1. "Evie? Why'd you stop all of a sudden...?"
2. "...actually, let's go another way!"
3. "...huh?"
4. ...what the heck is going on? Did they boost the encounter rate for the love interests today or some- thing?
5. Or is this the result of the heroine's passive ability to attract men?
Yükleniyor…Yükleniyor…
1. That olive-skinned foreign lord is a playboy through and through,
2. While the stony-faced blue-haired knight over there is paranoid and controlling.
3. And, the pointy-eared shota of an elf is a seriously dangerous yandere!
4. If I allowed elsa to meet them now, a new route might open up...
5. It's one thing to treat them as love interests for a game, but there's no way they could be considered anything close to relationship material!
6. No, it's unacceptable. I will never hand elsa over to scoundrels like them...
1. She's holding my hand so tightly...
2. Almost as if she's worried that she'll lose me...
3. God - if you really do exist, could you let this moment last just a little longer?
4. Please let this shard of happiness linger in my hand just a while longer...
5. "What an enthralling performance! Seeing it live really was something else!"
6. "I kind of want to see more!"
7. Thankfully I switched places with elsa, otherwise that playboy prince would have chatted her up!
8. Strange... I used to be so determined to find a chance to trigger a romantic route for her, so why did I pass on such a good opportunity today?
9. "Wow... What a fantastic beach view! The shore at sunset is so pretty!"
10. "I'm just so lucky to be able to share this view with you."
1. "Yeah, it's really pretty..."
2. Now that I think of it, it's been a while since I've felt as carefree as this...
3. As the villainess, the presence of the heroine should obviously be the source of all my problems.
4. But I feel quite gratified when I see elsa now... Without a worry in the world; no sign of the tormented girl from the original game.
5. "I knew you'd think so! That's great!"
6. At this rate, I probably won't be able to properly play the character of the villainess anymore...
7. "And who'd have guessed that the troupe would use magical effects in the play itself? That was incredible!"
8. "Especially that epic final battle! So thrilling and spectacular! And the last scene before the end was so romantic—"
9. "Was it romantic? Based on the ending, I thought that the story would probably end in tragedy..."
10. "It's set in the middle of a war, and even if they escape their current predicament, they're still trapped by even greater forces."
11. "The protagonist also has to fulfill her family mission. With their conflicting goals, it may even get to the point where they kill each other one day."
1. "But... Though they understand that they're destined to be each other's nemesis, when it comes to a decision of life and death, if they still choose to rush into each others' arms like before... Isn't that sort of courage and decisiveness incredibly moving?"
2. "I believe that even if the road ahead is bumpy, as long as someone who's important to you is by your side, you can understand each other and get through the tough parts."
3. "...do you really think that?"
4. "I wonder if there will be a sequel?"
5. "Though it's true that a perfect ending would be beautiful, the real world is harsh and severe. Those with controlled fates just don't have the freedom to act on their own..."
6. "Oh yeah!"
7. "This might seem a bit sudden, but I have a present for you."
8. "...what's this?"
9. "I saw you looking at this paper knife for a long time while we were in the antiques shop... So I decided to buy it secretly."
10. I-I was just looking at it for a bit longer than usual, and she still noticed that?!
11. "I remember this being kind of expensive..."
12. "It's fine! I was able to afford it. You've been taking care of me all this time and I wanted to repay you somehow!"
13. "I love your look of concentration while you read books! And I'd be very happy if you accepted this gift."
1. As the villainess, I should obviously turn this down...
2. But when confronted with her candid and pure intentions like this, I can't bring myself to.
4. "Thanks for giving me this paper knife, I really like it."
5. "You do? That's great!"
6. "L-let go of me! I've told you not to hug me like that-"
7. "Today was such a great day, evie..."
8. "Can we always be together like this in the future?"
1. T-that was dangerous! I nearly said yes without any hesitation...
2. How could a villainess and a heroine get along with each other? That can't happen regardless of whatever route she takes...
3. But... If she's really willing to get to know me better...
4. Perhaps... I'm the one who needs to summon up courage.
5. "Elsa, I..."
6. "!!"
3. Translator's Notes
4. • Paper knives were historically used by readers to cut open pages with closed edges in books.
5. • The raws for chapter 28 were delayed a week, so the translation will be as well.
6. • If you would like to find out more about how you can support the original creators of the manhua (it costs less than $2 USD), or discuss the series (manhua and web novel), please join the PBMMV fans Discord here: https://discord.gg/SKM8GxsjwH
7. Original Authors
8. Chisè 赤色 Ciwèi Māo Yuèdú 刺猬猫阅读 Mó Xiān Shè 魔仙社
9. This scanlation was only uploaded to Dynasty-Scans and MangaDex. If you're reading this elsewhere, it has been copied by an unscrupulous aggregator site without the scanlator's permission.
1. Web Novel Context
2. Here are some details from the equivalent web novel chapter by Chise to help give some context for this chapter. These notes do not spoil future plot developments, but serve as more information to fill out the story.
3. • The two main characters in The Secret Garden are named as Marilyn (Malilian) and Sona (Suona), her maid.
4. • The purpose of the paper knife is explicitly given: Since books were all handmade in this world, readers often found that the pages had folded edges that needed to be cut before one could read them. Yvonne hated having to cut open the pages at first, but she gradually came to appreciate the moments of contemplation that came with slowing down her reading.
5. • This story arc (the date to watch the play) is not yet finished in the web novel, so its resolution will be first seen in the manhua.