I Want a Happy Ending Even as a Villainess

Chapter 18

Even though I had the urge to run away exactly twenty-seven times, I couldn’t do it. We could only finish the work when it was time for us to normally finish our volunteer duties.

As I stumbled down the hallway, leaning half on Lake, a priest walked toward us from the opposite direction.

The priest, with light gray hair, did not seem to be a Pallium priest. His gray eyes appeared devoid of any soul.

His unusual aura made me glance at him with sidelong eyes, and I quickly averted my gaze.

And as I passed by the priest:

“Ugh.”

My head felt dizzy and ringing, and I stumbled momentarily. A high-pitched ringing noise echoed in my ears. A murmuring voice resonated in my mind.

“Are you alright?”

Lake asked as he supported me. The pain, which seemed like it would last long, quickly dissipated, and I waved my hand to indicate that I was fine.

“It’s nothing. I must have overexerted myself.”

I said that and turned sharply to look back. The priest who had passed us was nowhere to be seen. Although it was a brief moment, it was an extremely unpleasant pain. I didn’t know why it had occurred.

As we stepped outside the temple, the once blue sky had already turned red with the sunset. The duke’s carriage was waiting for me in the square.

“Thank you for today as well.”

“No need to mention it.”

As soon as I got into the carriage, I slumped onto the sofa, utterly exhausted. Every part of my body ached, and my mind had long since escaped elsewhere.

I thought about stopping by the library to return the borrowed book, but realizing that it would be too much given my current state, I quickly abandoned the idea.

“Miss.”

“Yes…?”

At Lake’s call, I managed to sit up and looked down at him.

“Will you be participating in the festival on Ruben Street next week?”

Ruben Street? It would be familiar to the people of this world, but I had no idea what it was.

Although the name wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, it didn’t immediately come to mind.

“I suppose I’ll go.”

I pretended to know about it to avoid looking odd for pondering over a simple question. As soon as I said that, I remembered what the Ruben Festival was.

‘Wasn’t it a festival that appeared in the original work?’

I pulled together the few fragments of memory I had and barely recalled it.

The relationship between Olivia and Knox was a kind of contractual marriage. Just as Olivia had first proposed a deal to Knox, Knox also had demands from Olivia.

‘The Pearl of Eden.’

It was said to be an artifact that would prevent one from feeling any kind of pain. And the only place to obtain it was the “Rose Tower” guild in Ruben.

‘I hope there weren’t any sudden fires or terrorist attacks there.’

This meant that the Ruben Festival was a safe festival. It shouldn’t be ruined before Olivia successfully obtains the transaction items.

“This time, will you join me?”

Lake asked with a smile.

“Sure.”

I nodded in response. Since my identity as a princess was already exposed, it didn’t really matter. And surely, it would be enjoyable with Lake.

” I’ll see you then.”

With those words, Lake closed the carriage door. As the carriage slowly departed, his figure gradually disappeared from view.

‘I hope Knox won’t come.’

Even though some time had passed since the banquet, I still broke into a cold sweat whenever I thought about that incident.

Since Knox hadn’t appeared in the Ruben Festival in the original story, he shouldn’t be appearing this time either. Or rather, he must not.

* * *

I returned to the mansion and spent two days lying in bed, sleeping. The muscle pain had taken over my entire body, effectively forcing me into rest.

By the third day, I felt a bit better, but I still struggled with any activities that required significant movement. Nevertheless, I could walk, so I took the chance to sit at the garden’s tea table for the first time in a while.

“Ah, thank you.”

I thanked the maid who brought the refreshments and opened the book she had brought along. The history of the magic book recommended by Saint was very informative and interesting.

Although it had been a while since I finished reading it, going back to dissect each sentence anew had become a recent pleasure.

After reading it several times, I had even memorized some of the sentences. Throughout this process, what continually lingered in my mind was the original novel.

‘If only I had studied it as thoroughly in my previous life.’

Now that I was entangled with Olivia, I needed to know as much as possible about the events and their sequence that would occur to her.

‘It’s more important that the main characters fall in love; what does everything else matter?’

The crises and climaxes were merely dramatic devices to strengthen the bond between the main characters. Therefore, it was difficult to remember exactly when certain events occurred.

‘The Ruben Festival probably passed without incident.’

The only thing I could remember about the Ruben Festival was that Olivia had visited the shopping district.

‘But what about the events that will happen next? And the one after that? Is there any guarantee that things will continue to pass by normally?’

Thinking that far, I deeply regretted my meddling at the banquet. I should have invited someone else instead.

No, that wasn’t the issue. I shouldn’t have sent a rejection letter to Olivia and avoided going out into the city. Even if I did go out, I could have called for guards and avoided the situation.

“Maybe I should just stay home…”

Honestly, that seemed like the best option.

I had been trying to clear any lingering image of being a villain to avoid meeting the ending of the original work. Ironically, my efforts so far have made my life more complicated.

“Miss.”

“Yes?”

“There’s an invitation for you.”

The maid brought me a mountain of letters.

“Thank you for bringing them.”

I smiled and didn’t forget to thank her.

Although the family seemed to have opened up to me more than before, I felt that if I didn’t keep working at it, all of it might fall apart.

Once the maid disappeared back into the mansion, I stared intently at the pile of invitations.

Another round of banquets. I knew that the nobility often held parties to flaunt their status, but experiencing it firsthand was quite overwhelming.

‘I don’t know this family, and I haven’t heard of this one either.’

I flipped through the invitations quickly. If I were truly Lilith, I would have attended every single one, but I was different. Attending just one was exhausting; how could I manage all of these?

“Count Espand…”

It was the first familiar family name I came across.

It was certainly the same young lady who was present at the last tea party. Although she had spoken less compared to others, her dignified and graceful demeanor came to mind.

‘If I’m going to go, it’s better to go where there are friendly people.’

After all, no one would want to walk on thin ice.

***

‘I love this life of eating, sleeping, and eating some more.’

For three whole days, I stayed indoors, avoiding the outside and anyone else, blissfully lounging around the house. It was incredibly satisfying.

When I first possessed this body, the atmosphere in the mansion was as tense as walking on ice. The servants and knights were so uncomfortable that it was difficult to find anyone who wasn’t. But now, things have changed.

‘Yes, if things keep going well, I can live comfortably. Just a little more effort.’

I rekindled my enthusiasm and sprawled out on the bed.

Blowing out the candle extinguished the warm light that filled the room. Tonight, the unusually bright moonlight bathed the bed in its glow.

The bedroom was warm, and the cool breeze pouring in through the wide-open window made the room feel chillier. The curtains fluttered and danced in the wind. Lying there, I felt a refreshing chill, almost too cold.

“Ugh, what a hassle.”

Is there anything more annoying than getting up after you’ve just laid down? I reluctantly rose from the bed and moved towards the window.

Just as I reached out to close the window, my vision was suddenly filled with a black shadow.

‘W-wait, what?’

A person in a black robe with their face covered by a mask, leaving only their eyes visible, was standing there.

The intruder stepped onto the window frame and partially entered the room. Startled and nearly falling backward, I had no chance to react as the intruder grabbed my arm.

‘Is this really an assassin? Damn, who sent this? Tain? Or was it that big guy I met last time?’

Trying to figure out the identity of the intruder, I turned my head quickly, but given the numerous enemies of Lilith, I had no clue who it might be. Resigned to the possibility of another imminent death, I shut my eyes tightly, unable to think of resisting.

“Lily.”

However, the voice calling my name was familiar. When I opened my eyes, the intruder had pulled their mask down to their chin and was looking at me.

With golden eyes and hair shining as brightly as the moonlight behind them, and a soft, rounded smile on their lips, their presence was enough to shake me from my exhaustion.

“Leschel?”

Only then did I let out the breath I had been holding.

“Why are you here?”

I spoke with an unintentional sharpness in my tone. Given that I thought I was about to die, it was a natural reaction.

The person I thought was an assassin turned out to be someone I knew?! Not only that, the second prince of the Empire was sneaking into the mansion at this hour and climbing the walls to enter my room?

‘Could this be because I haven’t gone to the palace?’

I had been feeling secure, thinking they wouldn’t drag me there forcibly, only to end up in this situation!

I couldn’t help but scream from the inside.