I Want a Happy Ending Even as a Villainess

Chapter 6

I woke up feeling uneasy. But I couldn’t see anything. Everywhere I looked, it was all darkness.

Something was slowly wrapping around my ankle. A sharp pain surged through it, burning as if I had been scorched by fire. 

Ah, this feeling. I think I know what it is. 

Although I didn’t look back, I instinctively knew what was behind me. 

In this space of darkness, a snake-shaped shadow was wriggling. My neck stiffened instantly, and goosebumps rose. 

My chest felt tight, and my hands tingled. Thump, thump, thump. A sound that I couldn’t hear with my ears was pounding in my head. 

‘Run!’ 

As soon as I realized this, I began to run. My breath was coming in gasps, and it felt like my lungs would burst, but I couldn’t stop. 

The snake’s shadow was chasing me. The shadow of the snake was covering my eyes. It is the shadow of the snake that binds me. 

I couldn’t escape. No matter how much I ran, I couldn’t get away. 

I couldn’t escape, even if I tried. No, I couldn’t even try to escape. Was I really running away right now? 

Far ahead, at the end of the darkness, I saw a white light. An exit! I ran toward it with all my might. 

As the darkness lifted, the surroundings gradually brightened. The shadow of the snake that had been chasing me was no longer visible. The bright light filled me with exhilaration. 

‘I’m alive! ’ 

I let out the breath I had been holding in all at once. My legs, which had been running, slowly came to a stop. 

I reached out toward the light. This light was hope. It felt like fortune, like my future. 

But then, in an instant, the pure white light was covered by another color. 

Red. The whole world was red. The light was like the blood that flows on a battlefield. 

A sharp metallic sound tore through the sky. Voices mixed with noise scrambled my mind. The world, like a river of blood, felt all too familiar. It couldn’t be unfamiliar. 

This wasn’t blood, but a deep red sunset. 

Thump, thump. My heart pounded. I slowly turned around. And there, standing still, was a man. 

“Knox.” 

His name left my lips involuntarily. But he didn’t respond. 

As I continued to stare at him, my gaze fell to the tip of the sword he was holding. His sword was stained as red as the sky. 

The world spun. The ground tilted and pulled me down. My heart, pounding wildly, plummeted. 

“……!” 

A muffled voice, mimicking someone else, echoed, but there was only one thought I could muster. 

‘I have to run away!’ 

“……Miss!” 

The voice that clouded my mind echoed once more, and it was just as painful. Forcing my immobile legs to move, I ran with all my might. 

I ran and ran, until I couldn’t see the red light anymore. 

But the red light followed me wherever I went. There was no escaping it. Am I going to die again like this? Why? Why am I here? Why, why! 

“……Miss!” 

At that moment, the muffled voice became clear and pierced my ears. Suddenly, my vision flashed, and the red light vanished in an instant. 

Reality set in, and the world returned to normal. 

“Stairs?!” 

What I saw was the staircase of the mansion, which I climbed up and down every day. When I stopped running, my momentum made me lurch forward. 

“Miss!!!” 

With a scream mixed with desperation, the loud sound of something tumbling echoed. And then, I lost consciousness. 

* * * 

“Should we cancel today’s trip to the temple?”

“No. It’s not that serious.” 

The maid with dark blue hair, who had been standing beside me, asked anxiously. She was the one who witnessed me falling down the stairs. 

“……Are you really alright?” 

“Of course. Um… your name is…” 

“It’s Ellie.” 

“Right. Thank you for your concern, Ellie.” 

The doctor who was hastily summoned diagnosed me with sleepwalking due to extreme stress. Fortunately, he said I miraculously hadn’t suffered any injuries. 

‘That damn Calix…’ 

Thinking about being attacked not only in the imperial palace but also in my dreams made me feel wronged and angry. 

“I didn’t realize the stress was that severe.” 

I had been stressed in the imperial palace, but I didn’t expect it to manifest this way. 

“I need to lighten my heart a bit.” 

It seemed like the accumulated stress was because I kept thinking about what had happened. 

‘Hang in there. I’ll be fine..’ 

Things will get better. I kept repeating that to myself, almost like self-hypnosis. 

In any case, today dawned again. So, today I had to do today’s tasks. 

The mansion was bustling in the morning. I had called the tailor to the mansion to buy a modest dress. Even after the designer left, it remained noisy with preparations for going out.

I chose a light pink, pearly dress today. It wasn’t decorated with jewels, the skirt wasn’t voluminous, and it wasn’t particularly fancy. 

Unlike usual, I wore my hair up today and put on a hat with a moderate brim. I minimized my makeup and wore no accessories. 

Dressed like this, I looked more like the daughter of a wealthy merchant family than a noble lady. 

I boarded the carriage with only Ellie. Instead of the flashy carriage I usually rode, I had them prepare the one used by the stable hands for short outings. 

‘Phew…….’

Maybe because of the nightmare, I felt drained since the morning. Even though I tried not to think about the dream, it kept coming back. To snap out of it, I lightly slapped both cheeks with my palms. 

‘I need to get it together. Today is an important day! ’ 

Now I was heading to the Great Hall of the Palium. 

To be precise, I was going to volunteer at the temple’s orphanage. That’s why I needed a modest dress and carriage.

There was no guarantee that the story would follow the original plot, but there was also no guarantee it wouldn’t. So, I decided to have a backup plan. 

‘In the end, it was the emperor who ordered Lillith’s execution.’ 

The emperor of the empire wasn’t dead. He was just sick. 

So, everything would eventually reach the emperor’s ears. No matter how powerful the crown prince was, he couldn’t surpass the emperor. 

‘So, I can’t fully trust the royal family either.’ 

What I needed now was a safe zone beyond the emperor’s reach. 

‘That’s only the sacred area.’ 

Among the sacred areas, the largest and safest was the Palium Grand Temple. If I escaped there, even if the royal knights were chasing me, they couldn’t easily invade. 

‘It’d be great to befriend a priest or cleric, and if that’s not possible, even a temple knight.’ 

Getting acquainted with the people of the temple couldn’t hurt. I might need their help someday. 

‘And I need to clean up my image.’ 

There was no need to investigate Lilith’s current image. It was evident just by looking at the servants in the mansion or the imperial palace. 

It was clear what kind of ending awaited me if things continued like this. 

‘So, I need some good deeds to redeem my ruined image.’ 

Stories of villains being reformed through religion are not uncommon. 

“Miss, are you really alright? ” 

Ellie asked again in a worried voice. Well, after witnessing my state firsthand, it was natural for her to be more anxious than I was.

“I’m perfectly fine.” 

I exaggeratedly rotated my shoulders to emphasize my well-being. She smiled, seemingly reassured. 

Come to think of it, Ellie had only started appearing around two weeks ago, suggesting she was new to the mansion. This meant she had only heard of Lilith’s infamous behavior through rumors and had not witnessed it directly. 

That’s probably why she could speak to me like this.

‘If I show a good relationship with Ellie, maybe the others will follow.’ 

I recalled the failed attempts to win the maids’ favor. 

‘I have a good feeling about this.’ 

Although my feelings had never been right before, I sincerely hoped this time would be different. 

The carriage came to a halt after a long ride. When the coachman opened the door, I slowly stepped out of the carriage. 

Seeing Ellie trying to follow, I handed her a leather pouch and gently pushed her back onto the seat. 

“Take some time to explore the town until I finish my work.” 

“What?”

Ellie responded in disbelief. 

“There’s a lot of work at the mansion, and you haven’t had any free time since you arrived. Take this chance to rest.”

 “But then you’ll be alone, miss! ”

“Do I look like someone who would lose to anyone?” 

“That’s not what I meant, but…” 

I smiled and closed the carriage door. The last thing I saw was Ellie’s eyes filled with more anxiety than ever before.

But there was no way she could refuse my wishes. I asked the coachman to come back in the evening and sent the carriage away. 

…And then, despite my confidence in being alone, I got lost in the middle of the temple. All the decorations looked identical, making it feel like I was going in circles. 

‘Maybe I should ask a priest for directions?’ 

Fearing I might really get lost if I wandered around any further, I stopped walking and looked around. 

As expected, everyone passing by seemed busy. After standing around for a while, I finally spotted a knight who didn’t appear to be in a hurry.

“Excuse me, but are you a temple knight? ” 

“May I help you?” 

He answered my cautious question with a friendly smile. 

His calm brown hair and eyes, reminiscent of summer skies, sparkled under the temple lights. 

The silver armor covered by a pure white cloak, meeting the stained glass’s mysterious ambiance, gave off an impression of holiness. 

‘Wow.’ 

If I hadn’t kept my mouth shut, I would have gasped in awe. 

‘Isn’t it unfair for an extra to look this good?’ 

Even if I weren’t being chased by the emperor, I briefly thought that living in the temple might not be such a bad idea.