Episode 13: The Story of the Airheaded Young Lady and the Villainess (3) Fin
Lukan, an ordinary citizen living in the capital,
was one of the few people who, until relatively recently, had not read Author Wei’s books.
Even when he heard the secrets of the Hero and the Demon King that the royal family had made public, he simply thought, Is that so, and did not grow any more curious.
Even when people were utterly absorbed in the love story of Mary and Mikael, who had overcome the difference in their statuses,
he had pointed out, “Does that even make sense?” and had been thoroughly cursed out for it.
He did not particularly think he had done anything wrong.
Nor had he intended to go out of his way to seek out and read those books in the future.
“Lukan, you must respect Author Wei. Author Wei was the first to uncover the hidden history of the Hero and the Demon King, the founding monarchs, and resolved their unjust suffering in advance, and made it possible for lovers blocked by the wall of status to fulfill their long-cherished wish...”
“Aaaagh! Stop! Stop it! It’s not like I said I hated him!”
But he could no longer endure the constant urging from the people around him and his friends to read them,
nor the slander that he was “a socially isolated outcast behind the times, unable even to follow the flow of culture.”
“Argh! Fine, I’ll read them, then criticize them because I’m being wronged here!
They’d better not be boring!”
In the end, with no other choice, he began reading Author Wei’s books.
“Ooooh! What are these books?!
My heart! My heart is burning hot!”
It was, quite literally, like tasting a whole new world.
He could finally understand, even if belatedly, why the entire kingdom had made such a fuss over them.
“If it’s writing like this, then I can see why.”
Not only were the stories shocking and stimulating in a way nothing before them had been, they also contained moving narratives and lessons.
Above all, they made his heart pound with excitement!
So much so that he wanted to pour out these burning feelings to someone else at once and share his impressions.
“You have opened your eyes, Lukan. Now come to our discussion group.”
“Discussion group? What do you even do there?
No, more importantly, you all made a group without me?”
“It is a group where we read Author Wei’s works and share our impressions.”
“I’m joining immediately!”
As if to prove the saying that late awakenings were the most frightening,
Lukan transformed into a fan more passionate than anyone, to the point that he immediately joined the discussion group his friends had made.
“What? A story with the villainess as the protagonist?!
As a fan of Author Wei, I cannot acknowledge such a self-indulgent work!”
And so, at first, he had not the slightest intention of buying [The Villainess Does Not Fall].
He hadn’t...
“No, what is this drawing?! A cover and illustrations?
They’re going to put drawings like this in every book released from now on?”
The newly introduced cover and illustrations seized his feet just as he was about to walk away.
“Huh, this is quite a unique style of drawing.
It’s far too dynamic to call it a portrait.
Rather than realistic depiction, the proportions and beauty are exaggerated.”
Normally, it would not have been strange for such a drawing to feel awkward or childish, but...
It was beautiful.
Even though he knew it was exaggerated, the completed beauty of it struck him far more strongly than any awkwardness or discomfort.
Was it because these were not real people, but characters in a novel?
Or was it because the illustrations had been drawn by Aria, the famous elven minstrel?
Because of that mysterious beauty, Lukan could not easily tear himself away from the book.
And the moment his eyes fell upon the phrase stating that it was an authentic product approved by the original author, Author Wei—
“Huh.”
By the time he realized it, he had already purchased [The Villainess Does Not Fall] without even knowing it.
Of course, he had also bought the original works, now with newly added covers and illustrations, as a set.
“Oh no, I didn’t mean to buy this...”
But it felt awkward to ask for a refund now.
There was also a long line of other customers.
And somehow, it felt like a waste to let it go.
In the end, Lukan returned home with the books as they were.
Since he had bought it anyway, he thought he might as well take a look, and opened the book.
“Marriage?! To her attendant?
Mary and Mikael are congratulating them, too?
What on earth happened?!”
He was dumbfounded by the wedding scene that was suddenly laid out before him.
After all, it was a scene he had never expected at all.
Fortunately, from there, the story shifted into a flashback.
It began to show how things had ended up this way.
And naturally, because of the wedding scene at the beginning,
he could not help but hold the expectation that the story would proceed in the exact opposite direction from the original.
The first thing that showed this was a small change in choice.
-Hmm. For some reason, rather than the tea I usually drink, I feel like having something different today.
Rube. Didn’t you say last time that you had a secret fruit preserve you made yourself?
For today’s teatime, would you bring me tea made with that?-
-Pardon? Lady Clarine, last time you clearly said you would never drink something so cheap...-
-I’ve changed my mind.
I’ve become curious about the taste, so hurry and bring it.-
In the original, that is, in [I Became the Ice Duke’s Maid], the villainess Clarine had been said to have such fussy tastes that she only put high-grade tea to her lips.
Yet for some reason, after drinking handmade fruit tea made personally by her attendant Rube,
-Hee, it’s quite delicious, isn’t it?
If you ever stop being my attendant, you could even start a business with this.-
she praised him with a smiling face.
A different choice from before.
And a side of her that had not been shown before.
It was merely a trivial scene where she changed the tea she drank.
But it was the moment when the vague image he had held until now of the villainess Clarine as a wicked woman began to slowly peel away.
And as the story went on, it gradually began to reveal more of Clarine’s true self.
-Lady Clarine. You seem very exhausted lately from all the acting.
How about relaxing a little?-
-I can’t do that, Rube.
I have to protect the dignity of my family, don’t I?
What people want to see from me isn’t an insecure girl, but an arrogant and confident young lady.-
It was revealed that the image of the villainess, who had seemed arrogant and afraid of nothing, was in fact an act.
Her true self was that of a fragile girl, worn out from acting that way.
-Still, it’s a relief.
At least in front of you, Rube, I can be this comfortable.-
-Ahaha... If possible, wouldn’t it be better to show that side to your fiancé, Lord Mikael, rather than me?-
-No! That person isn’t even interested in me.
It’s just a formal engagement, nothing more.
The only one I can trust and show my comfortable side to is you, Rube.-
Rather than truly liking Mikael, she merely viewed it as an obligatory engagement.
And as hints that she liked Rube, her attendant, far more than Mikael, were scattered everywhere...
“So this is what she was like behind the scenes?!
You’re telling me she wasn’t just a nasty villainess obsessed with Mikael and bullying Mary?”
While Lukan was shocked by that hidden side of the story,
he almost fell into the dilemma of wondering whether he should revise his evaluation of the villainess Clarine as not being a simple villainess after all.
“No! Get a hold of yourself!
The opponent is that villainess! The villainess who tried to kill Mary!”
He barely overcame the crisis by recalling her venomous appearance in the original.
But when he looked at the continuing events not from Mary’s perspective, but from the villainess’s, he began to see viewpoints that were different from before.
Even when Mikael neglected his fiancée Clarine and gave his heart to Mary, a commoner—
-How can he betray me when he has a fiancée?!
Then what about me?! What about me, who accepted this engagement while giving up my own love?!
How cowardly, trying to be the only one to selfishly obtain what he wants!-
“...Uh, now that I hear it, she has a point.”
The fact that she had tried to separate Mary and Mikael
was not because of ugly jealousy, but because of righteous anger, which made him feel slightly embarrassed.
-Just give the word, my lady.
If you wish, I can seize that commoner wench who doesn’t know her place and bring her before you this instant.-
-No... There’s no need to go that far just because she fell in love.
Just harass her moderately so that she’ll leave on her own.-
Even though she could have acted far more harshly while in such a state of rage,
it was revealed that she had, after agonizing over it, handed down a merciful punishment.
“...It seems I may have been looking at things far too narrowly all this time.”
He found himself reflecting on whether he had been viewing the original only from a perspective favorable to the protagonists.
Of course, he still thought Mikael and Mary’s love that transcended status was beautiful and noble.
But he had become aware that on the other side of it, there had been an unintended victim like Clarine.
And once he had understood that much,
Lukan began to worry about what would happen next.
After all, in the original, Clarine eventually could not endure it any longer, went berserk, fell from grace, and was expelled from her family.
‘Please, Author! Anything but that ending!’
Before he knew it, in one corner of Lukan’s heart, there was a desperate feeling of support, hoping with all his might that things would not turn out that way.
Had that desperate wish reached the heavens?
-No, wait a moment.
If I make Mikael marry Mary altogether, wouldn’t I be able to break off this engagement?-
“Huh?”
The villainess Clarine came up with a new clever plan.
She would push the fault for breaking the engagement onto Mikael, saying that he had cheated with a commoner.
And if she, as the victim, claimed to have been shocked by it, she would be able to avoid other engagements for a while as well.
Then she could spend more time with her beloved attendant Rube!
She had derived such a miraculous calculation.
“Ha! So it’s going in this direction here?”
As if it had been deliberately aimed, the heavy mood was overturned all at once.
Now, in reverse, Clarine began secretly helping Mary and Mikael end up together.
For instance, when she noticed that Mikael wanted to go on a date with Mary, she would take the initiative to cancel her own appointment with him first.
-Lady Clarine. The truth is, you like Rube, not Mikael, don’t you?-
-Wha, what! How do you know that?!
No, that’s not what matters.
You mustn’t tell Rube about that!-
-Don’t worry.
Actually, I knew you were secretly helping me, Lady Clarine.-
-What did you say?! Since when did you find out? It was supposed to be a perfect plan!-
-So this time, I’ll help you.
So things go well with Rube!-
As a result, she was recruited by the quick-witted Mary,
and even ended up changing positions entirely into an accomplice and collaborator.
-Clarine. I had no idea you had that sort of personality.-
-I never showed it to you, Mikael.
You were never particularly interested in me either.-
- ...It’s late, but I’m sorry.-
-It’s fine. I wasn’t interested in you either, so we’re even.
Don’t carry around any useless guilt. Let’s just think about how to cleanly finish breaking off the engagement, and how each of us can end up with the person we want.-
Thanks to that, her relationship with Mikael, who had been her fiancé,
was also restored—not as lovers, but as friends and comrades who shared the same hardships.
-Mikael. Now that you’ve succeeded in marrying Mary, it’s my turn next!-
-Do not worry.
This time, I’ve firmly taken control of my family as well.
I’ll show you the true power of the title of duke.
Rube, you needn’t worry either! I will absolutely help you end up with Clarine!-
-Pardon? I have no idea what situation this is...-
-Don’t worry, Rube. I’ll make you happy, no matter what!-
-My lady?!-
And in the part where, by helping each other, both couples succeeded in marriages that overcame the difference in status—
Clap, clap, clap!
“Kuh—this is exactly it!”
Lukan had stood up without realizing it and given a standing ovation.
Thus the flashback ended, returning to the wedding scene from the first chapter.
And when it ended in a happy ending, together with an illustration of Clarine and Rube kissing with bright smiles on their faces—
“....”
Lukan was so moved for a while that he could not say a word.
Especially when he compared the illustration from the original [I Became the Ice Duke’s Maid], where she had looked lifeless, as if dead,
with the illustration he had just seen, where she smiled brightly without the slightest shadow.
He felt an uncontrollable surge of emotion boiling up from deep within his chest all the more.
“This won’t do! I have to go to the group!”
Unable to endure unless he released this boiling emotion outward,
Lukan headed straight to the discussion group he had joined not long ago, intending to share this emotion with his friends.
“Oh, Lukan, you’re finally here?
You read rather slowly, don’t you?
In any case, now that you’re here, hurry up and help.”
But the friends who had already arrived before him were busily preparing something.
“What on earth is all this?
What are you preparing?”
“We’re preparing a rehabilitation campaign for the villainess... no, for Clarine.”
When Lukan asked with his eyes what that meant,
the friends in the group shrugged and explained.
“There must still be people who haven’t read [The Villainess Does Not Fall] because of their earlier prejudice.”
“If there are still people who don’t know Clarine’s true feelings and misunderstand her as a wicked woman, shouldn’t we resolve that misunderstanding quickly?”
What they were preparing now, they said, were the tools necessary for a campaign to rehabilitate Clarine’s image and spread the truth.
“That is a truly foolish plan.”
Hearing those words, Lukan smiled with a snort.
“Let’s do it at once!
What should I start with?!”
Picking up the hammer lying beside him, he immediately began taking part as one of them.
And similar things were happening all across the kingdom.