I won't be the villainess

Chapter 18 - the villainess' fate

As her seventeenth birthday passed, Anastasia now neared the end of her final year at the Royal Academy of Kou. It was while she was teaching a second year class of the Earth's dance course when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

A fifth year student opened the door and gave them a smile.

"Hey guys, sorry to bother but Ana you've been asked to go to the Head Mistress' office and I'm supposed to cover until an instructor gets here."

Anastasia stood still for a minute- she was usually never summoned during a class since it was well known that her top priority had always been the students while working. Anastasia gave her thanks before leaving her class, laughing as she said goodbyes to the second years who gave exaggerated cries of goodbye. This class was a personal favourite of hers- but they didn't have to know that!

Anastasia walked up to the office, knocking before being granted entry. She startled for a second, seeing Jamison already in the room waiting.

"Jieun, you're here- that was quick."

Anastasia turned to her Aunt Marilyn who was sitting at her desk in that moment. She stood up and brought the two students over to the seats at the side of the room. They held small talk and jokes before Aunt Marilyn broke the news that's she had called them for.

"At the Kingdom of Ainsworth-"

Anastasia froze hearing the name of that kingdom. It wasn't one that she had heard often and she was happy with it staying like that.

"-they are admitting students from different kingdoms to take their final year at the Ainsworth's Royal Academy."

She paused, looking at the two of them, and Anastasia felt the need to dread the words that she feared would come out of her aunt's mouth.

"And I would like the two of you to go as representatives of our kingdom in four months."

There was a silence. Anastasia turned to look at Jamison, who was already looking at her.

"..Stasia. I don't mind going but if you don't want to that's fine.."

She looked up at his eyes, and found a strong flame alit in them. These were the eyes that had been supporting her for the past six years, always ready to catch her when she had fallen in the past, and ready to keep supporting her. Anastasia couldn't lie and say that she wasn't curious about how life was going back in Ainsworth. She wanted to know how the plot moved on without her, and how the others were doing. Back in her fifth year, they had expanded to release mana phones in other countries- though they a couple of updates behind, since Kou didn't want to be giving others ideas. Aunt Marilyn had also refused to tell them how they were made, saying that if they didn't trust the product then that was fine too. Anastasia wanted to know how the kingdom that had betrayed her was flourishing under her own creations. She gritted her teeth and looked up at them both.

"I'll go. I can go."

She looked down once more, missing their soft smiles at her confidence. It was decided that in four months, a month after school graduation, Anastasia and Jamison would leave for their final year of education at a different school, alone with an attendant each. They were chosen because Anastasia had no need to prepare for taking her title as she had already taken it back in third year. Meanwhile, Jamison as the second son of a Marquis, and wouldn't be taking the title, also having no fiancée at the moment- this meant he was free to study abroad and go back to continue his work at Fortuna Eopsin. Anastasia in the same way, would leave for school and come back to manage the company and take her duties and a lady of the Majesty's Table.

After receiving the news, Anastasia would sometimes have nightmares. She would wake up shivering or clutching her neck, checking to feel if it was still there, connecting her head to the rest of her shaking body. Her mind would flash the graphic images of Antoinette Rosenburg's death- the blood and screams and cries.

It was terrifying.

It was weird.

Park Jieun wasn't scared. She didn't care. But Anastasia d'Astelio was. The Anastasia, who used to be Antoinette, was frightened. She feared being executed.

She didn't want to die.

She didn't want to be the villainess.

The nightmares would die down soon enough, gradually getting shorter and less shocking, as she talked herself into confidence at the late night. She didn't tell anyone about them, keeping them to herself as she forced herself to calm down. After weeks of torture, she had decided to attempt to go on with her life, knowing that there were people who loved her, and were willing to protect her. People who wouldn't let her die. With those thoughts in mind, she drifted off to sleep every time she awoke.

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aND THE PLOT FINALLY MOVES ON-

If I don't publish a chapter tomorrow or it's delayed a couple of hours that because I'm slightly behind in writing chapters since we're starting online lessons and I've been drawing the different school uniforms!! My drawing skills aren't great but it's a small visual!

aLSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 1K READS you don't know how happy I was to log in and see that I had 1K views🥺💕