Chapter 71

The ending for villains is nothing but death, Chapter 71

“I also learned archery when I was young, so next time I should practice aiming at large monsters like Lady Gongnyeo.”

“By the way, Lady Gongnyeo! The clothes you’re wearing today really suit you.”

The conversation inevitably turned to her attire.

“Thank you.”

I simply pretended not to notice the gazes that suddenly focused on me.

“Puh!”

Then, clear laughter erupted from various places.

‘Sigh. They’re not even worth a punch…’

Although I was annoyed, it wasn’t really a matter that directly concerned me, so I could tolerate it.

What’s done is done; what more can I do about the things this body did in the past?

‘If I make a fuss now, it might reach the ears of the duke or Derrick…’

At that point, it could become a matter of life and death.

Moreover, I felt a bit guilty towards the duke, who had invited me to the tea party with eyes full of anticipation.

Therefore, I planned to just hold my place without giving them any more reasons to criticize.

The blue-haired girl, perhaps worried by my unperturbed demeanor, spoke up again.

“Is Lady Gongnyeo planning to go monster hunting again today?”

“Oh, now that you mention it, isn’t that crossbow the one you used to kill a monster yesterday?!”

Lady Aries pointed at the crossbow slung on my back.

Even this, which might have been intended to fit the theme of the gathering, felt rude.

“Yes.”

I replied without much enthusiasm.

The faint smile I had been maintaining on my face had long since faded.

“Oh, how wonderful!”

Lady Dortea clapped her hands and said.

“Lady Gongnyeo, Lady Aries was quite disappointed that she didn’t get to see you yesterday. Since you’ve brought the crossbow, why don’t you show us your archery skills?”

“Besides, you’re wearing the perfect outfit for it!”

Kelin added.

“Actually, I received a large teddy bear as a birthday gift recently. I brought it specially to show everyone at today’s tea party, but it would be perfect as a target.”

“Oh, Lady Kelin! What if it gets holes in it?”

“It’s much smaller than yesterday’s monster, so maybe that won’t happen.”

“Hohoho, that’s true. It might not happen.”

The ladies fanned themselves and giggled again.

“Bring the prepared item over.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Without waiting for my permission, Kelin started setting up the stage on her own.

‘Ah, so you’ve already prepared the target?’

I decided to just watch and see how far she would go, leaning back against the chair and crossing my arms.

The gazes grew sharper as my attitude became increasingly arrogant.

After a while, a maid who had left her seat returned, carrying a large teddy bear as big as herself, and waddled over.

She stood a bit away from Kelin and asked.

“Where should I place the target, Miss?”

“Lady Gongnyeo, which distance would be suitable for you? I think this distance is appropriate.”

Kelin pointed at the maid, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

“It’s close enough to avoid the danger of hitting someone, like last year. Don’t you agree, everyone?”

The women nodded in agreement with her question.

“Lady Kelin is right. That distance seems appropriate. It would be a disaster if a blind arrow went astray because the target was too far away.”

“Please stand up and show us your skills, Lady Gongnyeo.”

“Wow! I’m so excited!”

Lady Aries clapped her hands like a child.

I felt ashamed of myself for mistaking her bright eyes for curiosity just a moment ago.

‘In a way, it is curiosity.’

It was as if she was looking at a chimpanzee in a zoo or a clown performing tricks.

Since I had used her as a scapegoat at the beginning, she must have created this atmosphere to make it impossible for me to refuse.

There was no need to look around; everyone must be looking at me with the same mocking eyes as Aries.

So, I stared directly at the instigator who had orchestrated this scene to stir up the nobles.

She smiled deeply at my expressionless face.

‘Why don’t you act up like last year again?’

Her eyes seemed to say, a mix of contempt and excitement.

In the game, Penelope had two choices.

Either to play along with their clown act or to go berserk and shoot everyone, like last year.

‘If I were the real Penelope, these would be the only choices to make me angry.’

It wouldn’t be difficult to show off my crossbow skills as they wished.

But if I did, by tomorrow, the “ridiculous crossbow show at the tea party” would spread like wildfire.

And if I got angry and overturned everything, claiming they were mocking me…

‘They would probably rally public opinion to gain sympathy and become the queen of the hunting festival.’

This is likely what Kelin wanted.

It would be even better if she could crush the detestable Lady Gongnyeo and prevent her from making a comeback in society.

No matter which choice I made, it wouldn’t be bad for her.

Then, what about me?

‘Why not choose both?’

Seeing that I had no intention of moving from my crossed-arms position, Kelin tilted her head and called out to me.

“Lady Gongnyeo?”

I looked at her and suddenly burst into laughter.

“The teddy bear might be a bit too difficult?”

“…What?”

She was taken aback by my response.

It seemed strange to her that the Lady Gongnyeo, who had been expected to scream and act up, was now silent.

“Why, why is that?”

“Unfortunately, that size is far too small to showcase my skills.”

I glanced at the teddy bear and lazily murmured.

“Oh my!”

Lady Dortea interjected dramatically.

“So, how big should the target be to see Lady Gongnyeo’s skills?”

“Do you need a target as big as the monster you hit yesterday?”

The blue-haired girl, emboldened by others’ support, stretched her shoulders and muttered.

“But what can we do, Lady Gongnyeo? It’s unlikely we can find a craftsman to make such a large teddy bear…”

“Ohohoho, that’s true. What a pity!”

Laughter erupted from various places.

“Hmm.”

Rattle.

I pulled my chair noisily and stood up, silencing their mockery.

Then, I gracefully adjusted the crossbow on my back.

“I think hitting a fly buzzing near your mouth would make for a pretty good rumor.”

Click.

It was as if everything flowed naturally until I aimed the crossbow at one of them.

“Everyone, what do you think?”

I looked down and scanned the surroundings.

The women’s laughter, which had been continuous until just a moment ago, slowly died down.

No one had expected me to aim the crossbow at Lady Kelin as soon as I stood up.

There had been no warning at all.

Kelin and the other nobles, who had belatedly realized the situation, widened their eyes.

Among them, an elderly lady who had been fanning herself and annoying me from the start shouted.

“E, Ecart Lady! W, What are you doing! How can you aim a bow at a person again!”

“Lady?”

I coldly cut her off.

Then, as if it wasn’t even worth looking at her, I moved my eyes and ruthlessly crushed her.

“Since when has the name Ecart been so casually used by an old woman whose face I don’t even know?”

“T, That’s….”

The lady’s face turned bright red, likely feeling ashamed that her family was so obscure.

But she couldn’t muster the courage to challenge me further.

While she might have been respected for her age at the tea party, the empire was a strict class system.

An oppressive silence settled over the quaint forest where the tea party was held, out of place with the setting.

“…Lady Gongnyeo, please calm down.”

Lady Kelin spoke with a surprisingly calm face.

“If you keep this up, I’ll have to call the guards again. That would put you in a difficult position, wouldn’t it?”

It was a provocation, meant to make me lose my cool.

The guards were stationed in the clearing next to the forest where the tea party was being held.

It was obvious that last year’s Penelope, who didn’t know how to shoot, had brandished the crossbow and screamed, causing a commotion.

The guards would have been more than enough to respond to the noise.

It wasn’t hard to guess that her sudden request for a weapon was both a threat and a means of self-defense.

While learning archery in this body, I realized that it had no talent for martial arts.

If I had known even a little about archery, my fingers wouldn’t have been so smooth, and my arm muscles wouldn’t have been so nonexistent.

‘What a foolish girl.’

Why hadn’t she realized that I could easily break her spirit with a bit of thought?

Despite her provocation, my calm demeanor made the woman’s face gradually fill with unease.

“This time, it won’t be as easy as last year. So, please lower the crossbow you’re aiming at me….”

“Then go call them.”

I twisted my lips into a smirk and gestured with my chin.

The women’s faces were all filled with shock at my response.

‘A Lady Gongnyeo who would have already acted up if she were going to, is now telling them to call the guards herself.’

It must have been a baffling situation, as the blue-haired girl looked at me with eyes full of unfamiliarity.

“However….”

I tilted my head slightly, as if I knew nothing, and smiled innocently.

“Would it be faster to call the guards, or for me to shoot at moving targets?”