The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 52

Escape (10)

A heavy silence enveloped the parlor. The ripple effect of Lineta's last words seemed to linger in the air, not yet having dissipated.

Kyle couldn't say a word.

Lineta also remained silent.

The two merely looked at each other.

Leaning back against the sofa, I caressed Lineta's hair and turned my gaze towards the window. The afternoon sun stretched long, painting the backyard leaves in golden hues.

How much time had passed, I wondered.

It was Kyle who first broke the silence. His voice was noticeably softer than before.

"Really, here..."

Kyle started to speak towards me, then trailed off.I didn't answer. Instead, I rose from my seat and picked up the teapot on the table. And slowly poured warm black tea into Kyle's empty teacup. Only the sound of tea filling the teacup broke the room's stillness.

"The academy didn't suit me that well, it seems."

Kyle looked down at the tea I had poured for a moment. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, then ran a hand over his face.

"Dinner?"

I asked. Levina had said she would stay for dinner.

At my words, Kyle uttered a short 'Ah...' He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"No. I have something to do, so I think I should leave now. Please convey my apologies... to the Young Mistress."

Kyle stood up. He gave Lineta a brief glance, then exited the parlor without looking back. His footsteps faded down the corridor.

"Are you alright?"

I turned to Lineta and asked.

"Huh? Oh... what do you mean?"

Lineta, who had been blankly staring at where Kyle had left, startled at my voice and replied. Her face was clearly not alright.

"You said you've been close since childhood."

I said.

At my words, Lineta's expression became complicated. She sighed, moved closer, and leaned her head on my shoulder. I felt a small, warm weight.

"The person I thought of as a sibling feels so unfamiliar... Honestly, I don't know how I feel right now."

Her voice trembled faintly.

"And now, I don't even know what I'm doing."

Lineta closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered. Her expression was somehow complex and inscrutable. Sadness, relief, and a hint of guilt seemed to be mixed together.

Dinner was served just for Levina and me. The servants quietly carried the food, and only the occasional clinking of dishes could be heard.

"The desserts you mentioned."

Levina spoke first.

"I went to the most famous cafe in the capital and bought only the most expensive ones, of every kind."

Her voice was as indifferent as usual, yet it also held a hint of excitement.

"Thanks. By the way... isn't that too much?"

The ornate boxes placed beside the table numbered well over ten.

"Well, give some to that maid you always have with you. Share with the servants here too. Throw away what's left."

The expressions of the servants standing in a corner of the dining room brightened subtly. The somehow excited servants, at Levina's instruction to move them, quietly left the dining room carrying the boxes of desserts.

She watched them for a moment, then looked at me again.

"So, Kyle. What did you talk about with that commoner? I didn't expect him to leave without dinner."

She asked with an air of indifference. It was merely a question to open a conversation.

"Oh, nothing special."

I vaguely brushed it off.

Levina didn't ask further. We continued our meal in silence for a while.

"Father said he wants to see you once."

Levina said, setting down her knife.

"So I'm debating whether to take you or not."

"You'll decide anyway, so why ask me?"

I retorted.

"Because if you want to, I intend to go with you."

Levina's voice was serious.

"Of course, if you go to the main residence, there's a lot to prepare, and we'd have to avoid Mother's eyes as much as possible, so we can't go right away. And even there, you wouldn't be able to use the Edelgard family name. Still... I've always been sorry to you..."

Levina couldn't continue speaking and closed her mouth. She lowered her gaze, then picked up her knife and fork again.

"Sister."

"Huh? Y-you just called me Sister, didn't you."

"What else would I have said?"

"Call me that one more time."

"Sister, thank you for caring."

"...Ah, yes. Somehow, it feels like it's getting better with time."

Levina replied with her head bowed. Her earlobes were tinged red.

Dinner concluded that way.

Before getting into the carriage, Levina saw me off at the annex entrance. The night air was quite chilly.

"Before I go, could I have just one hug?"

Levina blurted out.

Instead of answering, I stood still. Levina, as if taking that as permission, approached me and hugged me tightly. It was hardly what one would call a hug. Her slender body was faintly trembling.

"Aside from desserts... is there anything else you need?"

Levina whispered into my ear. Her breath tickled my ear.

"No."

When I answered, Levina regretfully pulled away from me.

"...Next time I come, I'll get you something even better, whatever it may be."

Leaving those words, she got into the carriage. The carriage soon disappeared into the darkness.

When I returned to the room, Lineta was waiting for me. She had been standing by the window, looking at the night sky, and turned with a bright smile when she heard me enter.

"Today was quite an eventful day, Young Master!"

I smiled faintly at her words. Then I pointed to the dessert boxes placed in a corner of the room.

"It's a gift."

"Huh? For me?"

Lineta's eyes widened. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then approached the boxes.

"Is it really alright? The Young Mistress bought these for you to eat..."

"She said if there's a lot, to share it with the servants."

"You said you wanted to try all the famous desserts from the capital, one by one."

Lineta carefully opened one of the boxes. Colorful slices of cake and pastries were neatly arranged inside. A sweet aroma filled the room. A fleeting shadow of sadness seemed to cross Lineta's face. But she soon turned back to me with a playful, joyful expression.

"Wow! Then I'll enjoy them very thankfully! It feels like this is the first time you've given me something, after always eating at our house!"

At her words, I scratched the back of my head. I tried to retort, but no words came to mind, so I kept my mouth shut.

She picked up a slice of chocolate cake with a small fork and put it into her mouth. Then she closed her eyes and savored it.

"Wow... it's really delicious! People who live in the capital must eat things like this every day, right?"

She exclaimed like a child.

"Only people with heavy pockets would live like that."

I replied indifferently.

"Ah, then I should have told the Young Mistress I was quitting last time. With that severance pay, I could eat this every day, right?"

Lineta said jokingly.

I only laughed instead of replying.

"The more I think about it, quitting definitely wouldn't have been so bad."

"Then it would have been hard to get this close to me. And you wouldn't be able to eat desserts either."

"That's a bit of a shame! But still, quitting wouldn't have been so bad after all."

I was about to utter a spiteful remark, but Lineta's somewhat strange expression kept my mouth shut.

As Lineta ate her dessert, her gaze shifted to the liquor boxes Levina had brought earlier. 

She rose from her seat and approached the boxes. She rummaged through the contents of the box for a long time, then picked out the smallest and prettiest bottle. 

It was a luxurious-looking liquor bottle containing an amber-colored liquid. Lineta, holding the bottle, paced around the room for a long time as if hesitant. 

Then she took out a glass from the cupboard. She placed the glass on the table and carefully poured the liquor.

"Something like this... I've always wanted to try. You know, like, with someone you like, in the middle of the night, in the same room, just the two of you. This is exactly that right now!"

Lineta said softly, hesitantly bringing the glass slightly to her lips.

"You're still just a kid, what's with this liquor?"

I snatched the glass from her hand. And then I took a sip of it. A sweet yet bitter fruit aroma, along with something akin to a metallic tang, spread in my mouth.

Just as I had swallowed a mouthful.

"Ah, no!"

Lineta, horrified, grabbed my arm. Almost on the verge of tears, she snatched the glass from my hand.

"What's wrong?"

When I asked, Lineta stammered in embarrassment.

"That... that is to say..."

She hemmed and hawed for a long time. After that, she began to tremble slightly, then started to cry. She wasn't crying out loud. Her shoulders trembled, and copious tears streamed down her face. Somehow, the atmosphere in the room felt like it had instantly changed.

"Can I call you Lavin?"

A feeling that something was wrong.

"...It's fine when it's just the two of us."

"Thank you. You know, I've always wanted to call someone I like by their name. Honestly, every morning, I hated calling Lavin 'Young Master'."

Lineta spoke softly, crying silently.

"By the way, I don't even know what I'm doing right now."

Lineta wiped away the tears from around her eyes with the back of her hand, then looked up at me. Her reddened eyes were moist.

"Young Master, thank you for coming here. Thank you, truly, for meeting me."

She said.

"And I might hate you, Young Master."

I couldn't say anything. Somehow, I felt a terrible burning sensation inside. Suddenly, a retch climbed up my throat. I hastily covered my mouth with my hand. A hot, metallic-smelling liquid touched my palm. It was blood. My vision blurred slightly. The world seemed to spin.

"If you had come even a little earlier, no, even just a few weeks earlier."

Feeling dizzy, I staggered and collapsed onto the sofa. Lineta's voice sounded distant. Through my blurry vision, Lineta's face came into view. She was crying. With an expression that could be sadness or relief.

"Even if the villagers died, even if Mother passed away, I would have chosen you, Lavin."

Lineta paid no heed, even as she watched me coughing up blood. Instead, she took out a container of flower petals from the cupboard. She put a few flower petals into her own teacup and poured hot water over them. And then, with an awkward posture, she held the teacup. It was as if a clumsy child was imitating an adult.

"Was it like this to drink? Or was it like this? They say it's good to drink together. I always think this, it really doesn't taste good."

Muttering to herself, she drank the flower petal tea. The bland and astringent-tasting tea. Then she placed the liquor glass I had put my lips to on the table and filled it with the amber liquid. She picked up the glass and drank it down in one gulp. Her small throat pulsed rapidly.

I wanted to get up, but my body was busy coughing up blood. My vision slowly turned crimson. Then, the ring on my finger caught my eye.