NOVEL NEXT [The final chapter of 〈The Third Side Story〉 ‘The Sad Love Story of a Villainess' begins.]
Olivia opened her eyes to the dawn. She was in the capital's square.
Despite the persistent rain falling from the sky at dawn, Olivia slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.
The clock tower, perched above the fountain, pointed to five o'clock in the morning.
-Sigh… Enough already…
Olivia brushed her face with trembling hands and looked around warily.
-Let's stop this now.
-It should be enough by now.
It was no different from the present.
Excluding the early morning and dawn, the square was peaceful to an almost ridiculous degree. It was the capital's square that she often visited with Ricardo, lined with many shops.
With trembling eyes, Olivia scanned the surroundings. She did not know which illusion would torment her, how much Ricardo would be hurt by the wicked deeds she had committed.
She suppressed her fearful and trembling heart.
-It wasn't my doing.
And then.
-It was my doing.
Two conflicting emotions crossed within Olivia as the familiar voice of the Blue Window began to narrate in a low tone.
-Two months have gone by.
-Your misdeeds have erased the last traces of decency, and your reputation has crumbled beyond repair, even against the backdrop of power.
-Without Ricardo, Yuria's social connections have started to expand. The forces that once tormented her and those that protected her now share a common enemy: you.
-Poisoning. Expulsion. Ostracism. Arson.
-All the misdeeds that Ricardo once shielded you from became your doing, and even those you did not commit became buried under your perceived wickedness.
-It's gotten to the point where students say, ‘It must've been Olivia again.'
-You have fallen apart.
-In a lonely place with no one to lean on, you fight a battle completely alone. ‘It wasn't my doing,' you may protest, but no one listens.
-Now, with nowhere left to retreat.
-Your desperate final chapter begins.
[‘Prologue' begins.]
At the end of the pounding heartbeat, a loud noise came from behind.
-Thud… Squeak… Thud…!
As Olivia turned around, the figure of a man with red hair appeared amidst the creaking noise.
The man pushing his wheelchair through the dark alleyway fought against the pouring rain, not using an umbrella, struggling fiercely to move forward.
Seeing the man, Olivia lunged forward as if jumping out.
"Ricardo…!"
Naturally, Olivia's attempt to help was blocked by the cold words of the Blue Window.
[You are the observer.]
*
-The pharmacy should be open by now…!
Having woken up early in the morning, Ricardo was energetically pushing the wheels.
Unperturbed by the rain and bravely navigating the empty downtown, he rolled the slippery wheels.
Ricardo's hands, ungloved, were full of tiny cuts, and his clothes became heavily soaked by the falling rain.
Olivia bowed her head.
‘Stay at home… Idiot.'
There was nothing she could do.
Heartbroken by the Blue Window's firm rejection of any action, Olivia could only rest her hand over Ricardo's head, wishing he wouldn't get wet from the rain.
Of course, it was a futile gesture.
The Blue Window began to explain Ricardo's wandering.
-Ricardo came out to get medicine. As his life draws closer to its end, the pain squeezing his heart has intensified. Now unable to endure without medication, Ricardo has decided to embark on this venture, despite his ailing body.
-At any moment, his life could end. That was the state of Ricardo's health.
Ricardo, vigorously rolling his wheels, had a clear smile as he moved his hands.
-Today, I'm feeling good.
The smile on the foolishly wheeling Ricardo's face was like that of an ascetic, dry and devoid.
His lips were cracked, and his skin was parched.
Olivia could feel that his smile was a lie. It wasn't the kind smile he usually showed her; Ricardo's smile, as if giving up on everything, painfully tightened her heart.
-Thud…!
-Screeeeech!! Crash!
-Oh… Just a second…!
There were times when he fell due to pushing too hard, but even then, Ricardo tried to get up with a bright smile.
Since it was early dawn and no one was around to see his pitiful state, he got up slowly, comforting himself.
-When there's no one around, I need to move quickly.
Ricardo murmured in a small voice.
-I don't want to show such an embarrassing sight to the lady…
"…It's not embarrassing."
Remembering what she had said before, the fallen Ricardo struggled to lift his overturned wheelchair.
Ricardo, looking like someone being chased, fumbled around and struggled to lift his immobile legs and the wheelchair.
If asked what had brought him to this state, Olivia felt she couldn't answer.
For it wasn't anyone else, nor an unfortunate accident, but solely her own doing that had brought him here.
Time passed, and Ricardo stopped in front of a shabby pharmacy near the entrance of the capital.
Wearing a deep hood over his head and standing in a quiet street looking like a drenched rat staring endlessly at the clock, Ricardo dried his face, trying to relieve his gloom.
-Sigh… Dammit…
Once more, a feeble motion began in Ricardo's body.
-It doesn't feel right to be doing this after coming all this way.
From the hands of Ricardo, who was drying off, drips of red blood began to fall.
The blood flowing from Ricardo in the rainy street blended with the rainwater, leaving no trace.
Ricardo's face began to soak with blood.
It was a bizarre scene.
Ricardo's face, bleeding and utterly pitiful, was washed by the ceaseless rain, creating a strange picture that seemed to erase any trace of him.
After 10 minutes.
20 minutes had passed.
Drenched by the rain, Ricardo hung his head low and murmured to himself.
-Let's go back.
Facing the unopened door of the pharmacy, Ricardo turned around with a bitter smile.
-If I pass out here… I can't.
-I can't let myself be seen like this.
Ricardo shook his head.
-It would be embarrassing to be seen in this state.
After pushing through the rain-soaked streets, Ricardo sighed heavily and reached for the wheel of his wheelchair to turn away from the pharmacy.
And then.
-What are you doing here right now?
At the touch of a stranger's hand on Ricardo's shoulder, his body stiffened like a block of ice.
Simultaneously, Olivia's eyes also hardened, hoping against hope that it was not herself.
She slowly lifted her bowed head.
-Ah… Haha.
Olivia, cursing her own lack of awareness, bowed her head again.
-You…
The person who had grabbed Ricardo's shoulder was not herself but Yuria, and Olivia felt bleak.
Yuria, who had thrown her umbrella to the ground and run over, was panting heavily as she looked at Ricardo.
-Pant… Pant…
‘Why…'
Olivia bowed her head, sighing at the sight of the illusion that did not go as she wished.
‘It's not me?'
She would have preferred it if it were her. If he had just noticed her even now, things would have been a bit better. With that thought, Olivia slowly bowed her head.
‘Why…'
‘Couldn't you take my side just once? If you show me this… can't you take my side just once? You're always too late…!'
Olivia shouted at the Blue Window, but the ever-silent Window only repeated the same words.
[You are the observer.]
-You cannot interfere with the subject.
Yuria's voice cut through the sound of the falling rain.
-What are you doing here?
Yuria's voice, filled with rage, echoed as she shouted at Ricardo, her eyes flashing with a golden light.
-‘Divine Eyes'
As Yuria's blessed talent swept over Ricardo's body, her eyes began to tremble violently.
-Uh…? What's this…
The foolish question dispersed into the rain. Witnessing the horrific state of his body for the first time, Yuria couldn't breathe, struck by shock.
Silent Yuria heard a soft voice. Ricardo's gentle voice, not demanding a response, soothed Yuria's rigid body with a faint rumble.
-Shh.
Ricardo gave a clumsy wink with an awkward smile, despite the blood on his lips, an action not fitting for his state. Yet he winked clumsily at Yuria and kept looking at her.
-I fell on the way…
-Start making sense!!!
Yuria screamed with a rough tremble.
-What…! Why are you doing this?
Yuria, unsure of what to do, had wandering hands. She knew instantly that his body was past the point of healing.
Still, Ricardo wore the same smile and once again put his finger to his lips, saying,
-You haven't seen anything, Miss Yuria.
Yuria didn't hear Ricardo's words. She just trembled uncontrollably, overwhelmed by shock.
Unable to do or say anything, and standing dumbfounded, Yuria watched Ricardo, who continued to smile and repeated the words he always said to her.
-I'm being punished for my misdeeds.
-You know I'm a bad person.
-So… *cough*!
-That's why I'm receiving this punishment.
Blood trickled from his trembling hand.
Yuria bowed her head and spoke to Ricardo.
-It's because of Olivia.
-Haha… No, it's not.
-It's because of her that you're like this.
-No, really. It's not.
Yuria spoke to Ricardo with a cold voice.
-In a week.
-…
-In a week, there's going to be a disciplinary committee for Olivia.
-Is that so?
-I…
Yuria spoke to Ricardo with cold eyes.
-I can't forgive Olivia. And you either.
-I understand.
-So…!
Yuria wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
-So…!
She helplessly wiped her eyes in the rain.
-Don't be in pain! Apologize to me…! I also… I also…!
-I'm sorry.
Ricardo, showing a hollow smile to Yuria, nodded.
Then he said to her with a bitter smile,
-I did my best, but I couldn't reach you. I'm sorry.
Yuria, wiping away her tears, grabbed the handle of Ricardo's wheelchair roughly.
-Let's go.
-Where to.
-To the hospital, even now. Get treated.
-No. I know my body best.
After a continued struggle, Yuria, defeated, looked at Ricardo with complex emotions.
-Let's go… please.
-No.
-Please… let's go.
-You know.
Ricardo softly asked the stagnating Yuria.
-Why are you doing all this?
-Exactly.
Ricardo answered with a vacant smile.
-It's ‘affection,' isn't it? I've incurred an unpayable debt to you.
[The climax of the last chapter begins.]
*
When she opened her eyes again…
-Why! Why do you only make a fuss with me! You're all the same!
The villainess with bloodshot eyes was crouching.
With fearful eyes and raised hands, she was pitiful and shabby.
Surrounded by a crowd, she stood on the judgment platform, bombarded with harsh words and curses.
Rotten eggs and tomatoes were being thrown at her.
-Here you go.
A compassionate shadow enveloped her.
-Are you moved?
As always, Ricardo, dressed as a butler, was there to cast his shadow over her.
-It would be troublesome if you fell for me. In many ways.