The Abandoned Villainess Became a Zombie - Chapter 4

“Uben.”

“Mmfp—what? It’s strange, isn’t it?”

Lilia hurriedly covered Uben’s mouth, and the Crown Prince called the child’s name as if to stop him, but Uben shook his head, pushed Lilia’s hand away, and continued.

“Lady Lloyd always whines that she’s exhausted after running just a little, and screams like a duck at the slightest scare. Isn’t everyone curious how she managed to avoid zombies and get all the way here?”

At Uben’s words, everyone fell silent and looked at me. I couldn’t read any emotion on the Crown Prince or the Grand Duke’s faces, but judging by Lilia’s, it seemed she was watching my reaction closely.

She looked at me with a worried expression, as if her heart ached for me.

“So how did you do it?”

“…Zombies, by nature, aren’t good at climbing.”

I had prepared my answer before coming here, just in case I was asked such a question, so responding to Uben wasn’t particularly difficult.

In fact, I found it odd no one had asked until now.

“And if you mask your scent, you can fool the zombies. …As long as you’re not bleeding, body odor can be covered up pretty easily.”

“How?”

“You cover yourself with something else.”

They seemed intrigued by my explanation, waiting quietly for me to finish without showing any signs of impatience.

“What kind of ‘something else’?”

“A zombie corpse, or flower fragrance, for example.”

In the novel, Lilia had once survived a group of zombies by masking her scent with the smell of roses.

“What did you use to cover yours, Lady?”

“Lilies. I was lucky.”

In truth, I had deliberately rolled my body around a patch of blooming lilies. Smearing myself with zombie blood would’ve been easier, but I didn’t go that route out of fear that the Crown Prince or the Grand Duke might decapitate me on sight if they saw me drenched in blood.

“I see, so you can fool them by masking your scent,” the heroine said, nodding with admiration as she listened to me.

“So you didn’t run into any zombies? His Highness said they were right on your heels. That’s why he assumed you’d died.”

But Uben still looked unconvinced, frowning deeply.

“I rolled down the mountain. I really almost died.”

The ankle the zombie had grabbed was still bruised in the shape of its hand.

I pushed my chair back and slightly lifted my skirt. The gazes of those seated at the table dropped to my ankle.

Their stares clung quite heavily, and I soon let go of the skirt.

When I raised my head again, the Crown Prince, who had slightly parted his lips, now firmly closed them and abruptly stood up. The corner of his mouth was slightly twisted.

***

Idorian Fidentre once again looked at Penelope’s ankle, now hidden beneath her skirt.

A dark bruise remained on her pale skin, as though it had never once seen sunlight. No wonder her gait had seemed a little off—she had twisted her leg.

Her soaked dress, the tangled mess of her hair, her pale face that looked completely exhausted… The woman he’d assumed to be dead had returned, utterly wrecked. Constantly glancing around as if in fear.

“You wanted me dead, and you abandoned me!”

That tearful, bitter cry Penelope had let out echoed in his ears.

…Had he truly wanted her dead when he left her?

No—there was clearly exaggeration in her words.

When he had turned his back on Penelope, who lay collapsed and reaching out, it had undoubtedly been a choice made out of necessity. He couldn’t risk everyone’s safety just to save one person. Even if he were to go back to that moment, he would make the same rational decision.

And yet, what was this feeling weighing down his heart?

“I’ll step out for a moment.”

Leaving behind Penelope, who was looking up at him, Idorian exited the dining hall.

“I really almost died.”

If she had just screamed and thrown a tantrum like before, blaming him, maybe his heart wouldn’t feel this heavy. But her weakened voice, so unlike her usual self, left Idorian’s mind in disarray.

The heavy flicker of her eyelids, as if recalling something painful, and her trembling voice that sounded like she might cry at the slightest touch—

Idorian felt sorry for that. In his head, he told himself he wasn’t responsible for those emotions, but he couldn’t erase the weight pressing down on his heart.

The desperate look in Penelope’s eyes just before he turned away from her lingered in his mind.

‘She must resent me.’

Penelope, after returning, only nodded at everything instead of speaking, as if she didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She no longer lingered near him or started conversations like she used to.

Resentment or hatred—those were perfectly valid feelings for her to have. Even if it had been unavoidable, how she chose to interpret the situation was entirely her own.

As long as she didn’t lash out at others because of those emotions, there was nothing he had the right to interfere with.

And yet, even so…

The tightly shut dining room door opened, and Penelope slowly walked out. She furrowed her brows slightly, as if she hadn’t expected to run into him in the hallway.

“Penelope.”

Even though it was clear she didn’t welcome him, Idorian still went out of his way to speak.

“Did you finish eating?”

“…I’ll eat upstairs.”

She held a small potato in her hand as she replied.

“My stomach doesn’t feel well.”

“…I see.”

As she turned her gaze away from him, clearly wanting to end the conversation, Idorian realized he had no excuse to stop her from leaving.

And yet, he stood there watching Penelope’s retreating figure for a long time—because she was forcing herself to walk upright, enduring the pain in her leg.

…When the zombies were right on her heels, Penelope had helped Lilia. Her large eyes brimming with tears, stomping her feet in fear—yet she had still pushed Lilia to safety first.

Having known Penelope Lloyd since she was five, Idorian had always believed he understood her better than anyone.

“Penelope.”

And so—

“Let’s go together.”

For the first time, Idorian couldn’t get her image out of his mind. He couldn’t escape the scene that kept replaying in his head. He couldn’t stop looking at her.

***

“Penelope, let’s go together.”

When the Crown Prince said that, I felt an overwhelming urge to crawl back into the dining room. If I’d known he was still standing in the hallway, I wouldn’t have come out!

“Your ankle. Shouldn’t it be wrapped?”

Bandages? Why?

“I’m fine.”

It was just a bruise. Why would I need bandages? More than that, I didn’t want to be around Idorian.

He would definitely start nagging after spotting yet another flaw. He might even decide to watch me eat every bite of this potato.

“You can’t even walk properly—how are you fine?”

Just as I was regretting not picking a smaller one, he added another scolding remark.

“…What does that mean?”

And that was enough to make my heart drop.

“You’re saying… the way I walk is weird?”

What did he mean by that? Was he saying I walked like a zombie out there? That I staggered and couldn’t keep my balance?

“What exactly looks weird about it?”

“…You kind of drag your leg.”

I had no idea. I thought I was walking perfectly—but it was noticeable after all.

Then the problem was serious. If it was obvious from how I walked, how strange must I have looked eating, which required even finer control? Was I even looking straight at Idorian right now?

Even the fact that I spoke slower than Penelope normally did must have seemed odd. And once that suspicion began piling up, wouldn’t it eventually be discovered?

“Don’t worry about it.”

Just as I started panicking under a wave of fear, Idorian gently touched my shoulder and turned my gaze away.

“No one thinks it’s strange. It’s just a minor injury.”

Of course, his words brought me no comfort or reassurance.

After all, I couldn’t even feel any pain in my leg. The way I walked was strange because I had become a zombie.

“Come on, let’s go.”

After looking at me for a moment, Idorian turned and began walking ahead.