Before the Villains’ Ending

“The young lady is leaving after talking with me for a while.”

When Kastiel urged the guards, the words that came out of their mouths were truly unusual.

Kastiel was cynical.

“What does Eilish’s heir have to say to you?”

“She asked me to be nice to Florencia. Other than that, she curses at her family. She has a weak body, so she can’t even walk around quickly. When Sir Heisen came, she talked more in the lounge next to the visiting room.”

‘… Ha’

Okay. The answer was obviously smooth and without any flaws. There seemed to be no room for doubt.

That’s why Kastiel had no choice but to marvel at the nobles’ tricks and rhetoric.

It was clear that Margaret Eilish was smart enough to not lag behind her sister.

Perhaps if he had been a little more indifferent to his men, he would have been convinced.

If she, who seldom standed out by relying on her sister’s influence in the social world, was at this level, then it probably goes without saying for other nobles.

To that extent, the prison guards’ answers were uncharacteristically immediate and detailed.

Most of the time they didn’t have a good view of the aristocracy, so at best, they were “mumbling and then going away pretending to be noble,” or “I’m not interested”. The guide must have given a reckless answer such as ‘I can’t do anything even if I leave my seat for a while.’

Prison guards in prisons where felons are imprisoned were generally ignorant of courtesy.


Even if the opponent was a noble or a wealthy man, there were no exceptions.

It was not uncommon for those in charge of guiding the complex indoors to vacate their seats for being sarcastic and picking on visitors.

Indoor conditions were poor, and, as was often the case in places like that, the guards enjoyed displaying their violence.

Excessive violence was exercised in the name of prisoners’ rebellion.

The more closed the prison camp was, the less moral it had.

There was the same reason why the Prince and Beatrice were half-colored and accepted when Kastiel was in charge of that place.

These once respected knights had gradually deteriorated and gave up caring about the outside order.

To those who did not have any connection, they exaggerate the sinners and their situation, and scaring them was as common as eating.

Wouldn’t it be unknown if it was the imperial family with absolute power? It was they who looked down on them as if they were looking at their subordinates or small cats.

So, Kastiel could easily notice that the answers coming out of their mouths were instructions from Margaret.

The Crown Prince also talked about her acting, and that fact seems to have acted as a decisive factor for suspicion.

“Bribery is a crime.”

Kastiel coldly sighed, but as if he couldn’t help it, he let out a sigh.

It was because it was an uncertain matter, so it could not be blamed without evidence, and there was no commotion.

Margaret continued to visit for several days, and he made eye contact with her lightly.

As time passed, when Kastiel found out that she was also spending time with the former Grand Duke, Florencia, and the Assassin of Alcatraz, he guessed it to some extent.

‘Are you crazy?’

It’s funny, but even in the case of a heinous crime, it wasn’t that there were no visitors at all.

This could be seen from the fact that the former grand duke often requested visits despite being on death row because of his unrealistic appearance.

Of course, Calix rejected this, but they said she was still looking for him.

Because she sympathized with the unfortunate love abandoned by Beatrice. Or maybe she could fill that void.

Maharet looked at the swings and laughed at the fact that it would be faster to attach the Grand Duke’s portrait to the pillow.

If such a grand duke asked why he had accepted her visit, it would probably be because of the medicine.

Kastiel thought so. It was common for the nobility to be allowed to use drugs because they were treated fairly well even during punishment.

However, what was ambiguous was the cause of Margaret.

Kastiel heard of the many good deeds Margaret had done behind the scenes on the day Florencia was arrested.

Sponsoring an orphanage or releasing enlisted soldiers as the Lord’s proxy for security in the slums.

Kastiel was convinced that Margaret Eilish kept away from evil.

‘Why did she show such goodwill to the murderers?’

Even if the opponent was a family member, aren’t they people who can easily lose if their reputation was at stake?

In addition, the prison environment was unbearable.

As he said, the guards and prisoners were all rude, and the condition of the assassin at the bottom of the basement was so serious that even the guards were reluctant to go near him.

Aside from the frowning sight of the bloodstains from the seizure, Taylor himself was rarely sane in general.

The guards had to feel the threat to their lives every time. Even replacing the iron bars was only possible when he completely lost consciousness due to exhaustion, so it would be strange.

So, Kastiel couldn’t help but feel some sort of curiosity in the young lady who said she would visit him without hesitation.

When he first asked why, Margaret looked up at him with a sad face and smiled.

“Well, it’s just that. While I’m here, I’ll meet him.”

At that time, before he could even compare her attitude, thinking of Beatrice, Margaret gently tilted her head and said softly.

“I loved the pure love of the Lord.”

Such sublime love was rare. Right after that, she smiled brightly and added a thoughtful request.

“So, let me ask you one favor. Please don’t be too mean towards my sister.”

She was doing what she could for love… but she’s done everything she could already.

Kastiel saw that he was not happy, even though his pure love for Beatrice was acknowledged.

And the face of a person who was sincerely saddened by unrequited love.

He tried to erase the confusion. It was after that he bowed his head to Margaret Eilish for the first time and used honorifics.

… Was that the beginning of an unexpected feeling?

“I hope you have a nice day. If you’re lonely, tell me.”

“…are you coming tomorrow too?”

Or was it all urgent to turn away from something?

Margaret nodded.

***

“Ha.”

She was helpless in the residence of the detached palace.

Because she had done so much muttering about the rotten crown prince, she really didn’t have much to do.

Beatrice and the prince seemed to have decided to confront her after all.

That was true when you see that he personally prepared a place for her in the detached palace used for imprisoning the losers in political strife.
The picture of the situation when that was delivered to her father made her uncomfortable.

She chewed on the words the prince proudly uttered while calling for an attendant to guide her.

‘You will not be allowed to visit your sister from now on. You will see Florencia at the execution site.’

The prince seemed to think he had won.

Beatrice seemed a bit puzzled, but she always made excuses such as ‘Forgive me, young lady.’

That was all she said further as she stared at her with impassive eyes.

‘I… I can’t stand being afraid of evens the oddest possibility.’, said Beatrice.

‘I bet you do.’

She shook her head.

If that’s all Beatrice could do, that’s a good thing.

She looked around the room, which was decorated in distracting whiteness.

Aside from the simple bed and a few luxurious pieces of furniture, the only thing that stood out in the room was a chest in the corner.

The exclusive maid was allowed to be brought in from within the family, but it was clear that the father would reject it with resentment. Therefore, she was in fact completely isolated.

Like other possessed people, she would have felt better if there was a lady-in-waiting on her side. She stopped her meaningless imagination and laughed.

“It can’t be.”

She was locked up anyway. Maybe something would change just because the number of allies increases.

Still, things weren’t going so badly for her. She drew her lips together and smiled in satisfaction.

The fact that she was ordered to be in confinement was proof that she was still perceived as a possible danger to the prince.

Negotiations that seemed to fall apart were only long overdue, and she knew very well what was available to her.

So she also knew that they would have to take quite a lot of damage to completely crush me.

So she was able to spend the first day of probation mocking the prince.

While thinking about why they came out so strongly.

To be honest, she still hasn’t been able to easily understand their tough attitude.

Obviously, the original work described Beatrice as being absolutely in a position of goodness.

Considering that it was described in the second half of the novel that the emotionless prince became docile under her influence, the postponement of the execution date she proposed was certainly not an impossible story.

They were indignant, saying that her family, who was only a marquess, rebelled against the imperial family’s decision.

‘Happy Ending’ seemed to be moving to find its place somehow.

“All supporting actors are like this.”

She closed her eyes and laid her head on the pillow.

The end of the novel began to play in the unconscious as it went round and round.

She let the memories of that time fill her brain.

Her head got heavy.