3rd Person Pov
Hinata was sitting in her room, ready for the banquet.
An off-shoulder, lavender dress with sleeves rested on her frail frame.
A small, simple yet beautiful purple necklace enhanced Penelope's beauty.
Her hair was tied in a loose braid and was swept over her left shoulder.
The only things that she didn't like were her shoes and the corset.
She dismissed the maids before heading for her drawer.
She took out the dagger and a few bandages.
She lifted her dress then strapped the dagger on to her thigh using the bandages to tie it tight.
A knock on the door caught her attention.
Quickly fixing her dress and making sure nothing in her room was out of the ordinary, she opened the door.
Derrick's eyes immediately traveled to her shoes.
The color of her shoes were shabby. No, they became shabby because someone tried to ruin them.
The shoes stuck out like a sore thumb.
He frowned when he realized that one of the maids must have done that.
He figured that now would be a good time to give them to her.
"Wait a while. I'll be right back" - Derrick
He went to his room and carefully took out a box from his wardrobe.
He carried it to her chambers and set it down in front of her.
She looked at him puzzled until he opened the box.
Inside were a beautiful pair of transparent slippers.
"These are enhanced with mana. They will change into the perfect pair of slippers for you when you put them on. They can also change colors." - Derrick
Hinata was left shocked.
"Thank you.... Brother..." - Hinata
He smiled slightly and nodded before gesturing at her to put them on.
As soon as she did, they changed into a pair of lavender slippers with a butterfly on top of each.
"Its.... beautiful!" - Hinata
Derrick internally sighed. Relieved that she had liked the gift.
"We should leave now. So that we can leave early." - Derrick
Hinata nodded and followed him out the door.
Once the two neared the carriage, Derrick opened the carriage door for her and offered his hand which Hinata gently grasped.
Timeskip
"The First Young Lord of Eckhart and The Princess of Eckhart are entering!"
"Don't be scared. Don't show them any weakness or any flaw. But don't show them too much strength either." - Derrick
The nobles swarmed Derrick with their fake smiles, probably scheming up a plot in their heads.
"I'll be right here if you need me." - Derrick
Hinata nodded at him and went to stand at the corner near Derrick.
No one approached her. Everyone around whispered and gossiped nonsense about her.
Her eyes scanned the room for a certain white haired man.
She found him surrounded by a few ladies who were probably trying to seduce him.
Unfortunately for them, Vinter only smiled at them politely before changing the subject like a professional.
Hinata glanced to where Derrick was making sure to remember the area where he was, in case things went disastrously south.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vinter leave the halls.
He went out to the garden probably to get some fresh air and avoid those ladies.
She waited for a while before walking out the same way he had.
Out in the garden she saw no one.
She walked into the maze, away from the prying eyes and used her clan's renowned kekkei genkai.
Before she could do so, chaos erupted in the halls.
She used her dōjutsu just in time to see a man being stabbed.
She immediately rushed into the halls.
The first thing she noticed was his hair.
Her heart filled with hope and a light pink dusted her cheeks.
Until she saw his eyes and the rest of his features.
Her hope immediately shattered and all color drained from her face.
She bit her bottom lip almost drawing out blood before walking out the same way she had entered.
Hinata decided to swallow her disappointment and be on with her original mission.
She used her Byakugan to search for Vinter and found him at the other side of the maze garden.
She rushed towards where Vinter was.
She now stood at the centre of the maze, hoping that Vinter didn't move away.
She used her Byakugan to search for him but instead saw a tall man behind her.
He held a sword to her neck.
She immediately spun around, Byakugan still activated.
The man's red eyes widened as they locked with her eyes for a split second.
Hinata upon noticing this immediately deactivated her dōjutsu.
His left hand held her right shoulder, roughly as he pressed his sword into her throat, drawing blood.
A maniacal smile was painted on his face.
Hinata immediately knew who this man was.
Callisto Regulus.
He was the man Penelope had told her to be wary of.
She remembered seeing a scene exactly like this in Penelope's memories.
He had killed her for being there.
"Why are you here?" - Callisto
She had to answer respectfully to the Crown Prince of the empire, but with her mind filled with the moments when he killed Penelope mercilessly and her physical condition wasn't all too great with him stabbing her throat and roughly holding her shoulder.
She could swear there was a bruise there.
She glared at him fiercely.
"As much as I know, the Imperial gardens are not restricted to anyone at the moment." - Hinata
His smirk grew wider.
"You must really want to die. I'll send your regards to the duchy." - Callisto
"I apologize for hurting your ego but I doubt it can compare to the wound you have been causing on my neck and my shoulder." - Hinata
He chuckled.
"The Mad Dog and the Blood Crazed Prince sound good together, don't they?" - Callisto
How dare he.
After everything he's done?
"Oh no, your highness. Absolutely not. I, for one am not a Mad Dog. They call me that because they do not want to accept me. You, on the other hand, deserve it." - Hinata
He pressed his sword harder and cocked an eyebrow.
The blood stained her lavender dress and her vision got blurry but even so, she continued.
"Tell me.... Am I wrong? Look what you've done. I didn't do anything yet you stabbed me. Do you have any reasons?" - Hinata
He narrowed his eyes at her.
"You could have been an assassin sent to kill me." - Callisto
She looked at him dead in the eye and spoke dryly as if it were a matter of fact.
"The world does not revolve around you. Everything is not about you. I do not care. Your problems have nothing to do with me." - Hinata
His hands loosened their grip and his sword dipped, causing a long scratch to form on her neck.
She immediately ran past him, leaving him alone in his world of shock.
—————
I hate Callisto
I do not own 'Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess' and 'Naruto'.
See you all in next chapter! 👋
–ItsKateD