Laila couldn’t go out.
The reason Marie had come to Laila’s bedroom in the first place was to “get Laila ready.”
Why?
Because of the party happening tonight.
‘Is today the birthday of Marquis Hildegarde?’
Laila looked at the calendar with a mixture of confusion and annoyance.
It was strange.
‘The villain’s birthday I remember isn’t today…’
The day the world made a mistake.
The day the most heinous villain was thrown into this world.
The day Laila remembered was quite far from today.
“Is it because it’s a dream that the birthday has changed?”
After muttering to herself, Laila tilted her head.
‘Is there a reason for the birthday to change?’
It was puzzling.
At that moment, a knock echoed in the bedroom where Laila was alone.
The sound was dull. It wasn’t a maid.
It must be the person who will escort me to the party. I wonder who it is. Laila thought lightly and spoke.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
Laila slightly opened her eyes as she looked at the doorway, then quickly changed her expression to one of neutrality.
“Laila.”
Henry Hildegarde, dressed stylishly from head to toe, extended his gloved hand toward Laila.
Laila clicked her tongue inwardly. Henry Hildegarde…
‘We didn’t get along well.’
It must have been an order from Marquis Hildegarde, but it certainly wasn’t a good situation for either of them.
Laila first stepped away from the calendar and approached Henry. She glanced at the hand he extended and shook her head.
“I’ll take your hand at the entrance to the party.”
Henry didn’t immediately withdraw his awkward hand; instead, he looked down at Laila and spoke.
“You’ve become more prickly.”
“…What?”
“Why are you suddenly like you used to be?”
What does that mean?
Laila belatedly felt some dissonance. She examined Henry from head to toe again. His expression, posture, and tone of voice…
‘This isn’t the Henry Hildegarde I knew.’
Laila suddenly realized. Henry Hildegarde had changed.
No, was “changed” the right expression?
‘Different.’
Yes. The Henry Hildegarde appearing in this dream was different from the one Laila remembered.
‘The essence seems similar, but… he’s become somewhat arrogant. He seems more confident too.’
Was it simply because he had grown older?
‘Well, I’m twenty-five now…’
Henry Hildegarde must be nearing thirty.
‘So this Henry Hildegarde is what I imagined him to be around thirty?’
Laila thought.
What bad luck!
He resembles Marquis Hildegarde in some way. It’s only natural, considering he’s related by blood.
‘By the way, he said I changed back to how I was before.’
Laila recalled a possibility from what Henry had said and immediately spoke up.
“When do you mean by ‘before’? Are you talking about when we were both kids?”
Henry Hildegarde, now in his late twenties, didn’t react defensively to the term “you.”
“That’s right. When we hadn’t yet been on the same boat.”
…on the same boat?
“But since we became allies, I thought we had gotten pretty close. Was I mistaken?”
“Same side…”
“Why are you acting like this, Laila?”
Henry called Laila in a voice that felt almost affectionate. Laila shivered slightly at the sensation of goosebumps on her skin.
‘Is he out of his mind?’
After their childhood, had she and Henry actually gotten along well? After considering that possibility, it seemed to be true.
However, it appeared they had been closer than Laila had thought, and the reason was…
“Are you regretting it?”
It was as if Henry had read Laila’s curiosity, and he whispered.
“Regretting killing your father.”
“What…”
Laila almost shouted. Was this how it felt to face an unexpected plot twist in a play?
“I don’t know why you’re bringing this up now, but Laila, what’s done is done. There’s no going back.”
“……”
“Our father has returned to the embrace of God, cold and still, and I have become the Marquis of Hildegarde, thanks to your help.”
Laila opened her mouth like a nutcracker doll and then closed it again.
‘Ah, I see. So today is Marquis Hildegarde’s birthday.’
Laila fell silent for a moment, searching her memories. Yes, today was the same day as Henry Hildegarde’s birthday that she knew.
‘So I joined hands with Henry Hildegarde to kill the villain and make him a marquis?’
A thin sigh escaped Laila’s lips. It was absurd, but it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
‘Right. I did involve Henry in reality.’
She had used Henry to further solidify the charges of treason against Marquis Hildegarde.
As Laila recalled the past, she looked into Henry’s eyes.
Then she slightly furrowed her brows. Does a title shape a person? Even upon a second glance, Henry’s gaze still had some resemblance to the previous Marquis Hildegarde.
‘I’m curious about how exactly I killed the villain, but… never mind. Since this is my dream, it must have unfolded within the limits of what I can imagine.’
Laila averted her gaze. As she stepped out of the bedroom, passing by Henry, she felt him immediately follow her.
“Hey, Laila.”
“I don’t regret anything. Right now, I just wish this annoying party would end quickly.”
Laila had never liked parties when she was living as Marquis Hildegarde’s daughter.
That fact seemed to be reflected in her dream as well, as Henry let out a light chuckle and replied.
“Of course you wouldn’t.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Crash!
Laila thought as she heard the sound of a glass shattering on the floor.
This is ridiculous.
I didn’t think I would end before the party did…
“Ahhh!”
“Lady Hildegarde!”
“Laila!”
Henry rushed to Laila, who had collapsed after vomiting blood at the party.
“Are you okay? Damn it… Close the entrance to the party immediately! Find the servant who handed Laila the drink!”
“Henry…”
“Don’t worry, Laila. I will definitely catch the culprit who did this to you.”
You crazy bastard…
This is ridiculous…
‘This is all your doing.’
Laila lamented.
When she entered the party, she should have anticipated that it might come to this.
‘It felt ominous, but…’
After attending the party, Laila realized too late.
She was the only ‘Hildegarde’ present at Marquis Hildegarde’s birthday party.
What happened to the other ‘Hildegardes’? Laila quickly came to a conclusion.
They’re dead.
Henry Hildegarde, who had become the Marquis of Hildegarde, had killed all the other Hildegardes.
Leaving only Laila behind.
And now, Laila was also about to take her last breath.
‘I must be crazy. Why did I join hands with someone like him…?’
As Laila blamed her dream self, she shook her head inwardly.
No. No matter who she allied with to drive out the villain, if the other party was a ‘Hildegarde,’ the outcome would likely have been the same.
‘I should have anticipated this and gotten away before being eliminated.’
At least one day.
If I could go back just one day…
“No, Laila! Open your eyes!”
That detestable new villain.
It didn’t hurt, but her neck and chest felt hot, and she couldn’t muster any strength in her body. Even keeping her eyes open was difficult.
‘I wanted to see ordinary Sion…’
Laila’s vision faded to black.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Gasp!”
Laila opened her eyes wide.
Did I wake up from the dream?
…No, that’s not it.
As Laila checked her surroundings, she frowned. It was the bedroom of ‘Laila Hildegarde.’
‘Wait, why am I still alive?’
She had definitely ingested poison at the party…
‘Was the poison not lethal?’
But a thought crossed her mind that it shouldn’t be the case. With the stage and tools all prepared, there was no reason for Henry Hildegarde to spare her.
‘Then…’
Laila instinctively checked the desk calendar and froze.
‘It’s the day before!’
Oh my God.
Perhaps because it was a dream, the wish she had before being poisoned had truly come true.
