“Wait.”
Again. That voice again. The voice that made her hair stand on end.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to chase after him?”
Maria’s whole body broke out in goosebumps at his voice.
A different kind of goosebumps from when Ted had called her earlier.
‘Why are you calling me from there?’
Luca approached Maria with leisurely steps.
Step by step, he moved calmly just like when he’d entered the ballroom earlier.
Maria watched him with puzzlement. You’re calling me? Why? Just as these questions were about to form—
His eyes met hers for the first time, clear as if they held the sky. Luca wore a slight smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.
“It’s been a while.”
Goosebumps rose again. That quietly revealed hostility. He looked like a dangerous predator checking the condition of its prey.
Nothing made sense.
She’d thought Luca, being the protagonist, wouldn’t approach the villainess who’d ruined his life like this.
Yet Luca stood right in front of Maria.
Then he folded his eyes into a bright smile, making the hostility he’d just shown seem like a mirage.
Even at that gently formed smile, Maria’s arms broke out in goosebumps.
“Good evening, lady in distress? I am Noah Sackelpine, eldest son of House Sackelpine and close friend of Sir Luca Clodence. If I may be so bold, might I ask your name, my lady?”
While the two faced each other awkwardly, the man beside them spoke up.
The person who’d saved her from danger greeted her very politely in a gentle voice.
Maria reflexively returned Noah’s natural greeting.
“Good…… evening. Sir Sackelpine, I am Maria Certi, eldest daughter of House Certi. Thanks to both of you stepping in today, I avoided great trouble.”
“Not at all, Miss. Rather, you dealt with someone who knows no manners, so there’s nothing worth receiving thanks for. I couldn’t just stand by and watch a close friend of Sir Clodence.”
‘Ah……’
Maria smiled awkwardly at those words.
Friends. They weren’t even friend-like. Rather, she was supporting character 1 who envied Luca, villainess 1 who tried to steal Luca’s lover, worst villain 1 who poisoned Luca.
Something like that was how she should have been called.
It made no sense that the man who called himself a close friend didn’t know about the bad blood between Luca and Maria.
“Rather than close friends…… My family once served as vassals to House Clodence. Sir Clodence and I exchanged greetings in passing back then.”
Maria quickly corrected his words. He must have been testing their relationship, but she didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble. She just wanted to escape this situation quickly. On her first step toward living life differently, to meet him…….
This is why people should live virtuously.
Maria slowly backed away. But Luca raised the corner of his mouth slightly, seeming to notice.
“Not only that, we met and played often. We even played house together as children.”
Maria didn’t even remember such things. No matter how much she shared memories with the previous Maria, no matter how hard she racked her brain, she had no such similar memories.
Were they a bit close in childhood? She glanced at Luca to gauge his reaction, but he immediately hardened his expression again.
Maria wasn’t the only one whose eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
While Maria rolled her eyes in confusion, Noah watched with interest.
“Yes…… Well, that happened, there were such things when we were young. Anyway, thank you for today. I’ll repay you someday.”
“Of course, Miss. Please rest well, and if you visit House Sackelpine later, we could have tea.”
Maria now tried to leave while reading the room.
He still remembered her. Quite unfavorably too. Nothing good would come from staying longer.
“Then I’ll take my leave so you two can talk. That terrace in back happens to be empty—perfect for conversation.”
Noah made the first move, seeming to notice Maria’s plan to escape.
“……Pardon?”
“Please! No, you must! Visit House Sackelpine, Miss. No matter what, I will welcome you, Miss Certi.”
“No, wait, just a moment……”
‘We should just greet each other quickly and scatter, right?’
She absolutely wanted to avoid this kind of confrontation.
But Noah shoved Maria and Luca toward the back terrace. Maria was pushed onto the terrace without a chance to avoid it.
The terrace was a semi-elliptical structure. Antique sculptures of delicately carved baby angels stood at both ends.
Marble sparkling under moonlight, a gentle breeze blowing.
And two people completely unsuited to the beautiful atmosphere stood facing each other.
Maria couldn’t take anything in.
‘Haa…… Today is my death anniversary……’
Right, things wouldn’t flow comfortably with the villain who ruined the protagonist’s life standing with the protagonist.
She was villain 1, and he was the protagonist whose body was ruined by villain 1’s schemes in the original work.
Between such people, any chatter would only be curses at best.
‘Well, if he wants to curse me out, I should listen……’
Maria sighed deeply. Having to hear curses when she’d done nothing wrong…….
Luca said nothing else even after quite some time passed.
“Luca, do you have something…… to say to me?”
Unable to endure it, Maria asked directly.
Better to take the beating first—she resolved to gladly clear up any remaining resentment.
“If you have something to say, say it. I’m really grateful you helped earlier. I didn’t expect you of all people to help me…… Anyway, that makes me even more grateful.”
He looked at Maria as if her speaking first was strange.
“Grateful, you say……”
Luca trailed off and narrowed his eyes. Grateful. Grateful…… His expression looked like he’d heard words he’d never considered.
“That wasn’t why I did it.”
‘Then why did you help me?’
It was strange. This wasn’t just a chance encounter, yet he said he hadn’t helped her.
“Then, you didn’t help me?”
The question was odd, but she couldn’t figure out how else to phrase it.
“I did help.”
Luca readily admitted he’d helped.
But Maria had nothing more to add to that. She just trailed off with “Ah, I see……”
“Then may I leave first?”
She wanted to escape quickly. But Luca didn’t just let her go.
“No.”
Flatly rejected, Maria wanted to die instead.
“Then…… if you have something to say, say it.”
His voice and gaze—even his breathing made Maria uncomfortable.
But what could she do? The guilty party was at fault.
She was probably like moss or mold to Luca.
Mold suddenly appearing when the original work was progressing breathlessly and heading toward the climax.
It would be one thing if the mold quietly realized its place and bloomed in a corner. But the mold didn’t know its place and jumped to center stage.
‘What on earth does he want to say……’
The mold quietly waited for the protagonist.
Then Luca opened his mouth, seemingly finished thinking.
“Well…… I was just curious how you’ve been. But you seem to be doing well as always.”
Curious if she was doing well? More like curious how badly she was doing.
“You look good too.”
A fresh breeze blew around him as he smiled with one corner of his mouth curled up.
The pleasant wind slightly tousled Luca’s hair, making it sparkle under the moonlight.
This was definitely one of the methods the su used to captivate the gong.
‘Making meaningful remarks with a pure and wistful face.’
Luca certainly didn’t intend it that way, but not only the protagonist Claude but everyone around him fell for this expression and manner of speech.
‘But that drug is only allowed for the protagonist and regular supporting characters……’
To Maria, his words only made her knees weak.
It was strange. She should definitely dislike him. So he should be someone she felt uncomfortable with and avoided, yet Luca was treating her too kindly. Or was this the last kindness before k*lling her?
Just before her head overloaded and exploded, Luca threw out more words.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
‘Why…… are you doing this to me……’
I really want to cry.
The kinder Luca was, the more he asked uncomfortable questions in a gentle voice, the more nauseating tension washed over her.
But Luca seemed to notice this too, as his expression wasn’t good at all.
For the first time, a fine crack appeared in Luca’s face as he managed his expression like wearing a mask.
Through that gap, Maria could glimpse just a little of what he was feeling now.
‘He’s displeased.’
“Well, we’re not on terms to comfortably talk face to face.”
“Right, and now isn’t the situation for talking either.”
“Also, there’s no reason for you to talk with me like this.”
Though unintended, this answer cut off their conversation again.
The original Maria would have definitely avoided Luca. Of course, the current Maria had also avoided Luca for that reason.
But she couldn’t do that forever.
Maria had somewhat expected this could happen.
“Then, I’ll ask what I’m really curious about, Maria.”
Now it was time for Maria to worry.
Luca had become completely different from before. He’d cast off the kind mask he showed everyone.
“How have you been all this time?”
Luca gritted his teeth and stared at Maria.
‘Here it comes.’
How should she interpret these meaningful words? But she could no longer avoid or turn away from this.
She knew why the original Maria did it.
Those emotions remained vividly in Maria’s heart. Perhaps that’s why from the moment she first saw Luca, she felt something different about him.
Apart from his beautiful appearance, slight creepiness, rejection, and awkwardness. These were probably the emotions the original Maria had harbored toward him…….
The person now occupying Maria’s body wasn’t the original Maria Certi, but she couldn’t treat Luca with a normal reaction. When Maria hesitated, Luca smirked.
And in that moment she saw it. The chilling hatred hidden in his smile. All the kindness until now had been an act, and now he would begin in earnest to strip her flesh and thoroughly dig out her innermost thoughts.
Maria couldn’t bring herself to speak at that creepy sight.
“I…… I……”
That smile said everything. He surely saw her as a cowardly wretch and the terrible villain who’d ruined his life. Everything had been his mask.
Just as her heart was about to leap from her mouth, the sound of knocking came from the terrace window.
Maria and Luca looked at each other briefly. Luca spoke first.
“You don’t have to answer right now. This isn’t the place to hear it anyway. Will you come see me, Maria? I’ll be waiting.”
Luca hid his true feelings like magic. He returned to his gentle voice and expression, offered a greeting, and disappeared.
Meeting him was surprising enough, but the conversation afterward was even more shocking. Maria stood there with her mouth hanging open in astonishment.
‘He’s trying to…… kill me!!!’
She had the feeling she’d be opening a coffin lid soon.
Translator
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wittyying
I’m guessing Luca DID try to kill Maria by possibly poisoning or exposing her to disease–leading to that fever that might have killed off OG Villainess Maria. If he did this, then it’s understandable that he’s looking for answers as to how she can possibly look so healthy at a party