A Third-Rate Villain Tries Her Best Today 144

Chapter 144: Song of Stars and Starlight

The room the servant led them to wasn’t an infirmary, it was more like a private bedroom. Acrea laid Sue on the bed and dismissed the Imperial servants. He then silently watched Sue, who was writhing in pain, until Ten arrived.

Sue was unconscious, but she could still feel the pain. That was the curse. And it was much stronger than usual. So strong that she didn’t even register Acrea’s presence.

“Miss!”

Ten and Nine, having received the news, rushed into the room.

“Ah, um… We’ll take care of the Miss now.”

Nine, noticing Acrea standing there like a statue, tried to shoo him away, but he wouldn’t budge.

“I’ll stay here quietly, you tend to Byron.”

It was Woo Acrea’s order, so they had to obey.

Ten and Nine reluctantly started administering first aid in front of him. They removed Sue’s outer garments and corset, then poured a potion into her mouth.

‘To think she would trigger the curse at the Imperial Ball. What a troublesome young lady.’

Ten clicked her tongue, her face grim. Acrea, who had been watching them from the wall, suddenly asked,

“Is Byron always this frail?”

Ten thought for a moment about how to answer.

“…Yes, the Miss has seizures from time to time.”

She wasn’t lying. She just didn’t mention the cause of the seizures. It was one of the tactics she had learned from her mistress.

“What’s the diagnosis?”

“It’s a rare disease. It doesn’t even have a name yet…”

“I see.”

Acrea nodded, as if he understood. He watched Sue’s seizure for a while, then left the room, muttering something under his breath.

“That must be painful.”

***

She had a long dream.

She was still young, but she was always bedridden. Diagnosed with an incurable disease, she lived each day waiting for death. Life had no meaning for her.

Her family and friends gradually left her side. No one liked a living corpse, nothing but skin and bones. She felt a serene despair, hoping that she would disappear along with the winter.

And then one day, she suddenly felt a sense of suffocation. She didn’t know what kind of suffocation it was. Perhaps she had indigestion, or perhaps it was just hard to breathe, or perhaps it was something else.

She happened to look out the hospital window and saw the magnificent sight of the morning sun rising in the sky. The sun timidly peeked over the horizon, then rose higher and higher, until it reached a place where she couldn’t even look at it directly.

It was winter. Her breath formed frosty clouds in the air, but she opened the window and took in the view.

The bare trees, the frozen fountain, the thick snow, the snowman that had been built overnight, the three-peaked mountain, the clouds drifting endlessly.

She was discharged from the hospital after seeing all that. From that day on, she wanted to alleviate even just one of the countless feelings of suffocation she had been feeling.

She went home, but no one was there to greet her. Her family had already moved. But surprisingly, her belongings were still in her room.

She opened the two boxes that were left. One box contained a few small clothes, and the other box contained books she had read as a child.

As she took out the items one by one, she reminisced about her childhood, and tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that her entire life had only amounted to two boxes of memories.

She started to empty the boxes, and she finally reached the book at the very bottom. The moment she saw the cover, she remembered the story. It was her favorite book as a child.

She had talked about this book with her friends every day, arguing about who they liked and disliked.

…Come to think of it, maybe she hadn’t liked the book itself, but rather, the conversations she had had with her friends about it.

They were all gone now, but those memories remained inside her. They weren’t fake.

***

The beautiful melody in her ears felt like an auditory hallucination, a dream. Like a mermaid singing from the depths of the sea.

Sue opened her eyes. She didn’t know where she was, but she was surrounded by darkness. She slowly sat up and assessed the situation.

Her pink dress, which she had spent hours fitting with Elizabeth, was gone, replaced by comfortable everyday clothes, and all her jewelry had been removed.

She felt strangely refreshed, both physically and mentally. Usually, after the curse was triggered, she would be exhausted and unable to move for a while. Sue moved her arms and legs, checking her body again.

And then, she heard singing coming from outside. It was a beautiful voice. Sue, listening to the song, was mesmerized, and she realized who the singer was.

‘It’s Halo’s voice.’

The more she listened, the more certain she became.

Halo was singing.

She didn’t know why, how, or for what purpose she was singing. But she was a good singer, just as described in the novel. Good enough to even move Sue Byron.

She was about to turn around when she froze.

“…Master Acrea?”

She whispered his name. Her eyes, adjusting to the darkness, had finally spotted him. Acrea was sitting next to the bed, his arms crossed, asleep.

Come to think of it, she didn’t remember how she had gotten here after collapsing in the middle of the ballroom.

Had Acrea brought her here? It seemed like she had been helped by him again.

Sue stared at him blankly in the darkness. He was still a handsome man, even in the dark.

Should she let him sleep?

She carefully got out of bed and opened the door. She came face to face with Ten and Nine, who were guarding the door.

“M-Miss! Are you alright?”

“Yes, what happened to me?”

Nine told her everything that had happened since she had collapsed.

‘Why did Enzhe trigger the curse on a day like this…?’

It wasn’t unexpected, but she was afraid that her suspicion would turn into certainty, and certainty into truth. So Sue quickly shook her head.

This place was apparently a guest room on the upper floor of the ballroom. Sue looked around the long corridor and spotted a small terrace at the end.

It wasn’t far from the room, so Sue excused herself and walked towards the terrace alone.

The cold marble floor sent chills through her bare feet.

She stepped out onto the terrace, and the singing became even clearer. It was a dark night. She looked up at the stars, then closed her eyes and listened to Soran Halo’s sweet voice.

Silence returned as the song ended. Insects outside the window started singing in Halo’s place.

“Byron.”

A gentle voice called out her name as she leaned against the railing. Sue knew it was Acrea.

“Master Acrea, you’re awake.”

Sue greeted him politely, despite her disheveled appearance.

“I was surprised to find you gone when I woke up.”

He wasn’t wearing his usual emotionless smile, he just stated the truth, his face blank.

“I’m sorry. You were by my side, but I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“So you just disappeared without saying anything?”

His gentle tone had a sharp edge to it. But Sue couldn’t analyze his every word and tone.

“I heard singing. I wanted to hear it closer…”

“Singing?”

“Yes, it’s stopped now, but Soran Halo was singing. Didn’t you hear it?”

“Soran Halo… The special recruit?”

“Yes!”

“I didn’t hear it.”

Her hopeful eyes filled with disappointment. She had wanted to see how the Acrea in the novel had been moved.

“Are you feeling better?”

Acrea asked, breaking the short silence.

“Yes, I feel refreshed. Thank you for helping me, Master Acrea. You’ve helped me again.”

“Well… I owe you a debt.”

Acrea smiled and stood next to her. His usual emotionless smile was back on his face.

“Hehe, but you’ve helped me much more, Master Acrea.”

He was a practical man, so he might be thinking of the time she had used him during the September Festival and the Damon Keron incident as major debts.

They were major debts, but…

Acrea was doing more than that. Most of it was due to coincidence, but it had helped her.

So at some point, Sue had even started to feel comfortable around Woo Acrea, the boy she had thought was untouchable. It was ridiculous.

They stood on the terrace for a while, enjoying the view of the Imperial Palace.

“You’ve been to the Imperial Palace many times, haven’t you, Master Acrea?”

“Not many.”

“Haha, you’re still amazing.”

A short silence fell. It was Acrea who broke it. He said calmly,

“Byron, you said you’ve been helped a lot by me.”

“Yes, of course. I’m always being helped.”

“Then you owe me a debt.”

Sue’s shoulders stiffened at his provocative words. She forced a smile.

“O-of course. I always try to listen to you, Master Acrea.”

“Hmm…”