A Third-Rate Villain Tries Her Best Today 62

Chapter 62: 

The clock had already passed ten and was nearing eleven. More than half of the initial crowd had left the ballroom. The National Founding Festival was over. There was no closing ceremony for the September Festival. Tegasa and Isti, who had been spending time with Sue, had yawned and left a while ago.

Sue saw them off at the entrance of the ballroom and went back inside. There were still people dancing energetically, but she wasn’t heading towards the dance floor or the food tables. Her navy blue shoes dragged across the floor as she walked.

Sue gently pushed open a side door leading to a terrace at the far end of the ballroom. The door opened easily, and she stepped outside cautiously. The air that greeted her wasn’t the artificially fresh air of the ballroom, but the slightly stale, authentic air of Löhn.

Sue blinked a few times. Unlike the brightly lit ballroom, it was pitch black outside. The chirping of insects, faint but persistent, lingered even though summer was over.

She had wanted to dance one last time, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. She had come to the terrace, hoping to savor the lingering atmosphere of the National Founding Festival. And the secluded terrace at the far end of the ballroom was perfect for relaxing, as hardly anyone came here.

Sue locked the terrace door and drew the curtains. She checked several times to make sure it was properly closed, then kicked off her shoes. The cold marble floor sent a chill through her bare feet. She took off her long gloves and placed them on the floor. The wounds on her arms weren’t visible, thanks to the makeup or perhaps the darkness, but the pain was still there.

“Sigh…”

She leaned against the terrace door and sighed, trying to focus her hazy mind. Then, she took off her mask.

And by the time she realized it was a mistake, it was already too late.

“What are you doing?”

She froze at the sound of a curt voice beside her.

Was there someone here?

Was it because her mind was clouded with pain? She had been so focused on the people inside and outside the ballroom that she hadn’t even bothered to look around the terrace. The curtains had been open, and she was the only one who would come to this secluded balcony.

Sue turned her head stiffly and saw a figure leaning against the corner of the balcony. He seemed to be wearing a mask, but she couldn’t see any other features. The curtains blocked the light from the ballroom, so she couldn’t see him clearly, and he probably couldn’t see her either. And in that uncertain space, the only thing that was certain was that Sue didn’t realize she had taken off her mask until their eyes met.

“…!”

She hurriedly brought the mask to her face. She didn’t want to ruin the enjoyable party by showing her face. But the curt voice didn’t seem to care.

“If you took it off because it was stuffy, you can leave it off. We can’t see each other anyway.”

“……”

Sue glanced at the thick darkness of the night sky, feeling uneasy. Strangely, there weren’t any stars visible.

The sounds of merrymaking still drifted from beyond the terrace door. But it was quiet here. She felt a twinge of discomfort at the dry, scabbed feeling of her lips.

Her racing heart gradually calmed down. Sue chuckled and placed the mask on the floor.

He can’t see me in the dark, and it’s too late anyway.

She had let her guard down.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence stretched on for minutes. Sue, hiding her embarrassment, glanced at the boy. But she still couldn’t see him clearly. Who is he? She had no idea. His voice didn’t even sound familiar.

‘But it doesn’t feel unfamiliar either.’

Maybe he’s from my class? Or the same year? She thought it was possible, considering they had been at the academy together for years.

Sue broke the silence awkwardly.

“Why are you here?”

She asked, leaning against the door, looking up at the starless sky. But there was no answer, and she chuckled sheepishly.

“I came out here to rest. It’s my first time on the terrace behind the ballroom.”

She muttered, as if to herself. ‘Sue’, in her memories, had always tried to stand out or make Enzhe the center of attention. There was no way she would know about this secluded place.

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s quiet.”

She hadn’t expected a reply, but for some reason, he answered this time. Sue, delighted, responded immediately. The boy stood up and walked over to the railing. She could only see his back.

“There are… people…”

“Huh?”

She couldn’t hear him clearly, so she asked again. But he didn’t seem inclined to repeat himself. Sue didn’t press him. But she was curious about what he was looking at, so she stood up. She walked over to the railing, a short distance away from him, her body heavy.

She glanced at him, and he was still looking straight ahead. He was almost completely swallowed by the darkness, but that’s how it seemed.

Sue followed his gaze. This was the balcony at the back of the ballroom, not the front, so the only light came from the crescent moon in the sky. There were supposed to be flower beds lined up neatly, but they were barely visible in the darkness. The thick darkness, separating them completely from the ballroom, made her feel both relaxed and strangely detached.

“Not many people come here.”

“Huh?”

His curt voice was clear this time. Sue asked again, thinking she had misheard.

“I said, not many people come here. Except for you, I guess.”

Sue chuckled awkwardly.

“Haha… Am I annoying you?”

The boy scoffed.

“Hardly.”

His cold words felt genuine. It wasn’t a considerate remark, but a blunt statement that she wasn’t worth the effort.

I’m not even worth getting annoyed at… Whatever. Sue couldn’t suppress a chuckle. The chirping of insects sounded pleasant in the silence.

“It’s nice that I can’t see anything.”

She realized that even the moon was hidden behind the clouds. Sue stood on her tiptoes.

“It was really fun.”

“What was?”

She turned her head, and the masked boy was looking out towards the garden, his chin resting on his hand. Sue replied,

“The National Founding Festival, the September Festival. It was fun. Really.”

Except for the strange incident in the middle.

…No, let’s just say that was fun too.

She had been able to talk to many people, after all.

But the boy didn’t seem to agree.

“Is that so?”

Sue laughed sheepishly at his negative response.

“Haha… It’s good, isn’t it? It’s fun. I can forget about the pain. No one knows me. And I can celebrate…”

“Celebrate? …Ah, you mean that thing you did earlier.”

The boy’s voice interrupted her as she was listing the things she had enjoyed.

“Huh? No, not that.”

He seemed to be referring to Enzhe and Fritz’s love show, but Sue shook her head.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Sue smiled slyly and looked up at the unknown boy. But he was still looking straight ahead, as if he didn’t care. She was grateful for his indifference and continued,

“There’s something to celebrate.”

Silence fell again as he didn’t answer.

It was natural for there to be awkward silences between strangers. But for some reason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity in the awkwardness.

“Is it a good thing that they don’t know me?”

The boy’s voice, breaking the silence, finally reached her ears. Was he thinking about what she had said earlier? She answered instinctively,

“Of course. Everyone can laugh and talk.”

Like me, for example.

The boy chuckled this time.

“That’s because it’s a masquerade ball.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s how it is.”

“Haha.”

Their pointless conversation continued. Sue felt a sense of satisfaction in the awkward yet comfortable exchange with the curt boy in the silent night. She gripped the railing with both hands.

“But someday, we’ll be able to have fun even without masks, right?”

She turned her head and looked straight ahead.

Her bare feet were cold. Her arms ached. But she welcomed the breeze. Her messy, red hair fluttered in the wind. It’s finally getting cooler. The cold air stung her wounds, but she could smile.

It had been half a year since she had become Sue. It had taken her three days to realize that the only good thing about it was that her family was rich. A week to start missing her vague past life. Half a year of trying to survive, only to be met with frustration. But she realized, sometimes, that she could still be happy.

If she could somehow avoid the death ending in three years, when the story ended, maybe she would be able to smile even without a mask.

Yes.

Let’s not worry about ‘maybe’.

“…Just like now, at least.”

She tightened her grip on the railing.

She imagined the flowers in the invisible flower bed beyond the balcony and said to herself,

Happy birthday, Sue.