#and it started out with otome's announcement that the party of words was taking over and had ichiro's little

[akkivee]

share a coke❤💜

[laulink]

A.N : I have no self-control. The second I enter a fandom, I want to write for it. My next life as a Villainess is no different. So here’s how I want the series to end ! Yeah, thinking a bit of a lot ahead, but what can I say, I’m a sucker for happy endings. Ship : Katarina x Maria.

“Thank you for telling me everything, Katarina. You are in quite the difficult situation, indeed.”

Katarina dropped her head at her mother’s words. Her situation being difficult was an understatement, really. Even though she had managed to avoid her doom by, somehow, leading the game’s story to the friendship ending, or what had seemed to be the friendship ending at the time, she had been harshly reminded that her story didn’t end at her upperclassmen’s graduation party. She was still promised to Prince Giordo who refused to break off their engagement. She had tried to stall, win some time in hopes that Giordo would fall in love with someone else and finally free her, but it hadn’t happened. Instead, she realised he was in love with her, apparently had been for years, and she... she was in love with Maria.

Sweet, kind, cheerful, gentle, beautiful, warm Maria... To make the villainess fall in love with her, she was truly the perfect otome game heroine ! But she was more than that. So, so much more. So brave, so passionnate, so fierce and loyal... How did Katarina think, for even a second, that she would not fall in love with her ? But now she had realised : Maria had won her heart over a long time ago and Katarina wanted nothing more than to spend her whole life with her... But Giordo was in the way and ready to force her into marrying him.

So Katarina had gone home to beg the only person she could think of for advice : her mother, the terrifying Duchess Claes. At least she seemed to understand her daughter’s pain and show some compassion. Now, to know if she would be able to help...

“Mother... Do you have an idea to solve this situation ? I’ve already tried everything I could to make Giordo back off and break our engagement, I even asked my friends for help, but to no avail. He seems convinced that if I marry him and we spend time just the two of us as husband and wife I’ll fall for him... But I can’t accept that ! I don’t want to marry him !”

Katarina felt tears gathering in her eyes as she almost screamed those last words. She tried to hold back a sob : she couldn’t break now, too much depended on her next move. Her whole life... and Maria’s.

Katarina felt her mother put a hand on her shoulder. She hadn’t even realised Lady Claes had left her seat across from her. She looked up to her mother’s face and felt her heart break at the sadness in the older woman’s eyes. That could only mean one thing...

“Is there... nothing I can do... ?”

Lady Claes let out a sigh as she sat down next to her daughter, then gathered the young woman in a tender, soothing embrace. Katarina felt herself melt into it and her tears rolling down her cheeks. It had been so long since her mother had last held her like this... So long since she had needed the reassurance and motherly touch.

After a few minutes, Katarina’s tears dried up and she straightened in her mother’s embrace. She couldn’t spend her whole day crying. She had to face whatever the future held for her and fight for her own happy ending. Even if her mother couldn’t help her, she would find a way.

Scrubbing at her face to get rid of the last of her tears, Katarina separated from her mother’s arms and put on a brave face.

“I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused you, Mother. I haven’t been the best daughter I could be, I realise that... Yet, I am thankful for everything you’ve done for me in all those years.

- It’s true, you have caused quite the problems,” replied Lady Claes, her face an impassible mask. “Which is why, Katarina... I am disinheriting you.”

Katarina’s eyes went wide. She looked at her mother more closely, but still, no trace of emotion showed on her face.

“What... ?

- You are no longer my daughter, no longer the heir to the Claes family. And since the engagement with Prince Giordo was a promise between our two families, it doesn’t stand anymore either. If you wanted to get married to him, you’d have to accept his proposal once more... but you won’t do that, will you ?”

The cogs in Katarina’s brain started working again, slowly, then faster, faster, faster. And she realised... her mother wasn’t ashamed of her, wasn’t disappointed, wasn’t rejecting her. This was her last gift as Katarina’s mother... The last thing she could do to ensure her daughter’s happiness.

Now she could see it. The pain in her mother’s eyes. The faint tremble of her lips. As she had disinherited her daughter, no bridge remained between them. They would never see each other again. But Katarina could be happy with the woman she loved and that was all her mother wanted. All she had ever wanted. 

Katarina felt the tears come back to her eyes, but she held strong. Her mother was doing something so hard and heartbreaking for her sake, yet managed to control her own emotions : Katarina had to do the same, show her mother that she was strong enough to handle herself, so Lady Claes wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore after today.

Taking a deep breath, Katarina closed her eyes to compose herself. When she opened them again, no tear slid down her cheeks and her gaze was resolute. Firm. Just like her mother. Lady Claes almost smiled ; at last, her daughter showed the qualities she had always hoped to see in her. She could break down after Katarina left : for now, she needed to make the best of the time they still had together. To admire the woman her daughter had become while she still could. Then see Katarina off with a smile. What would come after... she would worry about it when that time came. For now, Katarina was all that mattered. As she had always been.

Katarina looked in her mother’s eyes, determined and strong. When she spoke, her voice did not waver.

“I understand. Thank you for everything you have done for me up until now... Lady Claes.”

-----------------------------------------------------

Closing the door of her mother’s room, Katarina let out a deep sigh. This wasn’t how she had hoped her day would go... but she understood the gift her mother just gave her, and she swore to herself that she would make the best of it and lead a happy life.

She made her way across the estate, down familiar corridors, old stairs, past the paintings of her ancestors and the curious faces of the staff members. She would miss them... She hoped they wouldn’t be upset that she left without saying goodbye. But she knew that if she did say something, she would cry again and she didn’t think she could handle shedding more tears today.

Finally, she opened the main door to the estate and stepped out into the sun. But apparently, the day wasn’t done surprising her.

“Huh ? What is everyone doing here ?

- Katarina !

- Katarina-sama !

- Sister !”

All of her friends ran to her, worry stitched on their faces. They were all here, Mary, Sophia, Alan, Keith, even Raphael and Nicol, her precious Maria... and Giordo. She felt the sting of anger piercing her heart at the sight of him, reinforced when she noticed how worried he looked, as if he wasn’t the cause of her pain to begin with... but a gentle hand on hers dragged her attention away from him and on the person who was touching her. 

Maria. 

Somehow, just seeing her seemed to lift all the burdens on Katarina’s shoulders. She felt herself take a deep breath and a smile come up to her lips. Gently, she took Maria’s hand in both of her own and brought it to her lips, softly kissing her knuckles. Maria smiled at that and drew imperceptibly closer, filling Katarina up with the strength and courage she needed to deliver the news.

“Thank you for coming, everyone, and sorry for worrying you,” Katarina started, looking at her friends gathered around her. “I am fine. Everything will be fine from now on.

- What has your mother decided ?” asked Giordo.

He looked worried. Unsure. Maybe was he starting to realise he had gone too far. But it was too late anyway ; and with how things were now, he would have no choice but to accept his defeat.

Instead of answering him directly though, Katarina turned toward Maria. She was still holding her hand in both of her own. Despite their different upbringings, they had similar, calloused hands. Yet, the way they touched each other was the softest either of them had ever felt.

A smile on her lips, Katarina confessed :

“My mother disinherited me.”

A concert of gasps, quickly followed by questions from all of their friends. But none from Maria. She looked surprised, but kept her mouth shut, waiting for Katarina to continue. Patient. Confident in her lover’s smile and assurance.

Katarina’s smile softened even more. Now for the good news.

With a clear, strong voice that halted her friends’ questioning at once, Katarina resumed :

“Now that I am no longer the daughter of the Claes family, the promise between Duke Claes and the King to see Prince Giordo and I married doesn’t stand anymore. The engagement is cancelled.”

Katarina delighted in the way her announcement caused Maria’s face to brighten, her lips to stretch in the sweetest smile, her eyes to crinkle with happiness, her cheeks to redden in delight. She could spend a thousand years watching Maria’s smile and never tire of it. But she had one last thing to do, and hopefully, it would make this smile brighten even more.

Still holding Maria’s hand, Katarina dropped on one knee. She could hear her friends gasp and squeal in excitement, but she didn’t pay it any mind. She was entirely focused on the apparition before her, on how Maria’s blush deepened as she understood what Katarina was doing while tears gathered in her eyes. Happy. Hopeful.

“I have nothing left to my name, nothing but the clothes I am wearing and my love for you, Maria. I am not the brightest, nor the strongest, and definitely not the most powerful person around... but I do love you more than anything in this world, and I will prove it to you every day if you let me.”

Katarina brought Maria’s hand to her lips once more to kiss her knuckles, sealing her promise, then looked back up at her, tears shining in her eyes again, smile so wide it hurt.

“Maria Campbell, will you do me the honour of being my wife ?”

Maria let out a sob as she nodded, too overcome with emotions to form the words right away. But she managed, a second later, and squeezed Katarina’s hand as she answered.

“Yes... ! Yes, I want to be your wife, Lady Katarina !”

Grinning wider than ever before, Katarina rose to her feet and hugged Maria around the waist, picking her up and spinning her around in delight. Maria’s arms wound around her neck and her laughter rang in her ears as the purest sound she had ever heard while their friends cheered around them. But Katarina barely heard them ; all that mattered was Maria.

Her fiancée.

Her future bride.

The love of her life.

Finally stopping, Katarina let Maria down on the ground and gazed at her for a second, before drawing her even closer and into their first kiss as fiancées. Their friends cheered again, deafening, and their smiles were too wide for a proper kiss, but Katarina didn’t care.

This was the best day of her life. And she couldn’t wait to see it topped by every day that would come after.