Before the Villains’ Ending

What now? Taylor got up from his seat, gritting his teeth.

Emotions disappeared from his drowsy eyes. He slowly asked back in a tone of disbelief.

“Gosh.”

Kastiel sighed. It was only then that Taylor was able to properly put the knight’s figure into his field of vision.

As befits a knight who serves the imperial family as his lord, and a leader who oversees a knightly order, he always maintained a neat and dignified manner.

The untidy hair was combed hastily, and the voice he uttered was cracked from lack of sleep.

He wiped his face with haggard gestures and repeated slowly.

“His Highness ordered the lady to be on probation in the detached palace for a month. His Majesty the Emperor agreed, and-”

“Probation?”

Taylor cut off those words in a voice full of displeasure and stood up.

Kastiel spoke in an ambiguous tone, but Taylor understood exactly what he meant

Margaret Eilish didn’t care what people around her said. Even in the face of the other prisoners’ abusive language or the disgrace of being the wicked woman’s blood, the person who consistently ignored it with an expression of no inspiration.

That also played a big part in making her presence less prominent.

Taylor had a hunch. Margaret would have accepted it that way this time as well.


I felt as if I were dying, and that was the look on his face as well as Taylor’s.

“His Royal Highness said he would talk to her father, the Marquis, and he must bend her sturbbon daughter will if she don’t want to lose her provation.”

“…what did Mel do?”

Damn it, it’s amazing. Taylor asked, frowning and cursing inwardly.

“The Eilish is an aristocratic house. Even if Florencia acted like an emperor because she had feelings for his Highness, the aristocrats were hostile to the imperial family after that. Margaret is known to be infirm, but she owns the funds for Florencia and her business. In addition, considering the ‘business’, the influence in society and the media is greater than that of the Marquis.”

Kastiel added that His Highness had long complained that he did not like it.

“If she comes out of his side, His Highness will lose quite a lot of his power. He seems to think that it will be much easier to persuade her via her father since he’s a family member, but that means the execution ceremony can never be postponed.”

It was a funny situation indeed. Surely justice had triumphed, and the traitors, helpers, and all the situations threatening Beatrice, whom I had once devoted my love for, are being sorted out, and I feel so low.

Kestiel reflected on the conversation between the Crown Prince and Margaret three days ago. Not a breath came out.

***

“Because I’m not my sister.”

When Margaret said that, the prince almost immediately turned his head to look at Beatrice.

Unlike seeing Margaret, when those golden eyes met her with obvious concern, Beatrice retorted in a cautious voice.

“I understand, young lady. How can I not know the sorrow of losing a family? It’s just… you know that, too. Between Florencia and me.”

“I know. Because there were so many evil deeds that never succeeded. You must have suffered in your way too. So you might be thinking that it doesn’t matter if you mock the death of the cruel villainess. But then lady…”


Kestiel read the sneer that leaked out

Beatrice and the crown prince all had the same thing, so it was an instant for the atmosphere in the palace to freeze cold.


“I do not intend to bend quietly because you say so.”

“Uh.”

After saying that, Margaret briefly glanced at the sword the prince had lowered.

The eyes resembling the dawn sky shone with disillusionment. The level of threat was understandable.


“If you’re going to continue to confront me, it’s only natural that you take the loss”

“Why should I?”


The prince asked in a contemptuous tone, without avoiding those pupils. A tremendous amount of life flowed around her.

Kastiel looked at Margaret’s reaction.

Murder is the energy in which a person who has reached a certain level suppresses the opponent with the intent to kill.

It was common for ordinary people to receive it in front of them, along with mental fear, such as stiffness of the body and difficulty breathing.

And even though the prince knew this well, the prince tried to suppress her, pouring death blows on her, who was weak.


Kastiel watched him silently. A feeling of disappointment filled his stomach.

The belief that his lord was at least not a coward began to crack.

“What’s the problem? Was being tricked by your acting not enough to experience my mercy? If you want to be accused of blaspheming the imperial family, do as you please!”

“Ah, my lord. So you’re going to kill her again.”

Margaret finally burst out laughing. Kestiel was shocked.

It was a face I saw often. The faces of those who have nothing to lose, even if they are abandoned.

It was the face he saw when he put the Archduke and the Assassin in prison.

It was also the expression she had.

The prince couldn’t say anything. It was the same with Beatrice.

Because they’ve been saying it all along. It is said that human life has weight. So those who kill in vain would have been condemned as evil.

The old crown prince did not value people’s lives that much. But after he met Beatrice, well.

What did they say when they sentenced Florencia to be burned at the stake?

Kastiel recalled several of the prince’s series of apology and reflection speeches.

‘I will never kill again, I will not take anyone’s life lightly.’, he promised.

Margaret subtly rounded her mouth.

The prince and his lover could not properly object to Margaret’s words. Margaret raised her head, saying that if he withdrew the mercy he had generously offered, it would be a skit.

“Your Highness, where do you think the astronomical amount of money to rebuild the castle comes from? Imperial nobles? No, Your Highness.”

Margaret raised her lips and smiled coldly.

“Your Highness’s happiness is made up of goods that fall like rewards for squeezing out villains.”

They kept silent because it was true

The cost of repairing the imperial palace damaged due to the rebellion and the profit from the power struggle was to be paid from the property of the former duke who had been confiscated due to the scheduled execution, the real estate owned by the Marquis family, and the gold coins paid as bribes in Glacies.

Margaret quietly brought up things that everyone took for granted and laughed bitterly.

It was the grand duke, not the prince, who killed the older brothers, in other words, the other princes.

The country’s security will be quiet for a while without Taylor, and the stability of the nobles and the revival of the imperial power will be solved with Eilish’s funds. It was also possible because I was not executed, so it was pure that they turned a blind eye to acting.

Lastly, the care of the prisoners and their future safety will be taken care of by Sir Reload. Now, what else have you done ‘directly’ besides killing the soldiers of the duke?


The prince gritted his teeth. Beatrice, too, was unable to hide her discomfort and hardened her expression. Margaret said with an angelic smile.

“Now tell me. His Highness the Crown Prince, who is just and fair. Does Your Highness have the right to use the death of the wicked as an event?”

Can you speak of mercy to a blood relative who opposes it?


Lies were gone. Kastiel could see the faces of those looking down on Margaret from above.

Oh, the world is so fair. Kestiel Reload bowed his head as he watched Beatrice’s face distorted by defeat.

It wasn’t that long ago that I discovered something I had forgotten. Kastiel saw exactly what the blue eyes looking at him wanted. But, well.

I thought that there was nothing I could not do for her safety and happiness.

But now you know. There wasn’t much I could do.

Margaret Eilish referred to the entire aristocratic faction as the sole successor of the marquis. This was an element that could hinder the relationship between the crown prince, who had not yet become emperor, and Beatrice, who was of a low position.

There was a lot to examine before pointing out rudeness. This is the reason the crown prince adhered to her silence and did not respond to her taunts. Above all.

“Sir Reload.”

Beatrice called him. There was no malice in the lovely, kind, anxious voice.

However, Kastiel began to feel some sort of resistance to it.

“…Ha.”

— Yes. And he said, ‘I didn’t want to do that.’

Even until he made up his mind to follow Margaret, he wondered if he should stop her, but he laughed at himself for thinking of Beatrice and the crown prince’s face.

The feeling of something breaking ran through my body. Kestiel Reload twitched the corners of his mouth under his bowed head.

For the first time that day, he completely ignored Beatrice.

***

Kastiel couldn’t remember exactly when he first saw Margaret Eilish.

She was in a position that attracted quite a bit of attention in the social world, but because she was an aristocrat, he had nothing to do with her as a knight of the crown prince.

Moreover, her social activities, which had already been very sparse, had been completely cut off since Beatrice’s debut.

At least she didn’t show up even at events like hunting competitions, so what’s the point?

So, the first time Kastiel took an interest in Margaret was after he became the general manager of the prison.

Margaret was not the only person who was interested in the prisoners, even here, which is considered the worst prison in the world. Lord Heizen was like that, and the families of the ladies and guards who adored the former Grand Duke also often stopped by.

The difference between Margaret, who was one of those people, is probably a reputation among the guards.

Since there was a torture chamber attached to it, it was also hard to hear the noise inside the basement, where prisoners or nobles who were relatively weak in crime were imprisoned.

It was extremely rare for a woman to come to such a place alone without an escort.

The guards who subdued the prisoners are from the Imperial Knights, which are composed of talented people of their own. They are rough and violent, and it is also not uncommon for the prisoners who are locked up to pour out abusive words at ordinary people entering the room.

Perhaps a normal woman wouldn’t do the crazy thing to visit this place every day alone.

Margaret Eilish was almost the only person who ignored these issues altogether from the start.

She got along very well with the bad-tempered knights, didn’t pay attention to every low-level joke, and often even gave food to the general manager.

If you go in so calmly, you won’t come out even after the limited time for visiting.

Kastiel laughed when he learned that the prison guard and some of the overseers had taken bribes.

What are aristocrats?

Maharet was not the only one interested in prisoners even in this place, which is considered the worst prison in the actual city. That’s what Lord Heisen did, and the families of the young men and guards who admired the former Grand Duke often stopped by.

If there was a difference between Maharet, who was one of those people, it would probably be her reputation among the guards.

Unlike prisons that confine ordinary criminals, this place was notorious for imprisoning special crimes or political prisoners.

In the underground Alcatraz, the standard of visitation was very strict because prisoners who repeatedly escaped from prison, felons, or terrorists were imprisoned. Needless to say there is a limit on visiting hours. Because there was a torture chamber attached to it, it was hard to hear the noise in the basement, where relatively mild criminals and nobles were imprisoned.