Memoirs of Your Local Small-time Villainess

A heavy fog slowly receded from Leon's mind as his eyes fluttered open to a ceiling of cold, carefully hewn stone. His body felt stiff, as though he'd been locked in battle for hours, but there was no pain — only exhaustion.

The faint, lingering taste of a healing potion clung to his tongue.

His armour groaned as he braced a hand against the ground, pushing himself upright. He found himself in a dim chamber, half-slumped against the wall, with Princess Regina and the others lying unconscious nearby.

His brow furrowed. What had happened—?

The memory struck like lightning. His eyes widened as the fight with Scarlett rushed back.

For several long moments, he simply sat there, staring into nothing.

…It felt unreal. Like something out of a fever dream. Meeting Scarlett here. Crossing blades with her. Being utterly overwhelmed by her.

That woman hadn't been the Scarlett he knew. Not the one he thought he knew.

She had been much, much more terrifying.

And worse — she had been a threat.

His gaze swept over the others. He watched the slow rise and fall of their chests, relief softening his features when he confirmed they were still breathing. None looked gravely injured. Her Highness was safe.

Scarlett had spared them.

But why? What did that mean? What did her presence here mean? Was she working with the Hallowed Cabal, or weaving some other inscrutable scheme?

Leon clenched his fist as he rose, his other hand instinctively finding the hilt at his hip. His fingers closed around the familiar grip of his sword. It was still there. Thank Ittar.

Even so, a deep well of shame coiled inside him. He had failed. Failed his oath, failed Her Highness, and failed as a knight.

Failed several times over.

He took in his surroundings again, awareness gradually sharpening. Something was different. He couldn't place it at first, but the air itself felt changed. Lighter, less weighted. Yet the connection he'd once sensed was gone as well.

A faint sound broke the silence. Leon turned sharply, eyes narrowing as he scanned the chamber. His gaze settled on a lone figure crouched in the corner, half-swallowed by shadow.

Murmurs carried faintly through the stillness. The figure moved, fidgeting with something in their hands.

"Melody," Leon called, his voice low, a harder edge slipping in despite himself.

The woman stiffened. Her shoulders twitched, and slowly, she turned. The bandages across her face hung loose, frayed in places, and her golden hair spilled in tangled strands across her cheeks.

Leon's eyes dropped to what she held: a silver hand mirror, dulled with age, its rim etched with curling patterns like phases of the moon. She cradled it carefully, as though it were a newborn child.

Her eyes met his, wide, glimmering with something like fear. The sight gave him pause — but only for a heartbeat. He steadied himself, forcing the soldier's composure back into his voice.

"…What's that in your hand?" he asked.

It wasn't the question he most wanted answered, but the mirror radiated a strange presence. It was uncanny, prickling against his senses in a way that reminded him of Melody herself, yet he'd never seen her holding it before.

"A…a gift," she murmured.

Leon frowned. "From who?"

"It's—it's mine." Melody turned the mirror away protectively. "You…you can't have it. She… She offered…"

"Who?"

Her gaze darted around the chamber, as if searching for someone. Her lips moved, but no proper answer came.

Leon's silence pressed between them as he studied her, an unease in his chest.

"…Did you know Scarlett would be here?"

Melody stilled, then shook her head sharply, almost desperate. "Ah, no—no."

"Are you lying?"

"No!"

Leon considered her, palm resting lightly on his sword's pommel.

He believed her. She had looked genuinely shocked by Scarlett's appearance, and he doubted Melody had the subtlety to lie convincingly. But aside from himself, she was the one with the closest connection to Scarlett. And since Leon clearly knew far less about the baroness than he'd thought, that made Melody his only real source of information.

He also hadn't forgotten her failure to act during the battle.

"Who is Ridley?" he asked, recalling the name Scarlett had spoken.

Melody's eyes flew wide. She stared at him, lips moving soundlessly.

"Is he one of Scarlett's associates?"

"Ah, no, no—yes." She shook her head again, then faltered, blinking rapidly. "She—she said she didn't know… She didn't…"

Her gaze dropped to the mirror. Fingers traced its rim as she muttered under her breath, words too faint to catch.

"Didn't know what?" Leon pressed.

Melody looked back up, and something sharp flickered in her eyes. "That…he would kill me."

Leon's brows lifted. "You're not dead."

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"He failed! Failed…and—she killed him. She said she killed him…"

"Scarlett?"

The woman nodded quickly. "Yes! Yes… She's kind—kind. I know she's kind…."

"Even though she attacked all of your companions?"

Melody hesitated, a conflicted expression tugging at her features. Her knuckles whitened around the mirror. "…The Baroness must be kind."

She said the words, but the tremor in her voice betrayed the doubt beneath them.

A beat of quiet passed. Then Melody's eyes widened again and she pointed towards Skye. "Ah, ah—she asked me! To protect Skye! Yes… I promised I would… I promised."

Leon regarded her warily, unsure he'd heard right. "Scarlett asked you to protect Skye? Her specifically? Not Her Highness?"

Melody nodded with frantic certainty. "Yes, yes!"

"Why?"

"Because…the Baroness is kind."

Leon's lips pressed into a thin line. Somehow, he doubted that was the truth.

His gaze shifted to Skye's still form. What reason could Scarlett possibly have for singling her out—a woman she shouldn't even know—for protection?

As if on cue, Skye stirred. Princess Regina followed soon after, both blinking groggily as they gathered their bearings.

Skye squinted around the chamber. Then, in a sudden burst of motion, she snapped upright, crescent blades shimmering into her hands. "Where are we? Where's that crazy woman?"

Leon's jaw twitched. He was far from forgiving towards Scarlett himself, but after what he had just experienced—and what he knew of her—there was a part of him that was very hesitant to brand her with words like 'crazy'.

Skye's gaze found Melody, and she hurried to her side. "Are you okay, Mel?"

"Yes, yes," Melody answered, though Leon noticed how she angled the mirror slightly out of sight, even from Skye.

Skye didn't seem to notice, or didn't care, scanning the room again. "Where are we? How did we get here?"

"I—I carried you," Melody said quietly.

Skye blinked at her, then smiled. "Really? Thank you, Mel."

A faint smile tugged at Melody's lips in return.

"But what happened? How did you get away from that woman?"

"Ah, ah." Melody's mouth opened and closed, as though she wanted to answer but couldn't form the words.

Skye tilted her head slightly, then turned to Leon instead, narrowing her gaze. "She was your fiancée, right?"

He stiffened, keeping his face neutral. "…Technically, yes."

"Then what the hell was all of that?"

"…Hell?" Leon frowned at the unfamiliar word, but pushed it aside, straightening. "I'm as in the dark as you are. Scarlett was the last person I expected to find here."

Skye clicked her tongue, dragging a hand through her hair before sighing. "We're too late, aren't we?" Her eyes shifted to the side, as if reading something unseen, then she shook her head. "We are. Damn it…"

Leon folded his arms. "How can you be sure?"

"I just am."

Princess Regina, who had taken longer to steady herself, stepped up beside Leon. She pressed a hand to her temple, her expression shadowed. "I ask that you don't press her on this, Sir Leon — but you can trust her word. If Skye says we're too late…we most likely are."

There was a note of defeat in her voice, and something heavier beneath it that troubled him.

A long silence stretched between them, the same sense of failure creeping through the group.

That atmosphere was broken by a sharp sound. Leon glanced at Skye just as she slapped her own cheeks twice, then squared herself and turned to the princess.

"We might be too late, but I don't think it's over yet," she said firmly. "I can't know for sure, but I'm getting the sense that things aren't finished. Otherwise, it'd be a lot more…discouraging. If you get what I mean."

"It?" Leon asked, looking between her and Princess Regina.

"Yeah. It," Skye replied simply.

"Are you sure, Skye?" The princess looked at her.

"Absolutely not. But I'm really hoping."

The princess fell quiet, some of the resignation easing into thoughtfulness. "…If that is true, then perhaps it's possible whoever reached the Tribute of Dominion isn't someone who would immediately abuse it. And considering the power and awareness Baroness Hartford displayed, it wouldn't be surprising if she was the one who claimed it."

"Then we might still have a chance." Skye smiled. "We just have to find that Baroness woman again and get the Tribute from her, right?"

"That…will almost certainly prove harder than it sounds."

"Yeah, no kidding. We all saw the firepower she's packing. But we don't necessarily have to fight her outright. There are other ways of approaching this."

Princess Regina studied her. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know yet. But maybe we could use those who already have close ties to her." Skye's eyes flicked briefly towards Melody before ultimately landing on Leon. "You're still technically betrothed to her. Unless the whole empire up and falls over, you might still be able to contact her, am I wrong?"

Leon's expression hardened as he met her gaze. "…I can't say for sure. Scarlett attacked a member of the imperial family, so she may go into hiding to avoid punishment. But the Scarlett I know prizes her image above almost all else. It's just as possible she'll return to her estate as if nothing happened — and prepare her own measures to protect herself and her name. That said…"

He paused, weighing his words.

"I'm not convinced I'm the one with the most important connection to Scarlett."

"Who is it, then?" Skye asked.

"Do you mean Mel?" Princess Regina suggested.

Leon glanced at her, then at Melody. The robed woman was clearly listening, head lowered, tension shadowing her posture — but she seemed reluctant to speak in a group setting.

Finally, Leon's gaze settled on Skye. "No. I mean you."

She blinked. "What?"

"If I recall correctly, you suffer from memory loss."

Skye narrowed her eyes slightly. "…Yes. That's right."

"Then is it possible you knew Scarlett before that?"

"I seriously doubt it. I would've at least felt something when meeting her."

"Then why would Scarlett have asked Melody to protect you in particular?"

Skye froze. She blinked again, her face shifting — first blank, then twisting into a mix of disgust and confusion. "She did what?"

She turned sharply to Mel. "Is that true?"

Melody looked stricken by the sudden question, but gave a small nod. "Yes…"

Skye wrapped her arms around herself, shoulders tensing. "I feel like something just crawled down my spine. Don't tell me I'm the creepy fixation of the crazy, scary noblewoman."

"Sir Leon," Princess Regina said, drawing his attention. "Do you truly believe that Baroness Hartford may have some connection to Skye?"

He inclined his head. "They might not have known each other directly, but Scarlett does nothing without purpose — and never without it benefiting her. Just as she spared us for a reason, she wouldn't have asked Melody to protect Skye unless it served her somehow."

Melody might call Scarlett kind—and perhaps there was still some truth in that, hopefully—but Leon refused to lull himself into believing kindness alone explained it.

The princess' brow furrowed. She touched her chin, eyes lowering toward the stone floor. "Then… perhaps the Baroness knows something we do not. If she truly doesn't wish Skye harmed, it could present us with an opening to reclaim the Tribute."

"Excuse me?" Skye cut in. "I think she's plenty willing to see me harmed. Have we already forgotten the sea of fire and the part where she suffocated us?"

"But she still left us alive," the princess countered.

"Gee, I guess you're right. She's a real saint."

Leon studied the princess carefully, trying to read her intent.

"Your Highness," he finally said, "are you considering pursuing Scarlett?"

She lifted her gaze to him. "I don't believe we have much choice, Sir Leon."

"Then…do you intend to return to Elystead before doing so?"

Her expression flickered. She was silent for a moment. "…If I say no, will you try to force me?"

"It is my duty, Your Highness."

"It is also your duty to obey my command."

"It is."

"…Then which duty takes precedence, Sir Leon?"

Leon drew a long breath. "I won't force you to return, Your Highness. But as a sworn servant of the empire—and one of His Imperial Majesty's knights—I must still ask that you do."

The princess shook her head. "I cannot. Not now. My father would lock me away in Dawnlight Palace, and that is the very last thing we need."

"If you do not return, it will be far more difficult to bring charges against Baroness Hartford."

"Were you not the one who said she may already be prepared for that? Or that pressing the matter might drive her into hiding?"

"I was."

"Then that is all the more reason for me not to return," Princess Regina said, her voice firm with resolve.

Leon considered her, then bowed his head. "Very well, Your Highness. If that is your will…then I will at least assist you to the best of my ability. However, I will not conceal that I have met you here."

Some of the tension eased from her expression. "That's acceptable. Thank you, Sir Leon."

He lowered his head further.

"Wonderful. I'm genuinely glad that's settled," Skye said, drawing their attention. She swept a hand around the chamber. "But we've still got one problem. Because I have absolutely no idea how we're supposed to get out of this place."