I’ll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History

“This is my brother’s last wish. …to be cremated.”

Eh, Cremation? 

I was surprised at the unexpected word. He continued.

“He wants to leave this world without a trace.”

…It certainly seemed like what Uncle Will would do.

I had never imagined that he would disappear from this world. I still didn’t have a single memento of him.

The King murmured in a small voice, “Derek, please.”

Eric-sama’s father’s name Derek-sama, the Fire Lord of the Hudson family, nodded his face and looked straight at the King and answered, “Yes”.

Wait… Wait, my heart was not ready yet.

I remained frozen, staring at the coffin.

My body, you have to move! It was now or never! 

Derek-sama stepped toward what he thought was the foot of Uncle Will. He then slowly touched the coffin.

“Please, may you rest in peace.”

Derek-sama said, then quickly closed his eyes and slowly began to burn the coffin.

At that moment, I was running forward. Ignoring Duke-sama’s voice saying “Alicia!”, I passed by Gilles and headed for Uncle Will.

I stared into Uncle Will’s face as he stood in front of the coffin. I instantly crumpled to the spot.

I couldn’t help but hug Uncle Will, even though I knew it was unbecoming and uncommon. I was probably the only one acting like a child in all of this.

The coffin was getting hotter and hotter.

“Damn, Alicia’s magic is too strong that the spell will be broken.”

Duke-sama said something, but I didn’t grasp exactly what he said. All I knew was that everyone was aware of my presence.

Since the King saw me like this, I was surely committing a felony. Still, I wanted to hold Uncle Will in my arms one last time, because I didn’t care.

Uncle Will had become surprisingly thin and cold.

Duke-sama rushed to me and tried to pull me off the body.

“Alicia, look out!”

I didn’t listen to Duke-sama’s words and didn’t move away from the heated coffin.

I found myself sobbing like a child. My brain and heart did not properly work together. I had never thought that the death of a loved one could be so disorienting.

I thought I had made up my mind in that field of flowers that I would never cry again…

I first met Uncle Will when I was eight years old, and he was a huge part of changing my life.

“Please, don’t go.”

It was like I wasn’t the usual me. When I saw the body, my grief came flooding in. I didn’t know how to deal with the bitterness in front of me, and I would say the words as I thought them.

In front of Uncle Will, I was still an immature little girl.

I knew that the fire magic to cremate the body could not be interrupted once it was cast.

The moment Duke-sama clicked his tongue lightly, I suddenly felt no heat.

It must be the water magic. I felt that Duke-sama had saved me again, and I was pulled from Uncle Will’s body by Duke-sama’s power.

I cried like a little child. I felt no shame, I just screamed at Uncle Will, who had stopped moving.

“Uncle…. Will…! There were still so many things…so many things I wanted to be taught.”

I had not said a proper goodbye to him before his death.

I only met him in a flower garden, in a fantasy. …The real Uncle Will was emaciated and weak.

Even in his death makeup, you could tell how desperately he lived through this world and battled his illness until the moment his life disappeared.

It was a stark reminder that reality could be so cruel.

“Don’t disappear.”

My words were not answered, and he was set ablaze by Derek-sama’s magic. The fire magic enveloped him and he gently disappeared, emitting light.

At that moment, a small, bright red light turned into a single bird and flew through the air.

“…Phoenix.”

I heard Gilles’ weak voice. I was probably too tired from crying to speak clearly.

The beautiful bird flapped its wings vigorously into the sky and disappeared.