I’ll Make It a Bad Ending Like a Villain

***

Filina came down from the carriage with Leon’s escort.
Many nobles were already entering the imperial palace.

“Did our classmates arrive?”

Another cadet got out of the carriage murmured, looking around her.

“Let’s go inside.”

Filina, who had quietly looked up at the splendid building, moved her steps.

She walked through the red carpet-spread entrance with a wide open door leading to a large banquet hall.
Then the dazzling light from the chandelier greeted her first.

“Lady Debussy!”

As Filina entered, she saw Lady Sharon, whom she had not seen in a long time, approaching her with a surprised face.

“Where have you been? Do you know how lonely it was to see Lady Debussy’s empty seat every time we had a tea party?”

Sharon shook her head and opened her mouth.
Then she looked at Leon next to Filina and asked with her puzzled face.

“Oh, but who is this tall gentleman?”

The cadets who had entered the banquet hall with Filina had already escaped to other seats.

Leon, who was next to Filina, bowed his head slightly.

“My name is Leon.
Nice to meet you, Miss.”

Despite the fact that his greeting was formal without much content, Sharon spread the white fan in her hand to hide her blushed cheeks.

“Your voice is really nice, Sir Leon.
Why is your face covered with a mask?”

As she said, Leon always covered his face with a black mask.

Filina turned her head to stare at him.
Leon spoke slowly as if he was conscious of her gaze. 

“… I have an ugly scar on my face, so I usually wear a mask.”

Filina smiled slightly and turned her head to the front again.
Sharon replied with a sorry voice.

“Oh… you must have suffered a lot because of the scar.
But if someone had a nice appearance like Sir Leon, even the scars on your face might look romantic.”

Her ears were red as she looked at Leon.
Filina, who looked at her, burst out laughing with an absurd look on her face.

No, how long has it been since she met Leon? Is she taking her shyness away?

If she could see his face, she wouldn’t say anything.
Obviously, Leon had a handsome face.

But now, isn’t even his face covered by a mask?

Soon after, Fabien also appeared from nowhere to greet Filina.

“But… are the rumors true?”

“Rumors?”

At Fabien’s words, Sharon asked with a puzzled face.

“Right.
I tried to ask about the rumor, but I forgot.
These days, there is a story among nobles that Lady Debussy entered the swordsmanship academy.”

Sharon spoke up.

“These days, the Lady doesn’t even come to teatime or attend parties, so there are all kinds of rumors going around! Seriously, it’s utter nonsense!”

Hearing their voices, Leon turned his head and looked at Filina.

Filina also looked at Leon and smiled awkwardly before she let out a small sigh.

“It’s not nonsense.”

Sharon and Fabien tilted their heads as if they did not understand Filina’s calm voice.
Looking at them like that, Filina opened her mouth once more.

“I am attending the swordsmanship academy.
The reason I didn’t show up until now was because I was living in the dormitory.”

Sharon and Fabien looked startled at her words.

Not only them, but also the other nobles, who secretly overheard the conversation, stared at her with round eyes.

Filina looked at them intently and opened her mouth.

“Is this so surprising? Is it strange that I entered the Swordsmanship Academy?”

At her words, Fabien said with a bewildered face.

“Someone as noble as the Lady learns swordsmanship…it’s a surprise.”

Filina folded her eyes in half and answered with a pretty smile.

“Wouldn’t it be nicer if a noble person held the blade?”

At her words, Fabien couldn’t even answer properly, and she only licked her lips.
It was the same with Sharon, who was next to her.

Filina, who looked at the two of them pathetically, turned her head to the pretense of popularity she felt behind her.

“……sister.”

Bruno’s soft voice was heard.
His dark eyes looking at her evoked pitiful feelings.

Filina smiled softly and parted her lips.

“Long time no see, Bruno.”

It had only been three months, but somehow it seemed like a long time had passed.

Not because she really missed Bruno, but because she was so far away from her family.

Even if she didn’t part, she felt like a stranger.
In the first place, they weren’t even her real family.

Of course, so was Ariel who was hiding behind Bruno.

Filina tilted her head slightly and greeted her.

“How have you been?”

Filina’s voice shook her shoulders.
She could see Ariel’s creamy hair fluttering softly.

“The scar on your forehead………”

Filina spoke with a dry voice.

“It looks like it’s faded.”

Ariel looked at Filina with wide eyes at her question, which she had never thought she would ask.
Her forehead was clean without a scar.

Filina said with a small smile.

“Be careful.”

“…”

“Where scars are left, even a small stimulus will quickly reveal themselves.”

Ariel looked at Filina with a strangely cold gaze at her words.

“If someone else finds out, you will be disappointed.”

The corners of Filina’s eyes were folded thinly.

“Hide it good, Ariel.”

A small force was applied to Ariel’s hand, which was grabbing Bruno’s collar.
The only person who noticed it was Filina.

As Bruno was about to say something to her, another voice came from behind her.

“Filina!”

Her mother, Amy, approached, staring at Filina with hateful eyes.

“Is it good that you left the house so recklessly? Because you don’t have to see your family?”

Amy spoke in her sarcastic voice, but Filina’s gaze was not on her.
She saw Laura and Enoch approaching behind Amy.

Laura spotted Filina and waved her hand with a bright face.
Enoch also looked at her with distant eyes.

“Filina! Are you listening to your mother?”

Amy shouted with an angry voice.
The people around them glanced at them.

Filina sighed and replied reluctantly.

“Yes, I missed mother a lot too.”

It was a voice with no emotion whatsoever.
However, it was a fairly appropriate answer to allay Amy’s irritation at once.

Amy said with a snort, looking dumbfounded.

“Ha.
Aren’t you a kind daughter? You don’t listen to your mother even if she dies, but you always talk.”

Amy spread the fan in her hand and covered her face.
It was an act to hide the laughter that flowed from her lips. 

She parted her lips, looking Filina up and down.

“Still, I’m glad you didn’t come to the Imperial Palace looking like a maid.
How come you look like you’ve gained more weight? Is it good there?”

Amy said so and left.
Perhaps it was because she noticed that Filina’s gaze kept moving backwards.

As she disappeared, Laura approached her, as if waiting, she checked Filina’s condition.

“Lady! Where are you feeling ill? Are there broken bones? How about muscle aches?”

Filina replied with a smile on her face.

“Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine.
The muscle relaxants you put in my bag alone are over ten.”

“Have you already taken all of it? Oh my God… how hard it must have been to be dependent on drugs….”

Filina wrinkled her eyes at the words Laura spat out as she cried.

“What are you talking about? I’m telling you not to worry, because there are a lot of medicines you gave me.”

 “Are you eating well? How come you seem to have lost more weight……”

 Filina stopped talking.

She lost weight? Did Laura not hear just what her mother said? She was ugly and she had gained more weight than she did when she lived in the mansion.

Since she was so skinny, it was not enough for her to gain weight by 1-2 kg.

But now, when she looked at herself in the mirror, she could feel her cheeks plumper than before.

She had definitely gained enough weight that Amy noticed.

“Oh, look at this arm…it looks like it’s going to break anytime soon, Miss.
How many times do I tell you to eat well with your meal?”

How many times have I told you to take good care of me.”

But to Laura, the lump muscles in Filina’s forearms were invisible. 

It was just a face full of worry.

Filina was quietly listening to Laura’s nagging.
She then turned her gaze to her side and looked at Enoch.

Enoch, who had been silently staring at Filina, moved his eyes and looked at Leon.

No, to be precise, he looked at the long sword that Leon was wearing around his waist.

There was no sign of his gaze falling at all, so Filina called Enoch first.

“Enoch.”

Then his gaze turned back to Filina.

Laura, who had been nagging her, shut her mouth, and slightly stepped back so that the two could talk comfortably.

 Filina smiled sweetly and parted her lips.

“Did you not want to see me? I’m a little sad because you don’t have anything to say.”

Enoch looked down for a moment at her playful voice.
She could see his neck move greatly.
The tightly closed lips revealed their longing.

Enoch raised his head after a short moment and drew a faint smile.

“I also wanted to see… Miss Filina.”

Filina laughed a little.
The answer, which was not a big deal, seemed to require great courage for him.
His care tickled her heart.

Then Laura asked with her puzzled face.

“Lady, who is the person next to you?”

Then Filina looked at Leon with an apologetic face.

“Oh, I didn’t even introduce you.
I just talk by myself.”

“It’s only natural since you haven’t seen them in a long time.
You don’t have to worry about me.”

At Leon’s words, she smiled weakly.

“How come? You even escorted me.”

Enoch’s gaze turned to Leon again.
This time he quietly scanned Leon’s face, not his sword.

Filina looked at Enoch and Laura and said,

“This is Sir Leon.
He and I are classmates at the swordsmanship academy.”

At her words, Laura asked with a curious face.

“Then, is he the Lady’s best friend?”

Filina rolled her eyes and answered vaguely.

“Well.
My best friend is Sir Bessie…….
On the contrary, Sir Leon is keeping his distance from me right now.”

She smiled and looked at Leon.
The black pupils seen through the mask were looking down at Filina.

Enoch’s gaze, looking at the two of them, was slightly distorted.

***