The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 49

‘She doesn’t seem to be lying,’ I thought as I scrutinized her expression. But then again, Letty herself had been a lie, so why was I even considering this?

Even if she hadn’t been my maid for long, she would have known plenty about me.

"I suppose I fired you well, then. Must’ve been tough for the head of a trading company to work as a maid."

I didn’t see the point in being polite. I decided to say everything I’d been holding back.

"Is your name even Letty?"

"The name is real. It’s short for Leticia."

"Oh."

It was oddly honest. I didn’t care to see the honest side of someone who had betrayed me.

The door opened, and a three-tiered cart rolled in, carrying tea, macarons, cakes, and sandwiches—a full afternoon tea set.

After setting the table, Letty spoke cautiously.

"I’ve prepared your favorite tea and macarons. I hope they’re to your liking."

It was almost amusing how she endured my sarcasm in silence.

‘What does she think this will change?’

I couldn’t help but notice that the desserts and tea were exactly what she used to prepare when she was my maid.

‘Let’s just get to the point.’

I didn’t bother sitting on the sofa as I spoke.

"Why did you ask to meet me?"

"I wanted to sincerely apologize."

What nonsense was this? I blinked in disbelief.

"Do you think saying that now will change anything?"

I genuinely wanted to know.

"At the very least, I can let you know that my feelings weren’t entirely fake."

It was a selfish thing to say.

Her apology did nothing for me. The only one who stood to gain was Letty.

"You just want to feel better about yourself? I’d prefer never to see your face again."

She could ease her guilty conscience by talking to me, but that meant nothing to me.

It was disgusting how she seemed to have expected this reaction.

"I’m sorry. I just… I never considered that the prince could be wrong."

Even her careful acknowledgment that Ryan might have been wrong didn’t please me. Her loyalty to him was evident in every word.

I recalled how Ryan had supported her when she was leaving the palace.

Ryan had always cared deeply for his people. Perhaps he had even saved Letty’s life.

"It felt like my whole world was falling apart. It was so hard to accept."

She tried to explain further, but I didn’t let her continue.

"Your world seems perfectly intact."

She might say that Ryan was wrong, but she was still serving him.

"None of this matters to me."

But even that didn’t interest me. Letty was now just a waste of emotional energy.

I had trusted her once, and now I didn’t want to expect anything from her anymore.

I decided to ask her one last thing.

I had no intention of ever meeting her again.

"How did you bring Darcy to me?"

It was only fair that I gained something from this encounter.

If she had called me out of selfishness, I would satisfy my own.

It was Letty who introduced me to Darcy. She was the one who had brought him to me.

But Darcy wasn’t a merchant, and he was an enemy of Ryan, the prince she served.

Wasn’t he supposed to be a hidden prince at that time?

"…."

Letty’s face hardened as soon as I mentioned Darcy. Seeing her tense up made me feel slightly better.

She exhaled with a troubled expression.

"I’m sorry, but… I don’t have any memory of that."

"…You don’t?"

"Yes, I’m still trying to figure it out myself. I suspect it might have been something Darcy did."

I had vaguely suspected as much… Darcy must have used his mind control on Letty to arrange our meeting.

Otherwise, there was no way Ryan’s loyal Letty would have introduced Darcy to me.

After all, Darcy wasn’t even a merchant.

The necklace hidden under my dress suddenly felt heavy.

It was the first time I truly felt the weight of Darcy’s abilities. Letty, seeing that I wasn’t surprised, cautiously continued.

"Darcy is truly…."

"Don’t touch Darcy."

I warned her.

The back alley trading company was involved in illegal activities. As a place serving Ryan, they would likely try every means to hinder Darcy.

It was only right to warn her now.

If she had any lingering guilt over betraying me, she should at least protect him.

"If you’re really sorry, you’ll do that."

Though I wasn’t confident she would.

As expected, Letty’s expression became conflicted, and she lowered her eyes.

"That’s not something I can decide."

She spoke as if she had no will of her own.

"I thought I was talking to Leticia, but it seems I’m dealing with a puppet of Prince Ryan?"

I pressed her further.

"Do you think the prince you admire so much is justified in doing illegal and inhumane things for his lover?"

Even as I continued to criticize her, Letty didn’t get angry or make excuses. But she didn’t deny it either.

"You, of all people, should know who kept calling me a villainess even after I changed, right?"

Letty had been by my side for the past year, witnessing how I had changed. Yet she had still betrayed me.

I grabbed the pouch of jewels on the table and gave Letty one final piece of advice.

"Don’t cling to the past and ignore what’s happening now."

I sincerely hoped she would change.

"Is there anything else? I’d like to leave now."

"…Open the door."

Letty confirmed that I was ready to leave and gave the order. The tea was still steaming, untouched.

I turned my back without hesitation. Behind me, I heard a small but clear voice.

"…It was hard for me too."

Letty had somehow gotten closer. Her voice trembled.

It was the same face she used to show when she served me.

"…The person I thought I would respect for the rest of my life turned out to be completely different from what I believed."

I wondered which side of her was the real Letty.

The wrinkles on her forehead and the way she brought me here to apologize showed the signs of her inner turmoil.

"It’s contradictory, but at some point, I genuinely wanted Lady Marceau to be okay."

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But her words weren’t enough to forgive her.

Talk was cheap. Apologies, repentance—they were all easy to say.

"Yet you can’t show it through your actions."

As long as she remained tied to Ryan, she would continue to be his puppet.

Letty bowed her head deeply.

"…Escort her out."

With those final words, I left the place.

Once I was back in the carriage, I finally checked the pouch.

‘Surely they wouldn’t have shortchanged me.’

I hadn’t even looked inside the pouch while we were talking. It was a bit late now, but…

I decided to trust Letty’s integrity. Despite everything, I believed she wouldn’t cheat me after expressing so much guilt.

As I suspected, the pouch contained the correct amount of gold and jewels, matching the market value of the magic stones.

I divided the money into smaller pouches I had prepared in advance.

‘Why do people working in the underworld have so much guilt?’

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts of Letty’s last words.

‘I have more important things to focus on.’

I needed to stop thinking about Letty. If I had to face her again, it would be during the inevitable confrontation between Ryan and Darcy.

Since we were destined to be enemies, it was best to keep my distance.

I remembered why I wanted to convert the magic stones into money in the first place.

In the village of magicians, likely filled with the elderly, youth, and children, I had decided to start by targeting the children first.

I knew how much adults cherished children.

They are the ones who deserve protection simply by existing.

But in this world where magicians were ostracized, even the remaining magicians were forced into hiding to escape constant conflict.

Letting their children out into the world was impossible.

This meant they had to live in seclusion, trapped in their hidden sanctuary.

Just like I had been.

The children, confined to their homes, had limited access to experiences and opportunities.

The experiences one has in childhood are crucial. They play a significant role in shaping one's dreams and values.

I could offer these children experiences, dreams, and hope.

That was my plan.

‘First, let’s grab everything I can.’

I arrived at the largest toy store in the capital and entered the first floor. The moment I stepped inside, the staff, who had been informed of my arrival in advance, lined up to greet me.

"Welcome, Lady Etwar! It’s been a long time!"

This place was famous enough for Marceau to have frequented it as a child, and even after all this time, the staff still remembered me, showcasing their attentiveness.

The time had come.

I placed the pouch I was carrying into the hands of the store owner who had come to greet me.

And then, I spoke the words that were always thrilling to say.

"Everything here. I’ll take it all."

The staff, excited to serve a VIP customer after such a long time, sprang into action.

Other nobles in the store looked at me with dumbfounded expressions.

I responded with a victorious smile, then sat back on the sofa to relax while they completed my order.

It was the calm confidence of a winner.