Chapter 3: No Villainess more worthy of her title I

Serena knew that Emily had written letters to Leonard, and though Leonard replied to them, when asked to meet, he only made excuses as he did not want her to see him. The reason was that, because at that time, he already knew. He knew that though the operation was successful to save his life, a major artery had been damaged, and he has become permanently paralyzed from waist down.

In any case, the letters had Emily's current address, so Serena knew where to find her. Leonard did not want to go, but Serena was the one pushing his wheelchair, and besides, he could not possibly let his sister sleep out in the streets.

Emily was surprised to find them outside her door. She had no idea what happened, but she welcomed them with open arms.

Emily's father, Baron Edward Evans, died early during the civil war. Emily did not mourn much for him as he was a gambler and a drunkard who made her life miserable. Instead, it was a blessing for her as she gained custody of all her younger siblings. 

Anyhow, Emily lived with her four younger siblings and so, after Serena explained the reality of their situation, Emily wasted no time to settle them in a new home.

Emily could not be considered as rich though she was very popular for being a singer with a clothing line. Most of the money she made was used to pay up her father's debts, and when the silver lining came and she can save more, the war came. So, at that moment, she can only be considered as upper middle-class.

Still, despite her limitations, Emily found Serena and Leonard a not so shabby place to live in.

Serena opened the fence and entered the house with her key.

The two-story townhouse was situated in a lower-middle class neighborhood, but the surrounding was safe, and the house itself was neat and has everything they need. It was still relatively new, the furnishings though of cheap materials were also new. It has running water and electricity. There was a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and a bedroom with an ensuite for Leonard's mobility on the first floor. On the second floor, there were also 2 bedrooms each with an ensuite.

Serena didn't expect that Emily would be so generous especially with their past and how her brother has been treating her so far.

Looking back, there was the part of competition when they were younger. She was a newly transmigrated villainess and Emily was the female lead. She inadvertently stole the male lead though her target was really the second male lead. She bested Emily with all her advantageous knowledge and made such a mess in their lives without them knowing the script.

If marriage was the ending, Serena could be said to be the most triumphant. In the original, though she was engaged to the crown prince, it would have been annulled because the crown prince, Geoffrey William, would have fallen in love with Emily and married her.

But upon her arrival, she seduced the second male lead, Marquis Charlton Daniel, the son of the war-hero Grand Duke Charles Daniel and first cousin of her fiancée. She had a sordid affair with Charlton, but in the end, she abandoned him and married Geoffrey instead. 

She married the male lead and became the crown princess. Would have been perfect, but instead, the situation got the better of her.

She was down and depressed because her marriage with Geoffrey has met with a dead-end. She could not carry a child to term and lost her pregnancy 4 times. Geoffrey was the crown prince, and it was his duty to have an heir. His mother was pressuring her, the monarchist faction was also trying to replace her, and it's just… she felt like there's no more future with Geoffrey. Yes, he told her he loves her and even said that he can live with the fact of having no children in the future, but even then, she still did what she did.

Perhaps if not for the situation, she would never have done what she did, perhaps… but whatever her excuse, the end point was the fact that she still had an extramarital affair with the same man, Charlton, during her marriage.

Truly wow. No villainess more deserving of her title than her.

In truth, she doubted Charlton's intention. She knew what she did to him, she knew what his family suffered because of the royal family. However, she was so in love with him and was drunk with the idea that he never forgot her. That he still loves her after all, and maybe this was how things were meant to be.

Then just when she thought she can have her happily ever after part 2, Karma came knocking in. Charlton betrayed her, publicized that she was having an affair, he ruined her for his vengeance, and maybe even then, his purpose was not only to hurt her but to weaken Geoffrey's political standing.

After the news broke out, there were protesters outside their home, people throwing eggs at the sight of her, and she was not sure what Geoffrey would do to her once he comes home from his mission.

Leonard hid her at his private flat, but after a while, she went to find Charlton so she can convince him to run away with her. She had no idea that he was the one who instigated the news, and when she found out, she still begged him to take her back but was rudely rejected.

She walked away depressed and just wanted to end her life. However, it was Emily who pulled her out of her personal hell. In truth, though she would never admit it out loud, Emily could be called her benefactor.

Later, Geoffrey found her and welcomed her back with open arms. Like a true male lead, he protected her dignity despite the protests of the members of his faction. He chose to lie and tell everyone he was the man in the picture. In the end, he chose to be called as someone who committed dereliction of his duty than abandon her.

--

TBC