The Villain’s Ending

Chapter 80

Delusion (19)

As I left the room, Seraphina followed me.

Just a few steps into the corridor, my wrist was seized.

Her fingers were slender, and somehow felt cold.

Turning around, I saw Seraphina had followed me without even properly fastening her clothes.

Her face slightly flushed, she clutched her top with one hand, while the other still gripped my wrist.

Without releasing my wrist, she said in a low voice. Her voice trembled faintly.

"Wait, just wait a moment, Lavin. Please, please listen to what I have to say."

"Listen to what you have to say?"

I turned back.And I cornered her against the wall.

Seraphina's back hit it.

A dull thud echoed softly in the corridor.

"Should I just throw your old words back at you?

Should I scold you, asking if you don't know how long we've known each other, how well we know each other!?"

I raged.

Just as I was diligently self-brainwashing myself into believing everything was going well, Seraphina somehow felt like she had poured cold water on me.

Seraphina shook her head at my words.

She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

"For your safety, at least, I had to know whether it was true or not.

So the thing I received from the church..."

Her words were cut off.

Because I had grabbed her by the collar.

"I don't even care what I just threw away.

You, you must know what it means to bring something like that in front of me!"

Seraphina looked at me and burst into tears.

"To protect you! I did it to protect you!"

"If you wanted to protect me, you should have just let me die, instead of trying to cut off my wrist!!"

I yelled without realizing it, and my throat felt like it would tear.

Seraphina tried to loosen my grip on her collar, asking what nonsense I was spewing.

But it didn't come loose.

"Is it Kyle? Is it that fucking bastard again?"

"Kyle, why is Kyle coming up now?"

Seraphina asked, as if she couldn't understand.

"You're always hanging out with that son of a bitch, beating up devils and demons!

It doesn't even have to be you!"

"I don't even know why Kyle is being brought up in the first place!!"

Seraphina replied.

"Because all the fucked-up things that happened because of you were all that son of a bitch's doing!"

Seraphina shook her head and started crying.

She sobbed and said.

"You, you know what kind of situation you're in right now!

Didn't you hear what happened yesterday?"

When I didn't reply, Seraphina removed my hand that was grabbing her collar, now slightly loosened.

And she continued speaking, sobbing slightly.

"I know it's easy to ignore the testimony that you and Lady Levina went alone in a carriage to the forest on the day she disappeared. 

Anyone can just blurt out words, after all."

Seraphina looked at me sadly and continued speaking.

It was hard to look into her heavy, blue eyes.

"But, Lavin, Lady Levina’s bloodstains were even found in that forest you went to."

"......."

"A priest sent by the church and Kyle found them, so it's Kyle again, I guess."

Seraphina sighed in resignation.

"You don't care about social circles, reputation, or public opinion, so you might not know, but there are so many high-ranking officials who want you dead rather than see you become the Head, that's why Kyle is running rampant like this.

So. He's not the type to just stay put if I tried to stop him, so I just tried to confirm it myself first."

"Whether I'm lying or not?"

"......Yes."

"I know I'm not a trustworthy person, Seraphina. But if that's the case, then it's better for us not to be together, isn't it?"

"I, I don't care. I don't care what you do from now on.

This time, there was a reason I had to confirm it!

I don't care if you lie to me, or if you roll around with a maid like you just did. I just, I just need your love..."

"Then you should have told me everything honestly.

You should have asked if I could tell you, even if you trusted me."

"I, I don't want to show you that I don't trust you!

In front of you, I want to appear as a good wife and wise mother, someone who always trusts you!

I don't want to show you my ugly side..."

Seraphina sobbed, stretching her words slightly.

"But at least this one thing, if not anything else, I had to confirm this one thing.

Even if I trusted you, even if you killed Levina, the truth, at least..."

"So if I killed Levina, what were you planning to do?"

"I keep telling you, it doesn't matter to me whether you did it or not!!"

Seraphina shouted.

"What does it matter to me if you killed that woman, or killed the Duchess?!

You are my Lavin. You will be my Lavin, and mine alone!"

Seraphina was speaking in front of me, but I couldn't hear her well.

It slowly changed into a muffled sound, like water had entered my ears.

"I need to know so I can come up with countermeasures or help you, don't I!"

"Then we can just break off the engagement as you thought."

Hearing those words, Seraphina looked at me, and even more tears flowed from her already tear-filled eyes.

"I'd never receive your help. Until now, far from help, you've always... no."

Seraphina clutched her chest and stammered, gripping her chest and breathing in and out raggedly.

Her face was contorted in pain.

"Lavin, it hurts."

She said that, and then, leaning against the wall, she sank to the floor.

Then she tried to get up again and approach me.

But I didn't help her up. Instead, I ground my teeth and turned my back.

Even if Seraphina had offered help, it wouldn't have been particularly meaningful.

I turned my steps towards the church.

****

Opening the door and entering the church, Estelle greeted me with a bright smile.

She was perched on the altar, peeling an apple.

"I had a feeling you'd be coming soon. I expected you yesterday, but you're a little late."

I walked over to a long bench and sat down as if lying back.

I took out the pipe I hadn't smoked in a while from my pocket, crumpled tobacco leaves into it, and generously sprinkled the powder Levina had given me.

After lighting it, I inhaled the smoke for a long time, then coughed as I exhaled.

"Estelle, I hear I'm screwed."

"Well, of course you are. By sheer coincidence, someone from the church apparently saw you and Levina alone in a carriage heading to the forest that very day."

Estelle said that, smiling somehow gleefully.

"Someone from the church?"

"Yes, someone from the church."

I raised my head and looked at Estelle's face.

Her face showed mischief, and a slight hint of dissatisfaction.

"Right, and by coincidence, that person from the church also knows the exact location of Levina's bloodstains?"

"Yes, by coincidence, indeed."

Estelle saw my limp, unfocused appearance and took the pipe from my hand, taking a puff herself.

She coughed lightly, then returned the pipe to me and said.

"I'll do everything I can for you from now on."

Her voice was a little lower and more serious than usual.

"In return, what I mentioned last time. I need a definite answer."

"You've mentioned more than one thing last time, so I'm not sure what you're referring to."

Estelle moved closer to me and sat on my lap.

Then she leaned her face close and spoke.

Her breath smelled of apples.

"Break off your engagement with that woman.

There's no way a mere priest could loan out important artifacts like holy relics that distinguish truth from falsehood from the church. Unless it's a Saintess in disguise.

She's a foolish woman with no faith, isn't she? She couldn't even tell if an object gave off a sense of incongruity the moment she saw it."

"......."

A small light emanated from Estelle's right hand, and as soon as she brought it to her head, her pure white hair instantly turned black.

"If only the truth is revealed, no.

Even if it's true that your fiancé committed it, the church is here to help good people like you, Seraphina, so I'll help you.

I'm quite close to the higher-ups in the church, so I can do a lot."

Her facial features were also subtly altered, so much so that one might not notice if they just glanced.

"Just confirm whether this is true or not, and come back to me, then we can figure out how to deal with it, right?

Heh heh, ugh heh, ugh heh heh, truly believing that, nodding seriously, ugh.

Saying 'my Lavin' and all that every time, Lavin is mine, you bitch."

Estelle, whose voice tone had subtly changed, chuckled and continued speaking.

"Lavin. If you marry me, everything will be resolved.

No one will say anything to you.

You'll get the position you want, and you won't have to necessarily kill the two you've imprisoned in the basement, will you?"

When I couldn't properly reply, Estelle cupped my cheek.

"Why? You said you'd do anything. Lavin."

Saying that, Estelle kissed me.

I hesitated for a moment, then accepted her kiss.

Slowly, our tongues intertwined.

The taste of apple and the bitter taste of the pipe mixed in my mouth.

How much time had passed?

Estelle and I parted lips, and I let out a hollow laugh.

She was looking down at me with a satisfied expression.

"So, what's your answer?"

"I'll think about it."

"Procrastinating again, are we?"

Estelle got up from my lap, shrugging her shoulders.

"Not for too long, though. If things get any bigger here, I don't think I'll be able to help you either."

She said that, then returned to the altar and resumed peeling the apple she had been working on.

I smoked the pipe for a while longer, then got up from my seat.

"I'll be going."

"Already?"

"Yes."

I replied and walked towards the church door.

Estelle's voice came from behind me.

"Come again tomorrow. Let's go out for something delicious to eat.

Outside, together, just the two of us, without worrying about other people's eyes."