Episode 1: A Villainess’ Wish (9)

Vaill.

The black market auction that was going to be held a few weeks from now. I asked Elysia for the exact date, she came back with not only the information, but also an invitation.

Her foresight and initiative impressed me, I rewarded her with another ‘gift’, as appropriate.

“Have you received any news regarding Reene?”

“R-Reene? That… I searched, but the only thing I learnt was that her whereabouts are unknown. I was told she disappeared recently. I couldn’t pass her the letter,” Elysia reported with her head lowered.

“Disappeared?” This… was concerning.

“Yes… I apologise.” Elysia trembled. “I think her father and brother would know where she disappeared to, but I’ve refrained from coming into contact with them as you’ve requested.”

I bit my lips.

If Elysia didn’t know her whereabouts, then it’s impossible for me to find her either.

What could be happening in the Copper family right now? I have no idea.

Reene in the original story was a girl who had experienced severe abuse, and at one point was even turned into a human guinea pig. And in my previous life, while she appeared normally outwardly, I could feel the brokenness inside—she was only pretending to be fine. 

I concluded that the abuse she experienced was something that happened early on in the story. Regressing, one of the objectives I made was to save Reene, yet I had not enough information to save her. 

At worst… I might have to approach Kairen for this…

—Knock. Knock.

“W-Who?” Elysia snapped towards the door and muttered.

“The crown prince has come to the residence,” a maid from the other side of the door announced.

“What?” Isodor came to the manor?

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If the crown prince drops by for tea all of a sudden without prior notice, how should a rude fiance respond?

Well, one would say as a villainess, I ought to curse him so hard that he’d regret ever coming to visit. Another option would be to tell him the two magic words straight to the face: ‘get out’.

Both options were viable. 

… But all those plans came crashing down when I saw him waiting with a bouquet of lush bluebell flowers.

His noble blond hair shone brilliantly in the morning light, and the forlorn expression on his face was unmistakable.

He looked like a knight who had returned from war—the dazzling prince I’ve always admired him to be.

Isodor turned to me. A troubled smile hung on his face, almost as if he felt wronged for even coming.

Nausea crawled up my stomach and into my head. Fragmented pieces of what I knew to be old wounds scraped at me.

“Astraea, good morning. I hope my unexpected visit didn’t trouble you,” Isodor intonated shyly.

“Y-You… what do you think you’re doing…?” Words, absent of reason, spewed out of my mouth.

“I came to surprise you,” Isodor’s voice was gentle.

Surprise me… right. I remember now. 

I had told Isodor to decide however he wished to make it up to me. It just so happened that he chose to stop by and give me a large bouquet of those exact same flowers.

“This is for you.”

A captivating bouquet where lilies, hydrangeas, eucalyptus and blue bell flowers intertwined. The fragrance of the flowers overpowered by a stronger scent of eucalyptus, the intoxicating smell weaved into a familiar aroma that penetrated by nose. It whispered a memory of a past relived.

The petals distorted into churning waves. 

The vibrant colours withered, lush lilac flowers shrivelled up into a black stem. 

From the tips of the now dead flower, blood bubbled grotesquely, dripped and…overflowed, pouring across the ground.

“Astraea…?”

I grabbed the flowers from his hand—

“What’s wrong…?!”

Isodor was dead.

On the ground, with the soles of my heels, I trampled down on them. Over, and over again. 

The petals flew into the air, like feathers exploding from a duck.

His eyes shook like a quake. 

… Why was I reminded of him?

“Hah? Are you right in the head? Why are you making my life difficult on purpose?! I’m only tolerating your actions in order that we fulfil the contract of our engagement. You can’t possibly be so blind as to not realise how displeased I am to see you with these disgusting flowers do you now?!” 

Laughter—laughter as if possessed.

The atmosphere darkened. A shift in mood, my heart raced, and anxiety rippled through my body. Slowly, gradually, I felt as if I were sinking into a deep, sticky pool of—

“Yeah, you’re right. I am not right in my head.” Fear.

He closed the short distance between us, taking no regard to the petals that crumpled underfoot. 

I raised my head to look at him, he showed a smile. I felt a chill.

“To think I’m still putting up with an attitude like yours. Truly, what a fool I am.” He grabbed my chin, forcing it up to meet his cold gaze. Instinctively, I pushed him away.

“I… I…” My mind was a mess. I struggled to justify what I had done.

Was there really any need to explain?

“I can’t believe you really are a fool.” His voice dripped with disdain. “I had hoped you were better than this, Astraea.”

I reached out to stop him, but he grabbed my wrist and shoved me back.

“Enough of this nonsense already! Cross the line one more time, and I’ll make sure this engagement is never spoken of again.” The disappointment on his face was irrefutable.

He turned around and walked away. His back grew further and further away—

The heat I had been suppressing rushed into my head.

Glued to the ground and unable to get up, my tightly gasped fist was trembling. 

Petals scattered all across the floor, tumbling in the wind, just like the emotions within me. 

“...Can I… really do this?” I choked.

A tear stained the ground before me.

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“We’ll leave at once. It seems I’ve made a mistake in coming.” Isodor clicked his tongue and hastened his pace.

“Your Highness... I know I may be intervening unnecessarily in the matter, but may I speak?” Raised the royal knight accompanying the prince.

“Speak. Not that I would be surprised by anything after what she did.” Indignation, disappointment. There was a clear pain heard from within his voice.

After hearing what Kairen had to say, Isodor thought that maybe he was wrong in handling his relationship with Astraea. As a man, he sought to act first to clear the misunderstanding. Yet to his dismay, the treatment he received today was by far the worst he had experienced in the five years since their engagement.

He had tolerated her attitude for so long, hoping that she would change, praying that she would somehow come to her senses… 

In the end, it was all but a naive dream.

“When you presented Her Grace Astraea with the flowers… had you noticed the terror in her eyes?” 

“What?” Isodor spun around and looked at the knight.

He observed. “...Her behaviour was abnormal, as if she had recalled something horrible.” 

Terror? Terror over what? A bouquet of flowers? Ludicrous.

Wasn’t it a fool’s conduct to hope for the impossible? Praying that the one doing the deed would turn over a new leaf? When his consideration had been trampled underfoot over and over again, how many more opportunities should he even give her? 

Isodor’s expression contorted. 

As if wanting to deny it, Isodor boarded the carriage and rushed the coach to leave. 

He kept his gaze fixed to the passing view outside the window. Yet no matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop himself from hearing Astraea’s broken laughter in his mind.