How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 75

But alas, my heart did not follow my will.

 

In a way, it was natural. The nervous system controls the heart…

 

‘No, wait. Maybe it’s not just my heart that’s broken, but my head.’ 

 

I’m thinking of all the stupid things in my head.

 

But thanks to that. Once I realized that my thoughts were nonsense, my chaotic brain calmed down a bit.

 

Soon after, I noticed another strange thing as my mind started to function normally.

 

I realized that neither of us was moving at all.

 

The typical reaction of two people of the opposite gender in this situation would be to freak out and pull back, blushing and embarrassed at being so close!

 

‘Meh… it’s not often I get to see a handsome face up close.’

 

On the other hand, Yves’s true feelings were unclear.

 

Those silver eyes didn’t even seem to be observing me, let alone surprised or embarrassed.

 

‘But if he’s so calm…’

 

The moment my thoughts reached that point, I had an ominous feeling that I might have guessed wrong again.

 

I felt my blood run cold, and my heart, which had been beating so loudly without my realizing it, slowly calmed down.

 

‘Somehow, he seemed so unconcerned with me sitting on his lap.’

 

I guess I was only thinking about myself.

 

Looking back, I realize that I was ashamed and didn’t know what to do, and that my attitude seemed so calm.

 

When I pointed out that other people might think it was strange, using Nishana and Syris as examples could be interpreted to mean that in his perception, the children and I were the same.

 

‘Perhaps Yves was only doing this with the purest of intentions, trying to help me with my growing fatigue.’

 

The more I thought about what had just happened, the more I realized that I was mistaken.

 

The only good thing was that I hadn’t made any weird comments to Yves, so it wouldn’t make things awkward…

 

‘Wait a minute, I think I’ve been laughing in front of Yves a lot lately.’

 

A few stinging behaviors flashed through my mind.

 

The way he smiles from ear to ear whenever we make eye contact, or the way he walks right next to me when we’re traveling.

 

Things that are a bit ambiguous to call flirting.

 

‘No, this is fine.’ 

 

It’s just something that’s kind of flattering, and that’s fine.

 

In my head, I rationalized it and pulled back slightly. When I realized I was the only one who had been raking, I couldn’t face Yves anymore.

 

Trying to act nonchalant, I slowly pulled myself back up with my upper body.

 

After not moving for a while, he suddenly grabbed my waist.

 

“…!”

 

Not only did I not expect him to move, but I was so surprised that it was the first time someone had ever grabbed me by the waist that I almost jumped up like a spring.

 

But Yves’ grip on me was so tight that it only caused me to sway slightly.

 

‘My heart almost fell out of my chest.’ 

 

I said to him, trying to calm my pounding heart, which had a completely different meaning than it had a moment ago.

 

“Lord Yves, could you please let go of my hand?”

 

“…”

 

But for some reason, he remained silent.

 

‘Why is he doing this?’ 

 

His behavior was puzzling, but I decided that it was better to remove his hand from around my waist than to argue with him.

 

The first thing I needed to do was to get out of his grip on my waist, because I needed to hide my embarrassment as quickly as possible.

 

But even though I used all the strength I had in both hands, not a single one of his fingers moved.

 

‘Such a difference in strength…’

 

Gritting my teeth, I tried a few more times, but eventually realized that it was impossible to pry his hand away with my own strength, so I asked him again.

 

“Lord Yves, can you please let go of this?”

 

“…”

 

“Yves?”

 

This time, I waved my hand in front of his eyes. He blinked briefly, but nothing changed.

 

‘What’s wrong with him?’

 

Now I was starting to wonder if he was sick.

 

“Do you feel sick, like you’re uncomfortable somewhere…”

 

Checking his forehead for a fever, Yves kept his mouth shut, but finally spoke up.

 

“I’m fine…”

 

Yet I couldn’t help but notice that he was far from smiling.

 

The voice that came out of his lips was raspy and cracked.

 

‘You look like you’re sick.’

 

I repeated, scrutinizing his complexion.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay, and you’re not as sick as you were last time?”

 

By last time, I meant the day after meeting Huluppu.

 

‘Well, he looked incredibly depressed then, like someone who had completely run out of energy.’

 

Anyway, the outward symptoms were different, but even then I didn’t know exactly what was wrong, and it might be related to the curse, so I asked just to be sure.

 

At this, Yves coughed lightly, clearing his throat, and replied.

 

“Hmm, no.”

 

Honestly, I was still embarrassed that I’d gotten myself all worked up, but I shook off my shame and focused on checking his condition.

 

“You don’t look too well to me, Yves, do you have a cold or something?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then why were you so blank earlier?”

 

“…”

 

Yves, who was answering like a knife just a moment ago, fell silent as if he was speechless.

 

‘Judging by the way he avoided my gaze, he must be hiding something.’

 

As our time together grew longer, I was able to read his facial expressions.

 

Enough to spot the slightest lie.

 

“You’re still not feeling well, aren’t you? Let’s go back to our quarters without further ado.”

 

“Miss Laura, you seemed to have lost all strength in your leg earlier, so don’t worry about me, you can rest easy.”

 

To think he’d even noticed. Yves’ concern was genuine, but the more I realized it, the more foolish I felt.

 

The more I knew he was helping me out of the kindness of his heart, out of genuine concern for me, the more pathetic I felt at my interpretation of his behavior.

 

Through no fault of his own, of course.

 

I swallowed the sigh that rose in my throat and calmly argued back.

 

“It’s cold out, and it’s not like we have to walk much to get to our quarters, so wouldn’t you rather go to your room and rest?”

 

“I don’t feel too cold because Miss Laura is on top of me, but are you cold?”

 

“No…”

 

“Is it warmer this way?”

 

Before I could finish my response, Yves’s arms moved first. There was no time to struggle, and I was pulled into his embrace.

 

At the same time, my body stiffened.

 

Even though I knew I was mistaken, I became conscious of it.

 

‘This is not a back hug… No, it’s not. Let’s get a grip.’ It’s just an efficient way for Yves to warm up.

 

I kept reminding myself in my head that it wasn’t a back hug, but my mindless heart kept speeding up without restraint.

 

‘Heart, please stop.’ 

 

It was a good thing he couldn’t see my expression, but our bodies were too close.

 

Technically, we were touching. So close that I could clearly feel Yves’s toned muscles against my back!

 

‘No. If this is going to happen, we might as well just go back to the room.’

 

It seemed ridiculous to me that we were sitting on a bench in the middle of winter, not like a couple who had just started dating.

 

It would be much more relaxing to snuggle up under a thick blanket in a room with a fireplace than to feel each other’s body heat in the cold wind.

 

In the end, I was the one who couldn’t resist.

 

“Thanks to you, Yves, I’m not cold anymore, and I’ve recovered my strength, so let’s get back to our quarters.”

 

I said as I struggled hard to get out of his arms, but his arms around my waist only tightened.

 

‘Ugh, you’re like a rock.’ 

 

Despite my struggles, he remained as steadfast as a rock.

 

“I…”

 

Yves’s voice rang in my ears, but I couldn’t hear it through my fumbling.

 

“I’m sorry, can you say that again?”

 

“I want to stay where I am.”

 

“What?”

 

Just as I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with my ears.

 

Yves’s next words came slowly, “…because I think I’ve caught a cold, as Miss Laura feared.”

 

“I knew it! I wish you would have admitted it sooner.”

 

“I realized just now.”

 

It was obviously a lie, but I couldn’t blame a sick man, so I took a deep breath and moved on.

 

“Huh, yeah, that’s fine, I suppose, but let’s get you back to your quarters.”

 

“I can’t move, I’m too weak.”

 

“What?”

 

I couldn’t hide my disbelief.

 

Because even though he said he couldn’t move due to lack of strength, his arm around my waist still showed no sign of loosening.