Episode 8 – A Perfect Ending Plan for the Villainess in a Fairy Tale
In the meantime, Nora helped me by bringing out a plain, inexpensive dress and helping me change.
I loaded only two bags onto the carriage: the largest and the smallest.
“Please handle the rest however you see fit. Thank you for putting up with all my picky requests until now, Miss Nora.”
Kind as always, Nora personally closed the carriage door for me.
That’s what it looked like, at least.
—They say people change when they’re about to die…
Though my death was still three years away, this was all to survive.
‘Well, if you put it that way… I guess that’s not entirely wrong.’
I let out a dry laugh.
The five bags stuffed with fairly expensive dresses were left behind at the dressing room.
Nora could sell them for money, or if she really wanted to cut ties completely, she could have them altered and sent to the Bleak family.
That was her business to deal with now.
I rode the carriage to a nearby town, switched to a different one, then again, repeating the process.
The third carriage dropped me off on purpose in a quiet, secluded area, far from the bustling streets.
Once the carriage departed and I confirmed there was no one around, I opened the large bag.
Through the gap in the bag, strands of shimmering silver hair peeked out.
“Are you okay? That must’ve been hard.”
I gently pulled Larisa out, her face pale and drawn.
She couldn’t move properly—her limbs were stiff from having curled up in there for so long.
With my help, Larisa barely managed to stretch her arms and legs and sit up.
As soon as she emerged from the bag, she covered her eyes with both hands.
Her small shoulders heaved with short, ragged breaths.
‘Oh no, it must be too bright.’
I had opened the bag beneath a large tree, hidden among the bushes to avoid being seen by passersby.
It was at least somewhat shaded.
She’d get used to the light in a little while.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now. Breathe, just breathe. Inhale deeply, then exhale.”
I deliberately breathed out loudly beside her, encouraging her to follow along.
“This place is safe. We’re in the forest, and no one else is around. Hear that soft, crunchy sound under our feet? We’re standing on a bed of old leaves.”
About five minutes later, Larisa’s breathing visibly calmed.
She slowly lowered her hands from her eyes.
Though she still couldn’t fully open them due to the light, she seemed at least somewhat calmer.
She had been trapped in that small bag for several hours, ever since dawn.
And on top of that, she was likely still sore from being struck last night, but she hadn’t made a single complaint—not even a flicker of internal resentment reached my ears.
What I heard from her thoughts was only a void—no fear, no complaints.
‘How can such a young child be this… strong?’
Heart aching, I looked down at her and quickly checked her clothes.
She was wearing something Marcia had worn when she was little.
‘I thought this was thrown out.’
Apparently, Father didn’t want to waste money buying Larisa new clothes.
But since she was still his daughter, he couldn’t dress her in peasant rags either—so he’d had Marcia’s old clothes brought down to the basement.
Once, they’d been decent, but now they were old and stained.
Out of fashion, and the sleeves were too short, exposing her thin wrists.
‘Actually, this might work out better. Dressed like this, she doesn’t look like a noble girl.’
At least, this way, she wouldn’t draw too much attention.
I took off my bonnet and placed it over Larisa’s head.
Since it was made for an adult, it completely covered her head and shaded her face.
That shade would help her eyes adjust too.
‘If only we had sunglasses or something.’
Larisa stood still like a doll, not moving an inch, just letting me dress her as I liked.
I wrapped a scarf around my own head to cover my face now that my bonnet was gone.
Then I dragged the bag Larisa had hidden in and tossed it deep into the bushes.
“Do you think you can walk?”
She nodded in response.
I carefully took her hand and held it tightly.
After walking for about an hour, a small town came into view.
According to the map I’d checked while riding the carriages, it was a small city.
And from here on out, we were in Duke Laurent’s territory—barely at the edge of it.
We’d only need to take one more carriage to reach the train station that led to the duke’s estate.
Trains were still a new invention, just starting to spread.
Out in the countryside like the Bleak family’s land, even dreaming of seeing a train was out of the question.
It would take three days to reach the duke’s mansion by carriage, but just three hours by train.
So my goal was to board that train.
‘But before that, we should eat.’
We hadn’t had anything since dawn. Same for Larisa.
Her already pale complexion was growing worse.
She’d walked for an hour on her own feet—quite the feat for a girl who had spent her entire life shut away.
I quickly scanned the area for a place we could eat.
We could buy food and eat it on a carriage, but I figured it would be good to sit down, rest, and use the restroom too.
Out of the two or three restaurants in view, I chose the one tucked away in a corner.
It was so plain and poorly signed, I almost missed it.
But since we were on the run, low visibility was exactly what we needed.
“Let’s just fill our stomachs first, no matter how it tastes.”
I led the way, opening the door to the restaurant. A little bell on the door jingled.
I held the door open, and Larisa hesitantly followed behind me.
“Welcome! Sit wherever you like!”
A woman in her mid-thirties, wiping her hands on her apron, greeted us warmly.
The restaurant was tiny, with only three tables inside. “Sit wherever you like,” really meant we had just two options.
The farthest table already had two men eating at it.
‘It would’ve been better if it were empty. Oh well.’
I quickly turned my head to avoid making eye contact with the other customers and walked over to the table furthest from them, leaving the middle one empty.
Our table leaned slightly to one side, but it was covered with a full-length tablecloth that nearly touched the floor.
The cloth was old and slightly stained, but now wasn’t the time to be picky.
“What do you want to eat?”
I asked Larisa as I sat down—though I already knew the answer.
There were only two menu items posted on a wooden board on the wall.
Still, I asked just to speak to her—to give her some sense of connection.
She had left with me, someone she barely knew, having spent nearly no time together even when we lived in the same house.
‘She must be so scared.’
From the first moment we met, Larisa hadn’t spoken a word—and still showed no sign of trying to communicate.
That just made me feel worse for her.
I didn’t think she was mute.
More likely, she simply hadn’t had any opportunities to talk, having been locked in a basement for so long. It might’ve become a habit not to speak.
Even now, I wasn’t sure if she’d heard me—she just sat there, motionless, staring at the edge of the table.
She looked like a porcelain doll left unattended.
Not to mention, her face, barely visible under the bonnet, was so beautiful that, dressed differently, she really would look like a doll.
“Then, let’s order one of each and share.”
“……”
“There’s nothing you can’t eat, right?”
“……”
Hmm. Feels like I’m talking to myself.
Still, it was a relief that she no longer flinched like she did last night whenever I moved.
The woman who took our order disappeared into the open kitchen, where I could see her cooking herself.
‘Running a small place on your own like that… It’s not a bad idea.’
Once I get Larisa safely to the duke’s estate, I’ll need to survive on my own.
If I end up opening a shop with the money from the jewel, maybe something like this—quiet, independent—would suit me.
While I thought that, I kept talking to Larisa.
“It’s roast chicken and potatoes. Sounds good, right? Hope they throw in some veggies too. Balance is important. Do you like chicken?”
“……”
Still no response.
Since I couldn’t hear any negative thoughts, at least I could assume she didn’t hate chicken.
“Let’s try to eat well while we can. I love chicken. Especially fried. Don’t you think fried is best?”
Oh right, has she ever had fried chicken?
Her meals were always brought by the nanny.
Marcia never cared enough to know what Larisa ate. All I remember is that the basement’s inner door had a small window at the bottom.
Probably used to slide in food trays.
‘Still, she’s the daughter of that house—surely her meals weren’t that bad.’
I wanted to believe that. But… how is she so skinny and small, like she’s never had a proper meal?
My eyes stung with emotion.
“I might look like I’m just running away aimlessly, but I’m not. I’ve been zigzagging, switching carriages deliberately. Our final destination is the Laurent Duchy.”
I lowered my voice and leaned in.
“There’s someone there who can save you.”
