The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 69
I was startled and turned my head sharply to the back.
Golden hair, illuminated by the noon sun, shimmered dazzlingly.
The man, who had not even been a subject of my concerns, let alone a thought, was boldly opening someone else's gift box.
"Did you prepare it to match my hair color?"
The crown prince curled his lips upward as he saw the golden amulet with defensive magic spells engraved on it.
'What is this guy saying?'
I gaped at him, then furrowed my brows fiercely.
I reached out to take the box back.
But at that moment, he raised his arm. It was just out of reach.
Feeling indignant, I jumped up on tiptoe to grab the box.
However, just as I was about to grab it, his hand went up again.
I grunted and tried a few more times, but I couldn't match his towering height.
While I was hopping up and down in place.
Suddenly, a small puff of air from the head of the bed tickled my forehead.
Only then did I stop trying to get the box back and turned to look at the crown prince.
His scarlet eyes, filled with mockery, were curved into a half-moon.
Heat rushed to my temples.
"What are you doing right now?"
"It's mine, isn't it? Stop pretending and just admit it."
A. Ni. Ge. Dda?! I wanted to shout, but I had to hold back.
It was the precious 10% I had earned through hard work during the main quest.
It was not a number that could be said to be completely away from death.
"I humbly apologize, but..."
I clenched my teeth and forced a smile.
"It's not a gift for Your Highness."
"Then, who were you planning to give it to?"
"Tell me, who is it? I'll deliver it for you."
His scarlet eyes swept around as if to say he would deliver it, which was terrifying.
Whether it was a habit or not, his right hand stroked the hilt of the sword at his waist.
It seemed he would draw his sword and kill whoever I named, whether it was me or the person I mentioned...
'Ha... In normal mode, he wasn't supposed to be this crazy.'
I swallowed a sigh and answered.
"I was going to give it to my second brother."
I apologized inwardly as I sold Leonard out. It would be better than giving it to a complete stranger like Butter.
Fortunately, the 'family' excuse seemed to work, and the crown prince didn't draw his sword and attack.
"Unfortunately, it seems your second brother doesn't care about gifts from you."
He glanced in Leonard's direction as if to mock me.
Not understanding what he meant, I turned my head to follow his gaze, and my brows furrowed immediately.
Leonard and Derrick were surrounded by young ladies offering gifts.
"Look, Father! Who says I have no popularity?"
In the midst of this, Leonard, who had been scolded in the morning, called out to the duke with a delighted face.
The crown prince was right.
It was doubtful whether I could deliver the gift to Leonard through the crowd of women.
'I don't really want to go through all that trouble to give it to him...'
But I certainly didn't want to give it to the crown prince either.
"Your Highness, aren't there many young ladies who would give you gifts?"
He took the amulet out of the box and held it against his chest.
"Tell them it's a token of affection for someone I once deeply loved."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"I said it was a gift for my brother."
"Or you can think of it as a tribute to the crown prince as a citizen of the empire."
He suddenly glared with his scarlet eyes, threatening me.
He was saying he would take it by force, either as a gift or as a tribute.
"Ha... Do as you please, then."
What could I do if he wanted the amulet so badly?
I hadn't even decided who to give it to yet. After all, the crown prince was the main character.
I looked at the golden amulet perfectly attached to the crown prince's chest and muttered reluctantly.
"...It suits Your Highness well."
It was a polite lie, but the crown prince smiled.
At the same time, my goodwill increased by 2%.
'Well, it's not a bad result.'
Buuuuu-. A loud horn sounded from the dais.
It was the signal that the departure was imminent.
The crown prince leaped onto the large black horse he had brought and looked down at me arrogantly.
"I'll personally bring you a suitable prey as a token of gratitude for the gift."
"Wh-What? No, you don't have to—"
"Feel free to look forward to it."
Before I could refuse, he spurred his horse and galloped away to where the duke and the two brothers were.
'Not meeting me is the best thanks...'
I repeated the words I couldn't say, when suddenly,
"Are you well, Duke Eckhart?"
The crown prince greeted the duke with a loud voice.
The tension around the participants about to depart had already risen, so his voice carried clearly to where I was.
"I greet the empire's little sun."
The duke bowed to the crown prince. The crown prince, who had been observing the duke, smiled and said,
"Did the duke also receive the same gift from the princess as I did?"
"By the way, I didn't ask what effect my amulet has. What spell is engraved on the one the duke is wearing?"
'What a lunatic! Shut up!'
I opened my mouth wide at the incredible sound.
The duke, Derrick, and Leonard all turned their gazes toward me at the crown prince's casual words.
Derrick's 30% and Leonard's 31% goodwill dropped one after another.
If the duke had a goodwill bar, it would have dropped as well.
As I glared at the crown prince with fury, he waved at me with a shameless face, sensing my burning gaze.
At that moment, I seriously considered whether to casually flip him the middle finger in return.
But before I could act on my thoughts, the horn signaling the departure sounded.
The nobles on horseback galloped toward the forest one after another.
Dudududu-. After a while, as the dusty sandstorm subsided, the once crowded central area of the square was empty.
'In the end, I couldn't greet anyone but the crown prince...'
Even though I had intended to avoid the main characters as much as possible, I hadn't wanted to lose goodwill.
As I stood there, lost in a sense of self-loathing as the main characters disappeared,
"Princess Penelope Eckhart?"
Someone suddenly called out to me.
Turning to the side, I saw an elegant woman I had never met before, smiling.
"I was worried you might not come, but you accepted my invitation. I'm so happy."
I immediately recognized who she was.
I hesitated for a moment about how to respond.
While my status was higher, she looked older than me.
Moreover, the empire had an unspoken custom of treating married people as seniors.
"Hello, Lady Dorothea, Countess."
After some thought, I bowed slightly and greeted her politely.
If it were the real Penelope, she might have said something arrogant like 'Who are you?' or 'I consider it an honor to accept your invitation.'
- This is a good opportunity for you to establish your position in society, Penelope.
I remembered the duke's hopeful eyes during breakfast.
"Thank you for inviting me. Thanks to you, I can enjoy a pleasant afternoon."
I didn't really want to accept the invitation.
But since I had met the host, it would be awkward to refuse.
Seeing my polite greeting, Lady Dorothea's eyes widened slightly, as if she found me more normal than the 'mad dog of the Eckhart family.'
After a moment, she wiped away her surprised expression and smiled strangely.
"The tea party has already started at noon. Everyone is gathered. Would you like to join us, Princess?"
Lady Dorothea, Countess, turned and began to guide me.
As I followed her, I recalled her strange smile.
But it's not like there were any main characters trying to kill me.
What could happen at a gathering of delicate women chatting?
'If it gets boring, I can make an excuse and leave.'
I moved forward, not taking it too seriously.
And as usual in this game, something did happen.