Before the Villains’ Ending

They delivered the letters to me and quickly left. She heard that the prince was censoring all the letters that came to her in anger, and Lord Heizen was raising his voice to criticize it. After that, suspicions about Beatrice and the Prince resurfaced. Like an echo.

She bit her tongue and read the letters that came to her. As the Prince had closely monitored every letter that came to her, the letter from Glacies at the very bottom was quite unexpected. She looked around a few times and smiled subtly. If this was part of their consideration for her, Kastiel Reload was undoubtedly a character full of thoughtfulness.

Marveling at the delicacy of returning the letters that were censored and excluded, she pondered over the assessment he gave to Beatrice. A woman like a saint. Noble above all else, but a person who could do nothing without followers to follow her. His personality, criticized by the public, was indeed as rude as the rumors claimed. She recalled the time when she burst into laughter at his harsh words.

[Kasteil]

‘It seems even worse than the rumors.’

‘He used to wield a wooden stick on the street, but where would his nature go?’

‘Ah, true.’

‘…Won’t you refute?’

He told her that he gradually started to distance himself from Beatrice when they returned together. Even so, he explained that the reason he stayed by her side was to convey matters related to Florencia, clearly showing that his affectionate target had shifted.

‘It is for the two of you to figure out your love. I was quite upset to hear that.’

‘Well, of course. I’ve shown my sincere loyalty until now.’

‘…A wild dog with a loose leash lives freely according to his values. It’s not called betrayal.’

She felt a slight interest in his words as he blurted them out with a perplexed expression.

“Well, it was quite a clever response, in a way.”

The hand that was rummaging through the letters came to a halt along with his muttered words. Contrary to expectations, there were only two letters that came out of the thick, torn envelope. One was an update on the progress of a request from someone named Master, and the other was from the sender…

“Fernand.”

Calix Fernand Hamel.

The former Grand Duke.

***

「 Margaret Eilish.

She’s heartless. I don’t need pity. I’m sure you already know how I feel, but if you have something to say about your sister, you can’t ignore her because you’re Margaret. 」

There was not a single word of courtesy in the letter. Filled with tension, She muttered in disappointment, as if it rendered the anticipation she had when she took it out meaningless.

“This crazy Grand Duke…”

At the end of the letter, where even his middle name was written in cursive handwriting – surprisingly, quite beautifully written – his signature caught her attention as she read through it. She folded the letter in half.

“My sister.”

And as she turned my head once more, Ishesaw a newspaper article with the headline “Terrorist of Sinalore” written on it. she set the folded letter on the table and lit a candle, letting it burn.

“… He’s a real classic villain.”

She murmured with a faint smile. Instead of the excitement of a young girl, a feeling of bitter amusement lingered on my twisted lips like mist.

Glacies, I’ll visit you someday. He may not have much patience, but he had enough understanding to accept the situation. With that level of blindness, he would show some degree of tolerance. A little delay wouldn’t cause any trouble. She muttered nonchalantly. It was only later that she realized it was truly a careless attitude.

Well, anyway. She tore open the official documents of the guild that were inside the envelope. The neatly written sentences showed an effort to demonstrate professionalism in dealing with clients.

「 At the same time as confirming the request, we have sent reliable personnel for the collection. For detailed information, our guild members will personally guide you before departure. However, in the event of unavoidable circumstances causing a delay in information delivery, please use your seal to notify us.

The amount will be claimed from the client’s designated bank vault.

The scheduled list, order, and amounts for the collection are as follows:

-Excerpt-

— We wish you a peaceful night. Cartel Knight.」

Cartel was the name of the guild master. She checked the letter and twisted her lips. If the prince were to get angry, there were two things he could do. Either advance the execution of Florencia or try to kill her directly. So, she had to ensure her safety before that. That’s a good plan.

“… I’m becoming more and more like my sister, what should I do, really.”

She murmured, picturing Florencia in her mind. Since she had memorized all the letters and no longer needed the requested documents, she burned the paper along with the candle. Or at least, that was the intention.

“Oh, damn…!”

She brought her hand closer to the flame absentmindedly and was startled, shivering from the momentary heat.

“I must be crazy.”

How absent-minded of her. She narrowed her eyes and set the paper on fire. This time, it didn’t go out.

“What a pathetic thing I’m doing.”

The sound of burning paper didn’t last long. Instead, it was replaced by the silence that was filled by a small knock. As she opened the terrace door, considering whether to voice her complaint about the guild’s delay in sending operatives, she froze in place. There was no other choice.

“Mel.”

In his unfocused gaze, she could see eyes clouded with ambiguous emotions. He smiled innocently and ruffled his spiderweb-like white hair a few times, somewhat shyly.

“I’m here to guide you on the request.”

Taylor said. His cheek, reflected in the dim room light that was still on, had a faint blush. She had to stay frozen, not even realizing her body was being enveloped by the man. A restless sensation, an unfamiliar feeling, spread throughout her entire body.

“I wanted to see you so badly, it was like dying.”

He happily whispered, burying his head against her shoulder. Taylor didn’t properly control his strength. Not knowing what to do, she ended up patting his back in a panic, struggling to call his name.

“Taylor. Breathe.”

“…”

It was a small movement. Perhaps if he were a romantic protagonist from a novel, he would have startled, apologized, and let go. But unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn’t the case for Taylor Knight.

“Just a little longer.”

His voice of happiness sounded like it was muffled by his characteristic drowsiness. It felt like she had become the white pillow he often held.

“Let go.”

She sighed and repeated her words. He stubbornly murmured something, still burying his head against her shoulder.

“I didn’t even think you’d welcome me.”

“…”

“But you won’t tell me to go back, Mel.”

“Can’t breathe.”

“You can’t leave. Can’t go back…”

‘There won’t be the ending you spoke of’. Taylor added that. It echoed as if he had been struck on the back of his head. What did he say just now?

“… Ending?”

Yes, he definitely whispered it like that. She twisted her body, embracing him in confusion. Taylor pretended not to know anything, lifting his head and pursing his lips.

“But it’s good to see your face. I missed you.”

Ending. It wasn’t a word that could come from someone who didn’t know they were a character in a novel. She slowly rolled her crimson eyes. Though her body, still embracing him as if in joy, expressed discomfort, that wasn’t important right now. Ah, could it be? Her teeth clenched. Whether he harbored emotions for me or not, it could be regarded as a twisting happening solely within the confines of a book. Characters in the text were beings within her knowledge, so it was impossible to utilize or escape them. She had the option to go back, and there was no obligation to reciprocate the affections of the protagonist and other characters. They didn’t lay a hand on her person. If she could be certain of that, she could play along to some extent. However, if this clever assassin, with full conviction in his existence, deliberately held her captive because he simply wanted her to remain here. If it was not her emotions, but merely her presence, that he desired. Then, at that time…

‘You… ‘

Could it be?

“Have you met Lord Reload?”

***

She asked in a calm tone. Taylor lazily laughed, twirling her silver-purple hair with his hand, but he stopped his movement as soon as she asked the question.

“Mel.”

“Answer me. Did you?”

“… I did.”

Taylor’s tone was calm. No, he was pretending to be calm. His voice was so low, trembling with faint discomfort and unease, that she could hardly hear it. She wanted to laugh.

“So, you wanted to change your ending?”

Taylor couldn’t answer. It would undoubtedly be an affirmation, but he was sensitively responding to her mood. Just by the fact that he couldn’t speak of such obvious things, she could tell.

‘Ah, the villain, huh.’

Eventually, she burst into laughter with a lazy voice. Then she wrapped both arms around his back and pulled him closer, embracing him face to face. To startle him, so he would let her go. Seizing the moment when he was taken aback, she leisurely retreated and moved backward. It was a cat-like movement.

Taylor approached her with a bewildered expression, as if someone had taken away his candy. She casually gestured and picked up the pillow that was lying on the bed, then hugged him and placed her hand on his hair, stroking it. Taylor, despite being an assassin with a secret profession, was quite tall and sturdy, which was out of character. It was no wonder that it was irritating for him to stand on his tiptoes.

She merely touched his hair a couple of times, and Taylor lowered his head as if disappointed, aligning his head with her height. She remarked that he wasn’t just an ordinary fox while looking at him with a puppy-like pout. His white, thread-like hair was tangled and a bit frizzy from being trapped for a long time, but it felt nice and delicate. In the end, Taylor sat on the windowsill he had entered through, without pushing her away or grabbing the hand that was caressing him. His blushing cheeks were so adorable that it was almost embarrassing. She chuckled and asked.

“Did you receive such advice?”

“… Why?”

“So, how much more will you twist this ending?”

Taylor took a deep breath. It seemed like it. She thought assassins were truly silent beings. In fact, I couldn’t hear any noise until he descended from the window and approached the letter by candlelight.

“Why do you hate it so much?”

He put a period to the question only after being convinced that my inquiry wouldn’t continue. I felt the need to show some level of composure to these villains, or rather, to myself, who committed the heinous crime of escape, as the frustration piled up in my mind. So, I confessed as it was, without embellishment.

“Because it’s hard.”

Taylor jerked his upper body as if wounded. Breaking the silence that lasted for more than a few seconds, she lamented.

“Because my sister didn’t make it out.”

It was a painfully obvious fact. She stared at him as he blinked his reddened eyes, repeating it.

“Because the person I miss the most is still there.”

Taylor reacted to those words. His grinding teeth sounded eerie. Nonetheless, despite that, his expression was pitiful, evoking nothing but sympathy. His inability to make a decision for fear of receiving hatred was reminiscent of the description in the original work. She diverted her eyes full of compassion from him. And then, as if sparking in her brain, as if self-hypnotizing, she whispered firmly.

“That’s why I can’t afford to worry about anything else.”

Taylor couldn’t quite grasp how to respond to those words. He seemed both despairing and somewhat bitter, as if he had anticipated it. She smiled and took in the pitiful, ephemeral figure of the man. She didn’t even entertain the thought of deciphering the meaning behind his contradictory face. It was simply pitiful to see him subtly pleading, unable to conceal his obsession.

“Just that, nothing more.”

Yes, that mentally disturbed individual had never been someone’s first choice, not even once.