IMTVD| Chapter 9

Episode 9

Emilia had already guessed Casper wouldn’t be so generous as to offer her a carriage ride to the station.

Her suitcase felt heavier the longer she carried it, but she’d been prepared for that too. So she kept walking steadily

toward the train station.

“The sky’s so clear, but my heart feels heavy.”

If the sky had been full of dark clouds to match her mood, it might’ve been a bit of comfort—but no, it was bright and

cloudless.

Now that the “villainess” was finally accepting her end and leaving, the main characters left behind would live happily

ever after.

The sky, just like always, refused to side with her. Emilia smirked.

“Everyone else is smiling. There’s no rule that says I can’t smile too.”

All around her, people on the streets were laughing—parents and children, lovers, friends—each with their own

reason to be happy. The capital was alive and full of energy.

It made the Hermanns and the rest of the noble faction seem all the more rotten for trying to ruin such a sight.

And it made her realize she wasn’t much different from them—she’d resented seeing people happy when she herself

was not.

Well… Beaty wasn’t entirely wrong.

Since landing in this world, Emilia had been forced to adapt to survive here.

One thing she’d learned in that process was that nobles valued their honor above even their lives. There were

exceptions, sure—but none of them would simply tolerate losing face. To them, honor was trust itself.

Which meant she’d been nothing but a stain on the Casper name. The daughter of the noble faction’s leader as the

lady of the emperor faction’s head house? It was absurd.

A stain.

Her chest felt heavy. She’d never imagined she’d hear that word so often in her life.

Other reincarnated heroines adapted, changed their fates, and ended up happy. Emilia hadn’t achieved anything,

hadn’t changed anything.

She was exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally.

I really did love him.

As she walked, the same face kept popping into her mind, and her eyes stung with tears.

She had truly loved him.

In her bleak life, he’d been like a ray of light—so warm that she’d never wanted to leave his side.

The first and last kindness she’d ever felt in this world. That one moment of warmth had been exactly what she’d

needed, and so she’d clung to it desperately.

Edwin Casper.

You were my only light.

She’d loved him, and she’d wanted to stay with him forever. But if she stayed, he’d never be with the one he truly

loved in the original story.

And even if she managed to remain by his side, it would only be temporary—until the day he dirtied his hands with

her blood.

She didn’t want to put him through that pain. And she didn’t want to die by his hand.

Being abandoned by the one you love was bad enough—being killed by them would be unbearable.

If it was going to be like this, why did you make me Emilia?

She blamed God. Why make her Emilia of all people? If she’d been Princess Diana, Edwin’s love could have been hers

completely.

She’d never been the type to envy others—but now there was one person she envied deeply.

Someone who could have what she never could.

Diana.

“…Alright. Forget it all.”

She decided—she would forget everything.

He was someone she could never have anyway. She’d been greedy to the end, sure—greedy like anyone might be.

She’d tried her best, just like she had for the Hermann family, but in the end, she hadn’t gotten the one thing she

truly wanted.

Now it was over.

Once she walked away from that house, her place there was gone. She would forget it all.

It wouldn’t happen right away, but in time, she would forget.

And then fate decided to play a joke on her.

Edwin?

The station wasn’t far now. Once she boarded the train, she’d be gone from here for good. But right then, she spotted

a familiar carriage from the Casper estate.

She stopped without thinking, eyes drawn to it—drawn to the man inside, with black hair like midnight and eyes just

as dark.

Her heart lurched.

It was his expression that stunned her—he looked at her as though he’d just seen something he never should have.

Why… why are you looking at me like that?

And then

“Wait! Hold on!”

She froze.

Edwin had leapt from the moving carriage and was running toward her.

For a moment, she almost ran to him—horrified at the thought of him hurting himself like that. She’d been ready to

scold him for being reckless.

But then she stopped. She didn’t have the right.

When she saw him charging toward her, instinct took over—she turned and ran.

“Emilia!”

He shouted after her, but she kept going.

If she stopped now, if he caught her, what would happen? The Edwin she knew wouldn’t care if she left.

Diana was different. She never let go of what was hers. And even if it had been for just a moment, Emilia had “stolen”

Edwin. Diana would never forgive that.

If she’d been the forgiving type, she never would have approached a married man—or shown Emilia such open

hostility.

No, Edwin must have been chasing her to hand her over to Diana. To give her revenge.

And Emilia didn’t want to see them happy together. She certainly didn’t want to die because of them.

So she ran. It was the only way to live.

Edwin… Edwin Casper…

When she was finally out of sight, she hid and watched him.

He looked… relieved. The aide beside him looked uneasy.

Instead of heading back to the carriage, they went to a flower shop. Edwin’s face there was brighter than she’d ever

seen it.

Emilia sank down against the wall.

So you can make an expression like that.

She’d never seen it once during their marriage.

She buried her face in her arms and cried quietly.

She’d wanted to leave without running into him. She’d been afraid seeing his face would make her long for him again.

But now… now she only felt bitter. Bitter that he could smile like that for another woman.

“You’ll forget me.”

Then I’ll forget you too.

She wiped her tears on her sleeve. The marks stayed, drawing glances from passersby, but she ignored them and

headed for the ticket counter.

“One ticket to Grand Forest, standard class.”

A remote region on the empire’s border—so far that she’d never risk running into Edwin again.

It had been one of her contingency plans, in case the story played out like the original. She’d hoped never to use it.

But here she was, boarding the train to leave the capital for good.

As the train pulled out, she bit her lip and promised herself she’d never come back.

“Hm.”

She didn’t know how many hours had passed. The train was emptier now—few people traveled all the way to Grand

Forest.

That was exactly why she was going. No one would come looking for her there. She even felt a strange kinship with

the place, isolated as it was—just like her.

There’d be no way for rumors about her to make it back to the capital.

I can finally shed the name Hermann.

It had followed her like a curse ever since she’d arrived in this world.

Now, she could start fresh. Live a life where she wasn’t instantly branded a villainess just for her name.

Still… there was a twinge of sadness. Not because she wanted to cling to the Hermann name, but because losing it

meant severing the last tie she had to Edwin.

But the train was already far from the capital. Holding on now would just make her a fool. The thought made her

laugh.

From now on, my name’s Amy.

No title, no noble family—just Amy.

She liked the sound of it. Smiling faintly, she turned to watch the sunrise as the train reached its destination.

She picked up her suitcase, ready to step off and start her new life and shivered.

The windows and doors were shut, yet an icy chill slid over her skin.

She glanced around. Nothing seemed out of place.

But somewhere in the carriage, a man with a fedora pulled low over his face was smiling… right at her.