Chapter 15: The Story’s End
THE former Duke Brooke had abused his third-born son on a daily basis and given false statements to a member of royalty. The duchess wasn’t present during the incident, but she was arrested as an accomplice to the former duke’s crimes.
“Duke” and “duchess” were symbolic titles. This was why, after a lengthy trial, their punishment was severe. They were to be paraded around the royal capital for three days, tattooed with symbols on their brows showing their status as criminals, then forcibly deported from the kingdom. It wasn’t a death sentence, but it wasn’t far off from one either.
They would need a lot of luck to survive such a scenario.
On the day of their sentencing, Siraiya told me he wanted to visit them in jail—that there was something he needed to know. I went with him to offer support. I was prepared to console him immediately if the former duke and duchess said something hurtful. But my worries were unfounded.
The pair tried to flatter him—to earn his forgiveness, but after staring at them for a moment, Siraiya’s cheeks flushed as he smiled.
“I’m relieved. It turns out I don’t feel anything for you anymore.”
Pleased, he took my hand and escorted me out of the jail. The couple screamed for his help the entire time, but Siraiya wore only relief on his face as he strode forward, never even glancing back at them.
Siraiya had been desperate for their approval, love, and appreciation ever since he was a boy. Perhaps he’d finally given up on them, or maybe not even he understood what had changed.
But he came for confirmation, and confirmation was what he got.
Those people no longer had a place in Siraiya’s heart.
Siraiya’s brothers weren’t prosecuted for their abuse. It was difficult to prove abuse among siblings. After all, they could simply explain it away as brotherly quarrels that got a bit out of hand. While they weren’t officially punished, they were still forced to leave their home now that Siraiya was in charge of the dukedom.
They lived with their mother’s side of the family briefly, as she was the daughter of a marquess. But after a lifetime of forcing all of their responsibilities onto Siraiya, they were incompetent when it came to any practical matter. Neither brother could do even the simplest of jobs. Eventually, their mother’s family kicked them out, too, refusing to feed them for free if they couldn’t work.
I didn’t know what happened to them after that. I could only assume that, wherever they were, they weren’t living very comfortable lives.
One day, Siraya started burning things in a bonfire outside the Brooke manor.
When I asked what he was doing, he said he was getting rid of everything his brothers had ever stolen from him—and things that only they received.
I decided to help him with the process. He even asked a servant to bring us sweet potatoes to roast over the fire afterwards. They were delicious, and I hoped to make them a regular treat in our lives.
Then we brought our overcooked sweet potatoes to the kitchen. I was so happy to meet the commoner servants and maids Siraiya had told me all about.
I offered to share the potatoes that Siraiya and I cooked, but the servants leaned in closely to inspect them, crying out, “Does it have the red stuff on it?” “These ones are just sweet, right?!” “Please, I don’t want to eat anything with a ‘kick!’”
They must have gotten a taste of Siraiya’s fiery sweets before, too.
I would need to have a good discussion with them about chili powder once I officially became Duchess Brooke. Perhaps we could put a lock on the spice cupboard.
Still, no one dared stop Siraiya as he poured chili powder all over his sweet potato, looking extremely pleased with his work.
None of the ladies-in-waiting, who came from noble families, went out of their way to participate in Siraiya’s abuse. They simply did as their master ordered. However, all of them ended up resigning from their posts.
There were probably too many bad memories at the Brooke manor, after all. Siraiya wrote letters of recommendation for all of them to help them find new work, and those who’d been working at the Brooke manor to learn etiquette were able to return to their families.
Siraiya had all the help he needed now that he was the only family member in the manor. He told me he wouldn’t need to hire new ladies-in-waiting for some time.
Maybe I could live there as a lady-in-waiting, since I’m a viscount’s daughter who needs to study etiquette, too.
I would have to consult him about it some other time.
✦ ✦ ✦
✶✶✶
THE final scene in the game took place at the school’s graduation party. Now, that very party was upon us.
“This is where someone always breaks up with their fiancée thanks to the heroine’s meddling.” I wore a red dress covered in silver ornamentation, murmuring to myself in the great hall of the Rhuddlan manor.
“Cynthia! You look stunning. I’m so glad I get to be your escort.”
Siraiya came for me in a Brooke family carriage. He was wearing a wine-red jacket, subtler than my bright red dress, along with matching silver accessories.
“You look incredibly handsome as well, Siraiya. Thank you for this dress. I’m quite taken with it.”
Siraiya was able to prepare us matching outfits now that he was a duke. He’d gone to a designer to request a jacket matching my crimson hair. However, the designer refused to compromise on their own vision, resulting in a darker hue for Siraiya.
I was glad Siraiya wanted to wear a color that represented me, though from what I’d seen so far, this designer would make a powerful ally to keep around. Siraiya looked even more enticing than usual. Yes, I would definitely be paying more visits to this designer in the future.
Someday, I wanted to wear a wedding dress with coloring that represented Siraiya’s silver hair, too.
“Your hand, Cynthia.”
“Yes, Siraiya.”
✦ ✦ ✦
✶✶✶
WE arrived at the academy to find a lavishly decorated ballroom and our classmates in their finest formal wear. It looked exactly like it did in the game, and my heart fluttered with emotions.
Then I remembered: Cynthia wore a bright red dress at this party in the game, too. She hadn’t worn any silver accessories, but it did look a little like the one I had on now.
Cynthia was supposed to be attending as Eddie’s fiancée, but she still only wore red. Perhaps she was attempting to express her feelings that way. Eddie probably didn’t prepare a dress for her, so she went with one that represented her own will.
Cynthia was broken up with and appeared to receive some sort of punishment for her actions at the end of the game, but I suspected she was prepared to break up with Eddie either way.
There was no way to know for sure—I just hoped that was the case. That way, even if it took some time, she would eventually learn how to cherish herself as a person.
The noisy ballroom suddenly fell silent as the crown prince and his fiancée entered the venue. They descended the central staircase elegantly, greeting the crowd with smiles.
The graduating students bowed much deeper than they ever did at school, including Siraiya and me. That showed we were prepared to mature into future members of high society.
His Royal Highness granted us permission to raise our heads. He shared a few words of congratulations with us, then joined Lady Gridimore in the center of the ballroom.
Once the orchestra’s accompaniment started up, the crown prince and his fiancée began their dance. Lady Gridimore had already graduated one year prior, but she attended this evening’s party to celebrate with His Royal Highness. The two exchanged loving looks as they swayed in time with the music.
The engagement-ending scene in the game always happened before their dance. Even without the heroine attending this time, the start of the dance told me we’d prevented any sort of story event from occurring.
“Let’s dance, Cynthia.”
Siraiya, the current duke, escorted me to the dance floor. That signaled that the other students were allowed to start dancing too.
I let Siraiya lead me as we danced across the dazzling ballroom. It was a lovely, peaceful moment in time together. The song concluded, and a different tune began to play.
That fast-paced melody was the game’s opening theme song. I immediately smiled, so Siraiya smiled back at me, though his was for a different reason.
“I never thought we’d get an opportunity to perform this dance.”
We danced intensely and passionately. The other guests couldn’t keep up, so they quickly left the dance floor.
Siraiya and I didn’t care that we were the last ones left dancing. We swayed and twirled wildly like the pair of villains we were. I’d been through a lot, but having Siraiya at my side was why I could still keep a smile on my face.
Life wasn’t going to be simple from here on out. But as long as Siraiya was with me, I had nothing else to ask for.
The song ended. The two of us were showered in applause.
We both smiled, our cheeks finally turning pink out of embarrassment. I giggled sweetly, unfitting for a villainess like myself, and quietly reflected in my mind.
What do you think, developers?
I’d call this a happy ending, wouldn’t you?
-Happy Ending-