How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 79

 

“I’m confident enough in my word to swear to it without hesitation.”

 

I turned to the anxious Yves and told him how I felt.

 

Wrapping my arms around my waist, I held on tight with both hands.

 

“So I need you to trust me.”

 

“…”

 

I pleaded, but Yves remained silent.

 

The situation also shocked me inwardly. It was the first time I had ever seen an oath not work on him.

 

God’s oaths were absolute. It was the reason I had been so abusive to both of them, Yves and Endymion, who did not trust me.

 

Just as gravity acts equally on all living things, the Oath was a law of the world that applied equally to all, regardless of status, wealth, or divine power.

 

‘Except for Selene, of course.’ 

 

That was a secret known only to a few, and it would be impossible for an unknowing Yves to distrust the Oath.

 

And yet.

 

Even though I had sworn an oath to God, a law of absolute immutability, Yves still did not trust me.

 

The situation was devastating to me.

 

‘Why…?’

 

The question was inexplicable. I couldn’t understand why he was trying so hard to hide his true feelings.

 

But there was no turning back now. Once a sworn oath was made, it was irrevocable.

 

“Okay, if you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

 

“…”

 

“I’m about to die, but please be happy, Lord Yves.”

 

I purposely said things to provoke guilt in his silence.

 

‘I meant it when I said I didn’t want to die.’

 

But I didn’t regret risking my life so rashly.

 

It was because I was trusting him. Surely Yves would not let me die.

 

“Miss Laura will not die.” 

 

Or so I thought.

 

After a long silence, he finally spoke. But what he said was unexpected.

 

“Because there’s a loophole in that oath you just took.”

 

“What?”

 

My head snapped up in disbelief. I hadn’t imagined there could be a problem with my oath to God.

 

“Because what I’m saying is that I don’t want you to die.”

 

With those words, I immediately realized my mistake.

 

‘That’s too general a word, I should have been more specific.’ 

 

So I tried to retract my oath, but then one unexpected thing happened after another.

 

“The, uh…!”

 

That was Yves covering my mouth.

 

“I’m begging you. Please, don’t push me any further.”

 

His hand covering my mouth had so little strength that it would fall off with a slight shake of my head, but his voice, mixed with the air, sounded so plaintive.

 

‘Anyway, the way he’s been acting is the same way he confessed to me, so why don’t we just leave it at that?’ I thought to myself.

 

But I quickly changed my mind.

 

The sound of his heart, thumping so loudly that I could have sworn it belonged to me, came through the gap in our backs.

 

“Yves.”

 

My pronunciation was a little muffled by my gagged mouth, but it wasn’t hard to get his attention.

 

And he seemed to get right to the point, even though his name was merely called.

 

“…I’ll let you go if you promise not to swear an oath.”

 

I nodded my head up and down in response, and he removed his hand from over my lips.

 

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I apologized first.

 

“I’m sorry for pushing you, Lord Yves, even though you didn’t want me to.”

 

After all, what I had done was tantamount to blackmailing him with my life.

 

“It’s okay, I just hope that in the future you’ll think more carefully before swearing an oath.”

 

And he quickly forgave me. It was as if he was eager to get this conversation over with.

 

But the more I watched him, the more convinced I became.

 

I wondered if it wasn’t the oath of God that he didn’t believe, or the suspicion that he didn’t believe me, but himself.

 

It was with this in mind that I resolved to press the subject further.

 

‘I’m sure, at this point, Yves thinks I’ll never like him.’

 

If the other person was under the impression that this was the case, it’s probably okay to talk about it later.

 

It might be a good idea to take the time to express feelings slowly or to make a sincere confession.

 

‘But this would be the worst thing for Yves.’

 

If I knew the real Yves…

 

A stubborn, stoic individual with an oddly low self-esteem, it was clear that the more time passed, the more misunderstandings would develop, and the more they would deepen.

 

‘Those prejudices would be bigger and stronger than they are today, and harder to dispel.’

 

Just as he hadn’t been able to accept Endymion’s change even after seeing it with his own eyes.

 

He knew he’d regret it later if he glossed over the issue now.

 

“I won’t swear an oath, as Eve advised, but I have one last thing to say to you, will you listen?”

 

I knew I had to clear up any misunderstandings while there were still a few.

 

“I don’t mind if you just listen, but…”

 

“Well, Yves, it’s whatever you’re comfortable with.”

 

“Then… I see.”

 

He hesitated for a moment, and I could tell he was reluctantly accepting.

 

I, on the other hand, spoke up at the same time he did.

 

“I actually like you, Yves.”

 

“…”

 

“Even though I can’t give my life for you, as we talked about earlier, I’m at the point where I think it’s good to be in your arms right now.”

 

“…”

 

Naturally, no answer came.

 

I wasn’t expecting anything, so I wasn’t even disappointed, but if I had one regret, it was that I couldn’t see the look on Yves’ face.

 

Well, I’m sure there’s a frown on his face, as he most likely didn’t accept my confession innocently.

 

‘But just in case, he might blush with embarrassment, or laugh with joy, or show a new expression I’ve never seen before.’

 

While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard Yves’s voice from behind me, much lower than usual.

 

“…You don’t have to pity me.”

 

There was a hint of melancholy in his voice, but in contrast, I was excited.

 

I hadn’t expected any response from him in the first place.

 

“Do you think I would have gone to the trouble of swearing an oath to find out what you were thinking?”

 

“Is that to make fun of me?”

 

His response was the fastest since I broached the subject, but this time I couldn’t be pleased.

 

I couldn’t fathom the image of me in his mind.

 

“Did I look that bad to you?”

 

“I can’t help but think so when I hear the amusement in Miss Laura’s voice.”

 

“No. It was just that I was glad you answered!”

 

“…”

 

Moments ago, Yves, who had been talking like a knife, quickly shut up.

 

‘Mmph, this is harder than I expected.’ 

 

Although I knew it would be difficult, conveying my sincerity to Yves without being able to see his face or swear to him was more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.

 

“If you think I’m lying, why don’t we talk face to face? You do realize I can’t hide my feelings, right?”

 

“No.”

 

There he goes again, being so adamant.

 

I swallowed hard at the sigh that rose in my throat.

 

‘No matter how much I think about it, it would be better if we talked about this in person…’ 

 

Considering how I could change his mind, I blurted out the exact opposite of my previous argument.

 

“What if I wanted to see your face?”

 

“What does that mean…”

 

“I want to know what kind of expression you’re making right now.”

 

“…”

 

“I want to see if you’re frowning or if the corners of your lips are curling up.”

 

“…”

 

I sensed hesitation in the silence.

 

Seeing an opening, I struck him with a blow of conversion.

 

“I’ll just turn my body slightly like this, okay?”

 

“…”

 

I wonder if my persuasion worked. His arms, which had been wrapped tightly around my waist, loosened.

 

Seizing the opportunity, I changed my stance.

 

I remembered how uncomfortable I had felt when I faced Yves with only my upper body turned, and this time I spun my entire body around.

 

In an instant, my perspective changed, and I was finally face-to-face with the woman I had been waiting for.

 

‘But it’s a little awkward.’

 

The only problem was that when I sat back down, it was hard to keep my center of gravity, so my hands naturally rested on Yves’ shoulders.

 

I hadn’t meant to, but somehow I’d ended up in the position that couples do.

 

Suddenly embarrassed, I tried to back away to the edge of his lap to create as much distance as possible.

 

But his hands were quick to grab my waist.

 

“Aah…!”

 

“It’s dangerous.”

 

Without any sort of selfish motive, I could feel that he was holding on purely because he was worried about me falling.

 

‘Well, at least he’s putting me first.’

 

I smirked, unable to hide my embarrassment.

 

“No. It’s just that… when I turned around, I felt like we were too close.”

 

“Miss Laura…”

 

Yves trailed off in a tone that sounded like he was about to give me a lecture, but froze as his gaze locked with mine.

 

“Lord Yves?”