The Reincarnated Villainess Waits Patiently For The Afterstory

8 - Eloping Princess

Four hours later

The north garden is the morning garden. It's quite small, but beautiful none the less, and hydrangea of all shapes and colors adorn its paths.

In the middle is a small fountain, and this is where everything is going to come down for me and Delia. The reason I chose the north garden, is because Beatrix' mansion specifically can't see it.

I can't have her ruin the rest of the plan.

It doesn't take long before Maximillian appears, holding Delia's hand tightly.

Delia's eyes are all swollen, but she looks cutely determined... but I've already made up my mind. It's time to put and end to this, and clear up this blinded love properly. To take control of my own life again.

It's time to put on my best Beatrix performance...

"Are you still crying?"

Delia's determination deflates at my cold mocking words.

"Eh?"

Of course it does. She wasn't expecting such words of abuse from me. And neither was Maximillian, that immediately looks like he's about to fly off the handle.

"I can't believe, that you're still trying to make this work, after how the last three weeks have gone, Delia. I thought you'd realize now that we aren't meant for each other."

Maximillian looks utterly confused, and Delia... Delia looks like she thinks someone replaced me, and she's trying to figure out where the real one has gone. 

I agree.

This isn't like me. 

To be honest it's pathetic. I could just let her down normally... but... I thought about it. Between telling Delia everything, and telling her that she just isn't suited to be queen, that in the end I won't be able to love her, and that I had agreed to Beatrix's scheme, this is better.

As pathetic as it makes me, I want this to end happily, so that whenever I see her in court in the future, my heart will feel no regret.

Delia's point of view

What is going on?

This isn't the Clovis I know.

"You could have any man you want, but your eyes landed on me, who is already happily engaged."

That's... that's not what happened...

Is it?

"If you had just looked a bit to the side, you would have seen that idiot there, come running to your side with every fiber of his being, willing to give up everything to make you happy."

Eh?

I look up to Maximillian, who looks at Clovis with shock. He doesn't know what's going on.

I look to Clovis. The air around him is different, he feels more like Beatrix now... scary.

But, what is he saying? Is he saying he never loved me? I can't help but to think back on the sweet words we had shared together, the joy when we finally won over Beatrix.