How a Villain Defies Destiny

Author: Nikss

Then a deep wrinkle formed between Yves Leblanc’s eyebrows. He seemed upset that I had taken Enheduane’s side.

‘I feel sorry for forcing the separation, but it can’t be helped.’

I tried hard to ignore the rising pangs of conscience when Yves, who had been staring at me with an uncomfortably piercing gaze, asked a question.

“Where will Laura be during that time?”

He already knew, so why was he asking again?

I couldn’t grasp his true intention, but I tried to answer obediently for now.

“Well, I’ll be with Lord Endymion…”

“I’m asking for the exact location.”

Before I could even finish the sentence, he cut me off. His tone was so firm it almost sounded cold.

‘Why is he angry?’

My doubt grew, but Yves’s urging gaze prevented me from thinking too long.

“Um… I don’t know where Lord Endymion is right now either, so I can’t give a definite answer.”

I answered honestly with no intention of hiding anything, but Yves’s eyes turned icy in an instant.

“So you didn’t make any prior arrangements with my brother.”

“…”

At the same time, I finally realized why he had reacted so sensitively.

It wasn’t because I had sided with Enheduane, but because I had said I was going to meet Endymion alone.

Now that I understood, Yves’s eyes and tone definitely felt like a lover suspecting his partner of cheating.

‘This could lead to a strange misunderstanding.’

Honestly, I felt a little wronged.

If I had any ulterior motives, I wouldn’t have mentioned who I was going to meet in the first place.

However, I knew that in times like this, I had to respond calmly and rationally, so I decided to tell the truth straightaway.

“Lord Yves, the truth is I made quite a big mistake, and now I have to apologize to Lord Endymion.”

When I suddenly started talking about something else, Enheduane looked at me in confusion, but Yves listened quietly.

Meeting his gaze directly, I poured out the whole story.

“I might have to beg desperately until Lord Endymion forgives me, and I didn’t want to show you that side of me. That’s also why I hesitated when you said you would come along.”

Whether my sincerity got through or not, Yves withdrew his suspicious look.

“Then I’ll also apologize to my brother…”

“I couldn’t bring it up right away because I knew you would say you’d apologize together.”

I cut off his words as if I had expected it.

“I didn’t want to make you apologize because of me.”

“I’m fine with it.”

“You might be fine with it. But I don’t like it.”

I continued speaking without giving him a chance to argue back.

“Put yourself in my shoes and think about it. For example, suppose you made a big mistake toward Lady Enheduane, and I, who don’t even know the situation, followed you and said I’d apologize together. How would that feel? You wouldn’t like it, right?”

“…”

As expected, Yves couldn’t easily open his mouth.

He might have been able to say it was fine for now, but he probably couldn’t readily agree because if something like this really happened later, I could bring up today’s incident.

In the short silence, I read his conflict and looked straight into his slightly trembling silver eyes as I drove in the final nail.

“So, Lord Yves, while I’m apologizing to Lord Endymion, please go with Lady Enheduane.”

Yves moved his lips as if he had something to say, but in the end, he said nothing.

“Instead, you can come find me once you’re done. I won’t stop you from doing that.”

Strictly speaking, it was an argument close to sophistry, but I spoke as if I were doing him a favor and gave Enheduane a meaningful look.

It meant she should take Yves away quickly.

Enheduane, who understood the meaning of my gaze perfectly, lightly played along and pushed Yves’s back.

“Miss Laura is right. The confirmation won’t take long, so let’s go quickly.”

Even as he was being dragged away by Enheduane, Yves kept turning back with a face full of lingering attachment. I waved my hand and saw him off until he disappeared down the corridor.

‘Phew, I managed to get through it somehow. Now I just need to find Endymion and it’ll be resolved… or will it?’

What came after Endymion accepted my apology seemed like it would be the bigger problem.

It was because Selene’s expression when she learned that he had regained his memories had been far from ordinary.

‘I tried to make excuses even if it was late, but Selene basically ordered me to leave, so I had no choice but to come out…’

Although I had walked out of the prison on my own two feet, the reality was a little different.

After blurting out Endymion’s secret with a momentary slip of the tongue, I had tried to smooth things over somehow, but Selene said her mind was too chaotic, and she wanted to rest, refusing to continue the conversation, so it was no different from being kicked out.

‘Ugh. No. For now, let’s only think about apologizing to Endymion.’

It was obvious that dwelling on a problem I couldn’t solve would only increase useless worries.

I decided to shake off my concerns related to Selene and focus on finding Endymion.

At least one fortunate thing was that I could meet Endymion without much difficulty.

Since I didn’t know his usual range of movement, I went to his room first, and luckily he was there.

“Lord Endymion!”

As soon as the door opened, I hurriedly entered the room. The startled Endymion stepped back and opened his mouth a beat late.

“…What is it?”

“Th-that magic tool, right? Activate it quickly.”

He looked reluctant but took out the mana tool without complaint.

After confirming it, I grabbed Endymion’s wrist, bowed my waist at a ninety-degree angle, and shouted my apology.

“I’m sorry!”

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

He asked back with a dumbfounded expression. It seemed absurd to him that I started with an apology without any proper explanation.

“Before that, since you’re good at reading my expressions, Lord Endymion, I believe you can tell how sorry I am right now.”

Meanwhile, I pointed at my own face toward the bewildered him and earnestly expressed my sincerity.

“And please also understand that I absolutely didn’t intend for this to happen.”

“I get it, so stop dragging it out and just tell me.”

“Well… I… I just came back from meeting Selene. Somehow…”

“Only the main point, briefly.”

“I told Selene that Lord Endymion has regained your memories. I’m sorry!”

I shouted with my eyes tightly shut and bowed repeatedly as I apologized.

“…”

A heavy silence settled over the room.

‘I’m scared to look at his face!’

I was curious about Endymion’s reaction, but I didn’t have the courage to face him directly.

Anyway, I was clearly at fault, so I thought I should keep my waist bent and not even make a sound until he gave permission.

Then, from above my head, I heard Endymion let out a deep sigh.

“Ha… You summarized it way too much. First, raise your head. I need to see your expression.”

His voice was flat and blunt, but it didn’t seem to contain anger.

Still extremely tense, I slowly straightened my back and sneaked a glance at his face.

Surprisingly, he looked calm.

‘I thought he would definitely get angry, especially since he desperately wanted to hide it from Selene of all people.’

I had even expected him to explode in rage.

From his perspective, he wasn’t even mentally prepared to confess to Selene yet, and I had arbitrarily dropped a bomb.

“…Are you not angry?”

“I’ll listen to the full story first.”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

His answer was far too dry.

‘It feels like… a competent boss who came to clean up after a junior’s work mistake…’

Moreover, the type who was capable at work but wanted to keep a personal distance.

Of course, being able to judge even his own personal matters so objectively was quite impressive.

“If you know that I can read your expressions well, shouldn’t you also restrain such thoughts?”

“Uh, um… Th-that wasn’t flattery. I was genuinely admiring how amazing you are.”

“So what exactly happened?”

It wasn’t badmouthing, but I felt unnecessarily guilty and added a lame excuse.

Endymion then asked for an explanation in a indifferent tone.

Thanks to that, my tension eased a little and I recounted the conversation I had with Selene in the prison.

However, I glossed over the part where we had a silly quarrel about my secret before the topic shifted to Endymion.

“In short, there’s a problem related to the divine crest that can’t be revealed, and its content was extremely absurd. Selene said that even if she told others, no one would believe her, that’s what started the whole thing?”

“Yes.”

“And you mentioned me there.”

“I was just saying that Selene…”

“Wait. I’ll listen to your personal opinion later.”

I tried to appeal that I had no bad intentions, but Endymion cut me off sharply.