13. Flashback (6)

And about an 1 hous later, a woman's loud scream was heard near the [Millane bookstore] and quickly disappeared. But, no one pay attention to it, because they didn't want to get involved in such a problem.

'Now give up already, Haa(sigh). . . .just die quickly. . . .'

When Anna asks 'Where is Edith?', Lizzy tells Anna that she is also looking for Edith and then walks away from the place. In a hurry, Anna ran inside the alley where [Millane bookstore] was, but only Anna's strength wouldn't be able to stop Fred Sicily.

[When Edith Ludwig dies as a villainess, the story returns to its original flow. 3 minutes until her death.]

That's the announcement I've been waiting for. And as soon as Lizzy heard the announcement, Killian appeared in front of her.

'What happened to this? Why is Killian here?'

"Lizzy. Why are you allone? Where Edith?"

Lizzy was startled, but Killian looked more surprised.

"I-I was looking for Edith, too. Edith suddenly disappeared. . . . ."

Although she was surprised, Lizzy responded with a calm mind. Edith is going to die soon, and she didn't want to talk about the person who going to death anyway. But then, Anna, who was searching the alley, popped out and grabbed Killian.

"Mrs Edith, she never been out of that alley!"

At the same time, the system of this world repeated its ominous announced.

[When Edith Ludwig dies as a villainess, the story returns to its original flow. 3 minutes until her death]

Her time to death has been extended. It was like a deja vu during a yacht accident.

'What the hell she did to buy the time?'

While Lizzy was widened her eyes in surprise, Killian quickly began to search the alleyways. Lizzy prayed that Edith would die immediately. Killian and Anna prayed for Edith to hold on a little longer, and the time of her death was extended twice more.

A moment later, a loud sound of bang echoed through the alley. Killian and his knights run toward the abandoned house at the end of the alley.

"Oh No. . . !"

Lizzy let out a low sigh, but the system relentlessly declared defeat to her.

[some part of the flow of the original has been destroyed by the excessive intervention of the original author. The original story has been corrupted again. The original author's dominance is weakening.]

Lizzy feel devastated. After hearing the announcement from the guidance voice system, not only the remains 30% control towards Killian dropped 0%, but her control that could be extended to the other characters has been reduced about 30%. Thinking back how Killian was moving arbitrarily with only 30% of her control, she felt like everything was falling apart. When she returned to the mansion with a frustrated mind and heard the story behind it, it seemed that Edith had persuaded Fred Sicily with words.

'This kind of lucky wouldn't never happen to the extras like Edith.'

In reality, Edith would really died without even beings able to fight back properly. However, this was the world of romance novel, and a romance novel clichés didn't easily allow the main character to die. It is proof that Edith's 'main publicization' was accelerating.

'There no way two main famale characters in one story. . . .'

Lizzy hands trembled at that thought.

'I have to kill her before she meet the 3rd conditions. I must!'

Feeling like a knife being stabbed into her throat, Lizzy began to prepare for the final episode, the territory battle and the kidnapping incident.

Just before the declaration of territorial war was announced. Shane writes a letter to Edith offering her one last chance, but Edith declines. Moreover, Riegelhoff family's spy that was placed in there in advance was kicked out from the mansion after beings punished and whipped as soon as territory war was declared. In the original, the spy was a person who remained in the mansion and plotted with Sophia until the end, but was discovered this time, perhaps it's because Edith met the 2nd conditions. So now she has no choice but left the raid on the duke mansion to Shane alone.

'I can't just trust Shane alone.'

Because in the original story they failed, but now that Edith's narrative has become stronger, the Rigelhoff family's is not a reliable place.

Lizzy sends a secret letter to the Riegelhoff family with an unknown sender.

[I'm a person who works at the Duke of Ludwig residence. If you're want to take down the Ludwig family, I'd like to give you a little help.]

Although Count Riegelhoff and Shane were suspicious, they had no choice but to accept the offer.

Lizzy, who made up the plans so far, offered Killian one last bait of temptation before he departure. She purposely visited him in the middle of the night wearing a lewd nightgown that exposes her slender shoulders that Edith might have worn, however Killian frowned when he saw her appearance with her expose round white shoulders.

'What with that look? Isn't this something what he like?'

Although she was bewildered for a moment, she slowly approached Killian and recalled the memories of the past that would have been beautifully embellished, try to drew his empathy.

"Actually. . . .I knew Killian's heart."

Off course Killian was surprised. Lizzy, who seduced him with a sad smile for a moment. Then she continued spoke with intention of shaking Killian heart completely.

"Can't you kiss me just once before you leave?" Killian paused.

Lizzy was sure that Killian wouldn't refuse this request. However, Killian's hand that approached Lizzy did not cup her cheek, but flicked his fingertips and tapped her forehead.

"Killian. . . . ?"

"You don't have to act like you're sending someone off to die, you idiot."

Killian laughed cheerfully with a face that didn't show any signs of affection on her. After saw that Lizzy realized something.

'Killian is. . . . no longer mine. . . .' even the small part of him is no longer hers. Feeling abandoned by the character she created, Lizzy came back feeling depressed. When she got to her room, Cliff was standing there front of her room.

"It looks like something didn't go well. You don't look good."

"Cliff. . . ."

He seemed to already know where Lizzy was going. However, he didn't criticize her or openly show his displeasure.

'That's right, i still have Cliff.'

Cliff keeps trying to persuade Lizzy to be honest about her feelings in a subtle tone, but Lizzy couldn't bring herself to reveal her true feelings even to her ardent followers.

'If you know what I'm thinking, you'll abandon me too. Won't you?'

Finally the day has come, where the Duke and his two son will leave to the place where the territorial war was taking place. Lizzy sent them off and showing her weak appearance in front of Cliff. Edith who stood together sent them off, didn't receiving a farewell from Duke Ludwig, looking a bit unhappy, but she could not afford to be pleased with such a simple thing.

Princess Catherine comes to the duke's mansion and offers to send an imperial knight unsolicited, but Lizzy gathers her remaining power to makes the duchess declined the offer. Because of her strength weakened and force herself use her remains strength she had to rest for a while because her nose was bleeding from exhaustion.

'Now, I can't even use my power as original author.'

After losing her power, which seemed to be almighty, Lizzy had no choice but to move herself. But it didn't work easily either. To make it easier for Riegelhoff's team to attack the Ludwig family mansion, she helps them installing the sleeping incense and hide it in the invisible place and installed an anti-lock device on the back door of the mansion. However Edith, like someone with obsessive compulsive disorder, discovers it and destroys it all. In the end, Lizzy has no choice but wrote a letter and sent it to Cliff, saying that Edith's behavior while she went to check around the duke's mansion looked a bit strange.

'At this state, the episode where Shane raid the duke mansion wouldn't be successful. I need to change the plans.'

After thinking about it for a while, Lizzy wrote a letter for Count Riegelhoff.

[The defense of this house is too strict. Especially Mrs. Edith interference our way. I think we need to change the plans. The Duchess and Ms Lizzy will attend the party that held at Count Wyndham residence on the day of Archduke Langston's rebellion. I guess it's better if you start your move when they headed back from there.]

As expected, Count Riegelhoff and Shane decided to follow Lizzy advice. At the Wyndham family party, Layla come to faces Lizzy and apologizing at her, at the same time she was waiting for the moment of the assassination of the emperor had failed and the party would be over. After some time she waited, the imperial knight finally came and they had to board the carriage in a hurry, Lizzy unconsciously bit her lip, feeling nervous that she might fail again.

'I must succeed this time. I didn't want know about anything else, but Edith has to die. . . .'

Since Edith had emphasized in her letter that she had completely abandoned the Riegelhoff family, so neither Shane or Sophia would definitely never leave Edith alone. Suddenly, the shouts of the escort driver and the neighing of horses were heard outside and the carriage shook.

'Well done!'

Although Lizzy was screamed, but she was full of joy inside. However, instead of killing Edith outright, Shane burst into the carriage and dragged all the three to the abandoned Wellesley villa. Even there, they wasted the time by imprisoned Edith in separate prisons.

'Stupid bastards! Why don't you kill Edith? Kill her quickly!'

Cliff will come soon so there's no more times left, she had to kill Edith before they arrived. That was all I could think about while dealing with Shane, who was trying to rape her. That's why she got annoyed when someone knocked on the door and shane who went to check it was knocked down by the a blow coming from outside.

'It's too early. . . .What happened to Edith?'

Of course, even though I was thinking that, I didn't forget to cry and cling to Cliff, who came in with an urgent look on his face.

It's was good for Lizzy because Sophia was strongly on Lizzy's side until the end. She doesn't reveal Edith's location even though she's was being captured and dragged.

"Hmph! Do you think our young lady would be suitable with a place like this?"

At first glance it seems that she is trying to hide Edith, contrary to her words. But her eyes overflowed with malice like poison.

'That great. If she was trapped in this weather, wouldn't she freeze or strave to death there?'

The Duchess, who cried out that Edith couldn't be possible betray them, but Lizzy quickly spoke 'when I opened my eyes, Edith wasn't there.' And Cliff immediately command the knight to return home hurriedly.

However, even as time passed, the system's voice wasn't heard. At this point, there would have been an notice that Edith had a few minutes left to live, but there was no such notice until the Duke and Killian returned to the capital.

'Edith Riegelhoff! What the hell did you do and where did you go?'