The Villainous Young Lady Would Even Risk Her Life for Her Beloved ～ Her Fiancé, the Prince? By All Means, Please Be Happy with the Heroine! - Chapter 1.30(3)

Lady Lufenya had always been fond of the boy who often appeared by the beautiful lakeside. From a time long past, she had watched him play cheerfully with his younger siblings. He had eyes the color of the gentle earth.

The other fairies mocked her for her interest in humans, calling it strange. But to Lady Lufenya, it was far stranger to be content with repeating the same things for eternity. She did not care for their laughter. Humans were fascinating—they could change in the blink of an eye.

One day, the fairies, on a whim, decided to play a cruel trick on the boy. They set a stray wyvern upon him. By then, the boy had grown into a young man, but even so, he stood no chance against the beast. Lady Lufenya, desperate to save him, bestowed upon him power—power far beyond what any human should possess.

“Thank you.”

The young man, though he should not have been able to see her, spoke his gratitude.

“My name is Wilhelm. Wilhelm Olden.”

Whenever Wilhelm visited the lake, he would always thank the unseen Lady Lufenya. And each time, he would place a bright red gerbera upon the water. He would tell her stories—of victories against distant nations, of driving away hordes of wyverns.

In time, he began bringing a small child with him. It seemed to be his son.

On a summer day, Lady Lufenya finally broke the fairy laws and revealed herself before him. Wilhelm’s child had fallen into the lake, drowning. This time, the fairies were truly intent on taking the boy’s life. Enraged, she drove them away with all her might. But in doing so, she exhausted her strength and could no longer conceal her form.

From then on, she showed herself whenever Wilhelm came. The other fairies abandoned the lake, leaving her alone.

Their bond deepened. The Olden family, realizing that Lady Lufenya had become isolated because of them, began visiting the lake frequently. And so, she was never truly alone.

One day, Wilhelm came to her with a request. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, but his smile had not changed.

“A great battle is approaching. Lady Lufenya, I beg of you—please grant my son your power as well.”

“I shall grant power to your bloodline for generations to come. In return, make me part of your family.”

She wished to live beneath that warm smile forever. And so, she granted them immense strength. She also gave them a cursed sword—one capable of slaying even fairies—so that no child of theirs would ever again be hunted by fairies.

Wilhelm’s child, along with his fiery red hair, the color of the gerbera he had offered, received the protection of the Fairy Princess.

Lady Lufenya then went to see her father, the Fairy King. He was capable of anything. She pleaded with him to grant her a human form so she could live with Wilhelm. But he refused.

Again and again, she begged without faltering.

At last, the Fairy King relented.

“Foolish, lovable daughter… Leave behind your wings. You may never return.”

Her wish was granted. She obtained the body of a beautiful human girl.

Lady Lufenya no longer had wings, but she felt as though she could soar. She hurried back to the lake where Wilhelm awaited her.

But no one was there.

She waited, but no one came.

A concerned fairy told her where Wilhelm’s children could be found.

“Where is Wilhelm?”

“He is not here.”

The young man before her bore a face eerily similar to Wilhelm’s, but lined with new wrinkles. And beside him stood a boy, his son, who greeted her with reverence.

“Where is Wilhelm?”

“He left for the lands of Lyas, searching for you.”

It was said that the entrance to the fairy realm lay near the monster-infested forests of Lyas.

“Where is Wilhelm?”

“He has passed away.”

She remembered little of what followed. It felt as though everything had ended. She wanted to erase everything connected to him—the beautiful lake, the lush lands he had once admired, his children. This kingdom.

She had sacrificed everything, yet she had gained nothing.

The last thing she saw as a living being was the red of the gerbera Wilhelm had once offered.

The young man who drove a blade through her chest wore a pained, guilt-ridden expression, on the verge of tears. But she could not forgive him.

With the curse she uttered in her final breath, Lady Lufenya became a member of the Olden family at last.

She did not care if she went mad in the end.

So long as she was mad, she could remain an Olden.