The Villainess Will Not Bring Dishonor To Her Family

78 - Secrets of Villains - Part 2

My stomach twists along with an unexpected heat flash. It crawls over my skin like the chill of an unexpected fever and pulls at my sense of nausea.

My breath is stuck for a moment before I reply spitefully, "I did not die. I fled."

I should be relieved he guessed wrong, but instead I feel uncomfortable. Why did I add that last part? I had no reason to say that. It didn't concern him. Why would I-

"You died on that battlefield. You who toss your life into the air recklessly and place yourself in the most danger... you were supposed to flee?" His voice is mocking... but I don't understand why.

"No... I fled."

"Why are you lying? Someone dragged you off while the rest of your men died?" His green eyes piece me with ire as my surroundings grow fuzzy.

"That is enough," I sneer out at him and move a hand from one of his wrists. This feels wrong, my view is swimming and everything feels distant. I need to calm down. Take in the scenery... the sounds... the light.... the colo-

"You are still stuck on that battlefield every summer, aren't you?!"

His voice echoes fuzzily like the sounds are separating themselves from the world...

Quiet...

Be quiet... don't pull me back to that...

"Did you want to die with them so badly you cannot face anyone else properly?! You need to let them in! You cannot lock yourself away and hide from it! Face it!"

"SILENCE!" I finally scream back at him and vaguely realize that his free hand is on my shoulder. I... can't feel it. Am I being shaken?

"I fled! I wasn't carried off! That wasn't me! I abandoned them! I was poisoned by the enemy and died! I- I-!"

My vision began to darken, but his eyes widen in shock at this point.

"You're lying... One of the survivors killed you?"

Only those words were all too clear. There had only been one survivor of my men. One very important person to me. Those words he spoke were the only words I could not bare to hear, so I closed my eyes tightly and everything went black.

"....Lily?"

"Lily!"

...

"Rei-chui?!"

....rei?

"Rei-chui!"

My darkened view brightened in an instant to the bright yellow armor of my subordinate. Haruki-Gunso. 

"Chui!"

Haruki?

My body moves on its own as Haruki lifts me to my feet with a strong pull. He's covered in blood from countless of friends and foes alike, and his other arm dangles loosely from his shoulder. If not for the massive amounts of blood then his bone would be showing. The smell of death hangs heavy in the air along with the smell of oil and burnt hair and flesh.

The air is heavy with smoke and the sound of screams drowns out everything else. Only this golden colored smoke and the red bodies beneath my feet remains.

Aiko is beneath my feet. She was cut down in front of me before I blacked out. Her face is still distorted in a berserker's wrathful expression, but tears steam from her lifeless eyes.

Yoshio is over there... and his head has disappeared among the lifeless bodies.

"THE GATES ARE OPENING! THEY'RE COMING!"