Header Image

    I Became a Servant of the Blind Villain Chapter 1

     

    The saying that family can be one’s worst enemy wasn’t just a joke—he had learned that lesson far too late.

    Having endured endless humiliation and suffering to support a family—parents who did nothing but obsess over money despite having no real ability, and an older brother who caused nothing but trouble—he had completely drained himself. Perhaps that was why even the last remnants of his already meager talent had withered away.

    It was the inevitable result of pushing himself beyond his limits, ignoring even the doctor’s warnings.

    The moment he was labeled as a failed Guide came sooner than he thought. And when his family looked at him as if he were nothing more than useless trash—

    For the first time in his life, Jung Suhyun made a choice of his own. He chose death.

     

    ***

     

    “Never forget that your family’s lives rest in my hands.”

    Inside the swaying carriage, Eddie gazed at the man who was issuing threats. His ashen gray hair, like scattered ashes, complemented his cold and severe features. One of his eyes had poor vision, forcing him to wear a monocle, which only made him seem even colder.

    “As long as you follow orders, your family will remain safe and live comfortably.”

    A wave of nausea surged in his stomach. In his past life, his family had been the source of his suffering, and now, even after being reincarnated, they had become his shackles once again.

    Instead of responding, Eddie reached out and parted the curtains slightly. The world beyond the clear glass was breathtaking—an endless expanse of snow-covered pine forests, dazzling in their pristine beauty.

    Simply staring at the view helped settle the nausea in his stomach, but only slightly.

    The North.

    Seeing in person what he had only imagined or seen on a screen, eased the suffocating tightness in his chest. For the first time in a long while, he felt his heart beat.

    With a quiet thud, Eddie leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. He had chosen death with his own hands—so why had he been given another life?

    ‘And in the form of reincarnation…?’

    It must have been around three years ago.

    That was when he had stumbled upon a novel titled『The Villain Wants to Be Happy.』

    There had been too many chapters for him to read all the way to the end, let alone the side stories. He had only skimmed through it in his spare time, using it as a brief escape from stress. He hadn’t been particularly invested in it.

    ‘Though I do remember the general plot…’

    Creak—

    Whether it was good or bad timing, just as he was trying to recall the vague details of the novel, the carriage came to a stop.

    Setting his thoughts aside, he straightened his posture. Almost at the same time, the knight opened the door.

    “I trust you’ll do well.”

    The man standing before him, Sover, ran a hand through his gray hair and smiled lazily.

    Eddie simply bowed his head in response before jumping down from the carriage. His feet sank deep into the soft, icy snow, burying him up to his ankles.

    Haa… A deep exhale sent a cloud of white breath drifting into the air.

    He shouldered the few belongings the knight handed him and started walking forward at a slow pace.

    Behind him, the sound of the carriage groaned as it moved away. At first, the noise was loud, but soon, it faded into the distance.

    Stopping in front of his destination, Eddie looked up at the towering fortress.

    An eerie, oppressive aura surrounded the place. Perhaps that’s why the castle where the Grand Duke lived seemed more like a grand prison than a home.

    The abandoned illegitimate son of the emperor.

    Born as a vessel to carry the curse of the royal family that had been passed down through generations.

    Five years ago, at the tender age of ten, the Grand Duke lost his sight and was exiled to the North. Three years from now, in the original story, he would meet the main shou and regain his sight.

    ‘And then… he would become a villain.’

    He would slaughter the emperor and his half-brothers, claim the throne, and live as nothing more than a puppet of the mainShou1.

    The novel’s pacing had been slow, so Eddie hadn’t read far enough to know how it all ended. But considering how tragic the story had been, he doubted it ended on a good note.

    “Is this Eddie Royson, who was supposed to arrive today?”

    A middle-aged man with deep wrinkles around his eyes approached. Eddie, recognizing that he was a butler, spoke up.

    “That’s me.”

    After handing over his identification and letter of introduction, the butler nodded after checking them.

    “Come in.”

    Eddie followed the butler’s lead, walking quietly behind him. The butler began explaining in a calm voice the tasks Eddie would need to carry out in this place.

    “Since Your Highness’ sight is impaired, his senses are quite sharp. I don’t know the reason you came all the way to the cold and dangerous north, but since you’re young, I hope you’ll be able to endure for as long as possible.”

    Then, the butler’s gaze shifted downward. Wondering where he was looking, Eddie followed the gaze with his eyes.

    The butler was staring at his shoes. Eddie’s shoes, wet and soaked, had left damp marks, but the butler was observing his light, almost effortless steps as he walked. His scrutinizing gaze was not ordinary.

    ‘Ah—.’

    After walking silently for two more steps, Eddie soon applied more pressure to his feet and began to step more firmly on the ground.

    Tap, tap.

    The once silent space quickly became noisy. At that moment, the butler’s head turned forward again.

    “It’s the first time I’ve seen someone close to the prince’s age. You’re eighteen this year, right?”

    “Yes.”

    “The prince is fifteen this year, so there’s a three-year difference.”

    As Eddie walked down the long corridor, he noticed that no one else crossed their path.

    The harsh northern environment made it difficult for everyone, and with the Grand Duke’s capricious nature added to it, most people had left. The only ones who remained were the butler, nanny, head chef, two maids, two servants, and four knights.

    In this vast castle.

    Moreover, these knights were not the Grand Duke’s men but Sover’s confidants.

    Now, they would be watching the Grand Duke closely, but not only him—they would also be monitoring Eddie. Every movement and action, everything they saw and heard, would be reported to their master.

    If Eddie hesitated or failed to carry out orders properly, they wouldn’t hesitate to threaten him on behalf of their master.

    ‘I’d rather have been possessed by someone else.’

    Eddie Royson.

    The person he’s now, though an extra in this world, is a character who leaves a significant trauma on the Grand Duke. He’s an assassin. The reason he came to the Grand Duke’s prison-like castle is, of course, to kill someone.

    For the next year.

    He must gain the Grand Duke’s trust completely, making him entirely dependent, and then stab the specially crafted sword Sover prepared into his heart.

    In the original story, this plan naturally fails, and as a result, Eddie is consumed by the Grand Duke’s curse.

    However, he has no intention of even attempting to kill the Grand Duke, nor does he plan to become sustenance for the curse.

    What happens to Eddie’s family is none of his concern.

    After all, Eddie is being used by his family. They don’t care how much Eddie’s body and soul are hurt as long as it benefits them. They’ve driven him into a corner for their own comfort.

    One lifetime of sacrifice is enough. He no longer wants to hand over his leash to anyone else.

    While lost in these thoughts, Eddie realized they had reached their destination as the butler stopped before a large door.

    Knock knock. With a cautious knock—

    “Your Highness, it’s the butler.”

    The butler opened the door and entered the Grand Duke’s room.

    Inside, it was dim and gloomy. The air was thick and stuffy due to the double dark curtains that blocked out any light.

    “The new servant I mentioned yesterday has arrived—”

    The butler’s words were cut off. Eddie quickly pulled him aside as a noise echoed.

    Crash! The object that hit the wall was a flower vase. Eddie bit back a sigh as he watched the shattered pieces fall to the ground.

    “Leave. I don’t need you.”

    The voice was cold and dry.

    Eddie turned toward the source of the sound. His eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, revealed a young boy curled up on the bed.

    “Leave!”

    The Grand Duke shouted again, his voice full of anger. His tone carried multiple emotions—defensiveness, fear, loneliness, and pain.

    The butler didn’t cross the line drawn by the Grand Duke. He simply took a step back, signaling that his job was done, and nodded toward Eddie.

    It was a quick surrender. Amid his shallow breath, there was a slight sense of relief.

    ‘He must be afraid of the Grand Duke’s curse.’

    Tightening his fist, Eddie ignored the butler’s signal and approached the Grand Duke.

    If you avoid something once, it becomes easier to avoid it the second time. The second time turns into the third, and as this repeats, the Grand Duke’s life will deteriorate before he even meets the main shou.

    Of course, he’ll still be broken after meeting him, but at least until he regains his sight, shouldn’t he live somewhat like a human?

    Crack. This was a life worse than that of cattle. Eddie tightened his lips.

    What he liked most about the novel wasn’t the roughly skimmed content or characters, but precisely the title.

    The Villain Wants to Be Happy– this unremarkable title had not just caught his eye but struck his heart at the time. If not for this, he wouldn’t have even bothered to glance at the novel, let alone skim through it.

    ‘I don’t think the author wrote it without thought.’

    Surely, in a corner of the Grand Grand Duke’s heart, there’s a hidden desire to be happy. The title must be an expression of that.

    To be happy, one must first act human. Right now, he was nothing more than a waste of life, neither more nor less.

     

    Footnotes

    1. Shou (受) is the Danmei term for the "bottom" or the one who is pursued in an M/M relationship. In BL and danmei, gong is a term for the "attacker" or "top" character in a male-male sexual relationship.
    You can support the author on
    Note
    DO NOT Copy, Repost, Share, and Retranslate!