How a Villain Defies Destiny – Chapter 126

Author: Nikss

From the beginning, I could be considered the root cause of all these incidents.

Therefore, meeting Selene was an absolute necessity.

“Even if I say there’s a crucial reason I must meet her, will you still try to stop me?”

When I spoke with unwavering determination, Yves let out a deep sigh and eventually relented.

“Hah… I don’t have the confidence to persuade His Holiness the Pope, but if this is your will, I’ll follow.”

“Thank you!”

I shook his hand up and down enthusiastically, genuinely happy, but Yves still frowned slightly and replied in a somewhat sulky tone.

“It’s too early to celebrate. My permission won’t change anything.”

Though he agreed, unable to resist my stubbornness, he still seemed uneasy about me meeting Selene.

“But it’s okay. Just having you on my side makes me feel secure.”

“Thank you.”

“Yves, you’re thinking I’m just saying empty words right now, aren’t you?”

“…”

Yves didn’t seem inclined to hide his feelings, remaining silent in acknowledgment.

“You’re being too harsh. I’m only speaking from the heart!”

“But I’ve always been on your side, and I also know that in this situation, I’m not much help. So even if Laura says she feels secure, honestly, it doesn’t quite resonate.”

“No, well—it’s hard to explain, but actually…”

“You don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’m not forcing it, it’s just…”

I trailed off, unsure how to explain. There was a lot to say, but laying it all out from the start would make the conversation too long.

‘From the beginning, it was easy to guess that meeting Selene wouldn’t go smoothly just by his reaction.’

Most likely, a new obstacle would appear before long.

However, apart from Yves Leblanc’s opposition, everything else was a secondary issue for me. Because my only goal was to be with Yves.

Well, if it can be resolved peacefully, that would be ideal. But if not, I’ll have to resort to extreme measures without hesitation.

Still, if Yves were to oppose me, many things would be blocked before they even began. So, nothing was more reassuring than having him on my side.

Honestly, even now, if I fail to persuade the Pope, there are other ways.

I could slip past the guards and break into the prison, or even assist Selene in escaping—there were plenty of ways to meet her.

Of course, in that case, I’d make an enemy of the Holy Kingdom, and there’s a high chance we’d be declared criminals with bounties on our heads.

But that’s just a minor inconvenience.

In exchange for helping Selene, I could ask Endymion for assistance or request Fenrir’s mediation.

Either way, no matter what happens, conflicts between humans are trivial compared to the problems related to Goddess Nanna and would be much easier to resolve.

Therefore, the statement that ‘all I need is Yves’ contains not a shred of falsehood… Wait, Lord Fenrir?

Following the flow of my thoughts, I suddenly remembered Fenrir’s existence.

Maybe I should talk to Fenrir first.

After all, with Huluppu unconscious, Fenrir was the only one I could consult about meeting Goddess Astarte.

Moreover, if he stepped in, he might even be able to break the Pope’s stubbornness.

The biggest obstacle is that Fenrir doesn’t particularly like Selene either…

Still, if I properly explain that Selene was also being used and that her cooperation is essential to smoothly resolve the situation, there’s a chance he might understand.

“I’ll be fine, so please don’t push yourself too hard.”

Oops, my thoughts had dragged on too long, and the silence stretched awkwardly.

“I was just organizing my thoughts to explain things more clearly.”

I added an excuse to comfort Yves, who seemed a little hurt, but he didn’t look convinced.

Still, I can’t just spill everything right now.

After hesitating briefly, I decided to change the subject.

“How about we go see Fenrir now? We can take a light walk on the way.”

Might as well steer things in a direction that helps with the plan I just came up with.

“No. You need to rest more first.”

“I heard somewhere that lying down for too long isn’t good either.”

“It’s too late. I understand you’re eager to do something right away, Laura, but let’s call it a night and go tomorrow morning.”

Only after Yves pointed it out did I notice how dark it was outside.

I vaguely remembered hearing that divine beings didn’t have basic survival needs like eating or sleeping, but it didn’t seem like Yves would budge on this.

“Alright. But we have to go early tomorrow morning.”

“I promise. So get some sleep now.”

“I’ll sleep after I see you leave.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

Watching Yves stand perfectly still, a strange hypothesis suddenly crossed my mind.

What if he hadn’t moved an inch from this spot until I woke up from my unconsciousness?

No way… That can’t be. Hmm, probably not…?

I tried to deny it inwardly, but the doubt lingered.

Finally, after a deep internal struggle, I cautiously asked, “Yves, you didn’t… stay awake the whole time until I came to, did you?”

“I slept.”

His reply came back without a hint of hesitation, yet for some reason, it only made me more suspicious.

“Where, exactly?”

“Here.”

Again, his answer was immediate, but the more he answered so smoothly, the more my doubt turned into certainty.

“I get that, but where here? Did you sleep in the same bed?”

“Absolutely not! I was here—”

Yves Leblanc, who had been vehemently denying it, suddenly trailed off. For a brief moment, his pupils trembled—proof that my question had struck a nerve.

“You slept uncomfortably there, didn’t you?”

“…No. I dozed off now and then on the sofa over there.”

His belated excuse carried no credibility whatsoever.

“Can you swear on the gods?”

“…”

Please, let it not be true.

‘He really just sat on a hard wooden chair and caught only scraps of sleep, didn’t he?’

A day or two would have been one thing, but this had gone on for an entire week.

Long enough that an ordinary person would have collapsed from exhaustion by now.

Yet, Yves had stubbornly endured, standing by my side even now without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.

As touching as it was that he had cared for me so devotedly, I never wanted him to sacrifice his own health just to stay beside me.

“Honestly, you should’ve just slept next to me.”

It’s not like the bed wasn’t big enough.

Shifting toward the center, I patted the spot beside me firmly and issued a command.

“Get up here. Now.”

“I’ve gotten used to sleeping in the chair.”

“No.”

I refused to yield even an inch, my tone leaving no room for argument. Hesitantly, Yves slowly climbed onto the bed.

“Um, Laura Laurus, isn’t this a bit too close? Could you move away a little?”

“You don’t like being next to me? Oh, is it because I haven’t washed in a week? Am I dirty?”

“Not at all. You’ve been cleansed with holy water every day. Well, not by me—it was the maids assigned by the Papal Office.”

I found it endearing how Yves would ramble on about trivial information before hastily adding a final sentence, so I couldn’t help but tease him.

“Then wouldn’t it be fine to stick close? Why do you keep putting distance between us?”

“…That’s a personal matter.”

A personal matter?

‘Now I’m even more curious!’

I deliberately pressed him in an exaggerated tone just to enjoy his flustered reaction, but Yves, too embarrassed, didn’t even seem to realize I was joking.

“If you tell me, I’ll stop bothering you.”

“So you were aware you were bothering me.”

“Don’t dodge the question—just tell me.”

“I absolutely cannot say.”

Even though he was backed to the edge of the bed like he might fall off any second, Yves showed no sign of opening his tightly sealed lips.

“Making someone curious and then keeping it a secret? Yves, you’re mean.”

“I swear to God, I had no intention of provoking your curiosity.”

Amid our pointless squabble, I witnessed something astonishing in Yves’ desperate struggle to hide it—a distinct shape proudly asserting itself between his legs.

“Uh…”

Now that I knew the secret he’d been so desperate to conceal, I froze on the spot.

“…”

“Yves, um…”

“Don’t say anything.”

“Why not?”

“Because nothing you say right now will be of any help to me.”

“Last time, you said it was okay if we…”

Even I felt too embarrassed to directly mention sex, so I phrased it vaguely.

“I don’t want to.”

Again, Yves cut me off before I could finish.

“You don’t want to do it with me?”