Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 37: The Mysterious Love Letter

Even though there had been a criminal commotion at the academy just yesterday, classes proceeded as scheduled.

Faced with a blackboard filled with complex magical theories, I sighed deeply and laid my head on the desk.

“Haa···.”

At that moment, my desk mate, Diana, showed interest and asked.

“Is this because of yesterday’s incident, Amber?”

“Yes. I got severely scolded by Lady Ruby for going out without saying anything.”

“She must have been worried. That shows how much she cares about you.”

“You should have seen the expression on her face when she was angry, Diana. I almost wet myself···.”

The expression she showed today was reminiscent of the Ruby from the original work.

I almost ended up being banned from going out on weekends.

Diana, who had been listening to me, spoke in a slightly nostalgic tone.

“I know that expression. When I first saw it, it was really···.”

“Wait, you’ve seen it too, Diana?”

That was odd. Lady Ruby had never gotten that angry in front of anyone else but me.

As I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she blinked and awkwardly laughed.

“Well···. I think I saw it once, a long time ago···. Haha.”

“Oh···.”

Come to think of it, Diana had known Ruby much longer than I had.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to have seen Ruby’s scary expression at least once.

Straightening up from the desk, I sat upright and spoke while recalling yesterday’s events.

“By the way, it’s a relief.”

“What is, Amber?”

“Those criminals who showed up at school yesterday were all caught. I heard someone used magic to leave them half-dead···.”

According to the guards, the two assailants were found barely alive.

Apparently, they had a hard time removing the ice that was stuck to their bodies.

“···Really? That’s unusual.”

Diana responded as if she wasn’t particularly interested, and no other conversation passed between us until the class ended.

Perhaps what happened in the kitchen last time was awkward for her too.

“Diana, do you want to go to the club together after class?”

“You go ahead, Amber. I have someplace to stop by first.”

“Alright···.”

Lately, conversations with her had always been like this.

After class, I walked alone to the clubroom, reflecting on the progress I’d made so far.

‘In the original story, Ruby would be around this point···.’

Ruby Sarka, the villainess in the original story, had a drastically different impression compared to now.

She was self-centered, stubborn, and unyielding.

Her poor eyesight made her constantly frown, and her prominent burn scars, deep-seated mistrust of others, and unparalleled cruelty and sadism defined her.

If things had gone as the original story dictated, Ruby would have been expelled in her first year due to a class trial.

She would then be abandoned by her family and meet a tragic end.

But the Ruby now had grown to possess a much more remarkable character compared to the original.

At least for now, she was safe.

‘Still, not everything has gone as planned.’

Despite my efforts to minimize Ruby’s interactions with Clara, Ruby ended up accepting her and her group as club members.

In the original story, Ruby would have been idolized by Clara’s clique and led numerous bullying incidents in the shadows of the academy.

Fortunately, apart from their club activities in the library, they hadn’t caused any trouble yet.

-Creak.

When I entered the library, I saw Clara attaching notices to the wall.

“Hello, Clara.”

“···.”

As usual, she didn’t respond to my greeting.

After failing to receive her reply yet again, I was about to casually walk past her when I heard her voice softly.

“···Yes. Nice to see you.”

“···?”

For the first time, she had acknowledged my greeting.

‘That’s unusual.’

Come to think of it, Clara seemed somewhat subdued after yesterday’s incident.

When her life was at risk, she chose to help me.

Thinking about it, Clara would have been better off if I disappeared, so why did she help me?

“···What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“···Hmm.”

For now, I decided to observe her a little longer.

At the end of the table where everyone was gathered, Ruby sat with her usual expression.

Maybe it was because of the small argument we had this morning over yesterday’s events, but she seemed slightly down.

“My Lady, I’m here.”

When I greeted her, Ruby quickly hid a piece of paper behind her back and spoke.

“···Oh? You’re here, Amber.”

“What’s that?”

As I showed interest in what Ruby had hidden behind her back, she shook her head.

“It’s nothing. Just a letter.”

Ruby usually wouldn’t care who read her letters.

But today, she was strangely secretive about its contents.

‘Well, everyone has their privacy···.’

It stung a little that she didn’t want to share it with me, but she didn’t have to reveal everything.

As I naturally sat down on a chair, Coral lowered the book she was reading and spoke to me.

“I heard about yesterday. I’m glad you’re safe, Amber.”

“Thanks, Coral.”

Coral’s gentle greeting.

It was like something refreshing from the forest, similar to phytoncides.

Her presence brought a certain calmness that eased my heart.

I was soaking in that tranquility when suddenly—

“Amber···!”

“Ah!?”

Someone behind me suddenly hugged me tightly around the waist.

Someone bold enough to pull off something like this could only be one person.

It was obvious—it had to be the Second Princess, Amethyst.

“Are you alright? Did those guys hurt you anywhere?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t get hurt anywhere.”

“Let me see. You never know···!”

Amethyst began lifting up my skirt and top, checking my bare skin.

“Um, Amethyst···. Amethyst···!?”

Because of this, my pink underwear and pale skin were embarrassingly exposed to all the club members.

“I’m really fine! Really! Honestly···!”

I hastily pulled my clothes back down with a flushed face, and only then did Amethyst back away.

“Thank goodness···. If you’d had so much as a scratch, I was going to hunt those guys down.”

“···Hunt them down and do what? They were already beaten half to death.”

At that, Amethyst gave a slightly sardonic smile and replied.

“I’d track down their families. Taking care of a whole household is easy enough.”

“···Oh, I see.”

The way she said such things so casually was slightly terrifying.

After confirming that I was unharmed, Amethyst sat down beside me with a relieved expression and whispered as she glanced at Ruby.

“By the way, what’s up with Ruby today? She seems unusually gloomy.”

Ruby wasn’t exactly a bright person to begin with, but today, she seemed particularly under a dark cloud.

“Well, actually, I had a small argument with her this morning. Maybe that’s why···.”

“An argument? You and Ruby?”

Amethyst looked at me with a disbelieving expression.

“It was about how I snuck out yesterday and ended up in danger. She was right in the end.”

Listening to my explanation, Amethyst alternated her gaze between Ruby and me with a subtle expression.

“You two must be hiding a lot from each other.”

“What? That’s not true at all. Lady Ruby and I are totally honest···.”

I trailed off mid-sentence.

Could I really say that we were honest with each other?

We used to be a few years ago, but lately, I couldn’t even exaggerate and claim that was the case.

It’s natural for siblings who were once close to develop secrets from each other during adolescence, but I didn’t think that dynamic would apply to Lady Ruby and me.

‘···What’s the problem, really?’

As I wrestled with thoughts about our honesty, it happened.

-Bang.

Suddenly, the library door burst open noisily, and a red-haired girl with twin pigtails stormed in with a fierce expression.

Judging by Citrine’s ominous look, I could guess what she was about to say.

As soon as she stood in front of me, she began her tirade.

“I warned you, didn’t I?! It’s dangerous for a commoner brat like you to wander around outside!”

‘···Ugh.’

As much as I hated to admit it, her warning from the other day had become reality.

“From now on, you’d better listen to my advice. Got it, commoner?”

“···Yesss.”

I answered in the most begrudging tone possible, but it didn’t stop me from feeling like I had lost.

Citrine, looking satisfied after her scolding, glanced around the clubroom before fixing her gaze on Ruby.

“You, your name is Ruby, right?”

Ruby responded with a calm expression after being called by name.

“Yes, that’s correct···?”

“Good timing. Here, take this. It’s for you.”

In Citrine’s hand was a pink envelope.

‘A letter···?’

Looking at it with curiosity, I asked with a puzzled expression.

“Why does Lady Ruby’s letter come from the president?”

“Huh?”

Citrine gave me a pitying look, as if she thought I was clueless.

“You’ve spent so much time in the student council room, and you didn’t know? All mail coming to the school is managed by the student council.”

‘Was that how it worked?’

Apparently, any mail addressed to students at the academy was delivered through the student council.

“It’s supposed to go in the mailbox, but since I was coming here anyway, I brought it myself. No need to thank me.”

Ruby reached out with both hands to take the letter from Citrine.

“Alright. Thank you···.”

“Wait a second.”

Citrine abruptly pulled the letter back out of reach.

“···?”

“This seems suspicious···. A pink envelope with no sender’s name···?”

As a sly smile crept onto Citrine’s lips, Ruby lunged toward her in a fluster.

“P-Please give that back···!”

“Judging by how panicked you are, this must be a love letter or something, right? Am I wrong?”

At the mention of that word, all the club members turned their eyes toward the letter.

‘A love letter···!?’

I had grown so used to Ruby’s presence that I had forgotten, but she was quite stunning.

In the original story, even with her perpetually scowling expression and burn scars, she was never unattractive.

Now, having grown into a flawless cool beauty of a noble lady, it wasn’t surprising that she would attract romantic attention from other students.

“Give it back!”

“Oh dear. Everyone seems curious now~”

A tug-of-war broke out between Citrine, who was trying to open the letter, and Ruby, who was trying to stop her.

-Flutter.

“Ah···!”

In the scuffle, the letter slipped from Citrine’s hands and landed naturally in mine.

Ruby looked at me with pleading eyes and cried out.

“No, don’t open it···! Amber···!”

‘Sorry, My Lady. I’m curious too.’

I had to find out who the audacious person was that dared to harbor feelings for the young lady of the Sarka family.

With everyone’s eyes on me, I quietly opened the envelope.

Was it a fellow noble? A royal? Or perhaps··· a commoner?

And then, I saw the unexpected contents of the letter.

‘···Huh?’

[ Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. ]

The words “Die,” written in bold red letters, filled the entire letter in an unsettling and chilling manner.