The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 11
It seemed to be something he hadn't expected, as his face turned bewildered.
In fact, neither of us had ever said such things.
Derrick mentioning Emily's ten years of experience was solely to pressure Penelope.
You're worse than a maid who gets fired.
But what does it matter? I didn't make up anything.
'If he says something about it later, I can just deny it and say I thought that was what it meant.'
I nodded calmly at Leonard's questioning.
"So you decided not to fire that maid and use her again as your personal maid?"
His fine brows furrowed again. His immediate roar made my ears ring.
"Are you an idiot? You should have refused!"
"So what? Are you saying I should keep eating rotten food and die?"
"Can you guarantee the new maid won't do the same?"
My words made Leonard's mouth snap shut.
I gazed intently at the [Affection -3%] above Leonard's head and chose my words to convince him.
You can't blame this on their attitude.
It would only fuel his resentment towards Ekart.
I wish the affection gauge was an anger gauge instead.
Then I could easily adjust to his crazy mood swings by checking his anger level.
If my affection drops further from -3%, it's over.
That's why I wasn't at all happy when Leonard's affection increased.
"I didn't go to Father to discuss whether to fire the maid yesterday."
Choosing my words carefully, I spoke slowly.
"I went to apologize on my knees for causing trouble while under house arrest."
Leonard was shocked by the added information.
It must have been quite surprising that Penelope, who had never admitted to being wrong, had knelt down.
"You... admitted you were wrong? No, did Father make you... admit you were wrong?"
Of course, he didn't make me. I did it on my own.
This time, I hid the details and said something else.
"I told him I would be careful and not cause any more trouble during my house arrest."
Honestly, I wanted him to ignore me.
Frankly, if this stubborn guy just kept quiet, the risk of a bad ending would be halved.
'So please, don't pick a fight, and let's just live quietly, okay?'
But I couldn't say that directly, so I pleaded with all my sincerity.
Bowing my head slightly and begging him to let it go, Leonard looked at me as if I were some strange creature.
After a while, he managed to speak, his voice strained.
Seeing Leonard's face contort again, I anticipated his next words.
He would probably start some unreasonable argument, asking if I had gone mad, or if eating rotten food had driven me crazy.
My current behavior was indeed too submissive, unlike the usual Penelope.
But the thunderous roar that followed was beyond my expectations.
"You're going to let it go after being treated like that?!"
Are you in your right mind? You should have screamed and smashed things like before! That would have been more like you!
Leonard raged as if Penelope's suffering was his own.
Unfortunately, I didn't feel the slightest bit, not even a tiny bit, grateful.
"Didn't you expect this from the moment you put the lady's necklace in my room?"
My sharp voice, which had escaped my control, burst out uncontrollably.
"You've been doing this to me all along, hoping for something like this, haven't you?"
Leonard's mouth dropped open.
Thinking of the [Affection -3%], I knew I shouldn't have said that. But at that moment, I wasn't aware of it.
He shouldn't be talking about pride to me.
'Who brought Penelope to this state?'
The butler, the head maid, and Emily were mere pawns. The real mastermind was right here.
Leonard called out to me, his voice choked, as if he couldn't breathe.
"I'm not blaming you for it now. I've been foolish and arrogant too."
"But now, I'm just tired of everything."
I looked him straight in the eye and said.
"I'm almost of age, and I can't keep acting like this in Ekart forever."
Leonard's face turned pale.
"You... what are you saying? Are you planning to leave this house?"
"Everything depends on Father and the eldest brother."
I shrugged. Of course, my words and my true feelings were completely different.
I had no intention of being a pawn in a political marriage, as is common in this world.
Besides, the game story wouldn't lead to that, so I was relieved.
I would definitely escape this place without looking back after seeing the ending with one of the male leads.
'You're not included in those male leads, so don't worry.'
I asked Leonard to ignore my affairs again, disguised as a request.
"So you don't need to worry about my affairs, Leonard."
I'll handle my own business. Just pretend I'm getting what I deserve and ignore me as usual.
"It's time for my bath. Can you leave now?"
I gestured towards the door, dismissing him.
Leonard's face contorted horribly.
I had never seen this expression in the game, so I was surprised. And at the same time, my heart sank.
'Could my affection be dropping? No, it can't!'
I wasn't acting like Penelope, who growled like a mad dog whenever she saw Leonard.
I just said things he could understand. Why!
At that moment, the empty gauge above Leonard's lovely pink hair began to flash...
'Why is my affection rising?'
Staring alternately at Leonard and the rising affection gauge, I was bewildered.
"...I shouldn't have paid attention to someone like you even for a moment. I'm the idiot."
His blue eyes, which glared at me fiercely, seemed very hurt.
With those words, he turned and left.
'It must have been a mistake.'
Watching Leonard storm out of the room, I concluded it was a mistake.
The door slammed shut, and the room became quiet.
Resting my chin on the table, I fell into thought.
It was a strange feeling. Seeing the affection of a character I thought had zero potential rise in real-time was quite a good thing.
"At least the choice is off, and it's a bit better, right?"
Since the affection of the brothers in this house, who despised Penelope, didn't drop.
"I need to keep it off in the future."
With that resolve, I got up. I wasn't lying about wanting to take a bath.
As I pulled the bell cord to call a maid, a thought flashed through my mind.
I can no longer call Leonard negative.
The house arrest, which seemed eternal, ended sooner than expected.
"The palace sent an invitation?"
"Yes, miss. The young duke said to prepare for it."
"The young... no, the eldest brother?"
I almost called him 'young duke' out of habit but quickly corrected myself.
After all, I'm the youngest daughter of this house.
I shouldn't create too much tension, except with Derrick.
Though he didn't say it directly, it was essentially the end of my house arrest.
"Here's the invitation, miss."
Emily politely handed me the invitation.
On the stiff paper, the golden dragon, the symbol of the royal family, was engraved, and Penelope's name was clearly written.
The second prince's birthday party. It was tomorrow.
"I need to hurry with the preparations..."
Despite muttering this, I felt a bit regretful that the house arrest was already over.
Living without any conflict with the brothers and receiving Emily's attentive service was incredibly peaceful.
Once the house arrest ends, I will inevitably be involved with Derrick and Leonard in the game's progression.
Worried about what would happen at the duke's house, I paused.
'If I go to the palace... I might meet the crown prince!'
Not just might, but it was certain.
Though the game didn't show the scene of going to the palace, this was the episode where the crown prince route began.
The image of Penelope being beheaded multiple times by the crown prince's sword in the game flashed in my mind, and I screamed reflexively.
Emily was startled by my scream and looked at me.
'I absolutely can't go. Should I just say I'm too sick to attend?'
This was the only way to avoid that madman.
Worried that I might have made a mistake, I asked Emily urgently.
"Emily, is Father attending the party tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, the duke has some business, so the young duke will escort you, miss."