I Want a Happy Ending Even as a Villainess

Chapter 20

From the moment she became the notorious Lilith’s maid, Anne had braced herself for some level of cruelty.

‘The problem is, it’s way beyond “some level.”’

Anne bit down on her lower lip.

Of course, she couldn’t make eye contact. She wasn’t allowed to straighten her back in front of her. She couldn’t speak at first. Every movement had to be as smooth as flowing water and executed perfectly without a hint of hesitation.

Naturally, the standard of perfection was determined by the lady’s mood.

The same actions, the same food, could elicit entirely different reactions. Daily insults were the norm, and being beaten was routine. She had seen blood drawn by sharp objects more than once.

This applied not only to the maid’s actions but also to her appearance and voice.

“Sigh.”

Anne let out an exasperated sigh, recalling the maid who had been beaten and dismissed for a sudden change that displeased the lady.

Anne was only managing to endure because this position was hard-won by her mother. At first, she thought she would get used to this life, but even after six months, it was still just as tormenting.

Even if she wasn’t the one being mistreated, it took immense mental strength to witness others being slapped, cursed at, and thrown out of the mansion.

“Is it that time already…?”

Anne glanced at the clock. She had to finish cleaning the dining hall before dinner. Today, she prayed that the lady would be in a calmer mood.

As she was about to leave the room, Anne realized she hadn’t opened the package yet. Sitting back down, she tore off the wrapping to find a wooden statue inside.

“Why would she send something like this?”

Anne wasn’t a devout believer. Aside from two visits to the temple at her mother’s insistence, she had never even set foot there.

“Still, since it’s here…”

Knowing how hard things were for her, Beth must have sent it out of concern. Anne placed the wooden statue on her desk.

“If there really is a god…”

‘Please let me suddenly strike it rich, or let the duke’s family be destroyed, or let the lady turn into an angel. Anything is fine, just get me out of this miserable life. Please!’

When Anne opened her tightly shut eyes and looked at the statue, it was unfortunate that it looked no different than before.

“Anne! Are you done yet?”

“I’m coming!”

Hearing the impatient call from outside the room, Anne quickly got up. But with a strange feeling, she glanced back at the statue while holding the doorknob.

The god was smiling benevolently, but Anne didn’t think that smile was meant for her.

* * *

“Why is it raining so much?”

A few days had passed since Beth had given her the gift. On yet another morning, Anne grumbled as she looked out the window. Rainy days made everything damp and uncomfortable, which only worsened the lady’s mood. At least two people would be fired today, she was sure of it.

But all the maids who were supposed to attend to the lady that morning were huddled together in the hall.

“What are you all doing here?”

“The lady told us to leave today.”

“…Really? Why?”

When Anne asked with a puzzled expression, the maids all shook their heads. They had no idea either.

It was unimaginable for the maids to wake the lady themselves. But if they were even a second late when called, they would be harshly scolded. So, they usually waited endlessly in front of her bedroom until she woke up.

Although the lady’s waking time was somewhat unpredictable, nothing like this had ever happened before.

“Is she sick?”

After much deliberation, the maids could only come to that conclusion. But without her permission, they couldn’t even call a doctor.

“Well, this is good for us.”

“Yeah, let’s take a break.”

From experience, they knew it wouldn’t last long. By lunchtime, she would probably summon them again and then scold them for actually leaving when she told them to. The maids spent the morning chatting away, speculating about how the lady might react.

However, the lady stayed locked in her room for a full week. Just when they were starting to worry that something might actually be wrong, the lady suddenly summoned the head maid to her room.

But because the head maid had caught a severe cold, Anne was sent into the room instead. Anne was startled to find the head knight and the normally unseen butler present as well.

The lady was seated in an armchair. Despite her tired eyes, her face remained cold and expressionless.

Her hair, so blonde it could almost be mistaken for white, looked sharp as if it could cut. Her red eyes, filled with deep thought, felt like ice, sending a chill through the room.

“I have something to apologize for.”

As she spoke, the lady let out a faint sigh.

Anne could hardly believe her ears. Apologize? She glanced at the butler and the knight out of the corner of her eye, but they were just as surprised.

‘What kind of twisted prank is this?’

Sometimes the lady did this—came up with childish and foolish schemes to torment others.

“You all know that I went to the temple a week ago.”

Her voice trembled slightly but soon steadied.

“I confessed and repented.”

Anne’s eyes widened. She quickly looked up at the lady. Her gaze was strangely calm.

“I’ve realized how selfish I’ve been and how my actions have affected you all.”

Lilith was stringing together sentences that seemed increasingly out of character for her.

“All this time, I didn’t understand what the consequences of my impulsive actions, driven by emotions, would bring.”

Her voice was so quiet and subdued that Anne wondered if Lilith had truly lost her mind in a different way.

“I now know that my behavior was wrong. I know I’ve inflicted wounds that can’t be erased. I sincerely want to apologize.”

Anne was bewildered by her words. The butler and the knight commander standing beside her must have felt the same way. It seemed more natural to think that this was just another way for Lilith to torment them.

However, Lilith seemed to be aware of their reactions.

“I don’t want to make any excuses. I want to change. I’m willing to change.”

The determined look in Lilith’s eyes was unfamiliar to Anne, who had never seen such an expression in the six months she had worked at the duchy.

Later, Anne heard that Lilith had said something similar to the other maids.

‘How long could it possibly last?’

Anne’s distrust was deeply ingrained. Given her experiences in the mansion, it was understandable.

Surely this was all just an act, a prelude to some greater trouble.

Anne didn’t believe Lilith’s words. In fact, she couldn’t. It would have been the same, no matter who had said it.

But as a week passed, then a month, and then two, the act didn’t come to an end.

“The lady is acting strange.”

Marie, who was sewing beside Anne, tilted her head before nodding.

“Yes, she certainly doesn’t get angry or irritated anymore.”

There hadn’t been any major changes, but Lilith’s small transformation had a significant impact on the atmosphere of the mansion.

The constant tension that had hung over the household like a cloud had gradually melted away, leaving behind a semblance of normalcy.

In the past, the maids couldn’t even imagine chatting together during their breaks, but now, they naturally gathered in groups to talk.

“But Anne, my uncle, says there are quite a few people who’ve reformed after visiting the temple.”

Marie spoke seriously to Anne, who still looked uneasy.

“You know Lult Quinn from the central market? They say he used to be a ruthless owner who bled his merchants dry.”

“Really? That place?”

“Yes, but after some issues with donation funds, he went to the temple, repented, and became a philanthropist. They say he came out of the temple in tears, so it’s not that uncommon.”

Marie’s words grew faster as she became more excited by her own story.

“I’m just worried. What if she makes us pay for all the things she’s done in the past?”

“Ellie says she’s even volunteering at the temple every week. So, try to feel at ease.”

“I wish I could…”

Lilith hadn’t started being overly friendly or kind, but she had completely stopped the verbal and physical abuse she used to inflict.

‘Can I really believe this? Did the god actually hear my prayers?’

No matter what, the uneasiness lingered.

A week later, Anne was given some free time and went out to town. While she was looking around during her rare outing, a strange man approached her.

“Are you a maid of Lady Crescent?”

“…Who are you?”

The man didn’t answer her question. Instead, he handed her a plain white card.

“Give this to her.”

As soon as Anne took the card, the man disappeared in an instant. As she looked around, trying to find where he had gone, her gaze naturally fell on the card.

There was something written on the blank card in unreadable characters. Though Anne couldn’t decipher it, she felt an inexplicable urge to deliver the card to Lilith. It was against the rules to accept anything from strangers, but she had a strong feeling that something terrible would happen if she didn’t.

“My lady, a card arrived for you.”

Anne handed the card to Lilith, who was spending time in the garden. Lilith accepted the card and stared at it silently before looking back at Anne.

“Who sent this?”

“…I don’t know. It was someone I couldn’t identify. I’m sorry.”

Anne hesitated, feeling uneasy as she noticed the way the lady’s expression subtly hardened while looking at the card.

Did I do something that could cause trouble? Anne quickly brushed away the rising anxiety from her mind and hurriedly left the garden.

* * *

“Ha.”

A sigh escaped my lips when I realized that the carriage had finally reached the banquet hall. I was already feeling restless from the unsettling dreams I’d had after receiving that card yesterday, and having to get dressed up from the crack of dawn only added to my exhaustion.

‘But who could have sent that?’

A card with unreadable characters. The moment I saw it, a strong, inexplicable headache struck me, so I had put it away in a corner.

‘It’s unsettling, but there’s no way to find out.’

And right now, there wasn’t time to dwell on the card.

“Tsk.”

As soon as I stepped out of the carriage with the help of a knight from the Duke’s household into the garden of the Espand estate, I clicked my tongue in annoyance. My mood immediately soured at the sight before me.

That wretched man was once again trailing after some young lady from another house.