The Bad Ending of an Otome

Even if not as frequently as Ophelia or Raretis, I thought I saw Cassio and Edmund at the Marquis’s house quite frequently, but there was so much I didn’t know. 

It was skimmed over in the game, and the only stories that gathered were about Ophelia. 

Edmund Gloucester, despite zealously following Ophelia, hardly ever spoke of himself. 

Cassio was comparable in that regard…

“I don’t want to sympathize with Sir Edmund, though.”

I believe he had a deficit that caused him to follow Ophelia pathologically. 

But there is nothing that can be done about it. 

Did he notice any parallels between his mother and Ophelia? 

Is it possible that he projected his mother onto Ophelia? 

Cassio gave an enigmatic smile.

“I thought Lady Emilia would think that way.”

“I don’t think he’s the kind of person who would want my sympathy, to begin with.”

“…Well, who knows.”

It was ridiculous. 

I was taken aback by the reaction of someone who had witnessed Edmund Gloucester and myself fighting. 

Wouldn’t he burst out laughing if I claimed I sympathized with him? 

When it comes to going too far… 

Of course, Elodie’s situation may be different.

“In any case, since there is a precedent, I would advise Lady Emilia to be careful if she ever meets Sir Edmund.”

“I know my life is precious too.”

Yes. 

Edmund Gloucester’s rotten nature and the tragedy of a ruined family are two distinct things. 

But there was a lingering uneasiness, like some thick residue caught in my throat after drinking something. 

I attempt to ignore it, but I am reminded of its presence every time I swallow. 

That’s the game. 

In the game, happy endings were uncommon. 

The game helped me experience how Elodie was emphasized, cherished, and destroyed in Ophelia’s shadow.

Everyone joked that Ophelia would leave ‘when it was nice.’ 

People would not have watched Ophelia so closely if she had aged more and lost her attractiveness. 

She left at her most lovely, tying the living to the shadow of the dead.

But why is this so? 

Even with the Marquis’s house as a backdrop, why would those who couldn’t stand up to the live Ophelia bow down to Elodie? 

Even though Edmund Gloucester displayed unusual symptoms following Ophelia’s death, he refused to admit it… 

It has not yet occurred. 

But there’s no cause to rejoice.

* * *

“Lately, it seems like eloping in the middle of the night has become quite the trend in the capital,” Countess Lana said quietly. 

The young ladies gathering around her responded with surprised exclamations. 

It was a comfortable outside garden tea party, perfect for the warm weather. 

Tables and chairs were set up in the Marquis’s house’s expansive garden. 

The carefully groomed garden, which had been newly irrigated by the rain two days before, was lovely and luscious.

The Windrose Marquis’s mansion and garden were well-known for their beauty, but access was restricted owing to concerns for his ailing daughter, making it an unrealistic ideal for many. 

This was especially true following Ophelia’s death and Marchioness Windrose’s isolation.

But all of that was in the past. 

The mansion has changed dramatically since Elodie was accepted into the Marquis’s home. 

Bright flowers were strewn about, and dusty antique furniture was pulled out of storage. 

Elodie had invited each of the young girls sat in the mansion.

Elodie could now send invites in her own name after making her formal debut. 

Of course, she had to keep the Marchioness, the chaperone and mistress of the home, in mind, but the Marchioness was incredibly gracious. 

Today’s gathering, under her charitable arrangement, was likewise a change of pace, given the beautiful weather and the presence of young girls of similar ages.

Elodie, who was sitting peacefully among the crowd, had long eyelashes. 

She appeared like a true fairy of the forest, dressed in an off-the-shoulder light green dress that displayed her arms and seated amid the green garden. 

Countess Lana was the most popular young lady, well-versed in famous novels and gossip.

“Recall that on the day of the debutante ball, the commoners held a festival to imitate it. Can you believe it, the capital was absolutely buzzing with excitement?”

Lana made an amazed motion with her neck. 

Although it appeared strange for a vivacious young lady, barely twenty, to make such a gesture, everyone assembled here was the same age. 

Because the majority of them were debutantes, significant issues were taxing.

“On that day, so many men and women eloped because they fell in love at first sight. I even had a maid, Mary, who was so dependable that I begged her to stay during the social season. But she went out that night, and she’s been radically different since.”

Courtship affairs, i.e., adulteries of married men and women, and mistresses are widespread in high society. Still, such things are not acceptable for unmarried men and women, especially romances with major social rank gaps. 

That’s why these young ladies were fascinated by the concept of ‘love at first sight and eloping.’

“How did she change?”

“She’s riveted to the mirror every day, and she makes more errors at work… Oh my goodness. She later informed another maid with whom she shared a room that the man she met that night was incredibly kind and proposed to her! It’s incredible. How can you get to know someone in one night? Anyway, he stated he’d find them a place to live immediately away and begged her to quit her work and accompany him. I persuaded her to stay for a few more months and even offered to boost her compensation, but she simply up and left one day.”

“My goodness, you just let her go?”

“What could I possibly do? She had a ‘my time has come’ expression on her face. But this isn’t something that happened simply in our home.”

Lana lit her eyes profoundly and reached into her pocket for a small notebook-like volume. 

The debutante ball had almost been a month ago. 

Meanwhile, this book has been selling like hotcakes in the capital.

The film’s working title was ‘Amy and Polita.’ 

The plot was straightforward. 

Amy, who had worked as a youngster in a noble house. 

Every day was difficult for Amy because of Miss Lily, who was her age but had a lot of vanity and jealously for Amy’s appearance, continuously tormenting her. 

Amy, an idiot who couldn’t bring herself to approach men she liked because she’d been taught too many times that the wrong man would ruin her life. 

On the last day of May, she attends a street celebration known as ‘the night when love comes true,’ and there she meets her fate.

That was the plot. 

She meets an attractive and charming man with a story by chance at the festival. 

The man begs her to run away with him, but Amy hesitates and refuses, claiming that she can’t just follow someone she just met. 

Amy learns the next day that Miss Lily’s fiancé has been chosen. 

It was, surprisingly, the man Amy had met the day before!

The story progresses in this manner, culminating in Amy and the man eloping hand in hand. 

Thought to be a commoner, the man was actually the illegitimate child of a nobleman and might become the adopted son of a nobleman in the absence of an heir, officially acquiring the family name. 

That extension included his engagement to Miss Lily. 

However, the man chooses to forego all his chances for happiness with Amy in a happy ending. 

The young ladies’ voices became louder as they pretended not to know but were aware of the book’s existence.

“One of our maids also vanished. It was a surprise because she was always so well-behaved.”

“Such a trend in the capital, unbelievable…”

“With the social season in full swing, the capital is bursting at the seams. It is impossible to find someone who has decided to conceal. That’s why they’re probably running away unconcerned.”

“In some ways, commoners have it easier. I wish I could roam about freely without having to worry about family and other obligations.”

“But do you think it ends well?”

Baroness Cyclamen spoke fiercely, her reddish-brown hair pushed up.

“It’s better to meet someone with mutual interests. What do you know about the other person to discard everything? At first glance, it may appear enticing. The adults are correct. What if the person is a con artist? If you flee and then wish to return, you can’t.”

“But isn’t it romantic? To go somewhere where only the two of you can be.”

“It’s just a novel!”

“What do you think, Lady Elodie?”

All eyes were drawn to one side at once. 

Elodie gave an uneasy smile.

“I think they’re brave people.”

“What if a gentleman appeared who was willing to sacrifice everything for Lady Elodie? How would you respond?”

“Well, I…”

Elodie paused.

“Indeed, with Lady Elodie’s charm, any gentleman might beg to leave everything behind for her.”

“Well, thanks to everyone’s assistance, I’m here now. It would be impolite to depart without appropriately repaying that courtesy.”

“After all, Lady Elodie already has the ideal prince. She has no incentive to seek elsewhere.”

“How enviable.”

Elodie just smiled silently.

“From the novel, I like this line: ‘Amy, oh my Amy! Only you can save me from this never-ending torment. Without you, the entire world is hell on earth for me. ‘Please deliver me from this despair.’”

Despair. 

Elodie gently smiled at her friends engaged in the novel, like a nice, compassionate, and lovely young girl like ‘Elodie’ would. 

In reality, Elodie despised such insignificant tea parties. 

The young girls’ chatting, like small birds, was annoying. 

She was sick of hearing their petty love stories. 

Those who spoke about love as if it were the most important thing in the world seemed silly to her.

Can the love of a good guy truly save the world? 

Is ‘hell’ such a simple phrase to use? 

Elodie took satisfaction in always making the best decisions. 

Her grandma, who raised her, had died. 

Their already destitute home was left with nothing after her funeral. 

Elodie had no relatives or possessions to keep her safe.

She just made it to the city to avoid the predatory attempts of the lecherous Count Hawthorn, who had long had his sights on the exceptionally attractive Elodie. 

She smiled like a flower at the people who summoned her to rural gatherings. 

When Marchioness Windrose heard about Elodie and issued her an invitation, it was almost miraculous. 

It was a blessing to be welcomed and cared for as if she were her own kid. 

She might have been compelled to marry an old aristocrat as a secondary wife otherwise.

The open courtship of Edmund Gloucester was more unsettling than welcoming. 

Raretis’ escort served as a lifeline as well as a shield. 

It was a comfort when the Marchioness asked Raretis to look after Elodie because she didn’t trust anybody else.

Given her fantastic attractiveness, many misunderstood her for being gentle and nice to everyone. 

Elodie, on the other hand, was not a fool. 

She was not a gullible child. 

She was well aware that everyone perceived her as a ‘Ophelia.’ 

She was so similar to Ophelia that the first time she saw her portrait, she thought she was staring at her twin. 

Elodie felt reassured after discovering this, knowing that the Marchioness would not desert her.

Elodie, on the other hand, was unsure.

While everyone else was caring for her as they would for Ophelia, Raretis’ demeanor was kind but lackluster. 

She believed it was feasible. 

She quickly realized, however, that she had made a mistake.

Emilia came along later. 

No one could disregard Elodie in that way, whether he was a man or a woman, young or elderly. 

In Elodie’s presence, even the usually ill-tempered elderly calmed their voices. 

If she was rebuffed once or again, a third-person approach would eventually break down their resistance. 

Any initial opposition was really a defense against their future selves, who would inevitably soften.

Emilia, on the other hand, was unique. 

Some people whispered:

“Even so, it seems Lady Emilia doesn’t like Lady Elodie.”

“It’s her, not anyone else. They couldn’t have been that close even if they were sisters.”

“If Lady Emilia approves of her, then truly, there wouldn’t be anyone else for Lady Elodie to worry about.”

Her eyes were unique. 

Neither Raretis’ nor Cassio’s. 

What was different this time? 

There was a strong sensation of alienation. 

That’s right. 

Those were eyes she’d never seen in her dreams. 

Elodie could never admit to anyone that she witnessed hell in her dreams. 

She had never idea what these dreams represented before.

There were some quiet moments. 

It was peaceful enough for her to think it wouldn’t be that horrible if it continued. 

But only for a fleeting moment. 

Disaster was unavoidable. 

People who whispered love one moment and rolled their eyes the next.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Numerous questions lingered in her mind.