I Want a Happy Ending Even as a Villainess

Chapter 15

“It’s really coming down.”

I watched the raindrops tapping against the window before lowering my gaze back to the desk. There were more pressing matters than the weather right now.

‘So, it has come to this.’

What I held in my hand was—Olivia’s letter. In short, she wanted to meet to thank me for chasing away Tain.

Without hesitation, I started writing a reply to decline. Sorry, but I had no interest in getting involved with the heroine.

I handed the reply to the maid and picked up a madeleine from the plate in front of me, popping it into my mouth. The subtle lemon flavor of the madeleine spread evenly in my mouth.

In front of me, besides the madeleines, there was an excessive amount of sweet treats. They were sent by Leschel first thing in the morning. He must still remember me saying they were delicious at the palace.

‘Anyway…’

I recalled the events of the party at Grandel.

“Was there such a scene?”

I wasn’t sure I remembered everything exactly from the original, but it certainly didn’t involve being threatened by an ill-mannered marquis.

Could it be a part that was left out because the novel couldn’t cover her entire life? Or has the original story changed?

“I don’t know.”

My head started to hurt, so I popped another madeleine into my mouth. It was impossible to guess everything on my own.

I stared blankly at the mountain of treats. There were also various flowers, jewels, dresses… So many things had arrived that it was overwhelming.

“I feel a bit guilty just receiving all these…”

I wish I could sever relationships as cleanly as cutting with a knife. But I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to ignore these gestures of goodwill after receiving such a flood of gifts.

I didn’t want to meet him again, but I couldn’t just disregard his sincerity.

“Should I buy a gift and send it?”

Since Leschel was a prince, simple expensive items wouldn’t do. A heartfelt gift would be better, right?

While I was contemplating, it became quiet outside. I looked out and saw that the rain had stopped. It was still cloudy, but with some scattered sunlight breaking through, it seemed like it wouldn’t rain anymore.

“Ellie!”

“Yes, miss!”

Ellie, who had been cleaning the hallway, quickly stopped what she was doing and came into the room.

“How many maids are left in the mansion right now?”

“About ten.”

I roughly counted the number of treats with my eyes. It seemed a bit too few for ten people to share.

“Are there more in the kitchen?”

“There should be more.”

“Then could you tell everyone to stop working and gather to share these treats?”

“A-all of these?”

“Yes. They taste better when shared, don’t they?”

Leaving a flustered Ellie behind, I stood up and walked out of the room.

“Miss? Where are you going?”

“Out! I’ll be back soon!”

It’s better to act quickly once you’ve made up your mind. If I drag my feet, who knows what might happen!

* * *

“I don’t see anything I like…….”

I left the fifth store empty-handed. It was just a polite gesture of gratitude, so why was it so hard to choose something? Nothing seemed to satisfy me.

‘At this rate, the sun will set.’

I decided to visit a famous artisan’s shop as my last stop before heading back to the mansion.

‘…Huh?’

But my resolution lasted less than a minute. At the end of the street where I was headed, I spotted a familiar figure.

‘Why, why is that person here?’

Even from a distance, his tall stature, neat brown hair, and striking appearance were unmistakable.

Running into Lake wasn’t the issue. The problem was… there was more than one person with brown hair. Next to him was Olivia, the very person I wanted to avoid.

I pulled my hood down further and quickly turned in the opposite direction, almost running. It was the opposite of where I intended to go, but it was better than encountering Olivia.

‘Why on earth is she here?’

There was no rule that said Olivia couldn’t be here. There were plenty of good places near the Count’s estate, so why did she come all the way here?

‘I need to get as far away as possible.’

I retraced my steps and slipped into a narrow alley barely wide enough for one person. I hadn’t visited the city often, so I risked getting lost, but that was a better option.

“Damn it, nothing’s going right!”

I flinched at the loud shout of a man as I exited the alley. He was yelling at someone.

Turning to look, I saw a burly man grabbing a young boy roughly. The area was noisy, but no one was stepping in.

‘Ah, I should’ve brought a guard.’

I usually went out without a guard because having someone following me everywhere was annoying. But today, I regretted that choice.

There were probably guards around, so there was no need for me to step in like at the banquet. It seemed like it would take a few minutes to get help.

“Excuse me, could you call the guards?”

I stopped a passerby and pointed to the scene of violence with my eyes.

Once the person I asked disappeared into the alley, I took off my hood and approached the boy. They wouldn’t attack a noble-looking person right away, or so I hoped.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I helped the boy to his feet. His mouth was smeared with blood, and my heart ached at the sight.

“Run along now.”

When I whispered softly, the tearful boy ran into the alley.

“Who are you?”

The brute, realizing he had lost the child, asked menacingly.

“And what if you find out?” I retorted.

He let out a bitter laugh.

“Where on earth would you find a place to hit such a young child… What if you’d killed him?”

“Not my problem if he dies.”

He sneered, revealing the front of his clothes, stained with mud.

“You hit a child just because your clothes got dirty?”

“Just?”

“Then what is it if not just?”

“Looks like our lady doesn’t understand the situation?”

As I didn’t back down, the brute’s intimidating presence grew more menacing, ready to explode at any moment.

I crossed my arms and stood defiantly. I just needed to buy time; there was no need to take unnecessary risks. I knew I had to be careful, especially with Olivia nearby. But…

I was irritated. The child’s whimpering still echoed in my ears. The image of him bleeding wouldn’t leave my mind.

It was shameful to live in the same world as someone like this.

Even if the brute was taken away, without the child as a witness, he’d likely be released soon. That would infuriate me. And I didn’t want to leave things undone when I could do something about it.

Maybe I should provoke him a bit? If I played it right, I could charge him with assaulting a noble and get him imprisoned.

Would one hit kill me? It would hurt a lot, but not as much as dying. No, getting hit once wouldn’t be as painful as dying.

“Hahaha!”

I laughed out loud on purpose. The brute looked at me as if I were crazy.

“Ah…! Sorry. Your face was just too funny.”

I laughed again, loudly. The brute ground his teeth. He was getting angry, though there was no context to my mockery.

I tilted my head slightly and smiled innocently.

“Surely you’re not angry? You’re not just ugly, but also narrow-minded, huh?”

I looked at him with disdain. His face turned as red as a volcano about to erupt. I confidently walked up to him.

“Don’t just stare, hit me if you can!”

I leaned my face forward and shoved his chest with my palm.

“I’ll ruin your family, so go ahead and hit me if you dare!”

“You insolent wench…!”

It was a moment of high tension. Then, I heard someone running. It seemed the guards had arrived just as I had anticipated.

But the person who stopped the situation wasn’t a guard—.

“What on earth is going on here?”

A voice spoke close to my ear.

Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. An arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me into the speaker’s embrace.

At the same time, the brute let out a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground. I looked up and saw the familiar brown hair.

“…Lake.”

When I called his name, his green eyes met mine.

Lake’s icy gaze, which had been fixed on the brute, melted away when it met mine. His voice followed, warm and infinitely gentle.

“What are you doing? What if you had gotten seriously hurt?”

His words were not scolding but filled with concern.

“Brother!”

And then, the person I had so desperately wanted to avoid, the heroine Olivia, arrived at our side. Her large eyes were shaking violently when she saw me.

The guards followed her, rushing out of the alley. Lake said something to the guards, and they took the restrained brute away.

“…C-could you let go now?”

“Oh.”

Only then did Lake release me from his embrace and step back.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

I glanced over at Olivia but quickly averted my eyes before she noticed me looking.

‘This is bad.’

Just as I took a step to slip away, my legs momentarily gave out from the exertion of running earlier. But Lake caught me swiftly, preventing me from falling.

“Lady Edeline!”

“Edeline!”

They both shouted urgently.

Thankfully, I managed to stand again immediately. Then I noticed the two of them staring blankly at each other.

Why are they like that? The thought flashed through my mind before I realized why they were so surprised.

‘Oh no.’

The lie I had told at the temple was exposed.