Unfortunately, I'm an Evil Villainess

Chapter 52 - The Last Day (I)

It had been the beginning of January when Catherine Bryant appeared like the heroine of a fairy tale, causing a wave of gossip in high society, and now it was nearing the end of the month. The day before the debutante, to be precise.

"Ah... what a wonderful day."

The bright morning sunlight streamed through my window as I stood in front of my dressing mirror. My reflection was an elegant noble lady of seventeen, beautiful, mature, and graceful. Red curls framed my sharp features and cascaded down my back, fitting of a villainess. My eyes, dark as night, bore into the mirror with the promise of success.

"You look amazing, as usual, my lady!"

I waved off Tia's remark with a smile. She learned quickly, and had long mastered the art of compliments. However, her present intrusion between me and my vanity meant I had to start my day. With a sigh, I tore my gaze away from my reflection and let her help me dress.

Sleep had become of little importance a long time ago, for dark circles could easily be covered up with powder. I yawned as I strode through the halls, too aware of my hunger. Alas, as I'd found, the saint must overcome such earthly needs like food for more 'important' matters.

Since my debut two years ago, my family and I had stopped living in the royal castle during the social season and moved into our own mansion in the capital, so we could have more privacy and host balls. I made my way to the small chapel in the back.

"Good morning, Priest Nathaniel. May God bless you."

"And you as well, Your Holiness. Shall we begin?"

I nodded, and knelt beside Nathaniel at the foot of the statue of God. We recited morning prayers together, the devotion in my words mechanic, but his sincere. His eyes were shut, his expression serene, with peace he only showed God. A rare and true believer.

I had given up on him. Despite my offers, he still stubbornly insisted on not calling each other by our first names, because it wasn't appropriate, or so he said. Nearly a decade of companionship could not make him like me, but at least he was appreciative. That was good enough.

I'd learned what the words in my prayers meant, but I didn't bother processing them. It was simply a routine I was forced to undergo, to prove my faith. When it was done, Nathaniel's expression hardened back into mild gentleness, the best he could give me. He bid me farewell and rushed off to his work before I could try to engage him in conversation.

It was a pity, really. He had grown to possess a kindred beauty that I liked. Moreover, he wasn't a high priest yet, like in the novel, despite me making the temple offer him the position. My best guess as to why was that he didn't want me to use him for my unholy purposes. It was an annoyance I was trying to sort out.

On the verge of starvation, I went to breakfast.

"Good morning, Mother, Father!"

I kissed Father on the cheek and sat down next to him. The sight of my family never ceased to make me happy. Damian was absent, for he had moved out to a laboratory Father bought for him. However, I was going to have lunch with him today, perhaps the last normal day we would have before Catherine.

"Good morning, darling. A friend asked me if you would be willing to speak at her charity event. She's the one that gave you that lovely vase. I've given her letter to your maid."

"I'll look into it, Mother. And Father, I've reviewed the report on the taxes. It's all in order, and I left it on your desk."

"Excellent, my angel! I'll present it to the parliament today."

Breakfast was brief and I didn't talk much, since I needed to be quick to get more work done. Their presences were ample emotional support.

When I was full, I headed up to my office. Zoe awaited with mountains of papers, expertly sorted, if that made it any better. She was like a secretary to me, with her own desk beside mine working through stuff not important enough for me to deal with personally. Her pile looked larger than usual today.