VTGWH 509

"I'm tired..."

I shouted as I dived into bed.

After that conversation, Gordon-san said, "See you next time," and sent me home. At that time, he gave me one small letter.

It was given only to me, so that neither Gilles nor Gilbert would know.

I was told to look at it when I was alone, right? 

To be honest, I would have liked to talk to them a little longer, but the chairman was not busy either. It didn't help that they sent me home, but I feel like I made a little progress. ...Just a little bit.

I turned over and held the letter up to the ceiling. ...A plain, nondescript envelope.

But it was seemingly old.

I wondered if I should take this as a sign that the negotiation with Gordon-san had been completed. 

Well, it might not be about Julie-sama yet, but....

"Let's open it!"

I opened the envelope with great vigor and took out a piece of paper inside.

The words on the letter were simple.

I was fine with being a villain for the rest of my life.

What is this?

I stared at the letter with my eyes wide open.

Julie-sama was not a villain, she was "evil" to Uncle Will. She was only thinking of Will Seeker, the King.

This was not fair. Why did you even bother to send this letter to Gordon-san?

When I read this letter, I felt anger toward Julie-sama.

I didn't want to know this after all this time; I have only heard Julie-sama's stories indirectly, but none of them made me like her in the slightest.

And yet...this one thing she actually wrote changed my impression of Julie-sama instantly.

"...No, I haven't decided yet that it was a note she wrote."

But the beautiful, undisturbed handwriting seemed to me to have been written by a noble woman.

At that moment, I suddenly saw myself and Julie-sama in the same light.

According to the world, I would be considered a "villainess," irresponsible, and selfish. I always get what I want, and I take advantage of those around me to achieve my goals.

And she also understood that loneliness was a luxury.

"I'll be a villain all my life..."

Slowly once again I read the sentence that Julie-sama might have written.

Who the hell knew what she was really like? I have Gilles and my friends. But Julie-sama did not. Who knows what she was truly thinking deep inside?

"The three wise men were estranged from me, and Uncle Will was in the way. ...What Julie-sama did was 'evil'. There is no doubt about that. But I don't think we should just put it away with that word."

The place she was still guarding was not a position that she could have risen to with her good looks alone.

I was sure she would not open up to anyone. However, I really wanted to meet her and hear what she had to say.