Before the Villains’ Ending

7. Florencia Eilish

“Sister.”

Margaret called her in a tired voice. On that day, for some reason, she seemed to be smiling sadly, unlike her usual self. Florencia recalled the fact that her younger sister, who used to be indifferent, had been taking care of her quite well since a certain day.

“Sister.”

Margaret called her again in a soft voice. Florencia glanced at her wrist, which had turned red and swollen from the prince’s grip, then shifted her gaze away from the food in front of her.

“What is this?”

“You know. I have to do it, right?”

“What?”

“To love the prince.”

“Seriously? Let’s hear why you’re saying such things. If it’s just about being swayed by the nobles for no reason, I’ll be really disappointed.”

“Are you sorry for your sister?”

Ha. Florencia smirked as if it were absurd. Such innocent excuses were not tolerated at a noble banquet. Even her father, the Marquis, had a subtly grimaced face. She could feel the atmosphere sinking into her skin. But Margaret didn’t care at all.

“Romance is great, and I don’t think it’s bad that you’re single, sister.”

“You’re talking nonsense. What do I gain from it?”

“You’ll have me living with you.”

Margaret playfully moved her fork. Florentina stared at her with a cold expression and then turned her head away.

“Do you think I don’t have anyone to live with? If I were to become the Empress as the eldest daughter of the Eilish family, you wouldn’t be living in poverty either. I don’t understand why you’re so skeptical.”

Yeah, at that moment, she couldn’t remember that girl’s face. In an incomplete memory, amidst the noise, Margaret’s face, filled with imperfections, clearly responded like this.

“I can’t live without you, sister. What kind of joy is there to live without you?”

Ah, could there have been a sentence that approached as strongly as that one? Definitely not. Florencia didn’t love herself, but she still thought of the man she was bound to in a strategic marriage. The prince’s words echoed vividly in her memory. “Don’t be mistaken. The grandeur of your family means nothing to me; it’s your pride. You are replaceable, merely a strategic marriage partner.”

She wished he didn’t exist. Florencia felt a slight childishness in the prince’s words as if he only valued himself, and her eyes welled up with tears.

‘…I should get up first.’

That was the exact moment. She grew abruptly disgusted by her own self, twisted by the enmity towards Beatrice Rosen, and devising schemes to harm her.

She stood up with a dignified manner. Margaret teased her with a playful voice.

‘Even if you confess your love.’

‘Noisy. Should I stuff your mouth with this dessert to make you shut up?’

‘…Sister.’

‘Why?’

‘You just ate.’

‘…Give me more.’

In that hazy memory, Florencia suddenly recalled that she had forgotten a certain sensation. Yes, it was definitely discomfort. What else happened after that? A shiver ran down her spine. The memories continued without her consent.

“Both of you, stop it. It’s uncivilized.”

“Ah, suddenly my head…”

‘That coward…!’

Yes. After this conversation. What happened afterwards? The memories blurred and repeated vividly. Florencia wondered if she had truly gone mad as she clenched her hair and took a deep breath. A considerable amount of time had passed. Within her mind, Florencia Eilish succeeded in recalling a sentence with a distorted feeling.

“What can I do to bother Lady Rosen?”

‘You know, sister, you can become even stronger than the imperial authority. If you become a little kinder to both of them, you can be not just a flower of high society but the crown of the empire.’

“… My arrogant little sister.”

Florencia rose from her seat and walked toward the door.

Why did she forget about this? How could she forget?

“I have seen what I couldn’t see before.”

From the beginning, Margaret had been advising her. It was a method she had never once considered. She let out a sigh without paying attention to the feeling of something breaking.

Ah, why did she become so obsessed with loving the prince that she missed out on something better? Florencia Jay Eilish was a villainess. Arrogant and splendid, with a wicked and ruthless temperament. She denied her own sins, but didn’t deny the adjectives. Even in the face of the revelation that her execution had been brought forward by two days, she could still smile nonchalantly.

“…I’ve gone mad.”

‘Yes, my dear.’

Hehe. Florencia laughed in amusement. As she walked with a noble gait towards the iron bars, her gesture of reaching out her hand was elegant and poised, as if she had never experienced any torture. The infamous villainess, the woman who was pointed fingers at, arrogantly brushed off their criticisms.

“I thought I was like that.”

The warden thought of her as an otherworldly beauty. Ah, was she similar to Margaret Eilish as well?

“But that wasn’t it. I was being foolish. I had been missing something, you and your master.”

Just one step. That was the distance between Florencia and the prison guard. Several groups of guards who were on side fell silent. Inside the prison, Florencia shone like a queen and was also fearless. A soliloquy-like sentence resounded through the space.

“I can’t die gracefully just because that man told me to die.”

***

Florencia very gladly accepted Lord Heizen’s request to visit that day. There were so many enemies that had not been accepted so far that the young knight was rather embarrassed.

Nevertheless, his face was filled with joy, which was quite adorable. Florencia tried her best to smile.

“It’s been a while.”

As she tried to speak the first words, she felt a scratch in her throat. Heizen silently stared at her and responded with a complicated tone, “Yes.” It was an answer that carried many implications, but neither of them showed any interest in its meaning. Awkwardness filled the air. To be honest, Florencia had to repeat the dilemma of whether to leave the place or not dozens of times because she no longer wanted to be entangled in these mixed emotions and had no desire to be involved.

“… It seems you’re not disappointed.”

In the end, she couldn’t do it.

“I have never been disappointed in you, miss.”

“How sweetly you speak.”

Florencia gave a faint smile. Heizen clenched his fist, trying to steady his trembling body. It wasn’t just because the woman in front of him was broken. The lady he loved had become the most wicked woman in the empire. And in two days, she wouldn’t be here anymore. If she refused the visit tomorrow, today would be the last time he faced Florencia Eilish. He felt like crying. Florencia asserted confidently, speaking as if she didn’t care about her own death.

“But this time, you will truly be disappointed. To the extent that your love for me can easily crumble.”

It was an unmistakable proclamation. Heizen gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

“Sia, I have never once considered you as a villain…”

“Sir.”

Florentina cut him off as if it were obvious. And then, she murmured as if she would soon disappear.

“You know. I may not have committed all the crimes that the world speaks of, but I am still a sinner and a villainess. You must know that, sir. It’s probably because the charge of execution is absurd, so you want to cover it up and turn away from the situation.”

“Miss.”

“I have already done it several times. I can do it again as many times as needed.”

The degree of wickedness… Florencia stared at the knight, who had once made her feel something akin to love, with a face that seemed like she would cry, then lowered her head. Was it because she couldn’t bear to see him, or…

“And from now on, let’s do that. I can’t let that child take care of ‘my business.’ I called you to apologize. I hope you will no longer hover around me. It means let’s go our separate ways.”

He had to say it. Heizen repeated it in his mind, his lips trembling several times. She would fail. He sincerely hoped that Florentina would not cross the final line. His voice, stuttering and struggling, resolutely spoke.

“But, however.…”

“…However? What difference does it make even if you say something?”

The prince’s anger reached its peak. As the Marquis of Eilish, had to be searched at the house on the pretext of Margaret’s probation.
Among them, Florencia and Margaret’s personal maid were arrested, some knights were interrogated, and messengers and stewards from the messenger families were detained. The prince declared that if another problem arose from Eilish, regardless of blood relations, he would sweep them all away. For the sake of that damn Beatrice’s safety.

“Remember this. If Margaret does not yield, there will be no more glory for the Marquisate.”

The Marquis muttered. Heizen sneered as he watched the father curse his own daughters. This was why it’s unclear who the villain was. In any case, Beatrice Rosen could not hide her joy at the turn of events. Finally, she saw herself being embraced by the prince, along with the words that her anxiety would finally come to an end. Heizen realized for the first time how disgusting her flowing blonde hair and elaborately embroidered lace were.

‘I will no longer leave anyone who poses a threat to you. I promise, even if it means staking the empire.’

Heizen gritted his teeth. He struggled to say the next words. He tried.

“I… Haa. Fine, damn it.”

“…sir?”

“Sia. You will fail. Haven’t you always? Just ask for help. It means to rely on others. You and your sister…”

“Sir, don’t forget your code as a knight. Your words should be different from mine.”

“I’m saying I’ll abandon that code!!”

Silence. The air was filled with silence. Florencia rolled her blue eyes around before finally chuckling. The advice spoken by the knight resembled something of hers.

Ah, love.

“Fine. Sir. Yes, let’s say your words are right.”

Screech. The chair made a chilling scraping sound on the stone floor. Florencia remained bent over, looking down at Heizen.

“Still, I don’t intend to pass it all on. It’s my business. Dragging Damon down.”

And I wouldn’t fail anymore. It was within breathing distance. Claude Heizen stared at her night-sky-colored eyes, captivated, and unknowingly groaned.

“… Ah.”

“I’ve done everything I could. It may not have been right. But now, the consideration ends. His Highness is lost in love and has lost his senses, so I must inform you.”

When the evil that you all decided and judged comes back to you, the person who dares to call me a villainess will no longer be alive.

“Make sure that bastard prince doesn’t lay a hand on my sister. If a problem arises, go and find that child yourself.”

It was an inherent intimidation. Heizen replied with a slow and clear tone, full of respect.

“…Do as you wish.”

The unfulfilled, obsession-filled love of the villainess had finally come to a perfect end. A short letter filled with ridicule towards the prince was crushed and delivered by Claude Heizen exactly five hours later, and the servants whispered and spread the rumors. The prince reportedly received the letter and screamed in anger.

“Eilish-!”

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!!’

Beatrice looked at the torn paper, tears streaming down her face. The short letter, hastily written, had elegant handwriting even in its hurried state. It contained a sentence filled with hatred, saying:

[It will be over soon, Your Highness.]

That’s what it said.