Voyage of the Villainess

Chapter 35 – Iris

The sun had already set, yet the temperature didn't feel that hot owing to the strong breeze in the air. However, despite the fact that this was the situation, in a certain garden at the Marina estate, it was not the case with the two persons who continued to generate a heated tension between them.

"It's been a while, Gina," Iris remarked, pointing a long spear at Malaya. Her eyes were scrutinizing every detail of her next movement.

"Gina?" Malaya inquired, a little perplexed. Aside from that, her thoughts were filled with other ambiguities. 'What is the leader of that rebellion doing here?'

"Stop playing games anymore. I know you're Gina Torress."

Malaya was well aware that Iris, like her, was a transmigrator. That had to be the same case for Iris already. But it appeared Malaya had been mistaken for someone else. 'Gina Torress? I felt like I have heard that name somewhere.' 

"It's me Anna Jills," Iris spoke while gritting her teeth. "The contents of those letters you sent the eight tribes, the only ones who know that are me and you, Gina."

Hearing the mention of those letters, Malaya finally understood something.

"Ms. Torress how did you even know these things about the eight tribes when they aren't even mentioned in the book and you're not even the author?"

Carolle's teacher smiled, but the short saddened. The quick hurt look that crossed her face did not escape from Carolle's observant eyes though.

"To be honest, the author of this book is a close friend of mine. As she was continuing writing this, she frequently told me about so many things with this book."

'Oh, I see…' Malaya gave her a deadpan look, without even flinching despite the fact that a spear was aimed at her. "You must have genuinely mistaken me for someone,"

"Don't deny it…"

Iris halted when she noticed Malaya's steady eyes, making her doubt whether the girl in front of her was actually Gina. 'No, the more exactly that she was her. Gina is someone who can lie with a straight face. I won't be fooled again by her.'

"What would be it to me if I lie to you?" Malaya responded.

"Plenty enough. Since that is how you were able to steal everything away from me," Iris gritted anymore. The hatred in her eyes intensified.

'She mistook me as Ms. Torres. Although, teacher is a well-known author, the way she said her name had such depth and hate. She would not point her spear, like this if Ms. Toress were just her casual acquaintance. And I could sense clearly her intention to kill. It seems to me she had a quite deep past with Ms. Gina. But I don't have time to waste anymore with her.' 

"The Fate of the Stars,"

Iris' eyes shook when Malaya mentioned the book. "I knew it! You're really Gina! Hahaha!" she laughed maniacally.

"I'll end you now, just like you destroyed my life back then!" She lunged forward with her spear, firmly intending to attack Malaya.

Malaya swiftly sidestepped to avoid Iris' spear. She twisted her body and, with her right hand, seized Iris' spear-wielding wrists and elbowed her, forcing her spear to drop. Then Malaya pressed her to the ground, both arms lock and outstretched with her hold.

*Boogsh!*

Iris winced as her body slammed the ground. She hadn't expected such a noble lady, 'No, this is Gina.' She had a range of possibilities. But…'

"Stop it already, I just happened to read the book but I'm not Ms. Gina."

'Hah, like I'm going to believe that easy.' Iris' lips formed a wicked smile. "Even if you know everything there is to know about my book, you are still unfortunate to have met me in this world…"

With that said, Malaya suddenly felt a jolt of electricity flowed inside her, making her completely paralyzed and couldn't move at all. Iris took advantage of the opportunity to extricate herself from being pressed into the ground when she felt Malaya's grasp on her arms weaken.

Malaya was knocked to the ground as a result of this. When her bottom landed on the hard ground, she winced.

Iris instantly grabbed her spear and raised it high in the air. "It's unfortunate that you were reborn as my magicless villainess." However, Iris' brows wrinkled as she noticed Malaya's eyes were still calm.

'Why does she still looked so calm?!' It only added more to Iris' displeasure.

What calm? Deep inside, Malaya was panicking now too. She couldn't move! Even if she had no magic she was quite confident at her martial skills. But all of this was futile if she was paralyzed like this!

"Let me tell you a secret: in this world, I'm the god," Iris declared. "A plagiarist like you would never have a chance against the original. I'm the one who made everything here, even the one you're on. You should have stayed quietly playing your role."

Malaya finally squirmed her eyes this time. "I'm not certain what your problem is, but Teacher Torress will not do anything petty,"

"In the end, she did it, and it wrecked my entire…" Iris came to a halt as she realized what Malaya had just said.

"Teacher?" a little startled, she said.

Malaya, on the other hand, sensed as though her body could move again. She swiftly kicked Iris' right leg, causing her to tumble once more. This time, Malaya quickly grabbed the spear and aimed it towards Iris.

"Yes, I'm a transmigrator like you, but I'm not Ms. Torress," Malaya said. "More specifically, I was a former student of hers." She said the truth.

'Ms. Torress,' Malaya gazed to Iris and moved the spear much closer to her neck. "Don't move, anymore."

'To think I'd run across your dear friend here.' It was really pointless for Malaya to deny that she was a transmigrator like Iris. Because she already knew who Malaya was due to those letters. 'And to think she'll be the author of the Fate of the Stars, what a terrible coincidence. But I guess it was really worth writing those letters, they serve my intended purpose very well.'

Those letters that Malaya send to the eight tribes, aside from the purpose of provoking those leaders and capturing Iris, had a second purpose as well.

Since those letters contained sensitive secrets of the tribal leaders, Malaya foresaw that those leaders would definitely interrogate Iris.

If Iris wasn't the author, she wouldn't have reacted this way or even considered the idea of a fellow transmigrator if she saw those letters. Because, as Ms. Torres had previously said, aside from Malaya, there were only two individuals who knew everything, Ms. Torres and the author.

This assumption had grown inside Malaya since the first time they met in the arena and heard Iris' remarks of 'my villain,' and now with this action from Iris, every part of her hunch was verified.

"You will not be able to drag me down that easy!" Iris raised her hands, which had glowed a bright crimson color.

Malaya took a couple of steps back, totally on alert. She didn't bring down the spear and it was still pointing at Iris. But nothing occurred for a few seconds, which caused Iris' face to twist in confusion.

"It appears that whatever you did to me earlier is no longer working," Malaya said.

With her own spear pointed at her, Iris didn't dare to move but instead, glared at Malaya. 'A student of that vile woman?'

"Do you think I would believe a single word from a plagiarizer?" Iris scoffed with disdain.

"We could get that truth pill the tribe chiefs fed you," Malaya answered. "I have quite plenty of those."

'Not that I really want to drink one in the first place since there are things that I might also expose to this unstable woman.'

Iris looked into Malaya's eyes. She wasn't sure if what she said was true or not, but if she was prepared to ingest a truth pill…

"Lady Malaya!" The shrill shout of Dorris from afar was heard but the eyes of the two didn't leave with each other.

"Anna Jills is it, ah no, you're now Iris in this world, right? Back on Earth and in this world, there is something I like doing. Why don't we just settle this misunderstanding with that? Because we come from the same planet, it would be extremely painful for me to kill one of my fellow brethren."

Iris gazed narrowed at Malaya's words. And Malaya's expression was not that really that sincere when she said those.

"You're really not Gina," Iris said.

"That's what I've been telling you since the beginning."

"Although Gina is a liar, she was not someone who was as sly as you,"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Malaya grinned. "Now that you realized that I'm not Ms. Gina, we really have no qualms with each other now. Let's now settle this manner with a deal or perhaps a bet, Iris?" 

"Deal and bet? What's the difference between that?"

"In bets, the loser loses all and the winner takes it all. Whereas in deals, both gain mutual benefits,"

"What are you going on about? Stop with the riddles and go straight to the point," Iris' glare intensified.

"Hmm…I thought as a writer you love mind games, since…" Malaya paused seeing that Iris truly looked angry now.

"Alright, I go straight to the point now. I wanted to make a deal with you, Iris." Malaya finally said. "And I'm sure it would be beneficial to both of us."

"Lady Malaya!" Dorris finally made it to their place and trailing behind her was Rein.

But both of them paused when they saw the situation of  Malaya and Iris and heard their lady's words loud and clear.

A heavy silence filled the air and the tension between the two was still as intensified as before.

'Because she is the author of this world, having her cooperation will be helpful to me. After all, there is only a limit to what a reader's knowledge could be compared to the writer's. Though, it is a double-edged sword for me.' Malaya's grin broadened as she kept her gaze fixed on Iris. 'However, if this risk pays off, it would undoubtedly open up new possibilities for earning more good prospects in the future. And that would certainly be worthwhile for me.'

"What do you think, Lady Iris? Would you like to listen to what I have to say? I can assure you that there is nothing for you to lose with my offer."