How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 82

“…Huh?”

 

It didn’t take long for the sentence that entered through my eardrums to be delivered to my brain, but there was a delay in the information processing.

 

It was because I had never even imagined the opposite situation in my dreams, let alone saying such things to Yves.

 

“The surroundings are getting blurry, and only me and Miss Laura are left in this world, uh…!”

 

I hurriedly covered Yves’s mouth.

 

If I kept listening to such embarrassing words that made my face burn on its own, I felt like my hands and feet would curl up.

 

“Look at this. Yves, you’re also saying embarrassing things so casually!”

 

“Ugh, sob!”

 

Then, Yves cried out as if he was wronged.

 

It was because I had covered his mouth too tightly with my hand, so his pronunciation was completely muffled.

 

“Eveb, ib…ugh.”

 

Nevertheless, Yves’s protests did not stop.

 

‘I can’t understand a word he’s saying.’

 

Since I couldn’t stay like this forever, I quietly removed my hand, and Yves, who took a deep breath, replied in a complaining tone.

 

“Phew… It’s unfair. I just honestly answered the question Miss Laura asked.”

 

There was no room for rebuttal because it was such a correct statement, but I also felt wronged.

 

It was because I never expected such cringy words to come back as an answer to a question born out of pure curiosity.

 

‘Even though I told him to be honest, he should have been moderate…’

 

Still, I could fully understand Yves’s position, so I readily apologized.

 

“Okay. I was wrong.”

 

“I didn’t mean to make you apologize.”

 

“Then?”

 

“It was an excuse that I wouldn’t have honestly blurted out such an embarrassing story if 

it wasn’t for Miss Laura’s request.”

 

“Ah ha…”

 

It seems he’s aware that he said something embarrassing.

 

“Sigh… More than that, it seems I’ve kept Miss Laura out in this cold place for too long due to my childishness. I apologize once again.”

 

Perhaps because I was too focused on the conversation, I had completely forgotten about the cold.

 

‘If anything, I feel rather warm.’

 

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been pressed close to Yves, maintaining body heat, or if it’s because my heart was still pounding vigorously.

 

“It’s okay. After all, you had me sit on the bench out of consideration for my weakened stamina, right?”

 

“…That’s right.”

 

“What’s with the silence? Was there something else you were scheming?”

 

“…”

 

Yves pursed his lips tightly and avoided my gaze.

 

It was such suspicious behavior that anyone could tell, so I pressed him further.

 

“Even if you had some ulterior motive, I won’t say anything, so just tell me honestly.”

 

“I did want to let Miss Laura rest, but… there was also a bit of pettiness mixed in.”

 

The words ‘sitting on the bench’ and ‘pettiness’ didn’t seem to match, so I gave him a puzzled look. 

 

Yves, with his silver eyes cast downward, hesitated before finally speaking with difficulty.

 

“Lately, we haven’t had much time alone… and just now, that guy—no, Lord Xenon—speaking so familiarly with Miss Laura also annoyed me a bit…”

 

For a moment, I wondered if there was any point in correcting him after already calling him ‘that guy,’ but I decided to listen to his story until the end.

 

“I deliberately brought you to this bench and made you sit here.”

 

“To keep me out in the cold for a long time?”

 

“No.”

 

I had made the most predictable guess I could think of, but Yves flatly denied it.

 

‘If not that, then what could it be?’

 

I couldn’t figure out what kind of pettiness he was referring to, so I quietly waited for him to continue.

 

Then, as if trying to gather his thoughts, Yves hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking up.

 

“In winter, there are hardly any people passing through here, but it’s a spot that’s quite visible from the internal passageways.”

 

“Huh?”

 

What does it matter if it’s visible from the internal passageways?

 

Caught off guard by the sudden remark, I instinctively asked back, prompting Yves to start explaining in detail.

 

“Well… I was secretly hoping that if people passing by inside the building saw the two of us together, it might spark some rumors.”

 

“What kind of rumors?”

 

Even though his explanation was more detailed than before, I was still puzzled and didn’t quite understand. 

 

Then, with his head lowered, he muttered in a barely audible voice.

 

“Rumors that we’re… that kind of relationship.”

 

For a moment, I wondered what he meant by ‘that kind of relationship.’

 

But soon, all my questions were answered.

 

“So, Yves, you’re saying you wanted people passing through the internal passageways to see us close together and mistake us for lovers?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Yves, you’re quite something.”

 

The keywords of scheming and obsession clearly belonged to Endymion… So why was Yves plotting something like this?

 

‘Could it be because they’re siblings and share some similarities?’ I wondered, feeling both curious and intrigued.

 

In the game, Yves had never shown any signs of obsession toward Selene, so this was unexpected.

 

‘Has Yves changed somehow as the story diverged from the original?’

 

I had noticed that some of Yves’ original traits, like his aversion to women and distrust of people, seemed to have softened since I took over Laura’s body. But perhaps more had changed than I had anticipated.

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

Lost in my thoughts, I was suddenly pulled back to reality when Yves apologized to me.

 

“Huh? Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?”

 

“I’m sorry for acting on my own. If such rumors spread, it might cause trouble for you, Laura…”

 

“No, it’s fine. It’s good if rumors spread. If someone asks later if it’s true, I might just say it is.”

 

“…!”

 

Though there wasn’t a single thing wrong with what he said, for some reason, Yves was utterly startled.

 

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re worried about us becoming ‘that’ kind of relationship?”

 

When I threw his own words back at him, Yves was momentarily at a loss before covering his increasingly reddened face with his hands.

 

“You really always manage to say things that exceed my imagination.”

 

“You’re no different, Yves.”

 

Today, as I conversed with him, the topics had veered off in unexpected directions more than once or twice.

 

Recalling how Yves had been nitpicking earlier, I suddenly remembered the thing that had upset him before.

 

“Oh, and Yves, you can also feel free to call me Laura.”

 

“…Really?”

 

“Of course. I like you, and we’re, well…”

 

I wanted to clearly define our relationship, but when it came to saying it out loud, I felt too embarrassed to finish.

 

Instead of defining our relationship, I simply bowed my head while sitting on Yves’ lap.

 

“Please take care of me from now on.”

 

It was a greeting laden with meaning, but Yves seemed to understand it without difficulty.

 

“…Likewise.”

 

He wore a complicated, subtle expression, as if he had a lot to say, but eventually, he nodded quietly in agreement.

 

As our conversation gradually came to an end, Yves’ hand, which had been holding my waist, finally let go.

 

Just moments ago, it had felt so awkward and uncomfortable, but now, for some reason, I missed the warmth that had disappeared.

 

On the other hand, Yves seemed unfazed, simply putting back on the gloves he had taken off to touch my ear.

 

As I gazed at him intently, this time I reached out my hand toward him first.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Shall we hold hands and head back?”

 

“…”

 

Yves didn’t respond, but he calmly took my hand.

 

‘I thought he’d be more embarrassed or flustered and refuse, but this is unexpected.’

 

Well, considering we’d already kissed, holding hands probably wasn’t a big deal, I thought as I looked at Yves.

 

His face, however, had turned redder than the sunset that had begun to paint the sky.

 

💫

 

Returning to his room, Yves was confused.

 

It was because of the presence beyond this wall.

 

No. To be precise, the problem was his feelings toward her.

 

‘Can this really be called love?’

 

In truth, what he had confided in Laura was only a small part of his sticky, dark emotions. She had said it was okay to reveal his true self completely, but Yves lacked the courage.

 

The fear that she might come to hate him was the most terrifying dread he had ever felt.

 

Moreover, he knew better than anyone that the emotions he was feeling were not pure or beautiful enough to be called love.

 

‘If it were love, it wouldn’t be this destructive.’

 

As he had told Laura, Yves could die with her, but he could never accept the idea of dying alone and leaving her to live on in this world.

 

Just the thought of it made his stomach churn.

 

Although he hadn’t told her, there were times when he wanted to possess her entirely.

 

Especially when her clear, emerald-green eyes turned toward someone else, he felt the urge to lock her away where no one else could see her.

 

Though she still received wary glances due to Laura’s past notoriety, it was obvious that anyone who spoke with her properly, without prejudice, would quickly notice her uniqueness.

 

‘Of course, I’ve already driven away most of the potential suitors by staying close to her every move.’

 

But it already felt like it might be too late.