When the Duke asked me that yesterday, I couldn’t answer at all.
What kind of thought would there have been? The villain just did what villains do.
In the novel, it wasn’t clearly explained why Edith dragged Llewellyn to the gate.
She had always found Llewellyn annoying to begin with…
If I had to guess, maybe it was because the male leads kept asking Llewellyn to dance at the banquet, and Edith became the laughingstock?
But does the reason for evil really matter that much?
Right. Around this point, there should be at least one assassination attempt.
I had simply treated it as just another crisis the heroine had to face and read past it carelessly.
“Small gates appeared all over the Empire at the same time.
The male leads scattered to different regions to subdue them.
By coincidence, a gate also opened near the capital.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Edith kidnapped Llewellyn and brought her there.
Then they were attacked by monsters, and the carriage carrying the two of them was sucked into the gate…”
I searched my memory and recalled the episode where Edith dies.
I had thought she brought Llewellyn to the gate location to commit the perfect crime.
After all, the kind and righteous heroine was known to purify demonic energy even without the male leads, for the sake of the world.
Was she planning to make it look like Llewellyn died in an accident while purifying the gate?
It was actually a fairly suitable plan for an assassination attempt.
But while reading that episode, I had only felt baffled.
Why is the Duke’s daughter going herself? Isn’t she going to create an alibi?
She could have ordered a servant or hired an assassin to do it.
Edith, who had no real ability, personally going to kill the heroine felt like a sloppy plot device.
I even thought the author forced it just to emphasize the villainess’s miserable end…
“…M–Miss, Miss. Are you alright?”
At that voice, I snapped out of my thoughts.
Nancy was staring at me with worried eyes. I had suddenly stopped eating.
“Does the food not suit your taste?”
“…No.”
“You look very pale…”
At her words, I slowly put down my fork.
The unexpected realization made my stomach feel heavy, as if I had indigestion.
“Sorry. I don’t really have an appetite.”
“Shall I bring dessert?”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. Please clear it away.”
When I forced a smile, Nancy quietly cleaned up the table and left the room.
As I turned my head absentmindedly, I caught sight of my reflection in the large window beside the table.
“…Ah.”
The unfamiliar appearance stunned me for a moment.
Brilliant golden hair shining under the sunlight, and deep blue eyes like rolling waves.
Skin so pale it looked almost transparent, with alluring eyes and soft red lips perfectly shaped.
This… is me now.
With a strange feeling, I raised my hand and touched one cheek.
For someone dismissed as a villainess who screamed and died meaninglessly, Edith was unbearably beautiful.
“…You’re this young and pretty. Why did you cling only to useless things?”
Maybe my earlier assumption was wrong.
Maybe Edith truly kidnapped Llewellyn to kill her, not to protect the villa.
But even so, I still couldn’t see her as truly evil.
It had been her desperate struggle to survive.
And I alone—
I alone could understand that.
I only felt a little sorry for the girl who had lost her body to me and disappeared somewhere unknown.
“I won’t live begging for attention the way you did.”
I lowered my hand from my cheek and spoke coldly.
The slightly innocent look caused by my wide eyes vanished like a lie.
The cold, arrogant face reflected in the glass finally looked like a proper villain.
“I might even ruin the things you cherished.”
I remembered Ethan’s rampage level that I had seen yesterday.
If I told the Duke and the male leads the truth about their awakened powers and accepted them, I could probably improve my relationships with them.
But I had no intention of doing that.
Why should I? What do I have to gain?
They were what Edith wanted, not me.
If necessary, I was prepared to cut off all ties and live alone, just as I had done in my real life.
There was nothing good about keeping stress factors close.
“So don’t feel too wronged.”
If another miracle happened, the way I had come back to life in this body—
Then maybe everything would return to its rightful place.
After whispering one last time to the poor girl whose whereabouts I didn’t know, I stood up without hesitation.
Now, Edith Blake was me.
After finishing my bath, Nancy sat me in front of the vanity. She carefully dried my hair and braided it neatly to one side.
“How is it, Miss? Do you like it?”
She pinned a delicate lilac corsage where the braid was tied and looked at me with shining eyes.
With this breathtaking face, what wouldn’t suit it?
With my hair tied up, the youthful look faded, and I appeared like a graceful noble lady.
I nodded in satisfaction at the mirror.
“Yes. You’re quite skilled.”
“Hehe.”
I smiled back at Nancy’s proud grin and said gently,
“Nancy, could you go downstairs and tell them to prepare for an outing?”
Her smile instantly froze.
“An–an outing?”
“Yes. I’ll need a carriage.”
“Ah…”
Her eyes shook as if there were an earthquake inside them.
I had expected it wouldn’t be easy to leave, but it seemed an order had already been given.
When I stared at her, silently asking what she would do, she squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out,
“I—I’ll go ask the butler first!”
“And pick out something for me to wear when you come back.”
I waved lightly as she hurried out of the room.
Not bad.
I had wondered what I would do if she ignored me completely in favor of the Duke’s orders.
But so far, Nancy had been obedient enough.
Since I would be living here from now on, I needed a suitable ally.
Just as I was trying to gauge how much goodwill Nancy had toward Edith, she returned.
“Miss! Y–you want to go out?”
Unfortunately, it seemed to be a failure.
The elderly butler I had glimpsed yesterday rushed in behind her, looking pale.
“Where are you planning to go?”
“Hmm, nowhere special. I’ve been stuck inside all this time, so I feel stuffy. I just want some fresh air.”
“You have only just awakened yesterday. For your recovery, it would be best to refrain from going out for the time being.”
“You heard the physician yesterday too, Butler. He said I’m fine.”
“Even so, your memories are not fully restored yet…”
“Why?”
Tilting my head, I smiled faintly.
“Did Father tell you not to let me leave?”
“Th—that…!”
It seemed I had hit the mark. The butler’s mouth opened and closed.
I frowned playfully and complained,
“I just woke up after a whole week… That’s too harsh.”
“….”
“Actually, I was thinking of visiting Ezenia. Nancy told me about the villa. She said it was my favorite place because of the memories with Grandmother.”
“Miss…”
A trace of sympathy appeared on the stiff-faced butler, who had been desperate to stop me.
As expected.
Mentioning the former Duchess worked.
Edith lost her mother at a young age and was cast aside by her father for failing to awaken her powers.
If she still grew up so arrogantly, it meant her grandmother’s influence had reached throughout the estate.
Otherwise, she would’ve been ignored even by the servants and grown up timid and insecure.
In that kind of environment, it is very hard to stand tall, look people in the eye, and speak confidently.
I knew better than anyone how much effort it took to appear strong, so I smiled bitterly.
“Honestly, I don’t remember anything, so I’m scared. I thought if I went there, maybe something would come back to me. When I heard about Grandmother, my heart stirred.”
“….”
“I’ll be back before Father returns. So could you please turn a blind eye this once? Hmm?”
Getting angry like the old Edith would be useless against someone who prioritized the Duke’s orders.
Instead, I looked downcast and tried to stir his sympathy. As expected, he wavered.
“…Miss.”
“….”
“The Duke’s command is important, but even so, it would be best not to go to Ezenia right now.”
He shook his head while looking at me with pity.
I already knew from Nancy that Ethan had gone there first.
But I asked as if I knew nothing.
“Why?”
“Because if you go there now, you’ll probably be met with stones.”
The answer came not from the butler, but from somewhere else entirely
