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Chapter 68




The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 68
* * *
“Duke, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, Lord Verdan. It has been a while.”
The duke acknowledged the young marquis who had approached him on horseback with a friendly nod.
“Isn’t it almost a year since you last attended the hunting competition? You should come out more often. If you keep this up, people will forget your face.”
“Haha, hunting just doesn’t suit me.”
“You’ll get better if you keep at it.”
The duke was pleased with the young marquis, who was polite and well-mannered.
Despite losing his father at a young age and becoming the head of his family, he was a capable talent, not lacking in leading a marquisate even at his young age.
‘If only he had a woman by his side, he would be perfectly settled...’
Some nobles still treated the young marquis as a mere boy because he hadn’t married yet.
The duke, who had been close to the previous marquis, was concerned about Verdan’s empty seat beside him.
“Have you received any gifts from the young ladies?”
“Perhaps because it’s been so long since I’ve been out, it seems there’s none for me.”
Verdan replied with an awkward smile.
If the maids who had swarmed his campsite since morning had heard this, they would have been furious.
Unaware that Verdan had refused all the gifts, the duke clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Tsk tsk, seems you’re just like my own sons. You should think about getting married and starting a family soon.”
“From what I see, Your Grace has received a gift wishing you good fortune in this hunting competition.”
Verdan glanced at the duke’s left chest and added.
“The amulet you’re wearing is quite noticeable even from a distance. It looks like it was made by a fine craftsman.”
“Ahem! Is that so?”
Indeed, the topic wasn’t brought up in vain, as the duke’s face brightened immediately.
He straightened his shoulders to make the amulet on his chest more visible.
“My sons are blind, but you have a keen eye, my friend.”
“No, it’s not that. The decoration suits Your Grace’s dignity, so I’m sure others have noticed it too.”
“Haha! This man, he’s flattering me!”
The duke laughed heartily and boasted, pretending it was nothing.
“Well, well. My youngest daughter has quite a discerning eye.”
At that moment, Verdan’s hand, which held the reins, twitched slightly.
It was a minor movement that no one would have noticed.
“...Is it a gift from the duchess?”
“No, she said I don’t need such things, but I had to take it anyway. Who in the Inca Empire could touch me, really! It’s an expensive teleportation spell, really!”
In a subtle tone that could be interpreted as either boasting or anger, the duke repeated several times that it was an “expensive teleportation spell.”
The loud voice drew the attention of the surrounding nobles, who glanced at the duke and his chest.
“Your daughter really has a good eye.”
As if he had never been flustered, Verdan now wore a polite smile, as if he had put on a mask.
“It’s a meaningful gift that shows the duchess’s discernment.”
“Is that so? You think so too?”
Despite his earlier outburst, the middle-aged man’s mouth opened wide in a grin.
“Yes, of course.”
Verdan gave the answer he thought the duke wanted.
After boasting about his daughter’s gift, the duke, satisfied, turned to compliment Verdan.
He noticed something shiny on the marquis’s sleeve that he hadn’t seen before.
“Your cufflinks look quite nice. The color suits you well.”
It was a dark blue lapis lazuli, identical to Verdan’s eye color, embedded in the cufflinks.
This time, Verdan’s face brightened.
“Is that so? I’m glad Your Grace noticed. It’s a gift.”
“I thought you didn’t receive any tokens of affection. Did you find someone special in the meantime?”
The duke asked, first with surprise, then with delight.
“From which family? Speak up, man to man. Now I can finally face your father!”
“...No, we’re not that close.”
Verdan replied with an ambiguous expression. It was true.
But the duke, not believing him, pressed on.
“Not that close! From the way you’ve brought it, it seems you’re more than just acquaintances. Give me a hint, at least.”
The duke’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a young lady who had just heard a juicy rumor.
He didn’t seem to consider for a moment that it might be his own youngest daughter.
Verdan was at a loss, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.
At that moment.
He suddenly felt a gaze on his face.
There were countless gazes directed at him, filled with admiration from young ladies and curiosity from nobles who were interested in the only duke in the empire.
But it was strange.
As soon as he lifted his head, he immediately spotted her.
Among the many people, a bright pink-haired woman with wide, teal eyes, staring intently at him.
“...A lady who never smiles.”
The hint he had promised the duke slipped out without him realizing.
“Hmm? Never smiles?”
“She always keeps her distance and only says words of refusal when we meet.”
Upon saying it, he realized it was true.
‘Is it because the impression from our second meeting wasn’t good...?’
Verdan recalled their last meeting.
- ...Well. Will we ever meet again?
A voice that coldly and firmly bid farewell without leaving any room for hope.
But she didn’t know that the wizard in the rabbit mask was him.
- No, it’s fine.
- I’ve already told the messenger that I won’t accept any response to the gift.
Thus, her cold treatment during their meeting yesterday, even as a marquis, was inexplicable.
People always felt a liking for his polite demeanor.
Especially young ladies, who would blush and smile shyly at even a little kindness.
It was no different when he wore the rabbit mask.
‘But this woman...’
Verdan realized he had been quite bothered by Penelope’s attitude.
‘This woman never smiles.’
The duke’s daughter, who carried many rumors, was colder, sharper, and more beautiful than the rumors suggested.
“So...”
Today, her usual indifferent expression made a faint smile appear at the corner of his mouth.
“Her rare, half-formed smile feels precious to me.”
* * *
It was when our eyes met briefly.
[Goodwill 32%]
I opened my eyes wide in surprise at the sudden increase in his goodwill.
I blinked several times, thinking I might have seen it wrong, but it remained the same.
‘What? Just because we made eye contact, it went up 6%?’
This wasn’t even Normal Mode; there was no way this cursed game would give such a generous increase in Hard Mode.
I looked back and forth between the two men, puzzled.
The duke, who had been listening to Verdan with a serious face, suddenly burst into laughter and slapped Verdan’s shoulder hard.
“...You’re really smitten!”
His voice seemed loud, but it was intermittent due to the surrounding noise.
‘...Smitten? What are they talking about?’
Verdan only gave a vague smile in response to the duke’s words.
While I was wondering about the inexplicable increase in goodwill,
“Wow, look! It’s the young Duke Ecart and the second prince!”
One of the women in the group next to me exclaimed, pointing somewhere.
Following their gazes, I discovered the two heading towards the duke.
‘Well... it seems the main characters are indeed the main characters...’
Riding black and white horses, they were more dignified and imposing than any other noble.
A soft sigh escaped me at the sight of them.
“Goodness, how can they be so dignified?”
“Would Lord Derrick accept a handkerchief if I offered it to him?”
“I’ve prepared a guardian bracelet to give to Lord Leonard!”
The young ladies around me sighed and moaned, looking at them.
After a moment, they cautiously approached the two.
Looking around, I saw that many women were hastily leaving their seats, as if it was gift-giving time.
Most were heading towards Derrick and Leonard.
‘Would they still call them dignified after knowing how much of a jerk they are?’
I sneered coldly at the scene.
Then, I remembered and rummaged through my pocket.
A small velvet box appeared in my hand.
I stared at it, lost in thought.
‘Who should I give it to...?’
The three amulets I had bought from the weapon shop were for Emily and the duke.
The third one was a spare, just in case.
If I didn’t attend the hunting competition, I planned to give it to Eclis, but if I did attend, I thought I might need it to protect my life.
But I felt it would be better to give one to one of the main characters.
I had been considering who to give it to, but after the duke’s bad luck this morning, Derrick was out of the question.
‘I was going to give it to Leonard because I was a bit moved yesterday...’
But seeing Verdan next to the duke, I hesitated again.
[Goodwill 32%] and [Goodwill 31%].
The difference in goodwill between Verdan and Leonard was only 1%.
If I gave the gift to Verdan, my plan to avoid any further entanglement would be abandoned.
Should I take the risk and use him as insurance again?
Or should I hear more of Leonard’s mocking medleys...
At that moment.
“Is this my gift?”
A hand suddenly reached out from behind, snatching the velvet box like a hawk catching its prey.