Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 196 : Interlude - Understanding

"I don't understand your meaning."

As the Young Lady would say, Delia, who likes to be enigmatic like this, is truly an old riddler,

"Hehe... If you want to know, I'll tell you."

Linda still hesitated internally, unsure whether she should ask. But if she missed this opportunity, who knows when she'd be able to ask again.

But... perhaps this was a good time.

Looking at Delia's ambiguous smile, she finally made up her mind:

"Three years ago, the person who wrote that letter... was it you?"

For an instant upon hearing this question, her smile seemed to freeze,

But it was only for a moment, quickly returning to normal.

"Which letter are you referring to? We've been corresponding for 10 years now. Although there weren't as many messenger routes back then as there are now, we've exchanged many letters..."

The continued smiling demeanor somewhat irritated Linda.

"Of course, I mean the letter that directly led to the Smollett family's exile."

After a brief silence, she spoke with some surprise

"Why do you think it was me?"

She had thought Linda would struggle with this for a while longer, but didn't expect her to ask so directly.

"Intuition... and the scent on the letter."

Linda's gaze also sharpened.

"...Elves truly have a keen sense for magical power."

Delia only smiled bitterly, without denying it,

"You're not denying it?"

"Well, given our relationship, it's better to be honest."

"............"

Linda's expression didn't soften at all, still staring intently at the other.

"...Our Young Lady may be somewhat special, but that's absolutely no reason for you to harm her."

Yvonne had once confided in her that she possessed memories of another world, a previous life - which is why she had so much extra knowledge—but by now, Linda didn't have much surprise left.

"You see it as harm? I see... That's a natural perspective, I suppose."

Delia sighed, standing up while supporting herself on her chair,

"Everything that happens in this world is under the control of rules—If one violates the rules, they must pay the corresponding price... I merely found a loophole to let that child pay this price in advance, allowing her to avoid the worst ending of a death sentence."

...Rules? Price? Worst ending?

Hearing these strange terms with partial understanding, Linda's mind was full of questions.

What exactly is this person saying?

"Rather than explaining, direct understanding might be quicker."

She put her finger to her lips,

"Let me show you a glimpse of the child's other endings—"

Delia extended her index finger, touching Linda's brow

Her hand was much colder than Linda's,

When they made contact, a flood of information rushed into Linda's mind.

In an instant, it was like falling into an abyss of extreme cold and darkness

Deep red blood blossoms spread on the floor.

Mangled and miserable beyond words.

Not just once—

Stabbed to death, strangled, cut down on horseback—

Without exception, all deaths were due to the crime of collaborating with demons.

The end of the villainous Young Lady,

Exile ending, death sentence ending...

All of these... everything...

...Is this really the Young Lady??

Linda's stomach churned.

Having been together for so many years, Linda was certain that the appearance and aura of the person lying there... was undoubtedly 'Yvonne Smollett', but there was also a subtle sense of dissonance, feeling somewhat different,

"Well, did you see?"

Delia removed her finger from Linda's forehead. Although it was only for a brief moment, Linda felt as if a long time had passed, clutching her heaving chest, desperately gasping for breath as if she had experienced suffocation.

...This feeling was far too vivid, as if she had personally experienced it all.

Is this all illusion magic? Or some other trickery used to confuse her mind??

"It's not false imagery... but real memories. As an elf, you should be able to discern this, right?"

Just as Linda was still trying to find other possibilities, Delia knelt on one knee before her, gently stroking her snow-white cheeks, her fingers feeling both loving and cold.

"Don't worry, those who died... strictly speaking, are not the Young Lady you know."

The villains in stories always meet a tragic end... In the end, I just dislike such rules.

When she was young, I once set a 'Nightmare' to test her resolve."

In countless cycles of previous iterations, most test subjects were consumed by the 'Nightmare' due to their desire for power or greed.

Even after so many restarts, Delia had never encountered someone with such a clear mind.

That child is undoubtedly special.

After accepting the invitation of that otherworldly witch, she gladly agreed to this deceptive 'frame-up plot'.

"Of course, even with such powerful abilities, what I can do under the rules is very limited. That those two children have come this far is largely due to their own efforts."

"Honestly, I still can't understand..."

Linda took a deep breath,

"Arbitrarily manipulating and rewriting the Young Lady's life, I can't understand it, can't forgive it."

The Young Lady should have met and gotten to know Elsa normally at school, spending happier times together...

Yet the person before her had destroyed all of that.

Confined, imprisoned, humiliated...

Even now, the stigma the Young Lady bears has not been fully cleared.

"...It's normal that you can't forgive."

Crossing her hands in front of her, Delia closed her eyes,

She didn't expect the other to understand her; for her, that was even more unrealistic than seeking an exit from the cycle.

She couldn't understand this person.

Moreover, she couldn't forgive herself for still having her heart race despite all this.

Having done so many excessive things... why show such a pained expression?

—

Her body moved involuntarily,

When she touched Delia's shoulder, she trembled slightly.

Do demons also have hearts?

What kind of existence is she, having lived through such a long time?

Thinking about these questions, feeling the rise and fall of her chest, Linda smiled mockingly, half-jokingly,

"You seem quite obsessed with me."

"I don't deny it."

"Since that's the case, let me use you then."

She wanted to make her atone, squeeze out every last bit of remaining value,

For the sake of the Young Lady and the person she likes to spend their lives together smoothly,

So... she would become the shackles, binding this demon.

"It would be my pleasure."

She chuckled in response, embracing the other.

This openly stated use was merely her gentleness,

The human body is so warm, making her reluctant to let go.

To touch and embrace her sincerely like this... she was the first.

She had been waiting, waiting for someone who could understand her loneliness.

—

Gradually, the sounds from the outside world became clearer,

The soft clinks of tableware, the playful noises at the dining table arose one after another,

Suddenly, a childish voice broke through

"Ah—"

"The Sister and Sister Linda hugged when we weren't looking!"

"So sneaky!"

"Sister Delia is ours! Sneaking off requires our approval!!"

"............"

Looking at Linda's face, which clearly said 'When did you remove the barrier!?', flushed with embarrassment,

Delia chuckled.

"This time, will you come with me to witness?"

She extended her hand to the other,

To witness together the end of this world, or its continuation.

Putting on a resigned expression, she let her gaze linger on their joined hands.

"At this point, I don't have any other choice, do I?"

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"Achoo—"

A small sneeze from catching cold sounded,

Recently, the weather has been unusually good, and the heavy snow of the past few days has finally begun to melt,

But as they say, it's not cold when it snows, but when the snow melts - now is when it feels coldest,

"How could you be so careless..."

Yvonne said with concern as she wiped her hair

Going out to organize everyone for snow shoveling, yet somehow falling into melted snow herself... Isn't that counterproductive?

"Isn't there any change of clothes?"

Having changed out of her soiled clothes, she could only wrap herself in a blanket for warmth, shivering,

"All my clothes were taken by the maids to be washed..."

"Really... Don't you keep a few spares in your spatial storage? Making it seem like I can't afford to buy you clothes... For now, wear mine."

Yvonne rummaged through her own wardrobe and tossed over a few of her own clothes

"Yay~ It's Evie's clothes—Achoo!"

"Put them on quickly!!"

Wearing Yvonne's clothes that seemed a bit large on her, she sat on the bed, sniffing the scent on herself like a little dog.

Indeed, they're still a bit big...

The slightly loose clothes accentuated her petiteness even more. As they say, contrast highlights the ultimate cuteness,

Now, because the sleeves were too long, they almost completely covered her hands, with only the tips of her fingernails barely visible. The gap moe of the large sleeves and small hands... It was just like a small animal.

There was an urge to rush over and hug her tightly.

"Hehe~ Why is Evie looking at me so lecherously?"

She giggled, covering her mouth with the oversized sleeves,

"...I just felt nostalgic, that's all."

To hide her embarrassment, Yvonne turned her head away,

But saying it was nostalgic wasn't a lie,

She still remembered how lending her own clothes like this had quickly warmed up their relationship back then.

But in summer then, she had lent her short sleeves, so the difference in their body sizes wasn't as apparent...

"Is Evie cold?"

"I'm fine..."

Heave-ho~

Although she said that, she still seemed to see through Yvonne's heart,

Wearing Yvonne's clothes, she came over for a hug,

"You just wanted me to touch you that much?"

"It's Evie whose face was saying she wanted to hug me, right?"

"Hmph..."

Not denying it, that is.

I have to admit, being very proactive is also one of her cute aspects.

In previous common values, some people thought 'women being proactive would devalue themselves', but Yvonne didn't think so.

"Sometimes I feel like you're still deliberately trying to please me? You really don't have to do that..."

Holding her cold hand, then giving it a squeeze

She always seemed to be incredibly perceptive of Yvonne's needs, always ready and willing to unconditionally satisfy them.

Sometimes even the requests she made were in line with options that might make Yvonne happy.

Like now, even though she was freezing, she still came over to let Yvonne touch her.

This probably relates to her unfortunate childhood experiences, leading to an incorrect feedback mechanism, with an extraordinary craving for a sense of security, others' love, and attention. Yet her own priority was placed very, very low.

Believing that she could only receive love if she acted in a lovable way.

Little did she know, some love is unconditional.

Compared to herself... Yvonne hoped she could be more selfish.

If a person can't find their true self, they can never attain true happiness.

Hugging her back to the bed, wrapping her up in the blanket like a little dumpling.

"Is there anywhere you want me to touch?"

"...Eh?"

Elsa hadn't expected Yvonne to ask such a question, and it actually made her a bit flustered, becoming shy,

"Anywhere is fine..."

Just being by Yvonne's side made her feel very secure, and any close physical contact like this made her feel very happy. So she didn't have many extravagant desires.

"That won't do, you must choose one."

"Then... can you pat my head?"

"Mm."

Yvonne reached out to touch the hair she had just dried for her, and Elsa closed her eyes,

Her movements were careful and gentle. As she stroked, along with the tingling sensation at the hair roots, before she knew it, her whole body felt like it was losing strength.

"And then... I want to be hugged."

She looked at Yvonne with moist eyes,

...So that's it.

She hugged Yvonne proactively because she wanted to be hugged,

It's actually quite easy to understand, isn't it?

What a cute one indeed.

Thinking this, Yvonne no longer held back, wrapping her arms around this adorable creature who had just thrown herself into her embrace, fully enjoying the soft feeling.

The room was left with only the sound of rustling clothes and soft breathing.

Love...

Originally thinking she couldn't love more than this, but this feeling has become even deeper with the passage of time, like some indescribable, bone-deep poison that's addictive,

Wanting to feel the other's love and cherishment for oneself, wanting to confirm it again and again, but also worrying that one's insatiability might make her tired of it, that's why it became like this.

"So you think I'm someone who gets tired so easily?"

After listening to her mumbling self-reflection while lying on her chest, Yvonne couldn't help but complain a little.

Her tolerance threshold was much higher than Elsa imagined.

"...Next time I want to be hugged proactively."

"Mm, I'll remember that."

They were both searching for more suitable ways to love each other.

Only people who truly like each other from the bottom of their hearts can have such happy feelings, right?