Chapter 41

The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 41

“Phew.”

The woman who had put down her dessert sneered at my spotlessly clean dishes, showing no signs of having eaten anything.

It was a whisper, barely audible to my ears.

Our eyes met. Her eyes, curved into half-moons, were filled with mockery and delight.

‘Oh, let’s give this a try, shall we?’

Before she could leave, I quickly dropped the smallest spoon to the floor.

Clatter.

The sound of metal hitting marble was quite loud, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My hand slipped.”

“...”

“Would you like me to pick it up?”

I apologized dramatically, gesturing to the floor.

Lady Donna remained calm, even in the face of my sudden action.

Her demeanor suggested that she was used to such situations, as if she knew there was nothing I could do.

“Of course. Don’t worry, Miss.”

If Penelope, I thought, would she have thrown the cutlery at Lady Donna and stormed out?

‘No.’

I was certain.

From what the butler had told me, she had consistently attended the Duke’s uninvited dinners.

This meant that no one had interacted with her outside of these meals.

The family dinner, where everyone but her engaged in warm conversation.

She had forced herself to sit at the table, enduring the isolation and misery.

If she had acted out by throwing the cutlery, the Duke would never have let her join again.

Penelope knew this well, so she must have struggled to control her hunger and anger.

If she couldn’t even attend these dinners, she would never see her family again.

‘But I’m different.’

I looked down at Lady Donna, who was bending to pick up the spoon, with a completely expressionless face.

And then, Clatter!

“Oh dear! I’m sorry. It slipped again.”

As Lady Donna was about to stand up with the spoon I had dropped, the second smallest spoon fell to the floor.

The attention of the people who had lost interest in me quickly returned.

The Duke clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“Tsk, what are you doing, being so clumsy?”

“I’m sorry. The pudding is so soft that the spoon keeps slipping.”

I shrugged in response.

Derek’s icy blue eyes fixed on me, and Leonard’s reaction was no different.

“It’s fine, Miss.”

Lady Donna picked up the second spoon without complaint.

“Then, have a good time...”

Just as she was standing up to say goodbye,

Clatter, thud, thud.

I deliberately threw the last spoon to the floor.

“Penelope Eckart.”

The Duke’s face and voice instantly turned cold.

“What? What are you doing?”

Leonard laughed in disbelief, while Derek glared at me with a deep frown.

White text appeared above their heads, flickering.

Squeak—I pulled my chair noisily and stood up.

“I’m sorry, but there are no more spoons, so I can’t have dessert.”

“Sit down.”

“I think I’ll go up to my room now, if you’re done speaking.”

The Duke’s face grew increasingly angry.

“With your bad manners, what are you doing at this long-awaited luncheon?”

“I’m too hungry, Father.”

I dramatically clutched my stomach. The Duke and the male leads’ frowns deepened at my unexpected words.

“...What?”

“I’m as clumsy with cutlery as a three-year-old, so I can’t eat any of this food.”

I looked at my untouched plate with a solemn expression, as if I were a child.

The food, untouched and still warm, would likely be taken by the staff if I went to my room.

The foolish Penelope must have starved herself while feeding the staff every time.

“Isn’t that right, Lady?”

I smiled innocently and sought Lady Donna’s agreement.

“Ah, Miss...”

Her face turned pale. The confidence and mockery from earlier were gone, and it was almost comical.

A cold silence fell over the dining room.

The tiny toy-like cutlery and the untouched main dishes.

The pristine white plates, untouched by even a speck of seasoning, were so clean that it was hard to believe anyone could do this on purpose without being dissatisfied.

I knew exactly where everyone’s gaze was fixed.

“I’ll go up to my room and ask Emily to bring me a sandwich, something I can eat with my hands.”

“...”

“Have a good time, Father, brothers.”

No one tried to stop me this time.

I opened the door and left the dining room, and a sense of futility made me laugh.

‘They say you can kill people with crossbows and magic...’

Isn’t it truly ridiculous?

That such a wicked and evil woman was helpless against something as simple as this.

But even so, I couldn’t mock Penelope.

She had endured the hunger and stayed in that seat until the end, which was pitiful and heartbreaking.

I went straight to my room, took the book I had been reading from the bookshelf, and sat at my desk.

I had confidently left the dining room, claiming to be hungry, but I wasn’t that hungry.

More honestly, I was worried about the impact on the male leads’ affection levels.

‘The last time I checked, there was no change...’

I was bothered that I hadn’t been able to properly read their expressions due to the Duke and Lady Donna.

‘Surely, my affection levels won’t drop just because I threw a spoon, right?’

I decided to be calm.

“It’s fine if they drop a bit. There’s nothing I can do.”

It might be complacent, but since they were already marked as X, I didn’t mind some fluctuation.

‘As long as it doesn’t plummet to the point of death...’

I tried to focus on the book, but then,

Knock, knock.

Someone announced themselves.

“It’s me, Miss.”

“Come in.”

It was Emily, so I readily allowed her to enter.

She entered with a covered tray, carefully placing it on the desk.

“Are you reading?”

“What’s that?”

She placed the tray on the desk and opened the lid.

Steam rose from the soup, steak, and sandwich neatly arranged.

I immediately frowned. The steak was plated exactly like the one at the dinner.

“This is new, as per the Duke’s instructions, Miss.”

Emily, who seemed to have heard about the incident, added hesitantly.

“And this is from the butler, who said you must take care of yourself...”

A small brown bottle, a digestive aid.

“Thanks, but I’m not really hungry. Take it back.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, since I hadn’t eaten anything, there was no risk of indigestion.

Emily looked disappointed.

“But you said you wanted a sandwich. You’re hungry. Please eat, Miss.”

“I’m fine. And I already ate.”

“You haven’t had a proper meal all day. At least...”

“It’s not just today. It’s always been like this.”

I slammed the book down, annoyed.

“Have any of the meals you’ve brought been proper noble meals?”

“Ah, Miss...”

Emily was at a loss, sensing my cold mood.

I knew I was taking out my frustration on her. Emily had always been kind to me within her means.

I didn’t have major complaints about the meals, which usually consisted of a few dishes and desserts. At least I wasn’t starving.

But the situation I was in, or rather, the situation Penelope was in, made me so frustrated I wanted to scream.

“Take this and go. I don’t even want to see your face right now.”

Emily left with a sad expression, carrying the tray.

I felt bad for being harsh on someone who had been worried about me, but I didn’t feel particularly guilty.

I had been suppressing my emotions since leaving the dining room and now, I let them out as I picked up the book again.

But I soon threw it down in frustration.

“I’m so annoyed.”

I stood up from my desk and flopped onto the bed.

The luxurious and elegant ceiling of the room was visible.

It was ironic that the room’s owner couldn’t even get a proper meal, while the room was beautifully decorated.

“Why do I have to go through this hellish situation here?”

I muttered to myself, unable to understand.

If someone else had been reincarnated into this game, they might have been delighted by the spacious and luxurious room.

But I didn’t feel particularly moved by such things.

The place I had lived in at the main house was also luxurious and spacious.

Ironically, while living in such a beautiful room, I had worried about what to eat the next day.

After the second bastard graduated, the bullying at school reached its peak.

I was always the last to eat lunch, and it was common for others to deliberately bump into me and spill my tray.

I went the whole day hungry and couldn’t eat immediately when I got home.

I didn’t join the family dinners, which were always warm and inviting, except for me.

‘What was the point of that pride...’

Looking back now, it was a foolish thing to do.

I should have at least eaten a proper meal while enduring.

Unlike Penelope, who had a maid, I had no one to bring me food.

The housekeeper would leave as soon as she finished the dishes.

I would hold my starving stomach and wait until everyone had finished eating and gone to their rooms before sneaking into the kitchen.

I would mix cold soup with rice or pour leftover side dishes into a large bowl and eat hurriedly.

But even then, more often than not, I couldn’t eat a single bite.

- Ugh!

The leftovers were often mixed with vinegar, sugar, salt, fish sauce, and sometimes unknown substances, making them taste terrible.

It was the second bastard’s doing.

- You filthy girl. That’s why you eat like a rat.

He would sometimes watch me in secret and mock me with a sneer.

Because of this, I suffered from malnutrition and chronic gastritis until I escaped that hell.