The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 73

Delusion (12)

A little time passed.

I opened my room door to head to the church.

And at that moment, something collided with the door and fell.

A dull thud sounded, followed by a short scream.

Seraphina was lying fallen on the corridor floor.

She was clutching her forehead.

"Seraphina?"

I asked, flustered.

"Are you okay?""Ah, yes. I'm okay."

Seraphina replied, rubbing her forehead.

Her face was slightly contorted.

"Why were you there?"

"Ah, um. I didn't know how to approach you, so I was deliberating."

Seraphina said, slightly averting her gaze and blushing a little, as if embarrassed.

"That time, when I said we should go to the bakery. Do you remember?"

She asked.

Her gaze wasn't on me; it hovered around her knees.

"I remember."

I replied.

Seraphina's face flushed slightly.

Then, she lightly scuffed the floor with the tip of her left foot and asked.

As if making a very difficult request.

"This weekend, shall we go?"

I already had a prior engagement with Levina for the weekend.

"This weekend might be difficult."

I refused.

Her shoulders slumped visibly.

"Ah......"

"Let's go next weekend."

"Ah... Oh? I-Is that really okay?"

Seraphina asked in a bright voice.

She couldn't hide the subtle tremor of anticipation at the end of her voice.

"Yes, that time is fine."

At those words, Seraphina's face bloomed brightly.

Unable to hide her joy, she nodded several times.

"By the way, what happened regarding the annulment of your engagement?"

When I asked, she gave a slightly bitter smile.

"It's been sorted out, somehow. A little, no, that's not right.

My father was very angry, but it's not as important as being with you right now."

She only answered that much.

I wanted to ask more, but I couldn't.

The current Seraphina was only saying what 'Lavin' had always wanted to hear.

It was almost as if I were dreaming right now.

Looking at Seraphina, I always think she's changing.

Even though she was clearly always approaching me and changing, it felt like she was always circling the same spot.

As Seraphina once told me, perhaps I wished for things to stay the same.

Only then could I freely blame and hate her.

As I was recalling such thoughts, Seraphina continued speaking.

"By the way, where were you going?"

I glanced at the floor for a moment.

Then I replied.

"Just going for a night stroll."

"......A lie."

Seraphina cut in.

"A lie, all of a sudden?"

"Since childhood, whenever you lied, you always averted your gaze to the floor. Just like now."

I didn't reply.

"It's always like this, so how can I... Sigh."

Seraphina's words trailed off.

"Is it something you'd rather not tell me?"

Her eyes held genuine concern.

"It's not difficult, it's just. Can you not ask?"

It's a bit awkward to blurt out that I'm happily going to visit the person I've imprisoned in the church.

".......Alright."

Saying that, Seraphina looked up at me with slightly disappointed eyes.

Where had I seen such a gaze before?

As I thought about it, I remembered a time when I was hiding in Levina's room, and she had found me and looked at me with those very eyes.

My head throbbed instantly.

The open door.

Seraphina standing before it.

The long corridor stretching out.

And Kyle, who had ultimately found me hiding like that and dragged me out.

Seraphina, standing beside him.

The Seraphina who had even severed my wrist, preventing me from dying as I wished, and who had merely watched me, watched me burning to death until the very end, now seemed to overlap with the Seraphina of the present.

I knew they were different, intellectually.

Even though I knew.

My right hand began to tremble uncontrollably.

I felt the sensation of strength draining from my body.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

My breathing began to quicken.

I staggered and leaned against the wall.

"Lavin? Are you okay?"

Seraphina, surprised, approached me.

She supported my arm.

As I leaned on her for support, my eyes met Seraphina's.

I stared at her blankly for a long time.

Seeing a blush appear on Seraphina's face, I somehow recalled Levina, who had just been in the room.

And Estelle, who had also blushed and gasped for breath after a kiss.

I grabbed Seraphina's hand.

I gently closed the open door and pulled Seraphina into the room.

Seraphina was flustered and simply followed where I led.

"Actually, you want this too, don't you? Just like everyone else."

I mumbled.

I was speaking, but I didn't know what I was saying.

"Perhaps you felt a little regret when I burned to ashes."

I was looking at Seraphina, but I wasn't seeing Seraphina.

What was reflected in my eyes slowly began to blur.

Only the faint outline of blonde hair and blue eyes was visible.

"I-I don't q-quite u-understand what you're s-saying right now. La-Lavin!?"

Seraphina stammered her reply as I placed my hand on her cheek.

Then, I stroked her cheek, and pushed her onto the bed.

Her back hit the bed.

I slowly climbed on top of her.

And stroked her face again.

Seraphina's face began to flush intensely.

Her pupils were shaking wildly.

"One moment you wanted to annul the engagement at will, the next you were making a fuss saying it couldn't be annulled.

One moment you asked how you could trust me, now you say you trust me.

Then suddenly you come looking for me, talking about lies and whatnot.

What business is it of yours where I go or what I do?"

Seraphina slightly twisted her body, trying to reply to my words.

Not wanting to hear it, I lightly bit her right ear.

"Hhngh!"

Seraphina let out a loud gasp of surprise.

I murmured, almost whispering, into her ear.

"Because if I go out and cause trouble again, or if bad rumors spread, it'll harm you?

Or because you prayed every night, wishing for my death?

Because someone like me, by your side, only brings you harm?"

"No! What, what in the w-world, why are you suddenly like this!?"

Seraphina tried to get up from the bed.

"Heek!"

But each time I bit her ear, she trembled violently and couldn't move.

"It's fortunate that the annulment was somehow taken back. Did you perhaps cut off your esteemed Count's wrist?"

Seraphina's expression showed she couldn't understand why I was acting like this.

At the same time, she looked incredibly confused by the situation she was thrust into.

"Stop this!"

Her face bright red, Seraphina pushed me away.

She glared at me, breathing heavily.

"You, all of a sudden, are you out of your mind—"

She was speaking, but then her eyes met mine, and her expression instantly turned blank, her words trailing off.

In Seraphina's blue eyes, my crying reflection was visible.

"Even though I try to act like nothing's wrong, and try to push you away, why do you keep coming closer and showing me a changed side?

Why do you say you believe in me, and that you worry about me? Just, keep doing what you were doing......."

I said, my voice trembling.

"When someone like you says things like that, my heart wavers."

My blurred vision became clear again.

Seraphina, blushing on my bed, came into view.

I sank to the floor and murmured quietly.

Seraphina hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached me.

With a dazed expression, she wiped the corners of my eyes with her sleeve.

"It's just, a bit. No, that's not right. Everything was strange from the start. But it seems to have gotten even stranger. I'm sorry."

Seraphina asked if I was okay, and I shook my head.

"My head seems to have become messed up. It was always like that, but now it's even worse. I want to pretend to be normal, but I can't."

I didn't want to utter these words.

"Pat my back like before. Tell me everything will be alright.

Tell me everything will be alright, just like you comforted me when my mother died."

Seraphina, without understanding why, hugged me and patted my back.

Her face was filled with confusion and pity.

As I tightly embraced Seraphina, I realized where things had gone wrong.

Not 'Lavin', I couldn't remember what my name was.

I couldn't remember who I was.

Only vague memories of the life I had lived remained.

Everything had started to blur after I read a certain book in the library.

I couldn't tell which part came first.

At the same time, a translucent window appeared.

Somehow, something had increased.

[Collect the Ending. 4/?]

[Currently collected rewards: Lingering Traces, Afterimage, Traces]

[Reward: ???, Love]

Embraced by Seraphina, I stared blankly at the translucent window.

And I pulled out the faint, remaining memories of living in reality.

I forcibly dragged out only the painful memories of Seraphina, Estelle, Lineta, and Levina.

All memories of dying, and of wanting to die.

I began to repeat hundreds of times that I wanted to escape this horrible, fucked-up place, that I wanted to return to where I originally came from.

Then, the window blurred.

[Collect the Ending. 4/?]

[Currently collected rewards: Lingering Trace, Afterimage, Traces]

[Reward: ???, Return to original world]

"......Ah."

Somehow, it felt distant.