Reincarnated as a Mob in an Otome Game, but the Characters Were Worse Than I Expected, So I Crushed Them All and Destroyed the Story - Chapter 19: The Villainess Opens a New Door Beyond Humiliation (Charlotte’s POV)

Chapter 19: The Villainess Opens a New Door Beyond Humiliation (Charlotte’s POV)

From the very start—I hated him.

A mere commoner, yet he had the audacity to speak to me without fear—to meet my eyes as if we were equals.

His arrogant attitude was insufferable.

Commoners should know their place—lower their heads and grovel before their betters.

That’s how it was supposed to be.

That’s what I had always believed.

And yet—

“Let’s have a duel.”

“…Ha?”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.

Dueling was a sacred tradition among nobles.

A lowly commoner had no right to challenge a noblewoman like me.

The sheer arrogance—the disrespect of it all—filled me with rage.

“You’ll regret those words for the rest of your life.”

I would utterly crush him.

I would make sure he could never rise again.

Teaching fools their place was the duty of the highborn—Noblesse Oblige.

I would show no mercy.

◇◆◇

“Hmph. So you didn’t run away. If you had gotten on your knees and begged for mercy, I might have spared you, letting you live as nothing more than my obedient livestock—but it seems you have at least a shred of courage.”

How long had it been since a mere commoner had dared to step into this dueling arena?

Years?

Perhaps… never.

And that was exactly why I had to crush the man before me—so completely that no commoner would ever dare to stand against nobility again.

That was my duty.

“Begin!“

At the judge’s signal, I gripped Gilbert, my spirit sword, and swung it to end this duel instantly.

The moment I moved, black lightning surged from Gilbert, responding to my will.

But—

(What!? He dodged…!? He read my attack on the first try!?!)

For just a brief moment, I felt genuine shock.

But I immediately shoved it down and refocused.

(He’s more skilled than I expected… He’s well-trained—not at my level, but better than I gave him credit for. Still, the sheer arrogance of thinking he can defeat me is utterly ridiculous.)

[Indeed, my master.]

A deep, aged voice echoed in my mind.

Gilbert was speaking to me.

Gilbert—the strongest spirit sword, perfectly suited for the strongest master.

The Lightning Spirit, whose blade strikes faster and harder than any opponent could react to.

Just like me, Gilbert was proud.

I could feel his burning fury surging through the blade—ready to eradicate this insolent fool.

(I know, Gilbert. This man… he isn’t weak. But against us, the strongest, he doesn’t stand a chance.)

I reset my stance and launched a new assault.

But—my attacks weren’t landing.

Even more than before, he dodged everything—as if he already knew all my moves.

As if he could read my every action from the slightest twitch of my body.

(Do I have a pattern…? No—that’s impossible. My techniques aren’t so shallow that someone could analyze and counter them after only a few exchanges. So then… why…?)

A strange feeling crept up my spine.

There was something unnatural about this man.

It was as if I weren’t fighting a human, but something else entirely.

No matter how much I pressed forward, no matter how many times I tried to bait him with feints, he slipped through every attack like mist.

By all accounts, I was overwhelming him.

I had the clear advantage.

And yet—I couldn’t finish him.

That unknowable presence of his left me with a deep sense of unease.

(Gilbert, prepare ‘Black Thunderstorm.’)

[Wha—!? You would use that against a mere boy…!?]

(We aren’t here for some long, drawn-out battle. What we need is a flawless, absolute victory. If that means unleashing our full strength, so be it.)

[Mmm… Very well. I shall prepare it immediately.]

Magic surged from Gilbert.

Black lightning coiled around the blade, and above us, dark clouds began to form.

A technique designed for total domination—an attack that struck from above and below simultaneously.

Completely inescapable. Completely unstoppable.

Or at least—it should have been.

And yet—

He survived.

He wasn’t unscathed, but he endured.

He had defended against my ultimate move.

(What is he…? What is this man standing before me!?!)

My frustration and anger spilled over, manifesting as black lightning, crackling and surging around my blade.

At the same time, the temperature in the room plummeted—a sign that my opponent’s sword was radiating an overwhelming frost.

(This is it…! We will win…!)

[Let us end this, my master. I will unleash my full strength.]

Gilbert responded to my will, resonating with my resolve.

This attack—

This was without a doubt the strongest strike of my life.

I could feel it.

The black lightning crackling around me was overflowing with magic.

Our blades collided.

But—

His ice—met my strongest black lightning and neutralized it.

“HAAAAAAAAAA!!!“

“I… I WILL NEVER LOOOOOSE!!!!“

I am Charlotte Maxwell.

The eldest daughter of House Maxwell—the strongest noble family in Criminal Kingdom.

There was no reality in which I could lose to a nameless commoner.

With everything I had left, I pushed forward.

And then—

(Ah—!?!)

A sharp pain pierced my right leg.

I looked down—

An ice blade had impaled me.

“It was a good fight, ‘Strongest.’“

“Gah…!? Ngh…!“

A single decisive slash—swift and merciless.

My body collapsed.

From far away, I barely registered the referee declaring his victory.

I couldn’t react.

I could only be consumed by rage—

By shock—

By the unbelievable reality that I had lost.

◇◆◇

“For today… you belong to me.“

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

He—this lowly commoner—had the audacity to tell me, Charlotte Maxwell, to abandon my humanity and act like a mere animal.

It was unthinkable.

It was unforgivable.

And yet—

(Why…!? Why won’t my body move…!?!)

Against my will, I took the collar from his hand.

My own fingers fastened it around my neck.

As if that humiliation wasn’t enough, he then made me wear a cat-ear headband—an absolutely mortifying accessory.

(This bastard…! The moment this is over, I’ll kill him…!)

I burned with pure rage.

But he wasn’t done.

No—he took it even further.

“Cats don’t speak human language, do they? Do it properly.“

(H-He wants me to… act like a cat…!? T-That’s…!)

I instinctively glanced toward the corner of the room.

Standing there was Lisa Nielsen—my personal maid.

She wasn’t just a servant.

She had been with me since childhood—my most trusted companion.

My only true friend.

And now—she was witnessing this humiliation.

(No… I don’t want Lisa to see this…! But the magic… I can’t fight it…!)

“M-Meow…“

I had said it.

And with that—

The last shred of my resistance shattered.

A chill ran down my spine—so intense, so overwhelming, that I had never felt anything like it before.

I was humiliated beyond words.

I should have been drowning in shame—and yet, my body felt hot, my cheeks burned red.

(Ah… Lisa is watching me like this…!)

I wanted to die on the spot.

The humiliation was unbearable.

And yet—

For some incomprehensible reason, I was experiencing a pleasure unlike anything I had ever felt before.

I had wanted to tear him down.

To kill him for making me go through this.

He was just a lowly commoner—someone so beneath me, I shouldn’t have even acknowledged his existence.

And yet—

Each time he gave me an order—each time he looked down on me—my body shivered.

I could feel something important inside me breaking—

And yet—

I couldn’t stop trembling in pleasure.

(Why…? Why is this happening to me…?)

I wanted him to insult me more.

I wanted him to command me more.

I wanted Lisa to see more of this shameful version of me.

Thoughts I would have never believed were my own poured into my mind.

And in the end—

For the entire day, I served as his pet, enduring endless humiliation until the day finally came to an end.