When I Finished Playing the Terminally-Ill Villainous Omega C12

Chapter 12

Perhaps he had discovered my identity earlier than he had in the previous timeline and left because of it.

If that were truly the case, then at this point—before I could finish cleaning up the family’s karmic rot—nothing would go according to plan…

What should I do? If things go wrong again…

No. It’s too early to panic. I treated him well this time, didn’t I? I even tried to clear up misunderstandings. Even if he kills someone, surely he’d only kill that bastard. Right. That must be it.

My heart was still intact.

Meaning: if Locke was getting farther from my sight, that might actually increase my chances of surviving.

If he wasn’t within my reach, then no missions would trigger.

If this expectation were correct, I should’ve felt relieved.

But for some reason, once my thoughts settled, it felt as if a hollow gust of wind blew straight through my chest.

I must have been standing there with a dazed look, because the Bael Wolf bared its white fangs and growled at me.

Fear jolted through me, stiffening every muscle as I imagined it suddenly leaping at me.

“All right. I’ll return to my room now, so you should also rest—”

Crunch.

“Ah!”

As I slipped backward, something suddenly crunched beneath my foot.

A sharp pain pierced through the sole of my slipper, stabbing up to the top of my foot.

Unable to walk like that, I bent down and pulled out a small shard of glass embedded in the sole.

A transparent fragment tinted with a faint bluish hue.

The same tint as the vase in my room.

The moment I saw it, the conversation I’d had with Anna earlier flashed through my mind.

‘How did you hurt your hand?’

‘I cut it while cleaning glass…’

‘You cleaned broken pieces with your bare hands? Why? Did you get proper treatment?’

‘Yes.’

A strange feeling pooled in my stomach.

Staring at the floor, I noticed something crushed near the edge of the rug—a crumpled rose petal.

Immediately, I pictured the pink rose that had once been placed in the faint-blue vase.

Seeing the hope that had whispered to me reduced to such a pitiful state steadied my racing heart.

I asked Cassian quietly.

“Did you take the rose that was on my table?”

“Oh, that?”

He didn’t even bother to avoid my gaze as he leaned his chin on his hand and smirked.

I felt something burn up my throat.

“That?”

Maybe it had looked insignificant to others.

The gardens were full of roses, after all.

But to me, that rose was a small hope—something that helped me endure each day.

I slowly straightened.

Cassian had violated my belongings, dragged away my personal attendant without permission, and even now acted shameless, making no attempt to offer even a flimsy excuse.

His attitude said clearly how he viewed me.

As something less than the beasts he kept.

Right. You always treated human life as if it were worth less than an insect.

I must have forgotten for a moment because I was too busy trying to survive.

Before becoming heir, he had acted as if the household were already his to rule, and after becoming the head, his cruelty only worsened.

Servants were his toys, and even the wife he’d once claimed to love was left lonely and miserable.

All the filthy memories I had tried to suppress surged back.

I had wanted to avoid conflict.

I had wanted to quietly change small misfortunes around me while escaping the missions.

I had convinced myself that things would improve as long as Locke and I got along better.

I had willfully closed my eyes to the rot spreading through this house.

But of course nothing would change if I simply avoided everything.

Cassian suddenly spoke.

“That lowly servant dared to flirt with you. As your dignity was being sullied, I ordered it handled. Was that wrong?”

I tilted my head.

“Flirt?”

“What else would it be? Don’t tell me you actually had feelings for Locke?”

What…? Why is Locke’s name coming up?

“Judging by your face, you didn’t know he was the one who delivered the rose. I suppose it’s for the best—you were blissfully unaware of where such a filthy gift came from.”

His voice held no sign of exaggeration or insinuation.

Which meant… Locke truly had given me the rose.

Impossible…

The Locke I knew was cruel, cold, and revelled in bloodshed—

Not a man who would be thoughtful or delicate enough to offer someone a flower.

…At least, not the emperor he later became.

And then it struck me—

the grave mistake I had been making all along.

Before regressing, I had been desperate merely to survive.

Because of the missions, I encountered Locke frequently, but I had never truly known him.

His cruelty could have taken root here, in the Hestian household—or later, on the throne.

But I had foolishly assumed it was his inherent nature from the start.

Even now, I still saw him as something to avoid.

I convinced myself that treating him kindly would be enough to change the future.

Yet when faced with the possibility that he might be in danger, all I did was comfort myself that no mission had popped up.

A chill ran down my spine at my own stupidity.

“What are you standing there like an idiot for? Aren’t you leaving?”

Only now did I feel like I could finally see the path I needed to take.

I forced a polite smile.

“You’re right, Brother. I’ve been incredibly foolish. Thank you for reminding me.”

“So your illness hasn’t rotted your brain completely. Good. Now don’t disgrace our family name again. And—”

“Yes, Brother. Thanks to you, I now clearly understand how I must conduct myself.”

“…Are you trying to mock me?”

“How could I dare mock you? I simply remembered something I must do.”

“You? A dying man who might not live past tomorrow?”

“You’re right. Even I’m curious myself—about what I’ll do to make you laugh.”

“You’re getting rather bold.”

Cassian’s lips twitched with irritation.

Seeing even a flicker of unease in those eyes that always looked down on me felt unexpectedly refreshing.

He tightened his grip on the bronze comb.

Another second and he would throw it.

There was no reason to stay and hear more of his nonsense.

“If it sounded that way, I apologize. Please rest well, Brother.”

I let him seethe as much as he liked and stepped out.

Bang!

Something heavy slammed into the door the moment it shut.

He must have thrown the comb.

A faint electric jolt buzzed through my fingertips as I held the knob.

“Hah. What a temper.”

I had no reason to bow my head to Cassian anymore.

If I survived long enough, I would certainly undergo manifestation, and the first requirement for becoming the head of the Hestian family was exactly that.

Meaning—

if I surpassed the original timeline, the next head of House Hestian would not be Cassian.

It would be me.

I have my goal.

I would become the head, and I would protect my people from his monstrous cruelty.

Just then, I sensed a gaze.

Turning toward the end of the corridor, I found Anna standing there.

She looked at me with anxious eyes before hurrying down the stairs.

She wants me to follow her.

It must be about Locke.

Quietly, I followed.

❖ ❖ ❖

Splash, splash.

My white trousers were drenched in mud as I kicked off the sodden ground.

My body hurt, but urgency devoured any thought of pain.

I ran toward the Allure domain until my lungs felt ready to burst.

I should never have stayed in bed…!

After slipping and rolling in muddy water countless times, I finally remembered that I was not in good condition.

But stopping wasn’t an option.

It had been only ten minutes since—

I followed Anna to the dining hall, where the maid who had given Locke the grapes was waiting.

“The— the young master Cedric!”

She collapsed at the sight of me, begging through tears for me to find Locke.

She said Cassian had taken him to the Allure domain, but only the noble sons had returned.

I had meant to go straight to Mother to report this and take a knight with me.

But disaster seemed determined to pile up today.

“Lady Hestian is not at the estate,” the butler told me.

“She departed for the Vernden Count’s residence with Young Lady Ciel and Lord Aiden.”

A message had come earlier that the Count—who suffered the same illness as me—had passed away.

With Mother and Father gone, only Cassian and I remained in the estate.

And as for the knights… they had long sided with Cassian.

None would obey my command.

I couldn’t take Anna or the maid—mortals who would die instantly against monsters.

“I’m going insane…”

I wanted to run out immediately, but all I could do was wait until morning.

I returned to my room, clutching my head in frustration.

My gaze drifted to the empty table.

To where the pink rose had once stood.

I never even thanked him.

If something happened to him tonight, that gratitude would stay buried forever.

“Damn it.”

I yanked open my drawer and grabbed the dagger Aiden had gifted me.

Dragging my feverish body into the storm, heading alone into the monster-ridden mountains…

Anyone would call it madness—

because it was.

I knew.

I knew—and yet…

Somewhere between reason and instinct, my mind had gone blank.

By the time I regained awareness,

my feet were already racing toward the Allure domain.