"My sword is one inch away from slicing your neck. My victory is one inch away, yet why can't I do it, Althea? What kind of spell have you cast on me to have me thinking about you all day?!"
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Byeol meets a tragic death at age nineteen...
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Hayes.
The one name that haunts me in my sleep, the one name that I've tried so hard to forget about.
In my past life, the heroine appealed to me, a lot. I liked her dynamic character and felt sorry for her sad background; now she just sounds scary.
Of course, it's unlikely that Eris was the one truly behind the spirit. It's way more logical that it was her father, for political reasons. But killing an almost seventeen year old girl just to gain power? It's inhuman if anything.
Still, my steps quickened on their own, my heels clacking against the floors and echoing across the spacious hallway.
I exited into the courtyard, already spotting the usual gardeners.
One of them approached me, probably out of courtesy, but I didn't stop my stride to my carriage.
By the time I was inside, I was already out of breath.
"Where to, my lady?" The usual words spoken to me by the footman, but I caught the slight furrow of his brow in the surprise he tried to hide.
"To the Hayes Estate." I ordered in an apprehensive manner, trying to calm down.
Maybe I overreacted over this. It could be anything. I mean, the heroine is... well, the heroine!
She's supposed to be kind and loving, care for the male lead and see good in everybody.
She's also supposed to defeat the villain one way or another, I suppose.
To think that one of the Hayes would be behind this whole scheme... it's just too complex for my brain to comprehend.
Maybe it's because I'm the villain in the story. In my eyes, she looks like the villain, but perhaps it's just my own understanding of it.
Did Eris have any reason to hate me? I don't know. I know Althea's been... a difficult person to get along with before she died, but do villains really only deserve to die? Can't they redeem themselves?
Either way, I refuse to sit here and sulk. I disapprove of the fact that I was brought here just to die, to be forgotten as somebody else rises to glory over something they didn't deserve.
So the moment the carriage rolled to a halt, I had made up my mind: I was going to come out of this house alive, no matter what or who it hid inside.
The large metal gate opened slowly. I climbed out with the help of the footman, glancing at the mansion. It wasn't anything different from what I imagined it to be; it had a fairly spacious garden, and was three stories tall. For a count's estate, I'd say it was alright.
It didn't compare to the duchy, though.
"Would you like me to escort you further inside, lady Althea?" The footman called out from behind me. I shook my hand beside my head in a denying gesture, beckoning him to stay still as I walked by foot up the driveway.
