How To Survive As a Villain on the Verge of Death

They looked friendly and happy. What were they talking about? She walked closer to hear Arentine and Diane’s conversation. At that time, Arentine, who was holding Diane, placed his hand on her cheek. And a slow, light kiss followed.

 

‘What… No, what is this…’

 

The short kiss ended quickly while she was staring blankly.

 

“Your majesty!”

 

Someone called to him from the other side. The two quickly pulled away and walked away as if nothing had happened. And that was the end of the vision.

 

The moment she blinked, she was back in the ballroom. She saw Arentine in front of her with an emotional expression.

 

“This thief…”

 

“What?”

 

She muttered without realizing it, and Arentine asked with a puzzled look.

 

“It was so noisy that I couldn’t hear properly. What did you say just now?”

 

He seemed to think he had heard wrong. Common sense tells you that you can’t suddenly start cursing after comforting someone a few seconds ago by telling them that they will do well. She quickly came up with something that started with a similar word.

 

“…I said you just had to do well like this.”

 

“Okay, thank you.”

 

A friendly smile appeared on Arentine’s tired face.

 

‘Yeah, whatever. His looks aren’t bad.’

 

She thought to herself as she looked at him as if she were criticizing him. If you think about it, it wasn’t that surprising. Because Diane secretly liked Arentine. But she thought it was more like her admiration for a celebrity than affection. Now that she thought about it, how old were he and Diane? Actually, it didn’t seem like a big difference, but it was still a bit shocking that Diane, who looked younger than her peers, was connected to Arentine, who seemed like a hard-working office worker. She thought he would be always busy with work and wouldn’t be a very good husband.

 

‘No. Maybe they’re just dating.’

 

Next time, she would have to gather more of her holy power to catch Diane and take a closer look at her future. Then she would know for sure. She looked at Arentine with such vague hope.

 

Arentine also felt her gaze and asked curiously.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

Anyway, she thought it would be a good idea to give Diane some good memories now. Diane seemed very nervous, so she guessed this was okay. She thought for a moment and said.

 

“Hey, can I ask you a favor?”

 

* * *

 

The moment the ball began, the Duke of Rohan escorted Diane to the center of the hall. 

Diane greeted her guests politely. The atmosphere was natural and elegant, as if the tension had eased compared to before. Even though a lot had happened, it was nice to see Diane recover so well and show up for her first prom.

 

Sweet music was heard. The first song was about to start. Terence, who was next to Eve, approached Diane. The first dance was usually performed by a relative, brother, or fiancé. Terrence was the only person who would be a suitable match for Diane. That’s why she decided to attend the ball today. But the moment Terence gets to Diane, there’s someone else who gets closer to Diane before him.

 

“Lady Diane.”

 

Arentine, who was sitting in the VIP section, walked to the center of the hall and offered Diane his hand.

 

“If it’s okay, could you give me the first honor?”

 

Diane was so shocked that she covered her mouth with one hand. The pure white cheeks turned pink.

 

“Yes-yes, your majesty. Wow, it’s an honor.”

 

The others also looked at the two with surprised expressions. This was because it was rare for the emperor to personally offer to be the first partner to a lady making her social debut. But they weren’t particularly strange looks. Since the political situation was still unstable, it seemed that the new emperor was doing this to strengthen friendship with the Rohan family. The Duke of Rohan also seemed very surprised, but he seemed to be convinced and just watched quietly.

 

She was glad no one doubted him.

 

Arentine skillfully led Diane as the soft melody resonated. The two danced their first waltz with everyone watching. Diane seemed a little nervous, but she followed along without any mistakes.

 

“My role has disappeared.”

 

Terence came to her side and laughed.

 

“That’s sad.”

 

After a while, the music stopped and the last step was completed. The two left the floor with applause filling the banquet hall. Diane was smiling as brightly as the sunshine. And then new music started flowing again. It was the second song. With the first verse, a familiar hand came next to her.

 

“If you don’t mind, would you give me the honor of becoming your partner?”

 

Terence was politely asking Eve to dance. She smiled and took his hand.

 

“Yes, I will allow it.”

 

This song was Cadreille. It’s not a waltz, but she had practiced it, so she would be able to follow the steps somehow. She took Terence’s hand and walked out to the center of the ballroom. Since it was a dance where two couples beat the beat together, Diane, Arentine, and the four of them ended up matching the steps together. 

 

Suddenly, she remembered the first time she danced with him here. At that time, she was trembling with anxiety because she was afraid of the future. She was nervous because of the incident that was about to happen. She remembered following the steps with great nervousness trying not to make a mistake. But now she was able to enjoy music and dance comfortably and happily. It didn’t matter if she made a slightly awkward mistake. Because Terence led her and set the tempo.

 

From the second time on, there were many couples dancing as other people also participated. As soon as they finished one song, they went out to the balcony to avoid the crowd. Below the balcony, she could see a quiet night garden. Inside the ballroom, people were seen participating in the third song. Diane also took a break, where she and the Duke and Duchess were greeted by her guests.

 

“It looks peaceful,”

 

She muttered to herself as she looked into the ballroom through the glass door of the balcony.

 

“From now on, I just wish my peaceful life could continue like this.”

 

If you think about it, it was a really eventful winter. From now on, she hoped it would be filled with only peaceful and happy things like the spring sunshine.

 

“Before.”

 

Terence spoke in a low voice, as if reminiscing about the distant past.

 

“You said you would leave the empire once the situation was resolved.”

 

She did. She said something like that when they were negotiating about marriage.

 

“Yes, I really thought so at the time.”

 

After getting away from the assassination on her wedding day, she wanted to go to a quiet place in the north and live comfortably.

 

“Have you changed your mind now?”

 

She looked back at Terence’s question.

 

“Yes, I guess I don’t have to run away anymore.”

 

The emperor was dead, and the empress and Vilos were gone. The magic book and flowers were burned, and the sacred tree was also gone. There was no one specifically targeting her now, so there would be no need to run away. She could just live in the empire like this.

 

“Then…”

 

Terence asked her after a short interval. It was a calm voice, but it was a question filled with desperate sincerity.

 

“Will you stay with me like this for the rest of your life?”

 

“…yes?

 

She stared blankly, and he smiled and added an explanation.

 

“I’m officially proposing.”

 

Propose… she felt like her mind was going blank when she heard those words.

 

“Really? We got married and… Haven’t we done everything we needed to do?”

 

When she asked with a puzzled expression, Terence smiled slightly.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever properly proposed to you.”

 

‘Ah, I guess so. Since our marriage was forced by the emperor, there would have been no need to propose.’

 

Terence asked again, holding her hand.

 

“Eve, will you stay with me for the rest of your life?”

 

For a lifetime. In fact, when she suddenly came here, she didn’t have time to think deeply about how she would live the rest of her life. Because it was difficult to avoid the death that was right in front of her eyes. But now she was clear about what kind of life she wanted to live.

 

“Yes, I will accept it. I will be with you forever.”

 

She wanted to spend all the time she had left with this man. Terence’s hand grabbed her chin and lifted it lightly. She raised her head and looked into dark purple eyes, then carefully closed her eyes. A sweet kiss was placed on her lips along with warm breath. At that time, a small incident occurred. The moment their lips touched, dazzling light poured in through the dark vision. A clear sky and green leaves could be seen between the bright clusters of lights. It was a garden in the grand duke’s mansion.

 

Two people were standing in a garden full of soft grass and flowers. It was Terence in casual clothes, like her in a comfortable dress.

 

‘How many years in the future will this be?’

 

Neither of them looked much different from now. Terence hugged her waist and lightly pressed his lips to her forehead. She burst out laughing and lightly kissed his cheek. They both looked happy.

 

Then something ran out from behind the tree. It was a small child with black hair. The child with blue eyes that appeared in the first prediction. The child was hugging Bayan with both arms. Bayan was walking towards her, waddling, probably because it was heavy.

 

She asked as she approached the child.

 

“What are you two doing there?”

 

“Bayan and I were looking for mother and father.”

 

Bayan, who was being held by the child, found them and escaped the child’s arms and came down to the ground.

 

[I said I could definitely walk.]

 

“But Bayan’s feet hurt because he doesn’t wear shoes.”

 

It was a childlike, innocent worry. The two of them smiled and approached the child. She held Bayan in one arm and held out her hand to the child. Terence also held the child’s hand on the other side. The child held their hands and smiled brightly.

 

The brief foreknowledge disappeared in an instant along with the warm, sunlight-like scene.

 

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in reality.

 

“Eve? Why are you doing this?”

 

In front of her was Terence, dressed in formal attire. A foresight was revealed unexpectedly just now. As expected, Terrence and she were staying together. But there was a small change there.

 

A kid.

 

She suddenly remembered Bayan’s round eyes looking at her body. It was clear then… She thought she looked at the boat closely.

 

“Eve?”

 

Terence called her with concern after seeing her dazed. She said, looking into his purple eyes.

 

“I have now seen our future.”

 

Terence wasn’t really surprised, perhaps because he’d seen her seeing the future so many times. He asked one thing in a calm voice.

 

“Did we look happy?”

 

“Aren’t you asking anything else?”

 

There was very important information. She never told Terence about the child she saw in her first vision. The second time she saw the foresee, she couldn’t say anything because the child had disappeared. But now she had seen a new future. Their future together. A future for their children. But Terence didn’t seem to be curious about anything else.

 

“That’s all that matters to me now. Are you happy?”

 

Even though it wasn’t a very heartbreaking line, the moment she heard it, a warmth filled her heart.

 

Happiness.

 

She could know that without necessarily checking her foresight. The man she married was someone who said her happiness was more important than anything else. The future would continue to change endlessly and be full of unexpected events. If she could be with this person, she would always live a happy life.

 

She smiled and hugged his neck. And before they overlapped their lips, she whispered quietly.

 

“Yes, I was really happy. All four of us, including Bayan.”

 

Terence, who was sharing another sweet kiss, momentarily parted his lips and gave her a curious look.

 

“…four?”

 

Instead of answering, she smiled and kissed him again. This time, the sweet and happy kiss continued for a long time.

 

<The end>

 

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Translator Note:

This is the last chapter of this wonderful story. Sadly there is no special or extra chapter for now (maybe in the future if they create a manga based on the book). Thank you very much for reading it until now, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

See you in another novel!!