Chapter 30

What on earth are Nella and Bald thinking?

Recently, their arguments have been about this. It's about that peace-loving prince. If possible, I'd like to just let things between Nella and Rabi slide. But because Nella cries, I suggested to her that I would at least try to mediate. She shook her head, saying she didn't like it, and clung to Bald, making him feel troubled—eventually, she must have nodded, saying, "Alright, I understand."

Of course, it was all an act. No, no, facing the person who had been bullying her. She even created a situation where she would formally meet Rabi. Perhaps she even pretended to be a kind-hearted girl. "There have been many things between Lady Rabi and me, but we've been together since we were young. There must have been some reason," or something like that. I can picture it clearly.

When Rabi was denounced at the academy, Matthew stopped the situation, and everything was fine. But this time, it won't be so easy. From now on, Rabi will be swayed by the various words Nella will say. There's no telling what she'll say. At the tea party, Rabi will pretend to raise her voice hysterically, and Nella will kindly forgive her. And at the end, she will say this:

"Lady Rabi, please calm your anger. I have always wanted to be friends with you. So, please, let's create another opportunity like this. If possible, next time, just the two of us."

It's over. There's no choice but to say yes to those words.

Now, with the mutual animosity, and with Sai as a buffer, Rabi can avoid contact with Nella. But if that buffer is gone, Rabi will be at her mercy. The only option is to run away before that happens, and she clasped her hands and trembled.

But it's not enough. What if, in a desperate attempt, she escapes from the mansion with her frail body and tries to survive alone? When Nella becomes the Holy Maiden, she will use the power of the entire country to chase after Rabi. The subjugation magic can only be used on one person, so any useless pawns will be killed. Therefore, Rabi must at least cross the border. It's a long shot.

Normally, bringing another woman to a meeting between fiancés would be unthinkable, but the Heathfen family is, in a sense, Nella's old home. Rabi's parents would welcome her, who they doted on more than their own daughter. But if she refuses the prince's proposal, Nella will become suspicious. If that happens, she might take even stronger measures. It's a dead end.

Why didn't I try to escape sooner? I must have been complacent and felt safe. After blaming and getting angry at herself and crying for a while, Rabi knew that it was impossible. She had been living to the best of her ability. As Matthew shouted, there is indeed a limit.

Perhaps Rabi might lose to Nella. The day of the tea party, which Bald announced, is approaching. Each day is painful. It feels like climbing the steps to the execution platform one by one. During this time, she kept thinking, hoping for a solution to break the current situation. But there was no such convenient solution, and Rabi just got closer to death.

Because this story is set up to favor Nella. Rabi is, after all, a failed villain.

She spent her days staggering. She just clutched the extra assignments given by Matthew, walked without meeting the gaze of the knight who always followed her, even though they were walking much closer than when they first met. He was still just a stranger. No one could help Rabi.

Holding onto a faint hope, she faced the day. The dress, which she thought didn't suit her, now felt a bit tight and even more unflattering. Her short hair, which she had cut, looked unkempt, and her red eyes, which looked like they had been cried out, were terribly gloomy. She didn't even want to look in the mirror.

(Should I beg Nella for my life...)

What if she shouted, "Don't kill me," in front of the prince? While walking slowly, knowing of Bald's arrival from Mari, she thought. The current Rabi could take actions that were impossible in the original story. She could put on a grand performance in front of him. How would that be? She laughed at the thought. Shouting without any allies or witnesses, she would just be seen as a crazy woman.

"Haha..."

A dry smile escaped her lips. Mari, who followed behind, frowned strangely. A villainous lady can't win against the heroine. It's a given, and no one hopes for Rabi to win. The story suggests Rabi's exit. At that moment, a small voice echoed in her chest. The voice grew louder. She had always heard it but pretended not to.

I want to run away.

At first, it was a faint voice. The more she tried to suppress it, the louder it became. I want to run away. I want to run away right now. I don't care about preparations. I don't want to suffer. I haven't done anything. I hate suffering, and I don't like it. I don't want to try anymore. I'm scared. I'm very scared. I don't want to die. I don't want to feel pain. So, I want to run away.

It doesn't matter if she builds her strength or gets money. She just wants to run away. The fear of being threatened from behind made her shudder, and she wanted to scream, run, and disappear. She had endured for so long. Her heart had long been broken. Still, recalling her past life's memories, she knew this pain was just in a game, and she felt regret, worked hard, and kept trying. She thought it would be okay, but she was always scared.

Despite pretending not to hear, her feelings overflowed. She couldn't stand up. She desperately tried to hold back the scream that was about to escape her lips. She just wanted to run and escape.

"Mari"

She was surprised that her voice wasn't trembling.

"Go to the prince first. Please have him wait."

"…First?"

"Just do it! Hurry! I'll come later!!"

She forced Mari to go to Bald. After confirming that Mari was gone, Rabi ran desperately. She could walk, but running was still difficult. Stumbling and ruining her dress, Rabi fled from Nella. She had reached her limit. She was too scared to fight anymore.

She knew it was a foolish action.

This act was just tightening her own noose. There should have been a better time to run. She had hidden luggage and money in her room. The only thing Rabi had now was an unflattering dress. She knew this, but she couldn't stop her trembling body. She ran through the corridors, climbed out of a window, and ran through the garden. The dress's hem was heavy, and she was out of breath. She fell, not knowing how many times. Covered in mud, she stumbled into a hedge and laughed at her pitiful state.

But she was almost out of the mansion. She thought that if she could, Rabi would be able to breathe freely. With a head full of leaves, she lifted her face, filled with incomprehensible emotions.

"Rabi-sama…?"

Why was he here?

She didn't want to know the reason.

Sai, with his gray eyes wide in surprise, looked down at Rabi. His large body cast a shadow over her. Sai was Bald's guard. He had accompanied him during previous visits. So, it made sense for him to be here. But she lamented her bad luck, having tried so hard to avoid everyone and still encountering him.

"What happened!?"

Sai quickly crouched down and tried to lift the muddy Rabi, but he hesitated, noticing her still-frail arms and pulling back his own arm. Such thoughts of Sai were irrelevant to Rabi. Tears overflowed. "R-Rabi-sama!?" Confusion echoed from Sai. It didn't matter.

"Please don't say anything."

Rabi just stared blankly, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at Sai. As she did, she gradually felt more and more suffocated.

"Please don't say anything. I don't want to see anyone. I don't want to see Bald-sama or Nella. Please, don't say anything…!!"

Her face was a mess. Shouting this to Bald's knight was meaningless. She wished she could cling to him cutely like Nella, but she couldn't. Her clumsiness and childish tantrum were ridiculous and pitiful.

Sai just looked at Rabi silently.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard. Sai immediately hid Rabi in the hedge and stood up, facing away from her.

"Sai, did you find Rabi?"

It was Bald's voice. Rabi trembled like a rabbit. "Where could she have gone?" Nella asked Bald in a sweet, flower-like voice.

From Rabi's perspective, she had run desperately, but her feet were slower than others. A lot of time had passed before she could escape the mansion. She had told Mari to have the prince wait, but the cunning Nella must have convinced Bald to search for Rabi. There was nothing she could do now. She couldn't face them in such a ridiculous state. She just prayed to Sai, hoping he would keep her secret.

"I saw Rabi-sama here."

Her hope was immediately shattered.

Of course, he was Bald's knight. He wouldn't deceive his master. She sighed and laughed at herself. She had known this all along.

"I saw her, but she looked very unwell, so I told her to return to her room."

Rabi blinked.

"Rabi is back? Is that what you said?"

"No. Rabi-sama said she would meet Bald-sama, but I told her to return to her room."

"Oh! So she's not feeling well. Then, let's go and visit her. What do you think, Bald-sama?"

Bald, pretending to think, made Rabi clasp her hands in prayer. But Sai immediately interrupted. "She looked very unwell, so I told her to return to her room." He repeated the same meaning more deeply and slowly. Even Nella, who was usually so clever, could only say, "Oh," and couldn't say anything more.

"Then, there's nothing we can do. Let's try another time."

"…Yes, that's right."

Nella's disappointment was genuine. It had been a perfect opportunity for her. Watching them leave, Sai suddenly turned back. He bowed and immediately followed the prince. It was a surreal moment.

Rabi just placed her hand on her chest. In the past, this was where the painful mark had been, causing her so much suffering. Now, it was painful in a different way, and she was confused. She didn't understand why Sai had protected her. She didn't even know if he had really protected her.

Sitting there, her body a mess, Rabi trembled alone. Relieved that her life had been extended, even if only slightly, she desperately wiped away her tears with one hand.