Actually, The Main Character Was A Villainess - Chapter 4

“Ahk- Milady! Have you come down already? But no matter how much I search for the Young Master–”

Melanie, whose bangs were sweaty, approached her and then shut his mouth. Because his eyes headed to where his Master’s sight pointed.

“That’s… what… such…”

‘Yeah, I was dumbfounded myself, the same for this kid.’

“You did a great job, Melanie, but I didn’t learn this lesson, so I’ll ask. Is that something I should comprehend and move on?”

“Oh my gosh, my Lady That’s just asking for directions… Don’t you know, the Young Master is kind by nature.”

Her maid, who had been serving Elysia for a long time, knew her character better than anyone. She was a person of principle and was the noblest among nobles. When others do dirty things using their status as nobles, she acts upright, saying a noble should live to be worthy of their status. 

So Elysia was the scariest of them all. Elysia walked ahead without changing her face. Those who recognized her cleared her way, and a path was created that led directly to the dating site of Conrad and the unfamiliar young lady.

Realizing that the surroundings had become quiet, he looked around and met Elysia’s eyes.

“E- Elysia, it’s not—”

She couldn’t stand to hear him make such lousy excuses. She didn’t even approach him for that in the first place. Elysia held the cheap ornaments they were looking at in her hand.

“You looked so happy seeing something like this, Con, do you want one? I didn’t know this was your taste.”

Elysia spoke while looking at the woman hiding behind her fiancé.

“No, Ellie, listen to me. We just…”

Elysia liked the coarsely carved turquoise mirror. It was exactly like the current situation.

“Us? Young Master Rayden, it’s not me and the Young Master but you two?”

Even in this situation where she could be angry, Elysia maintained her dignity and was conscious of the people’s eyes. 

Sweat dripped from Conrad’s temple as he shook his head hastily. He didn’t even move his body an inch, but he was sweating. It didn’t fit his status. Elysia smiled and handed him a handkerchief.

“Oh, oh… Thank you. I just bumped into her… I accidentally spilled a drink and we were talking about future compensation.”

Even though she looked fine enough to claim she had spilled something, Elysia was conscious of her surroundings and decided not to make a fuss.

“Right, I told you that eating something while walking on the street is not a good thing.”

At her usual nagging, Conrad smiled as if relieved. In the midst of this, the woman, still hiding behind him and glaring at her, was irritating, but now wasn’t the right time.

“Oh, yes, so, I really bumped into this person just by accident. Really by accident! Yes, it was an accident.”

She wanted to shut that mouth blurting the same nonsensical excuses because the situation was annoying and shameful enough as it was.

“Why are you making excuses? Did you do anything wrong? I was just looking for my lost fiancé in the crowd.”

Elysia looked behind him, and locked eyes with the other person. As if she had seen something scary, the woman grabbed Conrad’s arm and cowered behind him.

“No, it’s not like that. Didn’t you like the fountain square? Shall we go there?”

Elysia’s sharp eyes did not miss his friendly touch of holding the woman’s hand on his forearm while removing it.

“No, there are a lot of flies this year. I’m not very attracted to it.”

Elysia replied with a smile. As Conrad escorted her, placing his hand around her waist, the woman standing next to him glared at Elysia as if to kill her. But Elysia didn’t care. If it was someone who would become a worthy opponent she wouldn’t have kept her mouth shut. Yet, poisoning eyes wouldn’t do anything.

“Let’s go to the carriage.”

Elysia whispered inaudibly. In the eyes of others, they seemed rather friendly lovers.

“Um, Ellie…”

They didn’t say a word until they reached the mansion. Conrad had been restless the whole time and could not bear it so finally spoke.

“What?” Elysia asked with a completely indifferent look.

“You didn’t misunderstand, right? It was a really simple accident. She said she is a Viscount’s young Lady from the countryside. As you know, the foundation festival was delayed. So, she said she was lonely in this place with no one around. We were just talking about things like that. You know, just the kind of frivolous greetings among nobles.”

‘Why is it the more you talk, the more suspicious you look?’ But Elysia didn’t point that out. 

“I know.”

“But why do you keep looking like–?”

“We are here.”

Before Conrad could say more, the carriage stopped in front of Count Hellen’s residence. Elysia looked at him silently. 

“Haaa.” After sighing, he got out first and escorted her.

“Thanks.”

Conrad pointed out when he realized she was about to go in as if nothing had happened.

“Are you really okay? You believe me, right?”

She couldn’t understand the meaning of his words.

“Does today’s incident change depending on what I believe or don’t? If you’re confident about yourself, that’s all that matters. Don’t you think so?”

He sighed once more at her answer and let go of Elysia’s wrist.

She thought as she turned around. Whether he was actually shaken or, as he said, it was an accident, didn’t matter. After all, he was her fiancé. The fact that they were bound by this promise of engagement remained unchanged. Because emotions were not something that could shake the contract.

However, it was just Elysia’s arrogance. The cheap and consuming emotion of love made even the cowardly Conrad strike Elysia and stab her in the back. 

*      *      *

“Let’s break up the marriage. I have someone I love.”

I’ve heard a lot of people say they love someone. It was a story that appeared frequently in the secular novels that were popular among commoners, and also in meetings of young noble ladies who occasionally had tea time.

But I had never imagined that those words would come from my fiancé’s mouth.

“What…?”

Usually, I didn’t let anything startle me, but at that moment instinct took over.

“Please break the engagement. We didn’t get along from the beginning. You must be tired. I was also frustrated. I think I found true love. So, let’s break up.”

It was a series of sentences that I couldn’t understand at all. ‘First of all, is it necessary to get married thinking about if you fit or not? And found true love? Where the hell?’ My head was filled with all sorts of questions.

“You remember the woman I met at the foundation festival? I want to marry that person. That woman’s position is a little low. It won’t be good for my family, so you give up.”

The shameless attitude allowed me to regain my reason. My head was organized as if I had poured cold water on it.

“That means you know that the Rayden family will never allow that marriage unless I bring up the subject of breaking up first.”

Conrad smiled awkwardly at the cold voice and drew closer.

“It’s not like that. We’re still friends, can’t we help each other? You don’t like me either.”

It was funny. And I felt a bit empty. I couldn’t believe that this was the level of the person that had been my fiancé for such a long time. It felt like a confirmation that no matter how much education, he wouldn’t change. I pressed my teeth and chewed the flesh inside my mouth.

Still, I believed you were my person. I believed that at least there was more than friendship between us. Because I cared and liked you as my person.

[tl/n: she means that even if she wasn’t in love, she cared about him as someone part of his life, like her companion]

I had a lot to say. I wanted to pour my heart out as much as I could and resent him pathetically. However, I lifted my trembling eyelashes at him and smiled.

“I’ll go back. Tell the Duke I’ll be visiting soon.”

Returning home, I thought of his last appearance.

“Ellie, then I ask you for this favor.”

He wasn’t just a friend. He was a fiancé who had been with me for more than twenty years, and I had no doubt that I would live with him in the future. But then, he asked me to break up the marriage.

Not because of any other reason, but because of having a loved one.

I couldn’t talk about it with anyone. If I say something, wouldn’t it be like spitting in my own face? I went out the front door with a story carved into my heart that I couldn’t tell. I wanted to walk recklessly wherever, but… ‘You are Count Hellen’s Young Lady. You can’t show a weak appearance to people.’

I turned to the garden and walked endlessly. Deep in the garden, wild grass blossomed through a gap between the long wall. That reminded me of what Conrad said when he was very young, picking flowers and handing them over to me.

“Will you marry me?”

“We will get married anyway.”

At that time, it was a promise full of certainty. The shape of the flowers hanging between the walls was the same as mine. A foreign object between a man and woman trying to get closer to each other.

“Oh…?”

It was strange. It was neither a sad nor difficult situation, but tears came out. When I became aware of the tears that formed on the tip of my chin and tried to wipe them, they flowed between my fingers without stopping.

“I’m not sad. I’m not sad.”

It feels unfair even to cry. It must be because the surroundings are quiet and I’m all alone.

There was no one to see, so useless tears were flowing. I was over-emotional, and they were just tears of my heart pitying myself. But no matter how hard I tried, the tears poured nonstop.

In the end, I leaned against the wall and crouched down.