The Villainess' Ending Was Death

“Yes?”

 

Fresa blinked and looked at the man. The man grinned and let go of her arm.

 

“The sun is hot. Let’s go inside.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Due to the sudden situation, Fresa had no choice but to keep asking the same question.

 

‘What on earth?’

 

At this point, she was extremely suspicious. It’s their first time meeting and he was worried about the hot sun? It made no sense. Maybe it’s human trafficking. These days, she was told, they often beguiled unsuspecting people and sold them into slavery. It may be just a matter of concern, but what were the chances of meeting such a good person in this evil world, even on a ship?

 

‘No, no.’

 

Fresa took a step back, her eyes full of wariness, but her smile on her face.

 

“Thank you for your kindness, but I will take care of myself.”

 

Anyone could see that the sick person was the man in front of her. Pale skin, dark shadows under the eyes, even tired-looking eyes.

 

“Lycaon, you must go in now. If you fall again…”

 

A large man, presumed to be an escort knight, whispered in an uncharacteristically low voice. Judging from the worried tone in which she said that she should not fall again, it seemed that Fresa’s guess was correct.

 

‘I guess Lycaon is this man’s name.’

 

She may or may not have heard of it somewhere. It’s definitely not a common name. Ah, maybe it’s the name of a family she passed by at the banquet.

 

Lycaon, Lycaon, Lycaon…

 

The moment she repeated the word over and over again, her stomach turned, perhaps because the effect of the medicine still remained.

 

“Wait a minute, I’ll pass by.”

 

Fresa hurriedly passed by Lycaon, covering her mouth with her sleeve.

 

“Are you motion sick? Zed, did you bring motion sickness medication?”

 

However, Lycaon was following closely behind Fresa, so she had to stop. He was holding out his hand to the escort knight and telling him to hand over the motion sickness medication. Fresa stood and looked behind him, holding her leather pouch tightly in her arms.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Lycaon.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Call me Lycaon. You are?”

 

Lycaon, who had come right in front of her, naturally attempted to make a full voice.

 

‘What a shameless person.’

 

Fresa was inwardly impressed. Perhaps he was a man full of grounded confidence thanks to his handsome face. In any case, Fresa thought she could not reveal her name. The coffin full of roses was probably buried underground by now. The tombstone must have been engraved with a cliché sentence like ‘Presa Soph, rests here.’

 

“Now, if you eat this, you’ll feel better.”

 

Lycaon held out the small vial he had taken from Zed. In fact, she was very seasick. She had an empty stomach and had taken medicine to stop her heart, so there was no way she would be fine. Her condition was worse than when she came out of the coffin. It was because the tension had eased. Even so, Fresa was not naive enough to take medicine given to her by someone she met for the first time. But if she refused, he would definitely cling to her again like he did now, so she guessed she should just pretend to accept it. Fresa smiled gently and took the bottle.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“If you’re grateful, please at least tell me your name.”

 

Lycaon’s eyes sparkled as if he had been waiting. The purple eyes that caught the sunlight directly were like beautiful jewels. She felt a strange determination not to turn away unless she told him her name. Fresa, who was worried, finally opened her mouth.

 

“It’s Resa.”

 

“Resa.”

 

Lycaon muttered Fresa’s name. It was a fake name, but since it was the same except for one letter, it was enough to just insist that it was a nickname.

 

“Have a nice trip, Resa.”

 

Lycaon smiled like sunshine and bowed his head slightly. Fresa suddenly lowered her head and then raised it. Lycaon, who had been sticking to her like sweaty clothes, had already turned his back and was walking away in the opposite direction. A guard knight named Zed followed behind him like a shadow.

 

‘What, really.’

 

She didn’t want to see him again. She looked into the vial containing the blue medicine and without any hesitation, she threw it into the sea.

 

* * *

 

The small house purchased through the guild ‘Buy My Home’ was suitable for Fresa to live alone. Since she could not come all the way to this far away place in person to avoid the gaze of her family, she had to entrust everything to an agent. Even before she arrived, she was worried that she might have been scammed, but she was quite satisfied with the results. There was plenty of sunlight and there were few other houses around, so it was quiet. In addition, she had a garden where she could grow the vegetable garden she had longed for, and even a basement to use as a laboratory.

 

‘It’s perfect for a fresh start.’

 

After giving a cursory tour of her house, Fresa unpacked her belongings. She then lay down on her small, cozy bed and rested for a while. As she thought about this and that, she automatically fell asleep. Maybe it’s because she’s never been able to relax for a long time. For the first time in a long time, Fresa woke up from a sound sleep without even dreaming of her story. It was already dark outside when she woke up, running her fingers through her messy hair.

 

‘When did time pass like this?’

 

Fresa gave a long yawn and sat up. It was harder and narrower than the bed she had used at Count Thorpe’s mansion, but she liked it that way. It was enough for her that it wasn’t that horrible place. Fresa naturally thought of the Thorpe family and slapped her cheek with both her hands.

 

‘Wake up. It has nothing to do with me anymore, so don’t even think about it.’

 

New place, new home, new her. Fresa muttered something like a spell and stretched her arms as she approached the window. Because it was summer, the house was hot. She pushed open the tightly closed window. Only then did a cool breeze come in and she felt like she could live a little. Fireflies twinkled and flew in the dark air. The quiet sound of insects could be heard from the bushes near the house.

 

‘This is peace.’

 

This small and cozy place was Paro Village. It was briefly mentioned in the original work, and it was said that the cousin of the female protagonist Alicia’s friend went on a trip to this town. All she saw was just a passing line. A small but peaceful countryside with fireflies flying around. She didn’t know why Paro Village remained in her memory for so long. However, from the moment she decided to leave, this was her destination. As if led by fate.

 

‘It’s fate.’

 

It was an unfamiliar expression. After coming to this quiet and beautiful place, her mind seemed to relax. Well, starting tomorrow she would have to be busy to make a living, so for now she would just enjoy this feeling. Fresa leaned her arm against the window and looked up at the starry sky. At that time, she felt a buzz from the house across from her.

 

‘Who is it?’

 

She definitely heard that it was an empty house. One of the things Fresa requested from the home-buying guild was that ‘no one would live nearby.’ Because she hated noisy surroundings.

 

‘But people live there? Guild Master, you’re sure you didn’t commit fraud, right?’

 

Fresa’s eyes narrowed. The sight of the person from whom only the sound could be heard got closer and closer.

 

‘What?’

 

Fresa rubbed her eyes. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, it was a familiar headache.

 

‘The one I saw on the boat…’

 

He was like a human trafficker, right? His name was Lycaon, she guessed. With his tall height, pure white hair, and luxurious clothes, it was definitely him. Standing next to him was a knight named Zed. The two exchanged some words, then opened the front door and entered the house. He looked like he was from a very noble family, but looking at his pale face, it was clear that he had come for medical treatment.

 

‘Surely I won’t get caught up in troublesome things?’

 

Even though the original work was completed, the people living in it were all real. So there was nothing strange about when and how we started meeting new people. Fresa watched with wary eyes until the two figures disappeared and then closed the curtain. The curtains swayed gently in the blowing wind.

 

* * *

 

Knock, knock.

 

As the morning sun rose, someone knocked on Fresa’s door. Fresa barely lifted his heavy eyelids. For a moment, she frowned, thinking this was still the Thorpe mansion, but was relieved when she saw the strange furniture and unfamiliar ceiling.

 

‘It’s going to take quite a while to get used to it.’

 

As she was roughly removing the thin, crunchy summer blanket, she heard an unfamiliar voice outside the door.

 

“Are you there?”

 

“Who are you?”

 

Was there anyone who would come visit me this early in the morning? Fresa put on the shawl she had hung on the armchair and opened the door slightly. She was a young woman with a good-natured appearance.

 

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m not a strange person.”

 

When Fresa looked at her suspiciously, the woman waved her hands and laughed.

 

“I’m Skala Mitch from the ‘Buying My Own Home’ guild.”

 

She thought the settlement was already over and they wouldn’t run into each other again, so why did the guild come to visit her? Fresa nodded, still with only half of his face peeking out through the crack in the door.

 

“Ah yes. By the way, what brought you here?”

 

“Did you not know that the ‘New Residence Guide’ is included in the product you signed up for?”

 

Skala asked back, widening her eyes.

 

‘Guide? I think it was like that.’

 

Fresa looked back on her memories. She only went over the important details, but she didn’t expect such a minor problem to arise. Fresa smiled sweetly and declined.

 

“I don’t need a guide.”

 

“Yes? But…”

 

Skala’s complexion darkened at once.

 

“Master told me to make sure to get a signature… Otherwise, my allowance would be lost and my promotion would be affected…”

 

Skala seemed as if it would turn into powder and fly away at any moment. Her face was full of fear that she might lose her job at such a young age.

 

“Then isn’t it just a matter of getting a signature?”

 

As Fresa scratched her cheek in embarrassment, Skala held onto her door and shouted.

 

“No! Lies will be discovered quickly. Tricky Acorn, please do me a favor! So that I can show you around this beautiful town, yes?”

 

Tricky acorns. It was a nickname so obnoxious that I was worried that someone would hear it. The homebuying guild managed its customers completely anonymously. This was because of the condition that those who committed crimes and ran away would find a new home if they paid money. It was one of the reasons why Fresa did business with this guild. Anyway, she couldn’t believe they were calling her out like this.

 

Fresa wiped her burning face with her hands.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“The tricky acorn is a pretty fitting nickname.”

 

At that time, a low, good voice came from behind Skala. Lycaon was standing there with a strange smile.

 

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