How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 78

Maybe it was just my feeling, but I could tell he was sulking, so I said something that seemed to soothe him.

 

“I promised you earlier, no matter what you say, Yves, I won’t be disappointed.”

 

I meant it, not even a hint of a lie.

 

‘I never had any expectations in the first place.’

 

In essence, the implication was that Yves didn’t think his feelings were love, which meant that, unlike Endymion, he couldn’t die for me.

 

It was a question that assumed that she had already admitted that she did.

 

As I said, I intended to satisfy a deeply personal curiosity and to ascertain the extent of his feelings for me.

 

But my sincerity didn’t seem to register with Yves.

 

“I can only say that because Miss Laura doesn’t know me well enough. Surely if you knew my true feelings…”

 

As I listened to his words trailing off, I was reminded once again of his low self-esteem.

 

‘It doesn’t usually show, so I’d forgotten.’

 

That he strangely saw himself as worthless.

 

‘The last time I asked him to lie down on my bed, he said it would get dirty,’ I sighed, remembering how he’d felt strangely self-blaming while talking about Endymion.

 

Whether it was because he wasn’t used to being loved or because he had a strong inferiority complex about Endymion, it was hard to tell, but it seemed to be a priority to boost his self-esteem.

 

“I don’t think so, I think it’s great that you left your status and came to the Divine Realm.”

 

“It’s nothing compared to what my brother risked for Lady Selene.”

 

Apparently, Endymion was his reference point.

 

‘There are so many more good things about him than there are about Endymion…’

 

Even if I were to recite his merits here and now, Yves would never be convinced. The idea that he’s not as good as Endymion must be ingrained in his mind.

 

So, instead of comparing him to Endymion, I started by praising his actions.

 

“I don’t know about Endymion, but I think Yves is amazing, and it takes a lot of courage to leave your status behind and move to another country.”

 

“…”

 

But no answer came from behind me.

 

‘I wonder if I’m getting it right.’

 

Frustrated by the lack of response, I continued, “And when I was explaining earlier, you said that love has stages.”

 

I explained that some love, at first sight, burns like a fire, while others gradually grow from the crush that he’d denied earlier.

 

“I mean, honestly, who would risk death for someone you just developed a crush on, so…”

 

Trying to reassure Yves that what he was feeling and thinking was completely normal.

 

Instead, Yves interrupted when she least expected it.

 

“I feel a little differently.”

 

“What?”

 

“When I said that I think love is selfish, it’s not because I’m afraid of death.”

 

“Then what?”

 

“If you took me to a dangerous place where ten lives weren’t enough, I’d be willing to go along for the ride, even if the end was death.”

 

The more I listened to Yves’s story, the fewer question marks popped up in my head. I couldn’t understand his mindset.

 

‘Then why did he just make it sound like it was impossible?’

 

I had a lot of questions, but I decided to listen.

 

“But I don’t want to die to save you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Just the thought of you living on your own in a world without me makes me feel sick to my stomach.”

 

At the same time, his arms tightened even more.

 

I couldn’t see his expression, but the sound of his voice behind my back was gut-wrenching.

 

“If you’re going to die, I want to die with you.”

 

What did he say?

 

‘He’s a lot more serious than I thought he was.’

 

And here I thought it was just a crush.

 

The more I listened to him, the more I realized that he wasn’t the Yves I thought I knew, so I was silent for a while, not knowing what to say.

 

“…Is this too selfish?”

 

Then Yves asked me in a cautious tone.

 

No matter how many times I told him I wouldn’t be disappointed, he still seemed to see through me.

 

“No, I’m not!”

 

I quickly denied it. It was then that I realized that Yves had finally summoned up the courage to give me a piece of his heart.

 

‘If I react tepidly here, I’ll only hurt his feelings.’

 

What he needed, with his low self-esteem, was reassurance.

 

That I wouldn’t mind if he showed his true colors. He needed to believe that it was okay to say anything.

 

So I racked my brain and came up with a pretty good alternative.

 

“But can we please unwrap this and talk face to face?”

 

Before Yves could get the wrong idea, I quickly added my reasoning.

 

“If we talk to my face, you’ll be able to tell right away if it’s real or fake.”

 

“…”

 

I thought he’d love it.

 

‘Why are you hesitating?’

 

His next answer quickly answered that question.

 

“I’m afraid of being rejected by you.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’d rather not know if you’re lying or if you’re serious.”

 

“Uh, why?”

 

“Because if you heard my true feelings… you’d be disappointed.”

 

I’d forgotten for a while how stubborn Yves could be.

 

‘Even Endymion would hold his tongue.’

 

Faced with a new challenge, I let out the deepest sigh I’ve ever held in.

 

“Huh… Is it possible that you would like me to be disappointed in you, Lord Yves?”

 

“Of course not!”

 

The response was even fiercer than I expected.

 

‘Up until now, I’ve been refuting his doubts, but that didn’t work, so this time I tried the opposite.’

 

Somehow, it seemed to work better this time.

 

Realizing that, I decided to push him this time.

 

“But I kept repeating that I was fine with it, and yet Yves kept saying the same thing, as if he was hoping for disappointment.”

 

“…”

 

“Or do you not believe me? Do you want me to swear an oath to God?”

 

“Don’t be so quick to swear on a god’s oath.”

 

“What?”

 

“Because the heart is not something that can be manipulated.”

 

“Is Yves afraid that if I make an oath and then change my mind later, there will be a stigma?”

 

“Yes. That’s why I don’t want you to take an oath of god.”

 

“So you’re saying you didn’t trust me after all.”

 

“That’s because you don’t know me, and if you heard my true feelings, you would surely loathe me and not even want to be around me.”

 

“So you don’t want me to know?”

 

“Yes. Because I’m content just to be in Miss Laura’s presence.”

 

“I can see how you feel, Yves.”

 

The human mind was a curious thing.

 

‘I can’t stand it when you tell me not to.’

 

As if the term frog-minded wasn’t called that for nothing.

 

Feeling the urge to refute Yves’s indisputable assertion, I opened my mouth without hesitation.

 

“I, Laura, have listened to Yves, and without any disgust or disappointment, I have remained unchanged…”

 

“Wait, what the hell are you doing!”

 

Yves, who was hugging me, tried to cover my mouth in a panic, but the sentence of the oath was completed faster than he could.

 

“I swear in the name of the seven ruling gods to be with him.”

 

“…!”

 

“I’ve heard that an oath to all seven ruling gods is the strongest of all oaths, so what do you think, is it reliable enough?”

 

“…As long as I don’t say it.”

 

Aha, there was a way, ‘If you’re not willing to talk, the oath won’t trigger at all.’

 

But I wasn’t about to back down.

 

“In the name of the Seven Ruling Gods, I, Laura, swear that if I do not hear the truth from this man, I will die.”

 

A second later, a new oath was made, but this time Yves said nothing.

 

“Now, if you don’t tell me, Yves, I will die.”

 

“…”

 

“Yves?”

 

The silence was unnerving. I was about to call his name again.

 

“I…”

 

“Laura! Are you crazy?”

 

It was the loudest voice I’d heard all day.

 

‘I guess I was just startled into speechlessness.’

 

I could sympathize with him, as I’ve been known to doubt my ears or temporarily shut down my thinking when I hear something unexpected.

 

Of course, Yves would be none too pleased.

 

While I was still thinking about that, Yves continued his sermon.

 

“Are you sure your life isn’t worth living?”

 

“To be honest, I’m not yet as confident as you are in saying that I’m not willing to die for you.”

 

“But why…”

 

“Because I’ve gotten to know you better, and I know that I would never hate you.”

 

“…”