I Want a Happy Ending Even as a Villainess

Chapter 14

“Uh, Calix. You know…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you, so just stay still.”

“Okay.”

I didn’t know how he guessed what I was about to say, but I closed my mouth anyway.

‘Is he trying to reassure me before he kills me?’

Calix was definitely the second male lead in the novel. That meant he was on the heroine Olivia’s side and played a part in Lilith’s execution.

To others, it might seem unreasonable, but to me, it was a rational suspicion.

“Even if that’s not the case,” Calix reiterated, frowning in displeasure.

Did I have my thoughts written on my face or something? I touched my face with my fingertips, but of course, there was nothing there.

“Do you know what your face looked like when you came in here?”

Calix sighed briefly as he spoke.

“You looked like you were about to die.”

His voice was firm as he described it.

“The kind of look that wouldn’t be surprising if you were found hanging a few hours later.”

He muttered, sounding disgruntled.

“Do I seem so heartless that I’d just let someone like that be? What do you think I am?”

I couldn’t meet his sharp gaze, so I looked away, unable to find a response.

“And do you know how much trouble I’d be in if you died? Leschel would probably come for my head first. Just thinking about it is exhausting.”

Calix mumbled a few rough curses and leaned back against the sofa.

After that, Calix stayed silent for a long time. The sound of his finger tapping on the armrest filled the room.

“Still, that marquis guy is something else, don’t you think?”

After a long pause, his sudden remark caught me off guard.

“Marquis?”

“Tain Brock, that guy. He was storming off in a rage just before you came in.”

I started to understand the misunderstanding Calix had. He thought I had a lover’s quarrel with that jerk?

“That’s not what happened.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Well, then.”

Calyx accepted it coolly, and the conversation stopped again.

But wait, was that guy really a marquis? Did I just punch a marquis?

I had assumed he was just the eldest son of some noble family. But he wasn’t just any noble; he was a marquis! The thought of the consequences made me dizzy.

I stared blankly at the floor, then hastily tried to tidy my hair with my hands. My tears had dried up, my nose was fine, and while I must still look a mess, I was starting to calm down.

As I was about to get up and thank him, Calix spoke to me again.

“I’ve been curious for a while now, why are you here?”

“Huh?”

“This party, I mean.”

Why am I here? I couldn’t figure out what he was getting at and just stared at him blankly.

“…You don’t know?”

“What?”

Calix raised his eyebrows at my response.

“This party is hosted by my aunt.”

“Oh, I see…”

“…..”

“…Wait, what?”

Seeing my dumbfounded reaction, he gave me a look of utter disdain.

“So, most of the people here are on your side?”

While there might be some who are friendly with Calix, most of the attendees would be aligned with the family of the first empress.

After she died, the second empress had taken her place, pushed by the empress dowager, so it made sense they wouldn’t be on good terms with Leschel, the second prince.

And up until now, Lilith had always been seen as Leschel’s ally. To avoid causing unnecessary conflict, it would have been best for me not to come here at all.

“Then why did the marquis’ wife invite me? Did I do something to offend her?”

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?”

“What? If you don’t tell me, I won’t know.”

Pondering it on my own after going home would never solve the mystery.

Calix, showing no sign of catching on to my cluelessness, paused. After a long silence, he scratched the back of his head irritably and finally spoke.

“My aunt probably hopes that you and I will get along.”

“Why?”

“Because then the emperor is more likely to look favorably on her. Oh, come on, do I have to tell you this out of my own mouth?”

He started to get annoyed, but it seemed more out of embarrassment than actual anger.

‘No wonder she looked so hopeful!’

So she invited me to this party hoping I would meet Calix? Even if there was political tension, it would benefit her if Calix became the crown prince.

Even if we didn’t hit it off, she wouldn’t lose much. She could always claim she had just invited me out of courtesy and that I showed up obliviously.

‘But she’s sorely mistaken, ma’am.’

Even if we meet, so what? Love? Ha! He’s probably thinking of ways to kill me!

“Come here.”

Calix, oblivious to my shocking thoughts, grabbed my arm and pulled me along. I let him drag me without resistance.

Calix opened the glass door and stepped onto the balcony. The full moon hung in the distant sky. The silver stars scattered like powder, glittering over the night sea.

From his shadow, several black snakes slithered. They silently flowed into the forest across from us and soon returned with a handful of flowers.

“Take these home and make tea out of them. There’s nothing better for calming your mind.”

Calix took the flowers from the snakes and handed them to me.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“Just take them.”

I obediently accepted the bouquet. It was filled with bright yellow flowers that didn’t match him at all. There were so many that they overflowed from my arms.

Familiar with the color, my eyes slowly drifted to the crude brooch pinned to his collar. Though it was too dark to see clearly, it seemed similar.

“If you feel better, go punch that bastard. He’s a well-known piece of trash, so he won’t be able to say anything.”

Even though I had told him I wasn’t involved with Tain like that, it seemed he hadn’t listened at all.

“I already hit him once.”

“Ha!”

My response made him exhale with satisfaction.

“Well done.”

I couldn’t help but laugh softly at the smugness and confidence in his red eyes, as if he had solved everything himself.

“Alright, I’m going to go now.”

There was no point in staying at the party any longer, and there was nothing more to gain from being here.

“I’ll take you home.”

Calix offered his hand to me.

“No, thanks. Do you want to start rumors about us?”

I pouted and spoke curtly.

Staying too long at a party I shouldn’t have come to, sharing the same lounge for an extended time, and then leaving together? It was obvious that we’d be the center of every scandal and dirty rumor imaginable.

In my words, Calix let out a thoughtful hum. It seemed he didn’t like the idea either.

“Really, I’m leaving.”

I opened the door to the lounge but hesitated for a moment.

“Thanks for today.”

I turned back to thank him, shaking the flowers in my arms with a smile.

No matter the process or the outcome, I was genuinely grateful to Calix.

The fear was too overwhelming for me to bear alone. I might have ended up as he said, looking like a corpse with a noose around my neck. Even now, just thinking about Knox made my body tremble uncontrollably.

* * *

After Lilith left, Calix didn’t move from his spot. He just sat there, leaning back in his chair with a delinquent posture.

Less than an hour was left of his permitted outing, and he should have been downstairs making appearances at the party.

“Crazy…”

But he wasn’t in the right state of mind to do so.

“I’m definitely crazy.”

Calix had muttered the word crazy at least twenty times already. If anyone heard him, they’d think he was possessed.

“I’m absolutely sure of it now.”

He finally reached a firm conclusion.

“There’s no way she was in her right mind when she thanked me.”

Even though no one was around to hear him, he nodded his head vigorously.

They had known each other for over ten years. Ever since Lilith revealed her true nature, there had been nothing good in their relationship.

From simple squabbles that involved pulling hair to deadly fights that threatened their lives, he had seen it all. Throughout those years, he never imagined nor expected Lilith to say such words.

Her terrified expression was also unlike anything he had seen before. For someone who always fought with him like an enemy to let her guard down and cry in front of him—it was clear that something was seriously wrong.

‘Tain Brock…’

As soon as the name crossed his mind, a look of deep disgust spread across his face. Tain was that kind of person, someone whose very name made people shudder.

‘Does she really have that kind of taste?’

Given how much he loved toying with people, it seemed possible, but…

‘If they fought and she cried, maybe it’s serious?’

Calix started to speculate in every possible direction about the conversations Tain and Lilith might have had. The deeper he thought, the more tangled their relationship seemed.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue. That damned crying kept coming back to his mind.

What could have scared her so much that she cried like that? Was it breaking up with that bastard? Or was it the fear of being abandoned?

“…Why am I wasting my time thinking about this nonsense?”

He felt pathetic for wasting precious time on such pointless thoughts.

It was all because he hadn’t kicked Lilith out as he normally would. If he couldn’t drive her away, he should have left the room himself.

But he couldn’t do that. The image of her face, pale as if she were facing death, was still vivid.

Lilith might not care if an ant or a person died at her feet, but he wasn’t like that. He had helped her simply because of that.

No matter what, seeing someone he knew die in a familiar place was unsettling. If she were going to die, he’d prefer she did it quietly, where no one knew.

“At least I calmed her down and sent her off, so she won’t be thinking anything strange for a few days.”

With that final thought, Calix pushed away the lingering worries about her.