17.

Hmm, I’m not sure why the evaluation suddenly went awry.

Since I didn’t want to provoke the feelings of the male protagonist, who is destined to tear me apart in the future, I replied calmly.

“I’m planning to go out tomorrow.”

“Go out? Where are you going?”

“Well, um…”

In truth, I had a lot to do tomorrow. To utilize the sparrows at a crucial moment, I intentionally leaked some information about my destination. I also intended to relax in my role as a luxurious villainess after a long time and, for the sake of my survival, plan to meet the male protagonist 2.

“Just thinking of taking a break for a change.”

Since I couldn’t spill all of that, I just said it like that.

Lucian pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.

“…”

Huh, why is he acting like that? When I first saw his face today, Lucian didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. But now, he somehow seemed… a bit sulky.

‘Could it be that he’s upset because I’m going out alone?’

After all, Lucian is confined to this cell. If I keep going on about going out for a change by myself, it’s natural for him to feel left out. Moreover, I’m the one who contributed to locking Lucian up in this boarding school.

My conscience pricked me, so I glanced at Lucian discreetly.

“Is there something you’d like to eat, need, or want?”

“No.”

He responded curtly. Did he really get upset about this…?

I felt a cold sweat running down my spine.

“Then I’ll go buy some snacks.”

Trying to sound as affectionate as possible, I pouted as if Lucian could hear me.

“Do I look like a kid begging for snacks in your eyes?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

As I carefully chose my words, I eventually lowered my gaze.

“I just want to buy something delicious for the Duke.”

“…”

Lucian furrowed his brow slightly.

“…Do as you wish.”

Since he seemed somewhat less moody than before, I finally felt a bit relieved.

Lucian awkwardly averted his gaze towards the wall.

Ahem, well.

After clearing his throat a couple of times, he finally asked me.

“Speaking of going out, does it take a long time? I mean…”

However, Lucian hesitated for a moment and swallowed his words.

What did he want to say exactly?

I cocked my head in confusion but quickly adjusted my mindset.

Well, there’s a saying, ‘Don’t scratch where it doesn’t itch.’ Especially in a situation where Lucian is already upset with me…

‘Good words probably won’t come out anyway.’

So, I decided it might be best to just be honest with Lucian’s question.

“It depends on the circumstances, but it might take a while.”

“…”

Huh, Lucian’s gaze at the wall seemed to become even more intense for some reason.

But considering the distance, there was nothing I could do about it.

Rose cross Boarding School was located on Dante’s estate near the capital, and it took about 30 minutes by carriage to reach the center of the capital.

They say it takes almost an hour round trip.

But because I could see Lucian’s mood deteriorating in real-time, I hastily added, “I’ll still try to come back as early as possible.”

“Whether you do or don’t, do as you wish,” Lucian finally replied flatly.

Lucian looked like a young man of my age for the first time, and I wondered if he would have been more emotionally open as an adult if he had grown up without worries under his parents’ care.

‘It’s quite amusing,’ I couldn’t help but curl my lips.

I, a disposable villainess who should be worried about her survival right now, worrying about someone else, of all people.

However…

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lucian.

* * *

Waiting for Lucian to finish his meal, I said, “Well, see you later,” as Elze left with just a gentle farewell.

Lucian leaned against the wall.

‘Why did I question her actions so intensely?’ He was confused.

The question he had suddenly thrown at Elze was still swirling in his mind.

[Speaking of going out, does it take a long time? I mean…]

And, the question that I couldn’t bring myself to ask Elze.

‘Has she never come looking for me even once?’

Could it be that I…

Was disappointed that she never came to find me?

‘No, that can’t be.’

Lucian shook his head to dismiss Elze’s lingering thoughts.

After all, in this dreadful boarding school, she was the only person who shared the same goal as Lucian.

Both of them dreamed of “escape.”

So… that’s the reason.

Lucian resolved himself in that way.

However, the traces of her whispering pink hair…

…just wouldn’t fade away.

* * *

The next day.

I finally managed to sneak out of the boarding school after a long time.

I rode in a carriage for a while, then entered Antive Street, where only the finest shops gathered, even in the capital.

Naturally, the first place I visited was Tilda’s clothing store.

It was one of the top luxury clothing stores in the capital, and it was always crowded with noble ladies shedding tears because they couldn’t even afford a handkerchief from there.

Of course, in the original work, Elze frequented the shop with Dante as her benefactor.

However…

‘No one’s here?’

I squinted my eyes and looked around.

At the entrance of the clothing store, elegantly adorned following the latest trends in Jido, there were only attendants lined up, ready to greet customers.

There was no sign of any customers’ shadows.

“Welcome.”

Starting with this greeting, the attendants politely bowed to me.

Moreover…

“We’ve been waiting for you, Lady Lepherian!”

It wasn’t anyone else but Madam Tilda, the owner of the dressing room, who quickly came running out.

“It’s truly an honor to meet you like this.”

Madam Tilda seemed warm and friendly, but I noticed something.

The corners of her lips, tinged with a smile, were trembling slightly.

It seemed like she was quite nervous…

“Today, we’ve canceled all the reservations we had.”

Huh?

I doubted my ears.

I only asked for a reservation for the dressing room; I didn’t say anything about clearing out the entire dressing room.

In that moment, a sharp memory passed through my mind…

<Aren’t you telling me to get fitted for a dress with other women right now?!>

…were the angry words of the original Elze.

Faced with the original Elze’s arrogance, I was rendered speechless.

“You can choose your dress without being disturbed by anyone.”

“…”

It seemed that Madam Tilda interpreted my silence in another way.

“I will make sure you have no reason to be angry. So please…”

‘Let’s just take a look around first.’

Seeing Madam Tilda nervously sweating and scrutinizing my reaction, I decided to stop there.

It was only then that Madam Tilda’s face turned pale.

“Yes! I’ll be your guide!”

Well, since things had come to this point anyway…

It seemed that it would raise fewer suspicions if I followed the same actions as the original Elze.

So, what I had to do from now on was…

‘Money.’

I needed to extravagantly spend Dante’s money, the male protagonist 3 who would eventually try to kill me.

* * *

And so, about an hour later…

I made a grand gesture of spending approximately 100,000 derks from Dante’s overflowing wealth in one go.

For reference, 100,000 derks could buy not only the finest townhouses in Jido but also carriages with servants in tow.

The method of spending money recklessly was quite simple.

After confidently walking into the center of the clothing store and taking a quick look around, you can simply say, ‘Give me everything from here to here.’

Meanwhile, on Madame Tilda’s face, behind her composed demeanor, there was a mixture of happiness and fear. She was probably delighted by the enormous revenue I had brought in, but also worried that I might call for an unreasonable delivery schedule.

I glanced back at Madame Tilda for a moment.

“When will the dresses be ready?”

“Oh, that… It might take a little time…”

I didn’t intend to scold her, but Madame Tilda’s voice trembled in an instant.

I nodded my head to reassure her.

“It’s not something I need urgently, so you can take your time.”

“…Really?”

For a moment, Madame Tilda seemed to doubt her ears.

Ah, right.

Considering the original Elze’s personality, she wouldn’t have shown consideration for others, saying “You can take your time.”

So, I quickly added the phrase that the original Elze used to live by.

“Don’t deliver the dresses directly to the boarding school, okay?”

“Yes, of course. We’ll keep them safe here, so please come and pick them up when you need them.”

The “original Elze” was an arrogant and luxurious villainess, yet surprisingly sensitive to being criticized by others. So, while spending money recklessly, she wanted to hide her indulgences in any way possible.

The method Elze came up with was to pay storage fees to keep the items I purchased in the clothing store’s warehouse. But wouldn’t it be better not to buy them in the first place? After all, with the dresses I had bought so far, I could wear them for a lifetime.

“Well, if I have the items delivered to the boarding school, Elze’s dressing room will probably burst at the seams.”

Having convinced myself, I bid farewell to the people in the clothing store and slipped outside.

Now, it’s time to meet the male protagonist 2, Benedict Lunebourg.