A Guide to Raising a Villainess-Chapter 133: Only for love

The sunlight poured through the window. Birds were singing beyond the glass. In a vase on the bedside table stood fresh white roses.

I woke up in my bed, in my room, in my home.

I sat up abruptly, gasping for air.

Blood. Screams. Bodies. Richard with a dagger in his chest...

All those horrifying images still stood clearly before my eyes.

I looked at my hands. Clean. Not a drop of blood.

"Good morning, Aunt."

The voice made me flinch.

Rubyella was sitting on a chair beside my bed. She was wearing a simple light dress, her hair loose, and a book rested in her hands. The picture of idyllic calm.

This peaceful setting was strikingly different compared to what I had gone through not so long ago.

"Ruby..." My voice was hoarse. "Yesterday... I..."

"You must be tired," she gently interrupted, setting the book aside. "I had breakfast brought to your room. Your favorite cinnamon buns."

"Ruby!"

She froze, looking at me with an innocent expression.

"What’s wrong, Aunt? Did you have a nightmare?"

"That wasn’t a dream!" I jumped out of bed, but my legs gave way and I sank onto the edge. "His Highness Richard... Angela, Enoch, Lionel... They all... There was blood! So much blood!"

"Aunt," Ruby approached and knelt down before me, taking my hands in hers. "You were overwhelmed. There was a party yesterday, you had a wonderful time, and then you came home and fell asleep. Everything is fine."

"No!" I pulled my hands away. "That’s impossible! I saw it! Richard said... he said something strange that I can’t remember... But I think it was connected to you..."

I cut myself off.

Because Ruby was smiling.

Not the gentle, affectionate smile I usually saw on her face. This one was different. Calm and satisfied.

"Ah, that," she adjusted a fold on my blanket. "Yes, that boy was always a little... theatrical."

My world stopped for a moment.

"You..." I whispered. "You knew about this...?"

"Of course I knew, Aunt. I know everything."

I tried to move back, but the bed pressed against my back.

"But how... Why... What even happened?"

"Aunt, as I already said, nothing special. That Richard was simply a fool." Ruby shrugged. "He invented this game himself. He killed everyone himself. He killed himself. Isn’t that right?"

"Ruby..." My eyes widened in horror. "What are you saying?"

I could not believe that my niece, my sweet niece whom I knew so well, could actually say such words.

"Aunt, in any case, all those people are already dead. Should you really keep worrying about them?"

My voice faltered for a moment.

I didn’t want to believe it. I truly didn’t want to believe it. But still...

"Ruby... you... you weren’t somehow involved in this, were you?"

"Involved?" Ruby tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm... perhaps. But I only wanted to protect you, so you can’t blame me."

I froze.

"Ruby... So it really was you?"

Ruby sighed, as if explaining something obvious to a child.

"Aunt, understand. Every one of those who was in that garden yesterday was, in one way or another, a threat. Angela is the heroine around whom the story revolves. That woman would cause nothing but trouble anyway. Enoch is nothing more than background cast, and his life isn’t even worth anything. Lionel is one of Angela’s lackeys, who also deserves death. Serpens — that boy simply irritates me, because all these years he has been so close to you."

She fell silent.

"And what about Roger Dickens? Aunt, do you at least still remember him?" the girl smiled.

My breath caught.

Roger Dickens...? To be honest, I truly didn’t remember who that was. But right now that was not so important. Because all my thoughts at this moment were filled with only one shocking and horrifying revelation.

It suddenly turned out that Rubyella knew that we were inside a game. But even that was not the worst part.

"You... you monster...!" the words slipped from my mouth involuntarily.

"I am your niece," Ruby replied softly. "The one you yourself taught how to love."

"I didn’t teach you to kill!"

"You taught me to protect what is dear. And you are dearer to me than anything."

She reached out and touched my face. I flinched, but she was faster — her palm rested on my cheek, warm and gentle.

"Look at me, Aunt. I’m here. I’m alive. I’m healthy. None of those people threaten our peace anymore. No one will stand between us. Isn’t that good?"

"Good?!" I laughed hysterically. "Six people are dead! Six!"

"Seven," Ruby corrected. "Roger Dickens is the seventh. But you don’t remember him anymore, so I think that doesn’t count."

"That doesn’t count...?"

"In any case, my actions count only as love for you," something strange flickered in her eyes.

She leaned closer, and I felt her breath on my lips.

"And I will never let you go. Never."

"Ruby..."

"Shh. No words. You’re tired. You need to rest."

"I don’t want to rest! I want to..."

"What?" She tilted her head and smiled. "Leave? Aunt, I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s possible."

I looked at her and felt the world collapsing before my eyes.

"You... you planned everything..."

"I planned our safety. Our future. Our life. Together."

"I don’t want such a life!"

"You do," she smiled. "You just don’t understand it yet. But that’s alright. We have plenty of time ahead. I will help you understand."

Ruby stood up and straightened her dress.

"Rest, Aunt. I’ll have breakfast brought. And in the evening we will have dinner together. As usual."

She headed toward the door. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Ruby," I called.

She turned around.

"Do you really think I can be happy, knowing all this?"

She was silent for a moment.

"You know, Aunt," she said quietly. "I don’t think. I know. Because tomorrow you will wake up and you won’t remember this conversation. Just like you didn’t remember all the previous times."

I went cold.

"And the day after tomorrow — again. And again. And every day you will wake up with a smile and love me. Until one day... you stop trying to remember. Until you accept it. Until you become truly happy."

"That will never happen."

"It will," her voice trembled. "Because I will not give up. Never. You are my everything. My life. My love. My meaning."

She opened the door.

"Sweet dreams, Aunt Grace."

The door closed.

I remained alone in the sunlit room, among the white roses, staring at my clean hands.

Six people were dead.

And tomorrow I will forget it.

I buried my face in the pillow and screamed.

But the sound drowned in the down-filled bedding, and no one came when they heard my desperate cry.