Chapter 62

This is a story about what happened to her after that.

--- A few weeks ago

"Hey, it's your turn to clean that room!"

"I know, I know."

"Just a 'Yes!' will do."

How many times had they gone through this? Lilian reluctantly moved her feet as the woman with slanted eyes barked orders at her. Seeing the woman's red hair, Lilian couldn't help but think of a certain woman—Elina von Lithuard.

"Why am I doing this...?"

The events of a few months ago flashed through her mind. On that day, Lilian was supposed to be executed. She couldn't forget the moment when Hector, the captain of the knights, told her. The sharp gaze and the words he spoke made her body tremble just thinking about them. She stopped sweeping the floor and touched her neck, feeling the hard iron. It wasn't painful, but the lack of any charm in this device around her neck had initially made her hate it. However, refusing it meant death. If she wanted to live, she had no choice but to accept it. Lilian had no other options.

"Alvis... why?"

All she felt was the cold iron. Yet, it seemed as if there was another cold sensation lingering. Alvis, whom she had admired, had pointed a sword at her. His cold eyes had stared at her, and she had the illusion that any movement would have resulted in her head being cut off. That couldn't be true. Alvis wouldn't kill her. But just thinking about his gaze made her feel afraid.

"What are you standing around for? Move on to the next room after this one."

"Y-Yes..."

The woman, noticing that Lilian had stopped, scolded her. There was nothing Lilian could do now. She could only follow the orders. If she slacked off, she would face harsh reprimands and a return to the dungeon.

Lilian remembered the past.

When she was released from the dungeon, she thought people believed in her. She thought it would be a happy ending. But what awaited her was a small, old room. Inside, there was only a small desk and a hard bed. When she tried to question what was happening, the device was already around her neck.

Perhaps they thought she didn't understand the world's norms. The person who put it on her explained in detail what it was—a restraining collar, a device for criminals.

Criminal. When she heard that word, Lilian thought it was a mistake and struggled. In a frenzy, she apparently released mana. When she came to, she was being held down by someone.

"If you want to wait for death in the dungeon again, feel free to try to break free. Of course, if you can."

She understood it was a woman from the slightly higher pitch of the voice, but Lilian knew she couldn't break free. The woman knew that too. A return to the dungeon. Waiting for death in that cold, empty place. She didn't want that.

Lilian just didn't want to die, and that was all she could say.

"There won't be a next time... remember that."

Those words felt incredibly heavy. What had Lilian done? She understood that she couldn't defy this. The woman pulled Lilian's arm, forcing her to stand, and for the first time, Lilian saw the woman's face.

"Ah."

Just the sound of Lilian's voice made the woman point her sword at her. When Lilian's face froze in fear, the woman lowered her sword.

Lilian knew her. She was a character from the game, a rival in the Alvis route of the sequel. The hairstyle was slightly different, but it was unmistakable.

"Amour, thank you."

"..."

The woman, Filarieta von Amour, left without a word. She was known for her dislike of men and always acted that way, just like in the game. Meeting her here meant the game was still ongoing, Lilian thought, though she knew the path ahead was difficult. Lilian wasn't living; she was being kept alive. The device around her neck could kill her instantly if she lied or tried to escape. She wasn't trusted by anyone, as she had been told.

"Haa."

While reflecting on the past and scrubbing the floor, she heard voices from the hallway. Only maids and ordinary knights entered this area. The multiple male voices indicated they were knights.

"By the way, it's coming up soon, isn't it?"

"Yeah, his wedding."

"You can't call him that anymore."

Lilian's hands stopped as she heard the topic of conversation. A wedding. Whose? Curious, she froze, listening.

"Still, Belfias lived in a different world, didn't he?"

"He was just a rich kid's plaything, after all."

"Hey, don't say that."

"Sure, sure."

Belfias. The knights. The person they were referring to was none other than Alvis. Alvis was getting married. Lilian felt a shock, as if the world had gone dark. The little hope she had left was about to disappear. Unaware that Lilian was listening, they continued.

"Married to the Lithuard duke's daughter, they do seem well-matched."

"At least better than the former prince, right? He's a bit stiff, but he's a clean slate when it comes to women."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It is. He never wavered, no matter how many beautiful women approached him."

From their conversation, Lilian learned that Alvis's bride was Elina. The villainous noble girl hadn't been removed from the position of princess.

"Why... I'm cuter than Elina...!"

Maybe the meeting in the dungeon had gone badly. If she had dressed up properly, Alvis would have noticed her. He had to. Everyone, including Jerald, had said she was cute. As the heroine, Lilian had to be happy.

"How can I...?"

How could she get to Alvis? Forgetting her current situation, Lilian thought. Then, they mentioned her.

"By the way, what happened to that former baron's daughter?"

"From what I heard, she was pretending to be a maid. She'll probably die soon. There's not much point in keeping her alive."

"Wh-What?!"

"Apparently, they just needed information from her. Even if she's dead, they could have gotten it. If she's alive, she'll be a maid for life. We don't need a woman like that."

Their footsteps gradually faded as they laughed and continued talking.

"Unneeded... me... Why, what did I do?!"

The conversation about her, in a place where she wasn't present, revealed their true thoughts. Even strangers said such things about her. Lilian just wanted to be loved by Jerald. She just wanted to be Alvis's wife. What was wrong with that?

Lilian didn't know. She didn't know that her actions had severely injured Alvis. She didn't know that she had aided the plots of the Marana Kingdom. She didn't know about the people who had suffered because of her.

This is a story without any sign of repentance.

She will appear again, and I hope to share more with you then.

Thank you always for reporting typos and errors!

I am grateful to everyone.