The Perfect Plan for a Fairy-Tale Ending

Chapter 3

I recalled my other life, in which I had gazed down countless times at my beloved niece Seoyeon. She was like my own daughter. I read her this story all too frequently, along with an endless amount of other picture books.

But I’m sure no one has ever read Larissa a fairy tale… What thoughts were going through her head while she was being beaten and brutalized, day after day for years on end? Was she waiting for the hero who would one day save her? Wait… Does she even have the wherewithal to imagine romance?

The story failed to detail the mind of its abused heroine, instead gushing over her splendid looks and the inconceivable worth of her tears. In the end, she had simply been whisked off by a dashing prince. Despite being the main character, she’d barely had any presence of her own. She only spoke one line, and every night, she looked toward the night sky and prayed for someone to rescue her.

But this cellar of a room doesn’t even have a window to look out of… I gloomily took a roll of bandages from the chest and handed it to Holly.

She looked surprised. “You don’t need to do this, my lady.”

“I want to help.”

“There is no need. I’ve always done this myself. You do not have to sully your hands.”

“Sully my hands?” That little girl is also a lady of this house…

I narrowed my eyes, but the nurse didn’t notice. She put down the ointment and bandages. “I must ask you to return to your room, Lady Marcia. You are not well, and your father has been quite concerned. I shall be to blame if you remain here.” She led me out of the room and promptly shut the door in my face.

I wouldn’t have been much help if I’d stayed, anyway, so I slowly climbed back up the stairs. My whole body ached and groaned in response. First, I need to get better. Then, I’ll be able to run away or whatever else I need to do…

Suddenly, I heard a commotion as I walked up the main stairs. I narrowed my eyes once more. Two maids were busy gossiping as they walked in my direction, pushing a cart piled high with firewood. After a moment, they spotted me.

“Oh…! M-my lady…!”

“Lady Marcia…!”

They both grew pale and immediately swept their hands together, bowing their heads low.

Marcia normally treated the household maids like dirt, and she would not hesitate to slap them or curse at them at the slightest inconvenience. Even if they had done nothing wrong, she liked to pick on them whenever she was in a foul mood. It made sense that they tended to flee from her on sight.

Let’s not do this anymore, Marcia. Let’s not embarrass ourselves any further. I could feel the other part of me bubbling in protest, so I quickly tried to find my bearings.

I could feel Marcia straining to take over and slap both maids across their faces. “How dare they gossip? Such loose lips… And they’re mere maids.”

I tried to calm her rage. Just leave them be. If they feel mistreated, they’ll only make things harder when it’s time for me to run away.

Of course, there was also no need to suddenly act friendly to the maids, since that would only lead to more talk. I gave each of them a glance before I continued climbing the stairs.

“Wow. I was certain she’d hit us. I guess she’s in a good mood today?”

“Maybe she hurt her head in the accident.”

The maids whispered behind me, probably assuming that I couldn’t hear. But when I turned back around, they bowed their heads again.

Strange. I was already halfway up the stairs, quite a considerable distance from them. I was so far away, so how did I hear their whispers? Did they speak loudly on purpose?

The maids glanced at each other, then seized the opportunity to hurriedly push the cart away and exit the premises before I could raise a fuss.

I shrugged and continued upstairs, but my head started throbbing again after a few steps. I was soon reduced to hanging onto the banister as my feet began to drag. I grit my teeth, hoisting myself up one step at a time.

“Why is my room at the top of the tower?” I grumbled, barely able to keep my eyes open.

Just then, I heard noises from the entrance. It was still raining outside, and when the front door whipped open, a gust of wind blew through the hall.

“God damn it…!”

The man who sloshed inside, cursing loudly, was none other than Bilain Blick, Marcia’s brother and the house’s eldest son. He seemed to be drunk as usual, and he stumbled as he made his way through the entrance. Or perhaps he’s indulged in some… illicit substances.

Marcia normally just flat-out ignored him, but I, on the other hand, was curious to see what he looked like up close. I could see him through Marcia’s memories, of course, but I wanted to take this opportunity to see him with my own eyes. It would technically be our first meeting, after all.

I leaned against the railing and gazed down below. I didn’t want to greet him or engage in any real conversation. I could sense that he and Marcia had a bad relationship. Her instincts forced a sardonic smirk onto my face.

“Welcome home, my lord.” One of the servants bowed as he closed the front door.

Bilain merely whipped off his sopping wet coat and threw it at the man’s head without a word.

How rude…

Bilain’s golden hair was plastered to his head from the rain, and though he was clearly intoxicated, his green eyes remained piercing and sharp. He was as beautiful as our mother, who had left the world too soon. None of us resembled our father, instead inheriting our mother’s green eyes and good looks—though Larissa was the most beautiful, of course.

Bilain looked annoyed as he ignored the servant. He strode forward, undoing several buttons of his collar. As he did so, he looked up and our eyes met. I didn’t avert my gaze.

He frowned. “What are you looking at?” he said.

“Nothing.” I lifted my chin and arrogantly turned away from him, a gesture that was all thanks to Marcia.

Bilain climbed the stairs, two at a time, and grumbled mockingly at me from behind, “You seem to be walking just fine. I heard your carriage took a tumble. Too bad you didn’t break a leg in the process.” He scoffed. “But that’s what you get for wandering around, going to party after party like some tramp. Haven’t you come to your senses, even after being jilted by your fiancé?”

“Jilted? How dare you say that to me?!” I could feel Marcia’s wrath seeping through my pores.

Blood rushed to my head as I recalled her heated memories. Her former fiancé had officially ended their engagement one month prior, all because her father’s business woes and her brother’s gambling had caused the family fortune to abruptly dwindle.

Marcia had never much liked the man in the first place. They only met a handful of times, anyway. It was just an arranged marriage between two noble houses.

Still, she had been unable to live with the hateful stigma of a woman who’d had her engagement so unceremoniously broken. “I couldn’t even go to parties for weeks afterward!” she whined to me. The degree of humiliation she’d felt was still vivid in my mind.

I turned around and glared at Bilain, but it was Marcia who took over. “What about you?” I snarled. “So, your moneylender hasn’t broken your leg yet? How much debt do you owe now? You let your tongue wag shamelessly, but I’m surprised you can be so audacious. Throwing away your money, breaking off my engagement, and still continuing to gamble… You’re a fine piece of work.” Despite their three-year age difference, Marcia did not treat Bilain one bit like a respected elder brother.

The servant, who still carried the young master’s coat, paled when he realized that a fight was brewing. He dashed away before he could get caught in the crossfire.

“You shut your mouth!” Bilain thundered. “I have a much better chance of making a fortune through my means, instead of one of our so-called father’s failing businesses. At least gambling’s fun. But a fleet of merchant ships sinking into the ocean?” He scoffed again and continued spewing vitriol. “What’s the point of his business, anyway? Why can’t he just croak already and give me my inheritance…?”

Did he say… the merchant ships sank? I recalled what Igor had shouted at Larissa earlier. So that’s why he was in such a bad mood…

Igor had countless failed businesses by now. Everything he touched seemed to go up in flames, either because he possessed not even an ounce of business sense or because he persistently picked out the worst enterprises to invest in. Perhaps it was both, but I didn’t know or care.

Bilain stumbled as he neared me. He smirked, spreading his arms wide.

“We can get money anytime we want from downstairs,” he said smugly. “I don’t understand why he continually drowns it all and foolishly tries another business to make more. It’s a disgrace to the family. Don’t you agree?” His attitude was hostile as he loomed uncomfortably close. “That’s plenty of reason to drink, isn’t it?”

I scoffed and let Marcia take control entirely. “So, are you saying you drink because of Father’s business?” she spat. “Don’t lie. Watching you make an ass of yourself is enough to drive a person crazy. And I know you don’t stop at liquor. You take all kinds of illegal substances, don’t you? I guess you can’t wait to jump into an early grave.”

Marcia seemed to be carried away by the excitement of having full control over our body. “What’s the point of having fairy blood and being able to purify yourself when you just let yourself go?” she continued. “How thoughtless for Mother to pass down such a wonderful ability to you, of all people.”

Even I was surprised to hear this. Marcia’s mother was a fairy…? It appeared that Bilain had inherited the ability to purify his body of unwanted substances, although, as Marcia pointed out, it wasn’t doing him much good. Then Larissa probably inherited her ability from their mother as well.

Unfortunately, I missed the look in Bilain’s eyes shifting at the mention of their mother. His mocking expression hardened, and his face turned red.

“Shut up,” he snarled. “Unless you want me to beat you too. Go back to your room.” He glared at me for a moment, then turned on his heel and stomped down the stairs… toward the basement.

Wait… the basement…?