I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

The opera theater was a building that gave off a completely different vibe compared to the Duke’s mansion.
It seemed to say, "This is what cultural life is," a place that someone like my past self, who lived a life full of stress, would never dare approach.
As I stood in front of the stairs, Jacob extended his left arm. It seemed like he wanted me to place my hand on it.

This level of stairs I could climb by myself, so did I really need to put my hand on his arm?
However, Jacob seemed determined to maintain this odd posture until I placed my hand.
With a small sigh, I placed my hand on Jacob’s arm. As I stood beside him, smiling cheerfully, while I, on the other hand, felt nothing but discomfort, we ascended the stairs.

“Well… But I didn’t expect others to come, so I only reserved two seats... What should we do?”
Jacob, who had been admiring the arm I had placed on his, glanced behind at the two people following us and spoke. His tone was filled with a kind of regret, though his expression didn’t reflect it.
He didn’t seem to be trying to hide his expression at all. It was as if he wanted to subtly give a hint to the unwelcome guests... Unfortunately, the two people behind me were not unwelcome guests, and they certainly weren’t the types to be deterred by such subtle hints.

“That’s not a problem.”
And...
“My father had already arranged for VIP seats for us.”

I had prepared for it in advance. When I mentioned I was going to the opera, my mother, father, and brother all rushed to make arrangements for me.
In the end, my father, who acted first, won.
I couldn’t quite understand why my family would engage in such a small battle, but secretly, I didn’t mind, so I accepted the ticket without saying anything.

Passing by Jacob, who stood there dumbfounded, I handed the four tickets to the staff at the lobby.
The staff, with a calm expression, accepted the tickets, but then suddenly looked shocked. They quickly handed over the lobby duty to another staff member and hurried out to stand in front of me. It seemed that the presence of someone from a family with an opera theater on their estate was quite exciting for them.
“Welcome, Lady Selina.

We will serve you properly.”
Serve me properly? How exactly would they do that?
As I entered the VIP section, there were four plush-looking chairs arranged in a row behind a partitioned balcony.
I sat in the second seat and placed Aiden next to me. I figured it might be uncomfortable for him to sit next to others.

Seeing this, Lukas shook his head and naturally sat next to me.
“…Lady?”
With both my seats taken, Jacob, who had been left without a place to sit, called out to me.

Well, life is first-come, first-served. I shrugged my shoulders, hoping that he learned a valuable lesson in that moment.
“What’s wrong?”
I asked, pretending not to know, and Jacob forced a smile, as if resigning himself. It was a pitiful smile.

“Sigh... It’s nothing.”
Well, that’s a relief.
As I looked at the stage, hoping Jacob, who had sat next to Lukas, would have a good time, the opera soon began.

It was a love story between a man and a woman.
The two lovers, overcoming the disparity in their statuses, passionately loved each other, but the story ended tragically when the male protagonist sacrificed his life to protect the female protagonist.
Since I had never been in a romantic relationship, the story didn’t resonate with me much. However, the songs were beautiful, and the singers’ performances were excellent.

When it was time for the singers to come out and bow, cheers and applause erupted from the audience. I joined in, clapping as hard as I could to show my appreciation for the wonderful songs and performances.
The singers soon began their encore.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

It was the upbeat and lively music from Act 1. Under the dazzling lights, the singers smiled and sang about happiness. As it was the encore, the audience clapped along and enjoyed the song.
It was certainly an enjoyable stage. However, despite the cheerful atmosphere, my mouth was filled with an unpleasant taste.
I couldn’t help but think—if Eunji were here to see this, how happy would she have been?

That thought consumed my mind. Eunji, who had always wanted to see a musical before she died... But she never even made it near a theater before she passed away. How much would she have loved this performance?
It was truly absurd.
When we could talk to each other, we never once pretended to care about each other. So why, now, are we thinking of each other?

Are we wishing for each other's happiness and regretting the past?
I found myself once again caught in meaningless thoughts.
It couldn’t be helped. I had only decided to pursue happiness just about three months ago. A mere three months could never be enough to cover my 27 years of my past life.

Even if I tried to turn away from it, the shadow would follow me.
I would probably continue to waver like this, stuck somewhere between my past life and this reality.
Just a few days ago, I thought I might be happy holding my mother’s hand, but today, once again, I was trapped by the shadow of the past.

Such a precarious state.
The endless stream of idle thoughts slithered up my body and once again tightened around my throat.
“Lady Selina.”

As I struggled to catch my breath, caught by my own thoughts, a voice, cautious and gentle, called out from beside me.
I slowly turned my head toward the sound.
“Aiden.”

Just as he called my name, Aiden softly murmured in a very gentle tone. As if answering my call, Aiden nodded his head up and down.
It was strange.
On the brightly lit stage, the performers were joyfully singing, and everyone was watching them, but Aiden’s green eyes were fixed solely on me.

Why? Why are you looking at me?
How is it that... every time I get lost in the swamp of the past, you call my name?
I didn’t say anything, but only thought to myself. Even though I just gazed at him in silence, Aiden didn’t avert his gaze and continued to look at me.

“It’s okay.”
He muttered softly.
Whether it was directed at Aiden or at myself, I couldn’t even tell anymore, it was so faint.

Aiden’s eyes, which were fixed on me, were like an emerald forest. A peaceful place, free of fear, torment, or annoyance—just tranquil.
I felt the urge to say something, but my lips moved, only to stop again, unsure of what I wanted to say. Instead of finding words, I slowly lowered my eyelids.
In the blurred vision, Aiden’s gaze was still locked on me.

My breath gradually returned, and the shadow of my thoughts disappeared.
As Selina’s eyes slowly closed, Aiden took a deep breath. Unknown sensations made his toes tingle.
This was the first opera he had ever seen.

And it made sense; having lived as a beggar and wandered the streets before becoming a servant in the Duke’s house, there was no opportunity for him to attend an opera.
The first opera he saw was overwhelming.
The orchestra and the singing voices that filled the grand hall made his heart race. But strangely, he couldn’t fully focus on the stage.

He kept glancing at Selina’s profile beside him.
Though they had often walked together or walked side by side, or even been alone together, this was the first time they were sitting side by side for such a long time since that bumpy carriage ride.
It was different, this time, this long stretch of time.

As he looked at Selina’s side profile, silently watching her clap passionately, he secretly smiled. Then, seeing her gradually sinking gaze, he softly called her name.
To be precise, the words that came out were almost an accident.
“Lady Selina.”

Aiden had seen that kind of gaze before. The day she almost fell down the stairs, when he saved her, he had looked into those same eyes—dark, hollow, and empty. As her head slowly turned toward him, it felt like an eternity. He felt the sound of the grand song slowly fading in the background.
Time seemed to freeze. All that filled his vision was Selina.
His throat felt dry, and he had to swallow, but the sound of it seemed too loud to make. He held back.

“Aiden.”
Selina spoke his name.
Her soft voice, mingled with the air, tickled his ears. The sensation spread throughout his entire body, from his fingertips to his toes, even to the ends of his hair.

Aiden nodded, and Selina gazed at him blankly.
A brief silence passed, and then, from Selina’s lips, a small murmur escaped.
“It’s okay.”

It sounded almost like a mumble in her mouth, but to Aiden’s ears, it was as clear as day.
They continued to gaze at each other.
Aiden looked into her sky-blue eyes, thinking of the sky with fluffy clouds drifting across. Lying in a field and gazing at the sky, it felt like that moment.

Selina, as if wanting to say something, moved her lips slightly, but then, without speaking, she closed her eyes.
Aiden didn’t take his eyes off her even as she closed her eyes.
Just like Selina had done, Aiden’s lips moved. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t.

The difference between them was that Selina didn’t know what she wanted to say, while Aiden knew exactly what he wanted to say but couldn’t bring himself to.
Her gaze, the sky-blue eyes that met his in the dark, the slow utterance of his name, the murmur that answered him, “It’s okay.”
‘I think I like her.’

The words he couldn’t speak echoed endlessly in his mind.
The tingling sensation in his fingertips, toes, the ends of his hair, and even his heart.
Aiden quietly lifted his eyelids, still watching Selina, who kept her eyes closed.

‘I like her.’
The realization of his feelings consumed his entire body in an instant.
The emotions that burst out felt overwhelming, as if he wanted to shout them out, but he couldn’t.

A servant and a lady.
It felt like something straight out of a fairytale, a combination that seemed impossible, something he had only read about in the storybooks of his childhood. The fairytales always ended beautifully, with the two holding hands, lovingly sharing their lives.
“And they lived happily ever after.”

It seemed like a laughable thought in comparison to reality.
He had learned too young that reality was far different from fairytales.
Fairytales were ridiculous fantasies, and reality was a bitter truth. And the end of this truth would likely be just like the tragedy in the opera.

‘I like her. Lady Selina.’
The feelings that couldn’t be spoken leaked out through other means. Through the haze in his blurry vision, Aiden stared at Selina’s face.