Chapter 94: The Villain's Ending is Only Death
After slipping out of the conference room, I only let go of my grip when I reached a quiet, deserted spot and apologized to Bunter.
"I'm sorry, Duke. I caused you a lot of trouble."
I offered my apologies to him, who had been caught between Derek and me and suffered as a result.
Bunter looked at me silently for a moment before pulling something out from his coat.
He then extended it to me and said something unexpected.
Confused by his words, I tilted my head and raised my hand to touch my face.
There was no moisture, only the roughness of my skin from lack of sleep over the past few days.
It was natural. I wasn't crying at all.
"I said that the sorrow in your beautiful eyes is the only gratitude I can receive."
"The eyes of a lady are always filled with sorrow rather than joy."
Bunter's words reminded me of our first meeting, which I had completely forgotten.
The moment I heard those words, I couldn't help but contort my face.
I had hoped that Derek, who came to the prison, would listen to me and help me.
Even though I knew it was a hard mode, I thought there might be some differences from reality since it was a game.
I thought there might be a dramatic change, regardless of plausibility.
I replied weakly with a forced smile, quite late.
"Will there ever be a day when I can laugh without a care?"
Probably not, until I escape this game after seeing the ending.
As I muttered these self-pitying words and lifted my head, a cold breeze suddenly blew.
The folded handkerchief on Bunter's palm floated up with the wind and unfolded with a 'whoosh.'
It seemed as if an invisible someone was playing with the fabric, folding and unfolding it in the air.
It crumpled, tied, and inflated repeatedly, finally transforming into a small rabbit shape.
I stared at it with wide eyes, dumbfounded.
The thin handkerchief slowly descended onto Bunter's palm.
Its small ears perked up as if greeting me.
It was a scene that was hard to believe even though I saw it with my own eyes.
"Could you please extend your hands?"
Bunter suddenly asked in a polite tone.
I raised my hands hesitantly and extended them.
The rabbit on Bunter's palm then hopped onto my palm and landed softly.
It rubbed its face against my palm as if it were a living creature, which felt strange.
Then, I suddenly realized that Bunter had used magic in the palace, even in his duke form.
"…Is it okay to do that?"
I looked around nervously, though it was a deserted place, just in case.
"There's no one to see, so what does it matter?"
Bunter responded calmly to my reaction.
'Is he just going all out now that everything is exposed?'
How long had it been since he revealed his secret to me? Was this sudden change in attitude too extreme?
I looked at him doubtfully.
"This is a basic trick that barely uses any magic, so there's no risk of being discovered. Don't worry."
Bunter added awkwardly with a forced smile.
"By the way… do you dislike animals?"
As he asked, the rabbit hopped on my palm and rolled over, showing its belly.
Though it was just a fabric object, its movements were exactly like those of a baby rabbit.
A small smile formed on my face.
Bunter said as I answered honestly.
Only then did I realize why he showed me this.
Suddenly, my heart felt heavy.
I shifted my gaze from the handkerchief rabbit on my palm to meet his eyes.
Then, I gave him a sincere, bright smile for the first time.
For a moment, a ripple passed through his pupils. Then,
5%. His goodwill towards me had increased significantly.
I slowly wiped the smile from my face as I looked at the gauge bar above his silver hair.
[In normal mode, the wizard always appears like a ghost whenever the protagonist is sad or upset, showing off bizarre magic.]
Even in this situation, I couldn't fully enjoy the moment, thinking of using him as a backup again.
It felt a bit disheartening.
Despite the assassination attempt on the crown prince, the hunting competition continued.
Only a few high-ranking nobles who participated in the trial knew the full details.
Moreover, many foreigners were involved.
The hunting competition had already been forced to continue despite the attack at the pre-festival banquet. If it were to be completely canceled now, it would severely damage the prestige of the Inca Empire.
Therefore, the competition continued without a host.
Four more days until the winner is selected.
"…Until His Majesty returns, no one is to leave the hunting grounds for safety reasons."
The next morning after the trial, a servant went around the camps of each family to deliver the emperor's order.
The order was to detain all nobles in the palace until their return.
I looked at the servant who brought the scroll with the royal emblem, feeling wronged.
I thought I could return home immediately after being cleared of the charges.
However, I was relieved by the next words.
"However, Lady Ecart has made significant contributions to assisting the crown prince."
"To commend her and out of consideration for her as a lady, the order also states that she may move to the palace if she wishes."
I immediately raised my hand and shouted as soon as the servant finished speaking.
The duke called me in a gloomy voice.
When I turned to look at him with a blank expression, he only stiffened his dark face without further protest.
No one had approached me easily since the trial, which was a good thing.
"Then, I'll prepare the carriage."
The servant bowed politely to a member of the duke's family and left.
"I need to pack, so I'll go ahead."
I got up from my seat as if I had been waiting for this moment.
I didn't want to stay any longer in the suffocating cabana of the duke.
Unable to bear the cold atmosphere, Leonard opened his mouth to say something.
The duke stopped him. He sighed deeply and nodded.
"Alright. Do as you wish. The palace will be more comfortable than here."
I left the cabana without any hesitation after a brief farewell.
The three pairs of blue eyes that pierced my back felt heavy.
Unlike the momentum I had when leaving the duke's cabana, my steps felt heavy once I was outside.
I sighed as I walked slowly towards my cabana.
Surely, our relationship wasn't this bad on the first day of the hunting competition.
I sighed, thinking that maybe I was just venting my frustration.
I could understand the frustration of the duke's family, who had suffered from Penelope's thoughtless mischief and accidents.
Moreover, this time, it involved an assassination attempt on the royal family, which must have been extremely distressing.
For the duke and Derek, it might have been best to downplay the incident as a 'naughty prank by a spoiled child' to resolve it.
'…But why should I understand their situation?'
Understanding is one thing, but my feelings were still hurt.
If they had asked me about the situation first and worked together to find a solution, or if someone had stood up for Penelope even once, this episode wouldn't have ended in such a mess.
Just then, someone called out to me.
However, lost in thought, I didn't immediately recognize the voice.
I stopped walking when I heard my name shouted.
'Sigh… I don't want to turn around.'
There was only one person here who would call me so rudely.
I turned my head slightly to confirm.
Sure enough, the pink-haired figure was quickly approaching me.