the knight who had been peeking outside with a half-exasperated expression.

“Duke…”

Eleanor frowned for a brief moment, and Van swallowed his words. Eleanor was no longer the adopted daughter of the Duke of Armoire. She was now a commoner.

“Welcome, Your Grace!”

It was Apis who intervened in the subtle standoff between Eleanor and Van. Even at a glance, it was evident that the Duke was at a disadvantage. He looked as if he had done something wrong.

‘Why? Don’t tell me she’s an old lover from long ago? Not just a guide?’

Van swallowed the words he was about to say and opened his mouth again.

“Lady, I’ve wanted to meet you.”

Though he spoke with sincerity, unfortunately, they weren’t alone in the room. Eleanor’s father spoke up before anyone else.

“Did this girl deceive you into thinking she’s a noble, Duke? She’s not a noble! She’s a commoner!”

Pointing at Eleanor, her father seemed ready to disown her on the spot. His wild, bulging eyes gave the impression that, if someone gave him the slightest push, he would gladly grab her by the shoulders and shake her.

Van, hiding his dismay, stepped in between him and Eleanor.

“I wasn’t speaking to you. She has deceived me in no way, so I suggest you hold your tongue.”

Van’s cold voice left Eleanor’s father momentarily speechless. Without waiting for his reaction, Van turned back to Eleanor.

“It would be best if we could speak privately.”

“I’m a commoner, Your Grace. Please address me as such,” Eleanor said.

Van almost let his expression twist at her words, but he quickly stopped himself. After all, she was Eleanor, his guide and the one who could become his salvation.

“As for how I address you… we’ll discuss that later.”

Van shot Eleanor’s father a sharp glare before focusing on Eleanor again. Without a word, she rose from her seat, as if she had no intention of saying everything in front of the crowd, and headed upstairs.

Eleanor’s father, assuming that the Duke had taken a liking to her, was visibly displeased but didn’t stop her. He still remembered the deadly glare Van had just given him.

‘What nerve, acting so high and mighty just to make someone else’s daughter his mistress!’

He was certain that Eleanor’s life would be ruined because of this. Although he didn’t fully understand the situation, the fact that the Duke had surrounded the house with knights and even summoned his sons from outside painted a dire picture.

If Eleanor were to defy the Duke’s will, their entire family might end up in ruin.

‘Well, if my daughter’s life is already ruined, I might as well get something out of it!’

If the Duke dragged Eleanor upstairs and returned after getting what he wanted, her father fully intended to demand a hefty price. After all, rumors about Eleanor catching the eye of a noble would destroy any chance of her marriage prospects. If she were to become the Duke’s mistress, so be it.

On the other hand, Eleanor’s mother, looking uneasy, nudged her husband in the side.

“Are we really just going to let the two of them go upstairs alone?”

“What else can we do? He’s the Duke! If you’re so worried, why don’t you go upstairs yourself?”

Lowering his voice, he retorted irritably. Standing by the wall, Peter and Leo exchanged anxious glances. Peter seemed ready to head up the stairs, but Apis stepped forward to stop him.
“You have nothing to worry about.”

“But…”

“I’d appreciate it if you refrained from making remarks that insult my lord.”

Apis spoke with a smile, but his tone was firm, leaving Eleanor’s family speechless. Peter looked up the staircase toward the hallway that extended beyond it, his face filled with concern. He looked as if his insides were churning with worry over his sister.