WAV 06

When the Duke had asked me that question yesterday, I couldn’t answer at all.

What reason could there have been? A villain did villainous things, that’s all.

In the novel, the reason Edith dragged Llewellyn to the Gate was never clearly explained.

She had always viewed Llewellyn as a thorn in her side…

And if I had to pinpoint a trigger, it was probably because the male leads had all taken turns asking Llewellyn to dance at the banquet, turning Edith into a laughingstock.

But did a villain’s motives really matter that much?

Right. About time for an assassination attempt.

I had simply skimmed past it as just another crisis the heroine had to face.

“Small Gates erupted simultaneously all across the Empire.

The male leads scattered to various regions to subjugate them.

And just then, a Gate opened near the capital as well.

Edith seized the opportunity to kidnap Llewellyn and drag her there.

But then they came under attack by monsters, and the carriage carrying the two women was sucked into the Gate…”

I dug through my memories and recalled the episode where Edith died.

I had assumed she brought Llewellyn to the Gate site in order to commit the perfect crime.

After all, the kind and virtuous heroine was established as someone who purified demonic energy for the sake of the world, even without the male leads by her side.

Was she planning to make it look like Llewellyn died in an unfortunate accident while purifying the area?

It really was a fitting assassination plan.

But while reading that episode, all I could think was how absurd it was.

No, why is the young lady personally going there? Isn’t she going to create an alibi?

She could have ordered a servant to do it, or hired an assassin.

Edith, who didn’t even possess any abilities, insisting on killing the heroine herself felt like incredibly sloppy writing.

I’d thought maybe the author had forced the plot just to emphasize the villainess’s miserable downfall, but…

“…Miss? Miss, are you alright?”

The voice suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts.

Nancy was staring at me with startled eyes after I had abruptly stopped eating.

“Does the food not suit your taste?”

“…No.”

“You looked so pale…”

At her words, I completely set down my fork.

The unexpected truth I had learned left my stomach feeling heavy, like I’d overeaten.

“Sorry. I don’t really have an appetite.”

“Shall I bring dessert?”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me—could you just clear this away?”

When I forced a smile, Nancy tactfully cleaned up the dishes and left the room.

As I absentmindedly turned my head away from her retreating figure, I caught sight of myself reflected in the enormous window beside the table.

“…Ah.”

For a moment, I froze at the unfamiliar appearance.

Brilliant golden hair shining beneath the sunlight, and deep blue eyes like crashing waves.

Skin so pale it looked almost translucent, paired with enchanting eyes and reddish lips that seemed painted by hand.

This… is me now.

Overcome with a strange feeling, I raised a hand and brushed my cheek.

For someone dismissed as nothing more than a shrieking villainess who died pointlessly, Edith was breathtakingly beautiful.

“…So young, and so pretty. Why did you spend your life obsessing over worthless things?”

Maybe my earlier assumption had been wrong.

Maybe Edith truly had kidnapped Llewellyn with the intention of killing her, not merely to protect the villa.

But even so, I still couldn’t see her as evil.

Because I alone—

I alone could understand that it had been her desperate struggle to survive.

The only thing I felt toward the girl whose body I had stolen, the girl who had vanished somewhere unknown, was pity… and a little frustration.

“I’m not going to live the way you did, begging others for attention.”

I lowered the hand caressing my cheek and spoke coldly.

Perhaps because of the wide eyes, my expression had looked somewhat innocent before—but now that softness vanished like a lie.

Seeing the cold, arrogant face reflected in the glass, I finally thought:

Now that looks like a villainess.

“I might even destroy the things you cherished and loved.”

I remembered Ethan’s rampage level from yesterday.

Whether it was the Duke or the male leads, if I revealed the truth about my awakened powers and embraced them, I could probably repair those relationships easily enough.

But I had no intention of doing that.

Why should I? What do I have to gain?

The one who wanted them was Edith, not me.

If necessary, I was fully prepared to cut off every connection and live alone—just like I had in my previous life.

Keeping stressful people close never brought anything good.

“So don’t feel too wronged.”

If another miracle were to happen, just as I had awakened inside her body…

Then perhaps everything would return to where it belonged.

After whispering one final farewell to the pitiful girl who had disappeared somewhere unknown, I rose from my seat without regret.

Now, Edith Blake was me.

After my bath, Nancy sat me in front of the vanity and carefully dried my hair before braiding it neatly to one side.

“How is it, Miss? Do you like it?”

After pinning a delicate lilac corsage into the braid, she looked at me expectantly.

With a face this beautiful, honestly, what wouldn’t suit me?

With my hair tied back, the youthful look faded, making me resemble a refined noble lady.

I nodded in satisfaction at my reflection.

“Mm. You’re quite skilled.”

“Hehe.”

Smiling proudly, Nancy smiled back at me, and I spoke gently.

“Nancy, could you go downstairs and ask them to prepare for an outing?”

The smile instantly vanished from her face.

“An—an outing?”

“Yes. I’ll need a carriage.”

“Uh…”

Her eyes trembled violently.

I had expected it wouldn’t be easy to leave, but it seemed orders had already been given.

When I stared at her expectantly, Nancy squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out,

“I-I’ll ask the butler first!”

“And when you come back, pick out something for me to wear too.”

I lightly waved at her as she hurried from the room.

Not bad.

I’d been wondering what I’d do if she completely ignored me in favor of obeying the Duke’s orders.

But so far, Nancy still listened to me fairly well.

Living here from now on, I needed at least one useful ally.

Just as I was estimating how much affection Nancy truly held for Edith, she returned.

“Miss! W-what do you mean you want to go out?!”

Unfortunately, it seemed I’d failed.

The butler I had briefly seen yesterday came rushing in behind her, looking utterly pale.

“Where are you planning to go?”

“Hm, nowhere special. I’ve been stuck inside the whole time, so I thought I’d get some fresh air.”

“You only regained consciousness yesterday. For the sake of your recovery, I believe it would be best to refrain from going out for the time being.”

“You heard the physician yesterday too, Butler. He said I’m perfectly fine.”

“Even so, your memories still haven’t fully returned…”

“Why?”

Tilting my head, I smiled sweetly.

“Did Father order you not to let me leave?”

“Th-that…!”

Apparently I’d hit the mark, because the butler stammered.

Furrowing my brows, I grumbled playfully.

“I only just woke up after a whole week… that’s so unfair.”

“…”

“To be honest, I wanted to visit Ezenia. Nancy told me about the villa. She said it was my favorite place because of the memories I shared with Grandmother.”

“Miss…”

A trace of pity appeared on the old butler’s stern face as he desperately tried to stop me from leaving.

Just as I thought.

Mentioning the former Duchess had worked perfectly.

Edith lost her mother young and was abandoned even by her father for failing to awaken.

If she still managed to grow up so arrogant and overbearing, it meant her grandmother’s influence must have still lingered throughout the estate.

Otherwise the servants would’ve looked down on her long ago, and she would’ve grown into a girl too insecure to even speak properly.

In an environment like that, it was incredibly difficult not to shrink into yourself—to look people directly in the eye and speak confidently.

And I knew better than anyone how much desperate effort it took just to appear fine.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

“To be honest, I can’t remember anything, and it’s frightening. I thought maybe if I went there, something might come back to me. Hearing stories about Grandmother made my heart stir somehow.”

“…”

“I’ll come back before Father returns. So could you maybe pretend not to notice? Please?”

Getting angry at someone whose highest priority was obeying the Duke’s orders would be pointless.

As expected, when I put on a dejected expression and appealed to his sympathy, the butler wavered.

“…Miss.”

“…”

“Regardless of the Duke’s orders, I believe it would be best if you did not 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 pretending ignorance, I asked,

“Why?”

“Because if you go there now, you’ll probably get pelted with stones.”

The answer came not from the butler, but from somewhere else entirely.