How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 17

 

Barely able to keep myself together, I hardly paid attention, but Yves was kneeling beside the couch, staring up at me.

 

“You know, I don’t like it when you look at me like that.”

 

I glanced over and said it casually, but Yves’ expression grew more serious.

 

His long eyelashes fluttered as his brow furrowed, and he bit his lower lip tightly as if holding back something, after a long moment of silence, a muffled voice came out of his lips.

 

“…Is there anything I can do to help?”

 

“I’m fine, what happened to the curse?”

 

“…”

 

“Count?”

 

‘I guess you could call it a success.’

 

The method may have been different from the purification of the heroine with the blue light, but the result was the same.

 

‘Ugh, I’m going to live.’

 

After a few words with Yves, the nausea subsided and my body warmed up from the chill.

 

Slowing and steadying my breathing, I turned to Yves, who was still on his knees.

 

“Shall we continue where we left off?”

 

“You don’t seem to be feeling well, so I think you should rest for the day.”

 

“I’m perfectly fine, but you said earlier that you had something to offer me, so tell me what it is.”

 

As soon as I was able to think normally, I wondered why he had changed his mind so abruptly.

 

Looking directly into his silver eyes, Yves paused as he pondered the question, then averted his gaze and spoke.

 

“…I’ll try again another time because it makes me sound far too much like a snob to say it in this situation.”

 

A situation in which Yves felt vulnerable.

 

‘Oh, my goodness, I am so curious!’

 

Dopamine surged through me.

 

At the same time, I felt a wave of strength in my body that I hadn’t been able to lift a finger to control just a moment ago.

 

“I want to hear it now.”

 

After letting out a small sigh of frustration, Yves spoke slowly.

 

“I was going to propose an engagement.”

 

“To whom?”

 

“To you.”

 

“Me… engaged to whom?”

 

“Me.”

 

“What? Are you out of your mind? Are you being serious?”

 

Shocked, the words that came to my mind were unfiltered and leaked out.

 

On the other hand, unfazed by the questions, he continued calmly.

 

“I’m in my right mind, so I was thinking of asking you how would you feel about attending as a partner, not as a requirement of the contract, but as a condition of being engaged to me.”

 

Nonsense.

 

‘Was that smirk the other day, the one that signaled the beginning of Yves Route?’

 

Not a chance.

 

He’s not an easy guy to figure out, not when it comes to things like favorability, options, and ending conditions.

 

His guarded nature and tendency to be indifferent to his surroundings meant he wasn’t the type to open up to others.

 

After much deliberation, I decided to ask him outright.

 

“When was the last time you laughed because you were genuinely pleased or happy?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Yves appeared puzzled, but also deep in thought. But the pondering didn’t last long.

 

“None.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes.”

 

His firm answer confused me even more.

 

‘What’s with the smirk, then? Is he oblivious?’

 

Or maybe I was reading too much into it because of the information in the original story. It’s hard to tell if a smirk alone constitutes a genuine smile.

 

As my mind raced with speculation, Yves’s soothing voice brought me out of my reverie.

 

“I didn’t bring that up lightly, of course.”

 

I wish he’d say it was a joke. I’m sure these thoughts are plastered all over my face, but he’s only repeating himself.

 

“First of all, I’m of marriageable age, and my mother keeps forcing me into a marriage I don’t want…”

 

“You don’t want that, so you’re trying to use me as a shield!”

 

I interjected before he could finish.

 

Finally, I said something that made sense at the moment.

 

“Why would you even bother?”

 

“You’re mistaken.”

 

I hastily covered my mouth with my fan at his sharp point.

 

‘Though I’m sure you’ve already been caught.’

 

Fortunately, Yves didn’t seem to mind my attitude and continued the sentiment.

 

“Yeah, well, anyway, being engaged has the advantage of making it easier for me to help you if something happens to you.”

 

It was a meaningful remark. I wondered if he knew I was doomed to die.

 

‘From Yves’ perspective, there’s nothing you can do to help me. Would you know something?’

 

I asked casually, trying to gauge his unclear intentions.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“There’s a bad rumor going around the social circles, did you know about it?”

 

“What?”

I was dumbfounded by his response.

 

‘What social circles all of a sudden?’

 

What’s more, Laura’s rumors were inherently bad. There were so many things to point out that I couldn’t figure out what Yves was referring to.

 

“Can you elaborate?”

 

“Rumor has it that you’ve been taking advantage of my weaknesses lately, perhaps because of my daily visits to Baron Laurus.”

 

“I suppose that’s true.”

 

Yves’s silver eyes froze cold as I admired the utter accuracy of whoever had started the rumor.

 

“Listen to this seriously.”

 

There was no hint of playfulness in his tone. I swallowed hard, realizing that if I spoke my mind, I’d probably come off as a prickly little bastard.

 

“They say you hurt yourself and then blame me for it, and that you call me to the baronet’s every day as an excuse to stay in bed.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Apparently there are many nobles who resent the idea of me being with you.”

 

“I see.”

 

“You’re not listening properly, are you?”

 

“I’m not listening properly, am I?”

 

He must have realized that my mechanical retort was soulless.

 

It’s nothing to hide, so I meekly admit it.

 

“Well, I’ve always had a bad reputation in society.”

 

“It’s not something to shrug off. The rumor spread unusually fast. Like someone was spreading it on purpose.”

 

His argument didn’t make sense to me. There was nothing to be gained by framing Laura.

 

“Do you think it’s just because the Count is involved?”

 

He was more of a topic of conversation than the Duchess of Tigris, the so-called flower of society.

 

But Yves shook his head.

 

“I’ve done my research, and most of the instigators of the conspiracy against you are members of the Royalists.”

 

Considering his lack of interest in socializing, I was surprised that Yves had taken it upon himself to investigate the instigators of rumors about me.

 

For someone who seemed to be the embodiment of the words principled, upright, and innocent, gathering information was an afterthought.

 

While I was left speechless by this deviation from the original, he continued,

 

“Perhaps their purpose is not simply to discredit you, but to bring down Baron Laurus itself.”

 

“Maybe they’re after Baron Laurus’s wealth.”

 

“No. Then why?”

 

The Barony of Laurus was arguably the richest family in the Euphrates Kingdom.

 

And not one that had been around for generations, but one that had struck it big in a single day.

 

‘Because they discovered a mine.’

 

This worldview has some unusual aspects. It’s a medieval world where religion plays a large role and where science has not developed.

 

Despite this, the fantasy elements are present, and life in general remains clean and convenient, similar to the modern era.

 

Instead of backward science and declining magic, it’s ironically the tools of magic that elevate the level of civilization during this time.

 

These are magical tools still in use from a time when magic was immensely progressive.

 

Wizards are now harder to find, but the average person with no magical power could still use magical tools if they had a gemstone.

 

So the value of the stones increased exponentially, and they became valuable.

 

It was then that Baron Laurus, a merchant by trade, stumbled upon a mine of high-quality crystal on his estate, which made him the richest man in the Kingdom of Euphrates.

 

Baron Laurus hasn’t scolded Laura for her spending spree, in part because he sees her as a tool to marry into a high family, but also because there’s more to it than that.

 

‘Wait, Laura’s death in the game isn’t just because she threatened the Saint, but because of the politics involved?’

 

It was a reasonable hypothesis.

 

She would have been an easy pawn for the Royalist nobles who were after Baron Laurus’s fortune.

 

It was more likely that they would have trumped-up her crimes and executed her to confiscate the property of Baron Laurus, who hadn’t yet established strong connections.

 

‘But I’m terrible at playing politics.’

 

Even in novels, I preferred war scenes over fierce intellectual battles.

 

Moreover, the family name was not important to him.

 

‘Why bother with people who don’t deserve to be called parents?’

 

To me, the Baron and Baroness Laurus were just another person. Even the current Baroness Laurus was a new stepmother, having remarried shortly after Laura’s mother’s death the previous year.

 

And she’s only six years older than Laura!

 

‘And she gave birth to a son last year and is the darling of Baron Laurus.’

 

Not surprisingly, not a single line of information was written in the game.

 

My sympathy for Laura was largely influenced by this environment. I was recalling the details of Baron Laurus’s wealth that I had learned from her memories, and to lighten the mood, Yves, coughing in vain, finished in a casual tone.

 

“Hmm, don’t worry about it too much. It’s all just speculation on my part.”

 

It seemed like he was trying to reassure me of my growing concern.

 

“The reason I proposed the engagement was in case something happened to you without revealing that you were a saint.”

 

After a long, extended conversation, I got the gist of what was going on, but the most pressing question remained unanswered.

 

“I understand the Count’s intentions, but I have one question.”

 

“Please.”

 

“The part of the curse on my neck is gone, but…”

 

“And the rest of the curse on your hand is still there?”

 

“Yes.”