How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 80

Again, there was no response when I called out to Yves, who was stuttering.

 

“I’ve pointed this out to you time and time again, but you need to work on that rambling habit.”

 

“…”

 

I deliberately threw in a playful joke to break the awkwardness, but he only stiffened and slowly dropped his gaze.

 

“Look at me, Yves.”

 

“…”

 

Noticing a small glimmer of fear in his silver eyes, I turned to him and asked cautiously.

 

“Are you still afraid of being rejected by me?”

 

“…”

 

He didn’t trail off, but I could tell he was afraid to look at my expression to see if I really meant what I said.

 

‘How can I make you trust me?’

 

At this point, even the most powerful oath in the world, the oath of God, was not working on him.

 

It would be impossible to convince him in any way.

 

As she pondered her options, she realized that she had no choice.

 

Suddenly, an idea flashed through her head.

 

‘But it would require courage on my part.’

 

As I pondered my options, I saw Yves’ head bent so low that I could see the crown of his head.

 

‘I see. I’m not sure what else I can do after confessing.’

 

Looking at Yves’s pitifully bowed head, I made a firm decision.

 

“The truth is, I’m afraid of rejection, you know.”

 

I cupped his face with both hands and opened my mouth.

 

“But even more than that, I’m afraid that my feelings aren’t getting through to you.”

 

Forcing his head up from its hunched position, Yves shook off my grip and narrowed his eyes.

 

‘Rather a good thing.’

 

With eyes still closed, I swooped in for the kill.

 

My target was his lips. There was a slight worry that he might pick up on my sneaky hint and avoid me, but the way he’d blocked himself from view made my plan go smoothly.

 

‘Nice and smooth.’

 

Our lips met for a fraction of a second, then parted.

 

Sensing something was amiss, Yves’ eyes widened, and he pulled back from my face in surprise.

 

“…!”

 

Realizing what was going on, he blinked wide-eyed and opened his mouth like a goldfish, but ended up biting his lower lip before he could say anything.

 

“Did you not like it?”

 

I asked, panicking that it might have offended Yves to be touched without permission, but thankfully Yves only flinched slightly and shook his head.

 

But he didn’t seem embarrassed at all.

 

Instead, it was more like Yves was dazed by the suddenness of the incident.

 

‘A bit shaken.’

 

His reaction was completely different from what I expected, as I had made a very big decision.

 

‘When he said he would give his life, was it just to thank me for cleansing him of the curse?’

 

I asked, looking at Yves, slightly perked up by the dryness of the question.

 

“I don’t do this to tease someone or to pity them.”

 

At the same time, Yves’s face contorted horribly, and I felt a sudden unease.

 

Fear washed over me that he had taken my words in another strange way. He remained silent, but I had something else to say, so I continued calmly.

 

“I’m being really brave right now, because it’s the first time I’ve ever admitted that I like you, and it’s the first time I’ve ever… well, put my lips on someone’s first.”

 

I stuttered for a moment, trying to choose the right words, and then said that I hadn’t kissed anyone on the lips, but kissed him.

 

After all, a kiss was considered a light touch, less than a child’s play.

 

“My first… do you mean, has anyone else ever done that to Miss Laura?”

 

Finally, he started to say something, but stumbled over the odd part.

 

‘I can’t seem to keep up with Yves’ thinking today.’

 

Without hiding my bewilderment, I retorted, “What do you mean, I didn’t even have a fiancé or lover before I met you!”

 

And I mean both in this life and in my previous life.

 

Well, it’s not that I wasn’t popular in my previous life, it’s just that I was too busy looking out for myself. I just finished the SATs and entered college, so I’m managing my GPA, doing extracurricular activities, and getting a job when I graduate… Oh, no, not this.

 

Excusing myself, I brought the stream of consciousness that had almost gone astray back to reality.

 

“No. It’s that I like you just as much as you like me, so please look at me.”

 

As if my heartfelt plea had finally gotten through, those unsteady silver eyes slowly turned to me.

 

“And now that I’ve come clean, it was my own greed that drove me to swear on God’s oath to pry into your mind.”

 

“…Miss Laura’s greed?”

 

“Yes. I vaguely felt that Lord Yves liked me, but I wasn’t sure.”

 

So I added the explanation that it was a sworn oath, born of selfishness to hear it from his own lips.

 

I was like, ‘I’m not a kid… I’m so immature.’

 

In retrospect, I realize how childish it was that I had a vague sense that the other person was interested in me, but I was willing to risk my life to confirm that feeling.

 

‘But is this an influence from a past life?’

 

Having been told that love was a losing game for the one who loved more, I had developed a fixation on never admitting that I liked someone first.

 

I reviewed my behavior in my head, and told Yves what I had been hiding from him.

 

“Actually, I… I’ve always had a crush on you, but I’ve been trying to keep it to myself because I thought unrequited love would be painful.”

 

My weakness of not being able to control my facial expressions made me even more evasive.

 

If anyone found out that I had even a crush on Yves, it would ruin our relationship.

 

But before I could finish my long, confessional-like story, Yves asked a question.

 

“Since when?”

 

“What?”

 

“When did you first realize you had a crush on me?”

 

Seriously, this was one of those days when I was at a loss for words.

 

Still, I answered dutifully, “Um… probably since… after you helped me when I was falsely accused and thrown in jail?”

 

I couldn’t remember the exact time, so I gave a vague answer…

 

Anyway, I think my story helped a little bit, and he seemed to calm down a bit.

 

“So, can you trust me now, Lord Yves?”

 

“…I wasn’t exactly suspicious of Miss Laura.”

 

He’d been arguing with me about this for a while.

 

When I burst out laughing at his pointless retort, Yves quickly averted his gaze in embarrassment and apologized.

 

“I was being a fool to Miss Laura, I apologize.”

 

Still, it seemed to be a milder resolution than when the conversation turned to Endymion.

 

‘Though I couldn’t quite get past the pane-of-window feeling.’

 

While I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly realized that Yves was watching me. His long eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly as his gaze met mine.

 

I thought, ‘This is what an angry face looks like.’

 

Well, not furious, more like frustrated.

 

Noticing that his complexion darkened as I remained silent, I extended my fingers around his cheeks, gripping them tighter, before speaking.

 

“I want you to tell me everything that’s been going through your mind.”

 

He hesitated for a moment, then began to ramble.

 

“I want you to be in my field of view all the time.”

 

His voice was gruff and languid, but in contrast, his words were anything but soft.

 

“It’s annoying when other people call you by your first name. I mean, even I’m still calling you, cautiously…”

 

“Oh, you mean Lord Xenon?”

 

“…There’s more.”

 

“You’re not jealous of Nishana or Syris, are you?”

 

“I can’t completely deny that I’m jealous, but it doesn’t bother me that they call you Miss Laura so casually.”

 

“Then who else has called me by my first name casually?”

 

“My brother.”

 

“What, Endymion, when?”

 

I’d only spoken to him a few times, but I’d mostly been called ‘you’.

 

‘I don’t recall him ever mentioning my name, even when Yves wasn’t around.’ 

 

When I was puzzled by the lack of recollection of Endymion, Yves spoke up.

 

“He just called you by your first name a few days ago when you were talking alone in the library about Lady Selene.”

 

Yves’s brow furrowed.

 

‘I really don’t remember.’ 

 

It didn’t register in her mind when Yves pointed it out, not that she’d been paying much attention to Endymion in the first place.

 

“Ha… Actually, I knew this would happen, which is why I didn’t want to tell you what was on my mind.”

 

“What?”

 

“It means that I’ve been… minding my own business… so much that Miss Laura doesn’t even remember, and I didn’t want you to know my narrow-mindedness.”

 

For the first time in our seemingly parallel conversations, I fully understood where Yves was coming from.

 

‘You only wanted to look good!’