I Want a Happy Ending Even as a Villainess

Chapter 8

‘So, you’re telling me that what I’m looking at is the heroine’s brother?’

I looked at him, feeling a bit dazed.

His calm brown hair, green eyes reminiscent of a summer forest, a warm smile that could captivate even an angel, and the gentle aura that made anyone around him feel at ease—all these traits seemed like the typical description of a green-eyed, brown-haired character in a story.

When I thought back, his description matched the heroine’s in the original novel. The name Olivia might be common, but it was too much of a coincidence for someone to have the same appearance as described.

‘Is this some grand conspiracy to trip me up?’

On the bright side, I hadn’t met the heroine herself but her brother.

Moreover, he wasn’t a character from the original story. The only mention was a vague, “Olivia has a brother.”

If I continued this acquaintance, the chances of meeting the heroine would significantly increase.

But giving up on Lake was out of the question. He was a holy knight, a person of high status, and my guard knight! Such luck wouldn’t come twice.

“Are you alright?” Lake asked, his tone filled with concern.

“I’m just exhausted,” I replied, brushing off the deeper reason.

“Shall we head back now?” he suggested, standing up and offering his hand.

I grabbed his hand to stand up but—

“Whoa!”

My legs, tense from exhaustion, gave way, and I let out a scream. Lake quickly caught me, preventing me from falling to the ground.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s my mistake for not noticing your condition,” he reassured me.

Using his arm as support, I carefully sat back on the rock.

“Let’s rest a bit more…”

I didn’t want to cause trouble, but in my current state, walking was out of the question. I could already tell that tomorrow I’d be stuck in bed, unable to move.

We continued chatting for a while before finally returning to the orphanage. As soon as we arrived, I noticed a familiar carriage and people in the yard.

“Thank you for today,” I said.

“Don’t mention it,” Lake replied, his gentle smile making all my accumulated fatigue disappear.

Ah, he was really great. If only he weren’t Olivia’s brother, he’d be perfect.

After parting ways with Lake, I returned the cleaning tools to the office and then headed towards Ellie.

“Ellie, why are you back so early? Didn’t you enjoy the city tour?”

“Oh, my lady!”

Ellie, who had been pacing nervously by the carriage, ran to me at my call.

“Are you hurt anywhere?!”

She asked, examining me with exaggerated gestures.

“No, nothing happened. The temple even assigned a guard to me.”

“Oh… really? That’s a relief.”

Only then did Ellie relax and let out a sigh of relief.

“Did something happen?”

It’s a volunteer activity at the Great Temple, one of the safest places in the empire. There shouldn’t be any reason for this level of concern. It seemed like Ellie had heard something in the city.

“I heard that bad things are happening at the temple recently. I was worried something might happen to you, my lady.”

It seemed Ellie had been anxious the entire half-day we were apart.

Come to think of it, the priest I met earlier had said something similar. What exactly was this “bad thing” they were referring to?

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked as I climbed into the carriage. Ellie nodded vigorously and sat across from me.

“Another murder happened in Ponz the day before yesterday.”

As the carriage slowly started moving, Ellie began to speak. Her face was as pale as a sheet.

“In Ponz?”

“Yes. This month alone, four people have already been killed!”

“Four people?”

It wasn’t just a murder; it was a serial killing. It was a big deal, but I tilted my head in confusion.

I had read about Ponz while researching Palium. Although it was a temple, it was so small it was only used for prayer altars. Moreover, it was quite far from Palium.

“Isn’t Ponz far from Palium?”

“The newspaper said there’s a high probability that other temples might be targeted as well, a very high probability!”

She wasn’t wrong. Criminals often targeted similar places to commit the same crimes if they weren’t caught.

“But this is the Great Temple; shouldn’t it be safe?”

The scale alone differentiated Ponz from Palium. The Great Temple had many priests and knights. Security was on a different level altogether.

Not only were there temple knights but also the holy knights of the High Priest. It seemed practically impossible for an individual to infiltrate Palium.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry!”

Ellie leaned forward and shouted energetically. Then, worried that I might be offended, she quickly pulled back and watched my reaction carefully.

Reflecting on my actions, I realized I might have been too indifferent, so I quickly spoke up.

“Have they caught the culprit yet?”

“No… they haven’t found out anything.”

I felt like I was hearing about something in another country on the news because it wasn’t happening right next to me.

But it seemed like something that the temple side would definitely be concerned about. That’s probably why they assigned a guard even for such a minor task as volunteer work.

“It’s not an ordinary situation.”

“Yes! So, you should be careful too!”

Ellie emphasized with a firm voice. I was about to quietly turn my head to look out the window, but then I realized I had forgotten something and turned back to her.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Ellie.”

And I didn’t forget to smile warmly.

“Ah, ah, ah, it’s nothing! I mean, of course, it’s just that…”

“Yeah, I know. Thank you.”

I gave a light smile as I watched Ellie blush and stammer.

Suddenly, the carriage that had been going smoothly came to a stop. I thought it would be just for a moment, but no matter how long I waited, the carriage didn’t start moving. Ellie got out of the carriage and went outside.

She came back quickly after talking to the coachman and said to me,

“It seems that the road ahead is blocked.”

Since the temple was in the forest, the village serving as a transit point was small. Because of that, the village roads were only wide enough for one carriage to pass through.

When I looked ahead, it seemed that we weren’t the only ones stopped on the road; a line of carriages stretched forward.

“Could there have been an accident?”

“It seems to be due to a checkpoint.”

A checkpoint, so the incident in Ponz seems to have affected this village as well.

I was contemplating spending time idly when I suddenly noticed a sign with a book depicted in a nearby alley. Seeing that the light inside was still on, it seemed to be open for business.

‘I was planning to visit the library tomorrow or the day after.’

My knowledge about this world was extremely lacking. Given the situation, asking someone for information was difficult, and there was no internet search available here, so books were the only option left.

However, since Lilith wasn’t the type to read, there were no books to be found within the mansion.

‘Going now would save time and be a good idea.’

Thinking that, I reopened the carriage door and said to Ellie.

“I’ll go to the bookstore while we wait.”

“Oh, then I’ll get off too!”

“No. Could you stay here? There might be more trouble with the carriage.”

“But…”

“It’s not far, just right in front.”

“Okay… I understand.”

Ellie reluctantly nodded at my insistence.

We could have gone together, but if she came with me and someone asked why I was buying books that even a three-year-old would know, I wouldn’t have a good excuse. If she found out how clueless her mistress was, she might disregard me. It wouldn’t be beneficial if this became known among the maids.

‘It’s not my fault that there’s no knowledge in my head.’

With that thought, I walked into the alley and opened the wooden door of the bookstore. There was no one at the counter, as if the owner had gone to the restroom or something.

The store was dimly lit for a bookstore, but the yellow light from lamps hanging around the walls created an excellent atmosphere.

I found books about the empire’s history and culture, as well as Estella and magic, among the towering bookshelves.

Looking around briefly, I saw that the thick pages were densely packed with text from start to finish. The content seemed quite profound, and just looking at it made me dizzy.

“You seem to be interested in history.”

I was startled by the sudden voice and turned my head toward it. A well-built man in a robe was leaning against a bookshelf, watching me.

Although no weapons were visible, the black uniform peeking out from under the robe sent a chill down my spine. His face was almost completely hidden by the hood.

‘…A mercenary?’

That was the only thought that came to mind.

“Oh, no. It’s for my younger sibling.”

I made an excuse as if I had been caught doing something I shouldn’t. Though it was someone I didn’t know and not Ellie, it was a reflexive lie.

I just felt like I had to say something. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest. For some reason, the bookstore seemed to be filled with a smell of blood that I hadn’t noticed when I came in.

Noticing my trembling eyes, the man removed his hood.

His natural white hair, now illuminated under the lantern, turned yellow. The pale sky-blue eyes set in his stern, cold expression seemed lifeless. His broad shoulders and tall frame, combined with the intimidating aura he exuded, made it hard for me to breathe.

In that moment, the story Ellie had told me flashed through my mind.