The Villainess' Ending Was Death

Lycaon stared at the woman in silence for a long time. Fresa suddenly stopped while going down the stairs and looked up at Lycaon.

“Ly…”

The moment Fresa opened her lips, Lycaon cut her off and she spoke in a low whisper.

“…Resa, let’s go back to the pharmacy first. I’ll be there soon.”

It seemed like it was a situation that couldn’t be explained right now.

Fresa nodded her head without any further questions and then slowly walked down the stairs.

‘Who could it be?’

First of all, she didn’t seem like an ordinary young lady. Moreover, with her hood up, it would have been difficult to recognize her just by passing by, but seeing that she recognized Lycaon at once…

‘Close relationship.’

It was clear that she was someone he had met several times and was close enough to know who she was just by their vibe. However, at a glance, Lycaon’s eyes took on a rather troubled look.

Maybe she’s estranged now, or the relationship is strained for some other reason, or whatever.

‘I’ll tell you when I get back.’

Fresa put aside her curiosity and entered the alley next to her cafe building.

‘Now that I think about it, Lycaon is carrying all of the luggage.’

She should have shared it… Wouldn’t it be a bit uncomfortable to carry luggage and have a conversation? But she was now reluctant to return, so she took out her scroll and tore it up.

A similar feeling as when she came came over her whole body. Still, since it was her second time, she didn’t feel as dizzy or strange as she did the first time.

Her vision quickly changed, and soon a familiar scene appeared before her eyes.

It was in front of the pharmacy’s garden, dyed red by the evening sunset. Fresa slowly blinked her eyes and straightened her blurred vision. Then, a bundle of pure white cotton suddenly popped up in front of her eyes.

“Have you been there, Resa?”

“Reese, did anything happen at the pharmacy?”

“The newcomer is very immature. He broke a few pill bottles.”

Reese clicked his tongue and continued to gossip about Isaac. Every time this happened, Fresa felt like he really was an old man and burst into laughter.

“It could be because it’s the first day. I made a lot of mistakes like that too.”

“It’s fortunate that that person has a conscience and doesn’t take money. So, did you have a good trip to the Empire? You have a worried face.”

Fresa opened the front door and entered, but stopped at Reese’s words.

“…Do you see it?”

“What happened?”

Reese flew over and sat down on Fresa’s shoulder.

Fresa locked the front door and looked into the quiet and dark interior of the pharmacy. It was empty after Zed and Isaac got off work.

It was a familiar sight and the smell of his favorite herbal medicine, but Fresa somehow felt a little lonely in this silence. However, she did not want to make a fool of Reese, so she answered calmly, pretending to look around.

“It’s not a big deal… Mr. Lycaon met someone. It looked like trouble, so I just came first, but I was worried.”

“I think he’s a person you don’t need to worry about.”

“But he hasn’t completely healed the dragon venom yet, and he’s weak. It will take more than a year to recover. You have to take your medicine consistently…”

Fresa stopped talking without realizing it and closed her mouth.

As Reese said, Lycaon was someone Fresa did not need to worry about. He was the Grand Duke of the Empire, has enormous wealth, and was even the master of the largest magic tower.

“You care about that person.”

Reese muttered casually, but not to Fresa. He had to like Lycaon person to person. But because he was a precious being, it had a slightly different meaning.

Was Lycaon someone special to her? Fresa nodded her head without glancing at the poorly displayed bottles of mint water.

“Yes, he is the one who helps me.”

“Hmm. That’s not what I meant…”

Bang bang.

Reese opened his mouth as if to retort, but was drowned out by someone knocking on the front door.

Fresa turned her head towards the front door.

“Resa, it’s me.”

It was Lycaon’s voice.

She thought it would take a long time, but it seemed like he came back earlier than expected.

Fresa took care of her blank expression and hurriedly opened the front door.

“Mr. Lycaon!”

“I’m sorry. Because we can’t come back together.”

As soon as Fresa’s eyes met, Lycaon apologized and held out her paper bag.

“It’s okay. It’s a personal matter.”

Fresa smiled brightly after being handed the paper bag.

Lycaon stared at Fresa in silence for a moment, then moved his gaze to the inside of her medicine cabinet.

“Did anything happen?”

“No, except Mr. Cade broke a few vials.”

“Anyway, he is a useless person.”

“Mr. Lycaon was like that at first too.”

“I didn’t break any vial.”

Lycaon raised one eyebrow and replied rudely. But Fresa knew that her memory was correct, so she just shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway, preparations are almost complete now. Thank you for coming with me today, Mr. Lycaon.”

“I haven’t done much. You really worked hard.”

Lycaon’s vivid purple eyes filled her Fresa. It seemed to contain blooming lilacs that seemed to have forgotten their season. In fact, Fresa didn’t know much about Lycaon yet. But she didn’t even want to ask Lycaon for an explanation.

Fresa, who had gathered her vague and difficult-to-explain emotions, simply felt that the way Lycaon was looking at her was a little tickling.

Fresa stood silently facing him, then suddenly came to her senses and lowered her gaze.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Lycaon.”

“…You don’t ask anything.”

In fact, it was Lycaon who said it first.

Lycaon seemed to have thought that Fresa would be curious about the woman he met earlier.

Fresa raised her eyes again and stared at him.

“You don’t want to talk about it now.”

“No.”

Lycaon shook his head resolutely and closed the front door.

“I’m going to go underground for a while.”

Reese, who was watching the two people, cleared his throat and suddenly disappeared into the basement.

Soon this became a space for the two of them.

The sunset soon disappeared and a dark night began to fall.

Lycaon spoke, looking directly into Fresa’s eyes.

“I can tell you anything you want.”

“But…”

“And honestly, I wanted you to be curious.”

As Lycaon approached closely, Fresa’s eyes were all on him. He, who usually felt like a close friend, now felt a bit awkward for some reason. However, after listening to Lycaon’s words, the curiosity that I had ignored pretending not to notice suddenly popped out.

“Then may I ask what happened?”

“Yes, that’s why I came.”

Lycaon laughed and spoke again without hesitation.

“As I said earlier, that woman is my older brother, so she is the fiancée of Emperor Kancher. That’s why he recognized me.”

Ah.

Fresa blinked her eyes quickly, startled by an involuntary sense of relief.

‘What on earth were you worried about?’

She was so dumbfounded that she felt like sticking her head into a hole. She immediately responded with her calm face.

“Okay. I was worried that I might have gotten into trouble.”

“Well, it was a difficult thing. You showed up at the institution without any prior contact.”

“…sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. The nobles of the empire are a bit unlucky and can’t leave me alone.”

Lycaon’s tone was light, but Fresa could not tell what he meant.

Wherever she went, the nobles all looked similar. Especially for high-ranking nobles who were well-known.

Just looking at the Rowan and Thorpe families was enough to tell.

Fresa thought for a moment and then asked the question again.

“Did you finish the conversation well?”

“Yeah, whatever. She asked that His Majesty the Emperor not be informed. He’s a person who keeps his promises, so you don’t have to worry.”

Lycaon still seemed as if nothing had happened. f it’s someone he trusts, it’ll be okay.

He concluded that Fresa had done so and decided not to worry any more.

“Would you like to go and have some tea? It bothers me that it’s still standing.”

“Actually, I almost died from the pain in my legs. Now that I’m home from work, I’m a customer, but I’m sad that they keep serving me as a customer. What kind of tea would you like to drink?”

Lycaon made a rare groaning sound and headed towards her kitchen with her mouth full of joy. Even though Fresa said he would serve her tea, he had intended to prepare it and bring it to her.

Fresa tried to tell him she was okay but then she stopped.

“I would like jasmine tea, please.”

“Sit down and wait. I’ll prepare it right away.”

Soon all there was was a clattering sound coming from her kitchen.

Fresa stood silently, staring at Lycaon’s back, and eventually took a seat at the table.

Soft light filled the two people’s place comfortably.

The touch of a hand pouring tea, the sound of water submerging a teacup, and the noise of small clattering dishes. Soon, the fragrant scent of tea rushed to my nose, calming my mind.

It was then that an uninvited guest knocked on the door.

“Fresa! Fresa!”

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: