Chapter 27: The Villain's Ending is Only Death
For a moment, the room turned as cold as the northern plains.
Within the mansion, the word 'Crown Prince' was practically taboo.
His blood-red eyes, as if ready to slice my throat with a knife, were chillingly intense.
Even though it had been quite some time since the bandages on my wounds had been removed, the thought of him made my neck throb again.
I couldn't just refuse the invitation from the palace.
I clenched my trembling fingertips reflexively and asked, "What does Father plan to do?"
But the butler, who usually answered my questions directly, was unusually hesitant.
"Since the invitation was only addressed to Miss Penelope, the Duke is not yet aware of it."
Bang! I couldn't pretend to be calm anymore, and I slammed the table, jumping to my feet.
The butler and Emily looked at me in shock.
But I didn't feel their gazes at all.
'Is he completely insane? This is worse than the game!'
That madman hadn't forgotten about me. In fact, he was clearly doing this on purpose.
Ever since the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, he had been trying to drag me out of the palace and kill me.
- Next time we meet, I'll have to explain in detail why, how, and for what reason he fell in love with me.
As the chilling words he had spoken then echoed in my ears, I shivered involuntarily.
'This wasn't in the episode, damn game!'
I furiously racked my brain, recalling the original game story.
But even after going over it, I couldn't be sure it wasn't there.
After all, in the game, Penelope never managed to escape the maze garden.
"What should we do with the invitation, Miss?"
The butler, seeing my distorted face and barely contained anger, cautiously asked for my decision.
I sighed deeply, brushing my light pink hair off my face.
I slumped back into my chair, leaning against the backrest as if my body were melting.
"I'm burning up, Butler."
With half-lidded eyes, I spoke lazily, and the butler was momentarily taken aback.
"But our Miss, being so ill, is a serious matter. Is it a cold?"
He quickly asked for the cause, showing his decades of experience in the Eckart mansion.
"Better if it's a lingering effect of the poison."
The butler bowed respectfully and hurried out of the room.
I clutched my aching head.
Emily, worried about my appearance, asked, "Miss, are you okay? Should I inform the Duke and call a doctor?"
"It's fine. There's no need to..."
I was about to refuse reflexively but quickly changed my mind.
"No, that's right. Call a doctor."
Since things have come to this, I should announce it to the entire mansion and extend my seclusion.
'I shouldn't even step out of bed until that Crown Prince loses interest in me.'
During my extended period of confinement, Emily carried out my orders smoothly.
Fortunately, the cuffs were made on time.
Since it was the festival season, no one found it strange that she was frequently going out.
"They were all indifferent at first, but their eyes changed when I showed them the jewelry box."
After visiting four places over two days, Emily reported back, chattering away.
Mostly listening to her chatter, I perked up when she mentioned a strange merchant with only a white rabbit mask and no other staff.
'Good. He took the bait.'
It matched the description of Bunter from the game.
I stopped Emily, who was about to describe the other merchants, and said, "You've worked hard in the rain. Go back to your quarters and rest."
"Yes, I'll be back this evening!"
Despite looking like a drenched mouse, Emily left the room energetically. Fortunately, she didn't seem to have caught a cold.
The door closed with a click, and the room fell silent again.
I turned to look out the large window.
The sky, which had been sunny just a few days ago, was now a dull gray.
"Why is it raining all day?"
Resting my chin on my hand, I stared blankly at the drizzle, feeling my mood sink.
I hated rainy days. They always made my flaws more apparent.
As a child, I envied friends whose mothers came to pick them up with umbrellas.
When I had to walk the field in the pouring rain, the innocent question, "Don't you have a mother?" was incredibly embarrassing and miserable.
But even as I grew older, those childish feelings never changed.
The kids who huddled together with their umbrellas and left school in groups.
- Young Master! Hurry up and run!
- Miss, I didn't hear it was going to rain today. I'm so wet. Mr. Kim, let's go home quickly.
- What does it matter? She'll find her way! Let's go.
Vroom— The car drove away.
Standing in the suddenly empty courtyard for a long time, I finally...
A sudden memory made me frown.
I shuddered, trying to shake off the gloom.
"Is this the time to idly watch the rain?"
I jumped up from my seat. I needed to do something.
To get out of this damn game as soon as possible.
Grabbing an umbrella, I slipped out of the room quietly.
The duke's estate, shrouded in a misty fog, was eerily quiet.
It seemed no one was outside due to the persistent rain.
I slowly crossed the garden.
I had come out to do something, but now I had no idea what to do.
Instead, I was heading towards a place where there would be even fewer people. Specifically, a place where the duke's sons wouldn't be.
Squish, squish. How long had I walked in the rain, lost in thought?
When I finally came to my senses, the surroundings were strangely familiar.
The forest path leading to the training ground.
After searching for a hole for a while, I had become so familiar with the terrain that I could recognize it by sight.
"I might run into Leonard here."
I had once encountered Leonard on his way back from training.
There was also a chance I might run into Derrick.
I had come too far. I quickly turned around.
I had come out to do something, but that didn't apply to the two who needed to avoid me to increase their affection.
Just as I was about to head back towards the mansion.
A sound of a sword cutting through the air came from somewhere.
'He's training even in the rain?'
After hearing several times that the knights' training intensity had increased recently, I felt a bit strange.
It wasn't hard to guess why. It was because of me, who had designated an unknown slave brought from outside as a bodyguard.
I started moving again, slowly.
Frankly, I was curious about the knights' recent reactions.
'Are they cursing me to high heaven?'
But it didn't matter. After all, the one being cursed wasn't the real me.
I might as well check if Eclis was among them.
However, when I arrived at the training ground, it was empty.
Except for one person swinging a wooden sword alone in a corner.
At first, I didn't recognize him. His dark gray hair, soaked by the rain, blended with the gloomy gray sky.
I moved quietly and slowly, trying not to be noticed.
The figure became clearer as I approached.
The man was shirtless, swinging his sword mechanically up and down.
His back and shoulder muscles, moving roughly, were deeply scarred.
He looked more menacing than pitiful.
The man didn't seem to notice my approach, so focused was he.
Finally, when I reached right behind him.
Suddenly, he turned his upper body like lightning. A sharp object viciously sliced through the air.
In the blink of an eye, a cold sensation touched my neck.
Eclis, breathing heavily, looked at me.
The intense killing intent directed at me made my hair stand on end.
His reflexes were unbelievable, considering he had been swinging his sword up and down just moments ago.
His eyes, which had been ready to slit my throat, gradually recognized me.
The killing intent faded, and his expression turned to confusion. Finally, when he fully recognized me, his face contorted.
He was so shocked that his voice trembled terribly.
Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath.
My lips trembled for a moment, and then my voice burst out as if a blocked breath had been released.
Despite the cold wooden sword still touching my neck, I tried to act as if nothing was wrong, as if I wasn't surprised or afraid, and spoke kindly.
His ashen eyes wavered, lost.
The text above his head started to flash again.