The villainess will survive!

Part 25: Festival #2

I almost dropped the flyer I was holding. 

I had decided to taste the potions tasted sweet, but why was Ellios here?!

"Oh! Roselyn! H-hello!" He waved to me. 

"Ellios? What are you doing here?" I asked. 

He looked down as if he was ashamed. 

"W-well, you see............I was waiting for you. I h-had a hunch that you'd c-come here. P-please don't think I'm c-creepy..........." He mumbled. 

But I noticed that he spoke much more confident than before. He used to be such a shy fellow, and changed due to Ivy. At the end of the otome game, he could talk confidently to everyone and stood up to the bullies that mocked him for his shyness.
 It was revealed that they were the reason that he couldn't speak to others well at the end of the game.

Poor Ellios. 

But that wasn't the problem now. 

Ellios being here could mean a death flag for me! I cannot allow that to happen!

"Ellios, I see you are much better at talking smoothly now. Good job!" I praised him.

First I needed to get on his good side. 

"But did you hear? Ivy's show got a bit............ruined. She's crying over there." 

I pointed to the center of the festival I just came from. 

In the otome game, she did present, but it didn't get wrecked even thought Roselyn tried to tamper with it. Every capture except Ellios was there, and they all erased Roselyn's destructive spells. 

After the successful dance, Ivy got hungry and started to walk in this maze of a festival. She got lost, this meeting Ellios at this stand.

"Ivy? Oh y-yeah...........I heard. It was so cool t-that you saved the audience—!" Ellios said cheerfully as if he were complementing me.

What? So he heard? Then why isn't he rushing to Ivy? Even if the damage didn't happen in the game, anybody with a brain should know that he would run to the suffering Ivy.

P-perhaps—!

I knew it. He wanted to take this chance to blame me. I gritted my teeth. I prepared myself for it. I couldn't respond like a villainess, I had to respond calmly, to turn the tables on him. 

"Ho ho! May I ask the reason you decided to stay here and wait for me?" I smiled. 

This smile wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. It was simply to mask my true feelings, and to give him a sense that I wasn't going to be easy on him. I supposed it was very dominating.

He got confused, probably from my smile and tone of speaking. 

"W-well..........you see.......I w-wanted to see you. U-um—! I hope that isn't.......isn't....."
His words trailed off.
 Looks like the newfound small bit of confidence didn't last long, and immediately shattered after I gave on my new aura. 

"I see~. How nice, Ellios. And what where you going to say again?" I kept with the smile. It was a great intimidating tool. 

"U-uh.......It's n-nothing. Would you like me to b-buy you something?"At that last sentence, he finally looked up to me as if this were the hardest thing for him to say. 

But his determined eyes, I liked it. 

I smirked, a rather different one from the one before. 

So was he trying to get with me now, and then smack me in the back? 

But fine, I'll play along. It might even help me achieve my goals.

"What a gentlemen! How I would love to receive such a gift!" I laughed, but anybody could tell it wasn't natural. 

Even though I thought that this would shake his confidence, his will didn't falter even once. I wonder what made him so strong. 

"What flavour w-would you like?" He asked.

"Grape, please."

He took out some coins, and bought one for me and himself. 

The vender was a happy plump fellow, like in the game. I think he was a bit shocked by the magician cloak Ellios wore. Noble people like Ellios usually never even bothered to take a second glance at this festival. 

But judging how the vender smirked at Ellios, I could tell that Ellios was nervous. The vender must've mistook that I was the girl Ellios took a liking to. 

Commoners, they misunderstood everything as long as there was a profound enough excuse. I suppose that was how Ivy managed to get them on her side. 

Ellios handed mine with slightly shaking hands. But I pretended not to notice and only focus on how he decided to buy a drink for me. 

"Wow~! Thank you so much, Ellios!" I said in a cute voice, and he gently place the drink in my hand.

"And....Um.......It causes—" He started. 

I put my finger over his mouth. 

"Not another word, Ellios! I like surprises!" I winked. But I made sure to also put an intimidating aura on. It won't be good if he truly thinks I'm nice. 

I refuse to act the same way as Ivy. That cheap b*tch. 

I popped the vile open and lightly pressed it against my lips. 

I made sure to have perfect manners. It's obvious to show perfection in front of your enemy. 

The liquid gushed in my mouth. I couldn't believe it; I have never drank a potion that tasted so good. I suppose the real potions made me like this.

When I lifted the vile from my mouth to swallow, I suddenly noticed that I was glowing up. 

I frowned. After looking at the label, it was indeed the same potion that Ellios gave Ivy. 

Huh. How strange. Perhaps this type of potions were the only one with grape flavour. 

Or maybe the vender just decided to give him this?

"Is it good?" Ellios's voice rang in the ear. 

I flinched. I was so buried in my thoughts that I forgot about Ellios. I thought he had already left to save his The Princess.

"......Y-yeah.....It's great............!" I said awkwardly, not knowing what to say. 

Leave! Didn't I intimidate you enough already?!

"Hm? What are you doing here, Roselyn?" I heard a certain high pitch voice. 

I grinded my teeth. She arrived late. I was waiting for her to get rid of Ellios for me. 

"Ivy? Did you come here too?" I asked nicely. 

But wait. The capture targets were at their worst when Ivy wasn't around, but they protected Ivy the most when she was. Looks like this'll be a bumpy road. 

She looked at me with her big, blue eyes, as if silently mocking me. 

"Hm? Of course I did, Lady Roselyn. Why shouldn't I be here?" She responded, as if it were her right to be here and talk to me this way. 

She seemed to wanted to say another rude comment, but then her eyes widened at me. 

No, perhaps behind me. 

"Ho! It's Lady Roselyn!" A certain shameless boy said. 

"Philip Berk. Why, hello." I said in a displeased voice.