The Villain's Ending is Only Death Chapter 12
I was frustrated. In the end, if I didn't want to go to the banquet, I had to appeal to Derrick, not the Duke.
But doing so might lower his affection towards me.
‘If it were Renald, I could at least try my luck with a gamble.’
Thinking of Renald's affection, which had just risen out of the negatives, I sighed deeply.
Even maintaining 0% affection is a struggle.
I shouldn't even consider trying to gamble with Derrick.
“Ah, Miss... Are you alright? Your face has turned pale.”
Noticing my serious expression, Emily cautiously asked.
“Just leave me alone, I need to think.”
I waved her off with an annoyed look.
And as soon as she left the room, I let out a deep sigh.
Whether I go or not, I'm dead. What kind of crazy game is this?
I already missed the days of my confinement, which were like heaven.
“I'll just avoid it as much as possible, right?”
I recalled the game content carefully, but nothing came to mind.
I was woken up by the maids earlier than usual and was busy from the crack of dawn, cleaning and shining.
I bathed in water mixed with milk and perfume, received massages, and had masks applied. This tedious process was repeated several times.
By the time I was finally seated at the vanity, I was already exhausted.
“Miss, how about this dress? It's a new one you've never worn before.”
“What about these earrings? They should go well with the dress.”
“Your hair, I think a half-up style would be better than a full updo. What do you think?”
“How should we do your makeup...”
The maids chattered incessantly, fussing over me.
‘Do they really hate Penelope?!’
They seemed more excited about the party than I was, who was actually attending it.
I turned my head to check my reflection in the mirror.
After repeating the annoying process of applying and removing masks several times, my face did indeed glow more than usual.
‘Well, with this face, it would be fun to dress up.’
Understanding the maids' reactions, I nodded and said indifferently,
“Bring a dress that covers up to the neck. Keep accessories to a minimum and do the rest casually.”
The maids jumped at my command and hastily added,
“But Miss, it's a party at the palace...”
Their implication was clear: I should be dressed more beautifully than anyone else.
The deep-cut red dress they brought out certainly suited Penelope's light pink hair.
The matching accessories would highlight her stunning beauty.
But I wasn't going to the palace to show off my beauty like a peacock.
I couldn't say I was going to die, so I just insisted stubbornly like Penelope.
“No need to fuss. Just do as I say.”
My cold voice left the maids unable to protest further, and they headed to the dress room with gloomy faces.
A short while later, the three dresses they brought were all modest and demure, unlike the previous ones.
I chose a dark green evening dress.
Not only did it cover up to my collarbone, but it was also the least conspicuous dark color.
I put on the dress and nagged the maids to keep my makeup as light as possible.
For accessories, I settled for a small emerald earring that matched Penelope's eye color.
After finishing my preparations, my reflection in the mirror was as demure as if I were going to church.
‘This should make me less noticeable.’
While I wore a satisfied expression, the maids' faces were dark.
“Emily, stay. The rest of you, leave.”
After dismissing the other maids, I made one more request to my personal maid.
“Emily, can you prepare gloves that match the dress?”
“Miss, are you going to wear gloves too?”
If I wore gloves, it would complete the perfect church look.
Emily hesitated, as if trying to dissuade me.
“Of course, I can't show everyone these marks.”
I thrust my hand, which had been pricked by a needle a few days ago, in front of her.
The scabs from the needle marks had faded to the point of being barely visible.
But there might be a sharp-eyed noble who could recognize the blemish on a lady's hand among the many attendees.
Emily's face turned pale at the sight of the marks on my hand.
“Go and get them quickly.”
Watching her hurry away, I clicked my tongue.
She had been acting a bit too confident lately, thinking I trusted her.
I needed to keep her in check periodically.
A short while later, with the gloves Emily brought, my preparations for the palace were complete.
Derrick scanned me from head to toe as I stepped out of the door, looking surprised.
“You seem to have become a proper lady during your confinement.”
It had been a few days since we last met, but his sarcasm towards Penelope was unchanged.
However, I didn't have time to get angry. I was distracted by the glowing text above his head.
‘What? When did it go up?’
Without my knowledge, Derrick's affection had risen. By a whopping 5%!
I was taken aback. How could his affection rise when we hadn't even met?
‘If I had known this, I should have said I was too sick to go.’
But it was too late. The ornate carriage with the Eckart crest was already waiting at the door.
I bowed slightly to greet him and extended my hand to the guard standing near the carriage.
The carriage was much higher than I thought.
Focused on lifting my skirt, I didn't notice what Derrick was doing.
Only when I finally turned my head after getting in did I see him awkwardly extending his hand into the air, staring at me with a stiff face.
Confused, I tilted my head. We needed to leave quickly to arrive on time.
Since he detested Penelope, he wouldn't be sharing the carriage with her, so I waited for the door to close.
But then, the frozen Derrick suddenly climbed into the carriage.
‘What, what! Why is he getting in? ’
I quickly tried to figure out what I had done wrong.
But nothing came to mind. We had just met and exchanged greetings, so it was natural.
As I was thinking, Derrick sat down on the opposite side.
Derrick frowned at my question.
“Do you have a problem with it?”
‘Why are you doing this! You've never acted like this before!’
Swallowing my words, I shook my head hurriedly. But his expression, already sour, didn't improve.
“If you don't like it, you can get out and take another carriage.”
I glanced at the carriage door, wondering if I should really do that.
But it would be ridiculous to open the door and get out after he had closed it.
I moved my gaze back to Derrick and forced out a lie.
He turned his head away, avoiding my gaze after a brief moment of staring.
‘Why are you making this awkward when you clearly hate it?’
Is this a new way to torment Penelope?
His icy demeanor left me utterly baffled.
But then I saw the text above his head again and changed my mind.
As I stared at him in surprise, the carriage began to move.
‘Well, since we're in the same carriage, something will happen, right?’
Surely nothing would happen in the short time we were in the carriage to drop it by 6%.
Deciding to think positively, I tried to make the best of it.
But I soon regretted sharing the carriage with Derrick.
‘I can't breathe! Help me!’
The journey to the palace was truly an endless ordeal.
I could only briefly admire the coldly handsome man sitting with his arms crossed and legs crossed, swaying slightly.
The quiet carriage was filled with suffocating silence.
I thought about opening the window to get some air, but Derrick's chilly gaze immediately pinned me down.
Every time I tried to shift slightly due to discomfort, the man, who had his eyes closed, would open them and glare at me fiercely.
‘Why are you looking at me like that!’
I kept glancing at the [Affection 6%] above his head and broke out in cold sweat.
I had to sit still, unable to move, until the carriage finally stopped.
Finally, I could escape this death trap of a carriage.
‘I need to open the door and breathe first.’
But as soon as the carriage stopped, Derrick sprang up from his seat.
He kicked open the door and got out before me.