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1. Margaret Eilish

 

Florencia Jay Eilish was a villainess, truly the epitome of a villainess. She was madly in love with the male lead and extremely jealous of the female lead; You know, the typical victim of a one-sided love.

 

And Margaret Colin Eilish, whose body I now inhabit, was her younger sister.

 

As the younger sister, Margaret took on the role of a passive bystander, never supporting nor attempting to stop her sister’s evil deeds. And after inheriting her body, my actions perfectly mirrored Margaret’s.

 

The novel’s timeline felt both long and short. If possible, I didn’t want to get involved with anyone, and I certainly didn’t want to face a grim fate. So, I decided to act weak.

 

It proved to be a good decision, because when the villainess’s evil deeds were exposed to the world, Margaret Eilish, in this case me, only received a minor penalty as a sick third party.

 

Moreover, when rumors surfaced that I secretly donated money to an orphanage under the Marquis’s name, the family managed to avoid complete downfall.

 

In the end, Florencia, the infamous villainess, was the only person left to point fingers at.

 

“Ah, Mel. My overbearing sister.” she said sarcastically when she saw me coming towards her cell.

 

My sister persisted until the very end. On the day she was arrested for treason and various other crimes against the imperial family, she smiled contentedly, claiming she did it all for love.

 

Despite spending so much time in this underground prison, her attitude remained unchanged .

 

“…I’m not being arrogant. I come here humbly, with the sincere intention of taking care of you. Besides, as your sister, it’s the right thing to do,”I asserted.

 

The villainess facing her imminent execution looked pitiful, but prideful at the same time.This wasn’t the Florencia I knew, the one I read about in the novel, the one who eventually sobbed and regretted everything she had done.

 

“Do  you mind?” I asked, gesturing towards her body.

 

My sister nodded. 

The bruises left by the torture she endured were quite severe, so I often brought painkillers, and ointments during my visits. It was an act of consideration on my part, and also an apology from a younger sister who couldn’t, or rather didn’t, prevent her older sister from destroying her own life.

 

“Margaret Eilish, leave now. I’m tired..”

 

Such dismissals were familiar. With a heavy sigh, I got up and let the drugs do their work, knowing that the execution date had been set for two months later. Hope for a miracle still lingered.

 

Not that Florencia could remember, but In the original story, she treated Margaret as her pawn and cute maid. However, from the moment I entered Margaret’s body and pretended to be sick, she showed a more affectionate side.

 

She shared everything she had with me.

 

To be honest, my sister acted overly affectionate for a villainess. Perhaps if I was a more benevolent person, I might have actively tried to stop her questionable actions.

 

“Sister.”

 

I called out to her with a feeble voice, thinking that I never got the chance to use this term outside of this made-up world.

 

But my sister didn’t respond; our bond must have already been severed.

 

Florencia thought of me as a fragile child, so she never exposed me to the horrors she committed.

 

Not once.

 

I can still remember her laughter and teasing, as she playfully encouraged me to stay a pure kid.

She wanted me to preserve the innocence she had already lost.

 

 My sweet little sister, an innocent girl whom I desperately didn’t want to taint; Florencia thought, her gaze fixed on Margaret standing before her.. 

 

“Dream for me.” I whispered as a farewell

 

We exchanged faint smiles, knowing the visit’s time had come to an end. Then, I stepped out of her cell and walked down the dark corridor.

 

* * *

 

In the original story, several men were portrayed as being madly in love with one woman. However, since the author adhered to the “one-to-one” principle, all male leads were eventually eliminated except for one.

 

The method employed was chillingly simple and neat.

 

They all shared the same fate as my sister.

 

Death.

 

Yes, to remove the surplus sub-male leads, the novel classified them as villains, branding them as  traitors and imprisoning them alongside Florencia in an underground dungeon.

 

Just like this man right here.

 

“Hello.” i greeted him

 

“You came again today. How kind of you.”

 

“I wouldn’t consider myself to be a kind person,” I replied.

 

“You don’t say,”He said with a sly tone.

 

 Despite his messy black hair, which probably hadn’t been groomed in a while, he was originally the possessor of a remarkably beautiful appearance. He had an unspoken alliance with my sister, and committed a large number of atrocities fueled by his deadly obsession with the heroine. As a consequence, he was scheduled to be executed one day before Florencia.

 

He was the typical sub-male lead,who gradually succumbed to villainous tendencies.

 

“You look like shit.” I observed

 

Despite his flaws, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic seeing his physical condition. I watched him exchange letters with my sister, futilely making plans to keep the prince away from the heroine. Their desperation fostered a sense of empathy within me .

 

Because I knew everything he had planned was bound to fail.

 

He followed my movements as I put the medicines I always bring on the table in front of his cell.

 

 He smiled at me sadly…

 

“Darn it. I wish I had met you before I met Beatrice.”

 

“That’s not much of a compliment,” I joke.

 

I had once tried to persuade him to let go of his greed for her, explaining that  he was chasing an unattainable dream.

 

But having already tasted the warmth of the heroine, he firmly refused to listen to my advice. I didn’t try more than once either, that was all the sympathy I could show him then.

 

That was the extent of my relationship with Calix.

 

The jailer looked down at the former noble, who was now a traitor to the empire, with contempt. I lightly waved my hand, dismissing his presence.

 

Behind the sturdy iron bars, Calix stared  at me intensely. Next, his gaze fell on the array of drugs.

 

He was requesting that I open them for examination; which I did. The collection contained various hemostatic agents and painkillers. If he needed anything else, I assured him that I could provide it.

 

The man twisted his restrained body a few times and shook his head in an attempt to alleviate his cramped muscles. Leaning  forward, he closely examined the labels on the medicines. And because he was so tall, his shadow completely enveloped me..

 

“Well…”, He grinned at me. Then, with a giggle, he moved closer, as if he wanted me to pat his head.

 

I didn’t react immediately; instead I carefully observed him.

 

Considering that his shackled hands seemed harmless, I decided to set  down what I was holding, and innocently played along with his joke. I moved closer, and put my hand on his head. 

 

Distracted, I found myself pondering whether this man might be similar to my sister. Was he satisfied? Did he also claim to have done everything he could for his love, even in the face of death?

 

“It’s a compliment. Beatrice didn’t come to visit me.” he said, bringing me back to reality.

 

Of course she didn’t come.

 

“Think about what you did to her.”

 

“What are you saying?” He laughed innocently, and added while looking at me:

 

“I didn’t lay a finger on her. No matter what anyone says, I would have never done anything to hurt her.”

 

“But you’re still a murderer. And now, a traitor.”

 

The conclusive reason for his death penalty was rebellion against the Royal Family.

 

And as the heroine, Beatrice couldn’t be associated with a villain. That’s why in the original story, she never exchanged words with Calix again, even until the moment of his execution.

 

She had to maintain an image of absolute goodness, and Calix was a sinner. His situation was very different from the crown prince’s, who was the picture of a perfect male lead.

 

 A perfect female lead for a perfect male lead.

 

I sighed, tired of all those trivial thoughts, and Calix complained about my previous statement in a half-joking tone:

 

“But you keep coming back here, visibly not afraid of me. Frankly, I don’t know why you would even visit a murderer. Your eyes are too good to keep looking at a traitor…” then, he abruptly stopped in the middle of his sentence

 

“You look sleepy.”

 I tilted my head, staring at him with my fingers still in his hair, surprised by his unexpected remark.

 

What does he mean I look sleepy?

 

“Maybe it’s because you share the same blood as your sister. Are you not scared of me because your own sister is kind of crazy? Perhaps it’s in your genes.?”

 

What nonsense; he keeps jumping from one subject to another.

 

I chuckled incredulously.

 

“There’s nothing wrong with my bloodline.” I retorted firmly.

 

“There’s nothing wrong with the Marquis’s lineage. Florencia is just……my sister… She just didn’t know a better way.”

 

And neither did you.

 

I looked at him, pitifully chained on the other side of those bars, and thought that such a sight didn’t suit him.

 

If it weren’t for Beatrice, he would probably be dressed in a noble attire and standing at the center of the court.

 

Ah, who knows, he might have been the one to sit on the throne.

 

While I was absentmindedly patting his head, a sudden realization struck me – there was something I needed to tell him. Without hesitation, the words rushed out of my mouth: 

“I won’t be able to visit you for a while.”

 

“…What?”

Calix stood up so fast, causing the chains that held him in place to emit an unsettling rattling sound. I think I even saw a disturbed and confused look in his eyes, but it couldn’t have been, could it?

Yes, it must have been my imagination..

 

* * *

 

Calix Fernand de Hamel was a Duke.

 

He was notorious as the most powerful being in the empire. To be honest, the fact that he was now quietly imprisoned in an underground dungeon was contradictory to what he was capable of.

 

As far as I know, he could have easily overwhelmed the Crowned Prince without even trying. Anyone who was present, or fought, when Calix attacked the palace to kidnapBeatrice, knows that the man was not a normal human being.

 

And that is exactly why the jailer feels uneasy about guarding him. Calix could easily reap this prison apart and free himself. 

 

Nevertheless, the Prince was able to face him in direct combat, and seemed oddly nonchalant, as if he was sure of the outcome. Additionally, the fact that Calix wasn’t killed on sight, considering the enormous danger he represents for the Prince’s lover, is also very perplexing; It makes me wonder about what the Prince’s true motives are….

 

Calix’s arrest was something that, as the powerful Duke he is, could easily be argued against. Yet , he was so cooperative that the process went on without any incidents.

 

The man in front of me slightly lowered his head.

 

“Why?”

 

His voice seemed to tremble. I looked down at the floor, lost in thought.

 

I didn’t want to tell him the reason.

 

Beatrice and the Prince had already confirmed their love, leaving only the execution of the villainess to tie the knot. Yes, they will celebrate their engagement on my sister’s execution day..

 

In exactly two months. So there’s approximately 60 days left before the ending of the main story.

 

So, the reason why I wouldn’t be able to come here was quite obvious.

 

I have to do something about it.

 

I had some reluctance about uttering those words out loud, so I simply rolled the sentence around in my mouth.

 

 I just knew that I had to do something, anything.

 

If I don’t, everything will turn out exactly like in the novel….

 

The Duke, who was obsessed with the heroine Beatrice, already led the rebellion against the palace.

 

And although my sister didn’t participate in it, she attempted to kidnap Beatrice during the chaos, and when it failed due to the interference of another sub-male character, the villains were captured and disappeared in the dungeon.

 

The only thing left was for the heroine and the Prince to confirm their feelings for each other, organize their forces, and execute Florentia and Calix. They only need to exterminate the great evil, and then they’ll get to enjoy their happy ending.

 

Isn’t it unfair?

 

I was genuinely angry at this ending.

 

Father, I mean Marquis Eilish, just casually discarded my sister from his mind. Because the family avoided a downfall thanks to me, he was now willing to get rid of his useless eldest daughter altogether and put me on a pedestal.

 

“Forget your sister. She’s gone crazy. Only you, only you Mel, are my daughter. I love you.” he creeply said to me.

 

What nonsense he was spouting. I already dismissed both him and his words from my heart. Really, the nobles in this world all seem to lack common sense.

 

It was truly astonishing. And what did that Prince say again?

Oh, Yes!!!

 

“Your sister simply paid the price for her actions.”

 

She loved him. Yet, he treated her death as the perfect moment to connect with another woman; as if it was some kind of happy event.

 

It’s unfair. This is not right, is it?

 

Whatever. I couldn’t care less whether Beatrice was happy or not. What twisted my guts was my sister’s imminent death, which everyone deeply desires.

 

Because, before being the villainess everyone hates, Florencia was my sister. Moreover, If she was truly evil, she wouldn’t have taken such good care of her cowardly sister. She wouldn’t have pretended to be fine in front of me, even after enduring the excruciating pain of getting her nails pulled out..

 

She never once tormented anyone in front of me. I don’t know and I don’t care about how she was in the original novel, but the current Florencia loved and protected me. My sister………

 

As I absently looked through Calix, lost in my thoughts, I blinked twice, trying to come back to reality.

 

Come to think of it, while the novel mentioned Florencia’s countless crimes, the primary reason for her execution was regicide.

 

The person she, and Calix always targeted was Beatrice. So their actions couldn’t be considered as such because, even though the prince loved the female lead, she technically wasn’t a member of the royal family yet. 

 

 So, why were they arrested on false accusations?

 

Odd, very odd. 

As I chewed on that point, I also chewed on my lips, trying to organize the mess in my head.

 

“I have something to do.” I finally answered 

 

As my helpless tone echoed, I realized there wasn’t much that I could actually do.

 

I was just a supporting character, and the story was already rushing towards its end, leaving no room to change anything. A sense of helplessness overwhelmed me.

 

Then, a dreadful squeaking noise reverberated throughout the room, sending shivers down my spine.

 

“You.”

 

I inhaled nervously and lifted my head at Calix’s deep voice.

 

 The heavy clanking sound was much louder than I expected.