I Changed the Villain - Chapter 4
(Rose’s POV)
“If that’s the case, then why did you ask what day it is today?”
“It’s just…”
As I looked at the dresses, all of them had no character at all. Other than that, the hems of the dresses spread out comfortably, and the sleeves were all see-through.
‘Okay, this one’s perfect.’ When the dress was decided, Mira invited the other maids to start dolling me up.
“Shall I leave my hair down or tie it up?”
“Don’t tie it up. Your hair is so beautiful.”
“That’s right. Young Master Beryl’s hair is pretty and curly like a sheep, but I think My Lady’s hair is the prettiest.”
The maids chatted happily and moved their hands skillfully. At first, it was awkward for me to comply and let them do everything from head to toe, but not anymore. Though I wasn’t accustomed to it, I’m happy that I don’t need to move at all.
“My Lady, it’s done.”
Of course, the clothes are so uncomfortable to wear, but I think I can manage thanks to the help of the maids. Though, I changed my mind when I finally saw my reflection in the mirror. The dress is bright and pretty, but there’s nothing special about it.
And of course the maids paired my dress with high-heeled shoes that were the same color as my dress.
“You look so beautiful.”
“After all, you are the rose of the Fall family.”
I inspected my outfit as I listened to some of their awkward compliments. Now, all that they have to do is fix the skirt of my dress and we’re done. After Mira bids to the maids as they leave the room, she then suddenly puts her knees on the floor.
“My Lady.”
I looked down at Mira, who’s timidly bent on the floor.
“I heard that you’re going to completely end your relationship with Duke Serenity today, right? The Master mentioned it earlier.”
‘How on earth does she get all this information? And she always blames herself whenever something happens to me. Mhm.. Should I tease her more then?
“Breaking up with the Duke of Serenity completely breaks my heart.”
Mira suddenly stood up.
“I will support you no matter what choice you make.”
“Why?”
Wasn’t she crying just yesterday when she first heard about it? While I pondered her reaction, Mira replied softly.
“Well, because you’re a very calm and kind person.”
“·······”
Who is? Is she talking about me? I looked around the room without saying a word. Well, I really have no idea who she’s referring to, because I know for a fact that it’s not me. I’m just a lazy person who’s waiting to be terminated in this story. Mira, who had no idea what I was thinking about, picked up my parasol.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Looking outside the window. I saw one of the best carriages our family owns quietly waiting outside the front door.
-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-
(Rose‘s POV)
“Look at that carriage over there.”
“Isn’t that the Fall family’s carriage?”
Click. The driver opened the door modestly. I got out of the carriage, trying to be careful not to trip on the hem of my dress. Most of the people working on the fields nearby immediately stopped what they were doing. It must be the people who lived in the realm of Belial’s territory.
“That’s Lady Rose, right?”
“That’s right. The one the Duke loves.”
Mira, who was holding the parasol, walked beside me. As I walk lightly under the parasol, people’s eyes continue to follow me.
I feel like I’ve become an SNS star.
“But what brings her here today?”
“Are you really asking that question? Of course she came here to visit the Duke of Serenity.”
If there was an SNS like InXta here, the nobles would become SNS stars, and the commoners would become fans who admire and follow their daily lives. However, there would also be a lot of anti-fans though.
(Tn/n: A social networking service (SNS) is an online platform for creating relationships with other people. Social networking services are more commonly referred to as “social networking sites” or “social media. And InXta is short for Instagram.)
I’m sure I’d write phrases like, “Please add me as a friend only if you’re a noble.” and “No personal messages for commoners.” on my own profile.
“Her expression suddenly became serious.”
“I’m pretty sure that she’s thinking about what lesson to give to the Duke of Serenity today. As expected, their thinking is at a different level than us.”
(TN/N: The conversation above is the conversation of the people around the Duke’s mansion)
While it’s true that our statuses are indeed different, that doesn’t mean I’m on a much higher level than theirs. The image of aristocrats trying to follow people with a higher status than themselves made me suddenly burst into laughter. The young people exclaimed at my unexpected outburst.
“Oh, I guess she finally decided on what lesson she’s going to teach!”
“Lady Rose, please do your best today!”
“We love you so much, Lady Rose!”
(TN/N: Same as above, it’s still the conversation of those people around the Duke’s mansion)
I don’t know what they’re talking about, but they seemed like very simple minded people. I waved at the people and continued to move my feet again. Mira suddenly asked while adjusting the angle of the parasol.
“My Lady. Why did you have to get off here? It’s a little bit far from the mansion.”
“I wanted to go for a walk.”
Of course, this was just an excuse, and there is a valid reason for it. If I were to show up right at the front door, Belial would know right away that I was here to visit him. The truth is, I want to sneak into his office to keep the people around him from causing a commotion. As I hurried my steps, I remembered a drama that I regularly watched in my past life.
“Did you tell the coachman to wait for us until we come back?”
“Yes, I mentioned it to him several times.”
“Good job.”
The Serenity family’s mansion was already in sight. I didn’t even need to walk that far. And more than anything else…
“The Serenity mansion is so pretty.”
“Yeah.”
There’s no way I’d miss it, being this huge. The mansion, stacked with white bricks and has an antique grey roof, gives an overwhelming impression.. I looked up at the high wall that surrounded the mansion and headed towards the front door.
Just beyond the front door, I saw two men in white uniforms and cloaks passing by. Just by looking at their uniform, I could tell that they were excellent knights. The training the Serenity Knights receive is notorious.
“Hi.”
As soon as I waved my hand, the heads of the two men turned to my side like knives. Mira then folded the parasol and bowed her head.
“Lady Rose?”
“What are you doing here without giving us prior notice?”
They obviously don’t know yet that Belial already broke up with me. After all, It was only the two of us and the escorts weren’t there as well. Belial’s escorts are notorious for being overly reticent. There were even rumors that he was practicing silently in order to become stronger.
“Is the Duke inside right now?”
“Of course, he is. Please stay here, and I’ll notify him at once that Lady Rose is here.”
“No, don’t.”
I immediately stopped them. Both their eyes widened.
“Pardon?”
“Just tell James for now.”
The two nodded after contemplating what they had to do. To be honest, there was no reason for them to listen to me as I come from a different family. However, since Belial told them to take good care of me every time I come to the mansion, they obediently listen to my requests.
After a while, the knight who had gone looking for James returned.
“The butler told me to bring you in. Please come with me, My Lady.”
“Thank you.”
Everything is going as I planned. All that’s left is how well I handle ending this relationship. As we crossed the large garden and headed towards the mansion, James was waiting for us at the entrance.
“Welcome.”
His monocle sparkled in the light of the chandelier. His white hair without any blemishes and a suit without a single inch of disharmony were his greatest characteristics. James, Belial’s entourage and the butler of the mansion, raised his bowed head.
“Lady Rose.”
I turned to Mira and said,
“Mira, please wait here.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
James pointed up the stairs. Which means that Belial’s office is right above the mansion. As we walked side by side, James then started to open his mouth, after confirming that no one was around.
“I heard that you two broke up.”
“So you knew.”
No, it would be weirder for him not to know. As everyone else says, James is one of the most loyal people who always looked after Belial.
“I just heard that the Duke of Serenity bid his farewell.”
This time, I agreed to his statement.
“To put it frankly, I was dumped.”
“·······”
James didn’t say anything for a moment.
“Then, why did you come here?”
“I have something to tell him.”
To be honest, I came here to tell him exactly how I feel about the situation. But of course, in a very calm manner. Since I don’t want Belial to be angry as well.
“Are you here to persuade the Duke for you to get back together?”
“Does James want me to?”
James just smiled without saying a word. I tilted my head at his inexplicable smile. I couldn’t tell what James was thinking about.
“Duke Serenity.”
While I tried to figure out what he was thinking, we arrived at Belial’s office. James then knocked on the door, and I heard Belial’s voice telling us to come inside.
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
James entered the room with a friendly smile just like before. Belial was sitting in front of his desk piled up like a mountain of papers.
“What’s going on?”
Belial asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the papers.
“You have a guest.”
“Guest?”
Belial twisted one corner of his mouth.
“Didn’t you already mention to me that I have no schedule for today?”
“Yes, but it’s a sudden visitor.”
His finger that does not hold the document slowly tapped the desk.
“Most likely, he came when I’m in the worst mood.”
This is something I’ve never seen before, I’ve only ever seen the side of him that’s crazy sweet towards me.. I even doubted if he really was the villain in the story. I continued to stare blankly at Belial.
Icy silver hair and blue eyes made the atmosphere around Belial even colder. It was as if he had been possessed by a demon. How can he change the atmosphere like that? At that moment, Belial’s voice dropped sharply.
“I wonder what kind of guy he is? I can’t help but admire him.”
Oh, I think this will stop now, since James poked his head behind him.
“This is the guy.”
Shook. At that very moment, the folder file fell out of Belial’s hand. Papers were scattered all over the office. In the original story, even when his head was about to be cut, his eyes, as described, never wavered, but now those crystal blue eyes are shaking relentlessly.
“I’m sorry for coming without notice.”
I didn’t realize it was going to be this hard. What should I do? I fiddled with the hem of my flowery dress.
“I have something I want to say…”
Before I could finish my words, Belial quickly got up.
“Don’t get me wrong. I mean you’re so brave that I can only admire it.”
“…Okay?”
“Well, you’re amazing, Rose. You came all the way here just because you thought I’d go crazy again?”
I’m quite speechless, he really is crazy. Please don’t change your stance on being the villain. Just push ahead with your original bad image until the end.
-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-
Belial immediately ordered James to bring tea and dessert. Then, James asked me.
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll make it as light as possible…”
I immediately grabbed James’ shoulder. I said I already ate, but then I didn’t say that I was full. There was a silent exchange of glances between me and James. After some time passed, James opened his mouth.
“I underestimated you.”
“You should have known by now.”
To be honest, I have a separate stomach dedicated for cakes. After a while, James brought in a bunch of desserts that just made my mouth drool. Mont Blanc cake, which I said was delicious the other day, vividly colored macarons, round cookies, etc. The table looked as if it was about to bend.
“Then please feel free to talk.”
