I Want a Happy Ending Even as a Villainess

Chapter 19

“Didn’t you see the letter I sent saying I’d come tonight, via Baron Delmore?”

When Leschel asked that, I realized my mistake. Baron Delmore was indeed the name on the invitation I had tossed aside without even opening.

“I didn’t check because I was too exhausted today. I’m sorry.”

I never imagined such a letter would be among the invitations.

“Just wait a moment; I’ll ask the maid to bring out some refreshments.”

“No, I have to leave early.”

Leschel stopped me as I tried to leave the bedroom.

He wasn’t here just to chat or for a casual visit; he had come secretly at this late hour. 

“Okay, then… why are you really here?”

That was the question. What could be so important that it warranted a late-night intrusion into my room? Surely he could have sent a carriage like last time.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Anything to say? My head tilted in confusion as I tried to recall. 

Going back in time, one thing came to mind.

“I enjoyed the snacks you sent last time. And the dress was lovely.”

I raised my voice with a hint of enthusiasm and glanced at Leschel to gauge his reaction. He looked mildly puzzled by my response.

‘Is that not it?’

If so…

“Oh! Right, I almost forgot.”

I walked over to the dresser, slipping past him. The necklace I had bought during my last trip to the city was in the drawer.

‘I still haven’t bought a new gift…’

Given the situation, I had to give him the necklace Olivia had chosen.

I pulled out a small wine-colored box that fit in the palm of my hand from the drawer. When I slightly opened it, the necklace was just as it was when I bought it.

I alternated my gaze between the necklace and Leschel. It didn’t seem to match him at all, but there was nothing else I could do at this point.

“It’s a gift.”

I forced a smile and extended the box to Rochelle.

“Open it.”

I urged him with my eyes as he just stared blankly.

He perched on the window sill and carefully opened the lid. Despite the short duration, it felt like the longest moment of tension I had ever experienced.

“Where did you get this?”

Leschel’s eyes widened as he discovered the necklace.

“I bought it in the city. Why?”

“This is extremely rare.”

Rare? The necklace? Leschel’s voice was filled with excitement as he spoke about it.

“What is it?”

I could have pretended I knew what it was, but my curiosity got the better of me.

Leschel cupped the small gem attached to the end of the necklace in his palm. A black glow flickered and then vanished in an instant from his hand.

“It’s an artifact that can contain Estella. There are less than five left in the world.”

I gasped at Leschel’s explanation.

‘So Olivia gave me such a precious item?’

Since Olivia was also a bearer of Estella, she must have known the necklace’s true nature. It was clear she chose it for Leschel as a gift.

‘I’m sorry for doubting your intentions, Olivia!’

I felt ashamed for having judged her choice as either a prank or a sign of poor taste.

As I silently apologized to her in my mind, Leschel approached me with the necklace.

“Stay still.”

Leschel stood behind me, carefully sweeping my long hair to one side and then fastening the necklace around my neck.

The sound of the clasp clicking into place was faint, but it seemed Rochelle struggled with the clasping process due to his gloved hands.

I heard a glove fall onto the carpet. Leschel’s bare fingers brushed my neck, causing me to flinch.

My body tensed, and even my breath felt like it had stopped. The brief moment of Leschel’s delicate touch fastening the clasp felt like an eternity.

“…If you give this back to me, it’s not a gift you’re receiving.”

“It’s a gift to me that you have this.”

What a strange thing to say. I turned my head and glared at him, and he responded with a soft laugh.

“You can use it up to twice in emergencies.”

“How does it work?”

I lowered my head and fiddled with the necklace around my neck. It appeared ordinary, just as it was when I bought it, and I couldn’t feel any special power from it.

“Just think about using it when you need to.”

Is it that simple? My skeptical look made Leschel shrug his shoulders.

Still, it seemed like this power could be very useful. If it was Leschel’s Estella, it must be incredibly powerful.

“By the way, Lily. It’s all good…….”

Leschel lightly tugged on my arm, turning me to face him.

“Even after such a big deal, you didn’t even tell me about it.”

His long fingers slid between the joints of my fingers.

“Making me worry for nothing.”

When I took a step back, he moved a step closer.

“Are you hurt at all? Is there anyone in this world you wish would disappear?”

…Does he mean he’ll remove Tain?

He whispered in a sweet voice that didn’t seem to match the grim meaning of his words. The light of his golden eyes shone like the sun against the backdrop of the bright moonlight coming through the window.

So close. Always so close. Leschel was like that, each time we met and parted. He seemed determined to captivate me with his smile and presence.

I found myself unable to resist his smile, falling helplessly into it. I could feel the warmth rising to my face.

My brain felt dizzy, and my heart raced uncontrollably. The pounding in my chest seemed like it would be audible to him.

“Alright, alright, just move your face away!”

I pushed Leschel’s chin with the palm of my hand, trying to get his face out of my direct line of sight.

“I’m perfectly fine, see?”

“Hmmm.”

Leschel’s response was vague. It felt like he would stay here until the sun came up if I left it like this.

There was only one way to get out of this situation: urging him to return to the palace.

“You’re busy, right? Don’t you have to go?”

“…I should.”

Leschel’s shoulders drooped, and he looked sulky. It was clear he didn’t want to leave.

“I’ll go to the palace within a few days, so let’s meet again then.”

I said this, guiding Leschel toward the window. Though it was an empty promise, it seemed necessary to push him out.

I didn’t forget to pick up the glove that had fallen on the floor and place it in his pocket. Leschel seemed to comply but, as he reached the window ledge, he turned to face me again.

“Flowers…”

He murmured as he held my left hand.

“I planted a lot of flowers in the garden this time.”

He brought my hand to his lips. His fingers brushed against my skin but didn’t quite touch, and then he playfully released my hand with a charming smile.

“So, you should come quickly?”

Leschel stood up from the window ledge. The gust of wind made him glance around. Soon, he leaped out of the window, and when I looked down in shock, Leschel was already gone.

“Seriously, this is troublesome…”

I knew he was persistent, but I didn’t expect it to be like this. Perhaps it was fortunate that he didn’t confine me in the palace.

I rested my chin on my hand and stared blankly at the spot where Rochelle had disappeared. Even after he was gone, his actions, smile, and voice lingered in my mind, making it hard to shake them off.

* * *

Two months ago.

“Anne! There’s a letter for you!”

At the call of the head maid, the girl with short violet hair, who had been moving a pile of laundry, turned around quickly. The head maid was holding a package and a letter.

“Just a moment!”

Anne hurried to the laundry room, set everything down, and then returned. Her face was bright with an expression rarely seen at the mansion.

“Another letter from your childhood friend?”

“Yes!”

“You should go quickly.”

“Yes!”

Anne dashed up to her room on the second floor. She entered her room, turned on the lamp on a desk she rarely used, and sat down. Her hands trembled with excitement as she opened the letter.

‘To my dearest friend Anne—’

From the very first line, written in neat handwriting, she slowly read down the page. Anne’s face beamed with happiness as she read the letter from Beth, her childhood friend.

“Hello, Beth.”

Anne had a habit of reading every letter aloud, as she had recently learned to read.

“How are you…?”

Ann hesitated and lowered her voice as she read, fearing someone might overhear. She listened intently for any sounds in the corridor. When she confirmed no one was around, she found a pen and prepared to write a reply.

“If only I could earn enough money…”

The pen’s tip pressed down harder as she wrote, and her initial joy from receiving the letter faded quickly as she recalled her life at the mansion.

“I have to escape from here…”

She couldn’t endure it. If she had to sum up her life at the mansion in one sentence, that would be it.