Memories of a Tragic End

Chapter 3: Memories of a Tragic End

The carriage wheels rolled steadily over the stone road, their rhythmic sound echoing in the quiet night.

She sat inside, her hands resting on her lap—too still.

Too tense.

The faint glow of lantern light flickered across her face, casting shadows in her crimson eyes.

For some reason…

Her heart wouldn’t calm down.

“It’s just a party,” she whispered under her breath.

Yet no matter how many times she repeated it, the uneasiness didn’t fade.

Instead—

Memories surfaced.

Unwelcome.

Vivid.

Cruel.

—

“You dared to deceive me?”

A deep, cold voice echoed in her mind.

Her breath hitched.

She knew that voice.

Even without seeing his face—

She knew.

The Wolf King.

—

The memory unfolded like a nightmare she couldn’t escape.

The grand throne room.

Cold.

Silent.

Filled with suffocating pressure.

She—no, the original villainess—stood in the center, her body trembling.

Her hands clutched her dress tightly, knuckles pale.

Fear.

Regret.

Desperation.

All of it was there.

But it was too late.

Far too late.

—

“I loved you…”

Her voice—soft, broken, almost unrecognizable—echoed weakly.

“I did everything for you…”

But the man standing before her didn’t move.

Didn’t react.

Didn’t care.

Golden eyes stared down at her.

Empty.

Cold.

Dangerous.

As if she were nothing more than a stranger.

No—

Less than that.

—

“Love?” he repeated, his tone laced with mockery.

The air grew heavy.

Suffocating.

“You call that love?”

Her heart clenched.

Even just remembering it made her chest ache.

—

“You drugged me.”

A step forward.

Each step felt like a death sentence.

“Used witchcraft.”

Another step.

Closer.

Closer.

“And dared to bind me with a child?”

Her breathing turned ragged.

The villainess fell to her knees.

“Please… I was wrong… I—”

But apologies meant nothing.

Not to him.

—

In an instant—

A flash of silver.

A sharp sound.

And then—

Pain.

—

Her eyes widened inside the carriage as she gasped sharply, her body jerking forward.

“No—!”

Her hand flew to her chest.

Her heart was racing uncontrollably.

As if she had just died herself.

Cold sweat covered her skin.

“That… wasn’t just memory…”

It felt real.

Too real.

As if she had lived it.

Felt it.

Died in it.

—

She curled her fingers tightly into her dress, trying to steady her breathing.

“That’s how it ends…”

Her voice trembled.

“Killed by the man she loved… while carrying his child…”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

“How pathetic.”

But her eyes—

They weren’t mocking.

They were afraid.

—

“I won’t become her.”

She whispered firmly.

“I won’t beg for love.”

“I won’t chase someone who hates me.”

“And I definitely won’t—”

Her voice faltered slightly.

“—end up pregnant with his child.”

The very thought sent a chill down her spine.

Everything about that future was wrong.

Twisted.

Hopeless.

And yet—

It had been inevitable.

Because the villainess had never tried to escape it.

But she was different.

“I already changed the story.”

Three years.

Three whole years without meeting him.

That alone proved it.

The original story had been broken.

Her fate—

Rewritten.

—

The carriage slowly came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived, my lady.”

The coachman’s voice came from outside.

She froze for a moment.

Her uneasiness returned.

Stronger this time.

As if something inside her was screaming—

Don’t go.

Her hand hovered over the door.

“…I can still leave.”

She could turn back.

Go home.

Forget this night ever existed.

That would be the safest choice.

The smartest choice.

So why—

Why couldn’t she move?

Her fingers tightened.

“No…”

She took a deep breath.

“I won’t run forever.”

If she kept avoiding everything out of fear, then what kind of life was that?

A cage?

A prison?

She had already escaped her destined death.

She refused to live trapped by its shadow.

“It’s just one night.”

Her voice steadied.

“One normal night.”

And with that—

She pushed the door open and stepped out.

—

The grand estate stood before her, glowing with golden light.

Music drifted softly through the air.

Laughter.

Voices.

Life.

Everything looked normal.

Peaceful.

Safe.

But as she walked inside—

A strange chill ran down her spine.

Her instincts screamed again.

Danger.

Unseen.

Unavoidable.

—

Somewhere far away—

In a dark, silent room—

Golden eyes slowly opened.

Sharp.

Predatory.

Filled with something dangerous.

A low growl echoed in the darkness.

As if something had just awakened.

—

Back in the ballroom—

She took a glass from a passing servant.

Her fingers brushed against the cool surface.

She didn’t notice the faint, almost invisible smirk on the servant’s lips.

Didn’t notice the way his gaze lingered.

Didn’t notice—

The trap closing around her.

She lifted the glass.

Took a small sip.

And smiled faintly.

“Maybe… I really was overthinking.”

—

Fate, however—

Was already laughing at her.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***