How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 93

“Then is it a fatal secret that absolutely must be hidden?”  

 

“…It’s not that, either.”  

 

If Yves had answered ‘yes’ to either of my questions, I would’ve dropped the matter.  

 

After all, everyone has secrets they don’t want to share. But based on his lukewarm reaction, it was clear that it wasn’t anything too serious.  

 

‘At most, it’s probably something he’d be embarrassed for me to know.’  

 

He was likely thinking about me. I, too, often struggled to control the random thoughts that popped into my head, and sometimes they were so absurd or childish that I couldn’t bring myself to say them out loud.  

 

So I usually tried to let it go, but suddenly, I became curious about Yves’ raw, unfiltered thoughts.  

 

Especially how he typically saw me.  

 

‘When talking with Yves, there have been more than a few times when misunderstandings arose or things were conveyed in a completely different way than intended.’  

 

That’s why I thought that understanding his inner thoughts, even a little, would make future conversations much smoother.  

 

“If it’s not something I absolutely can’t know, and it’s not a fatal secret that threatens you, then isn’t it okay to ask for it as a reward?”  

 

Even though I had already made up my mind, I asked out of courtesy, and Yves frowned, trying to dissuade me again.  

 

“Laura, calm down. It’s too trivial a thought to demand as a reward for fulfilling a divine beast’s request.”  

 

“But I’m still curious. Or will you tell me yourself, Yves?”  

 

“…”  

 

I only asked because he said it wasn’t a big deal, but Yves’ expression visibly darkened.  

 

‘He must really hate the idea.’  

 

I had expected that Yves might feel embarrassed, but not uncomfortable about revealing his thoughts.  

 

After all, we had already confirmed each other’s feelings, and I knew Yves had a strange attachment to me, along with his rational affection.  

 

But seeing him genuinely reluctant to share, I felt I shouldn’t push any further.  

 

“Alright. I won’t be curious anymore, so relax your expression.”  

 

I lightly pinched Yves’ pale cheek and spoke in a playful tone.  

 

“…”  

 

His silver eyes, resembling a full moon, grew even more troubled.  

 

‘It feels like he’s started digging a hole in his mind again.’  

 

After spending a considerable amount of time together, I had vaguely realized something.  

 

When Yves’ expression darkened, it usually meant he was blaming himself.  

 

Yves was particularly harsh on himself. Worried that he might be engaging in unnecessary self-reproach, I smiled naturally and added,

  

“I was just curious about how you see me, Yves. So, tell me when you’re ready. I’ll wait until then.”  

 

As I playfully poked his soft cheek to lighten the mood, Fenrir’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind.  

 

[Why did you change your mind?]  

 

It seemed he found it strange that I, who had been so persistent, gave up so easily.  

 

“Because Yves didn’t like it.”  

 

[Is that really all?]  

 

There wasn’t any other reason, but since Yves was still mentally digging himself into a hole, I added an excuse.  

 

“Besides, it feels a bit shameless to receive a reward before I’ve even met Huluppu.”  

 

After all, a reward is a compensation for work done. Mentioning that quickly shifted Fenrir’s attention.  

 

[As I said earlier, I’ll reward you regardless of the outcome, so you can ask for something now if you want.]  

 

Successfully steering the conversation in a natural direction, I removed my hand from Yves’ cheek and replied calmly.  

 

“It’s fine. Nothing comes to mind right now.”  

 

Truthfully, I hadn’t intended to receive any compensation from the start.  

 

‘Although it looks like I’m meeting Huluppu because of Fenrir’s request, in reality, I’ve been eagerly waiting to see him again too.’  

 

I didn’t have anything I particularly wanted, and I didn’t feel like I deserved a reward for this.  

 

‘If the timing hadn’t aligned perfectly, I wouldn’t have asked for compensation in the first place.’  

 

If Fenrir hadn’t accidentally read Yves’ thoughts during our conversation, I probably would’ve let the matter of compensation slide even after meeting Huluppu.  

 

As I was lost in these thoughts, Fenrir suddenly brought up an unrelated topic.  

 

[Hmm… Come to think of it, did you say that because of me, your future has become more uncertain?]  

 

“Huh? Me?”  

 

I was taken aback by Fenrir’s sudden question and asked in confusion.  

 

[Yes. You were really down this morning because you missed morning prayers.]  

 

“Ah…”  

 

Only then did I remember.  

 

Starting with missing morning prayers, I realized that even this peaceful daily life would eventually come to an end, and I felt a deep loneliness.  

 

‘There’s been so much going on that I forgot.’  

 

Then Fenrir mentioned that if I talked to Xenon, he could help me live comfortably in the Babylonian Empire.  

 

‘I was recalling information about Xenon from the original story when I suddenly became anxious that Fenrir might find out about my possession, and that’s when I snapped out of it.’

 

Because of that, the conversation naturally drifted toward divine power, and we never got to finish talking about Xenon.  

 

[We didn’t get to finish the conversation this morning, but Xenon is a high-ranking noble in the Babylonian Empire. If you want, he can help you live comfortably for the rest of your life.]  

 

“For the rest of my life?”  

 

[Yes.]  

 

“But wouldn’t that require Xenon’s permission, not yours?”  

 

[It’s fine. From the moment I made a divine beast contract with Xenon, he promised to grant anything I wanted.]  

 

It was clearly an unfair contract.  

 

“Don’t tell me you threatened him or something…”  

 

[Absolutely not! If anything, Xenon was the one who kept following me around, begging me to make a contract with him!]  

 

“Why?”  

 

The question slipped out automatically. I genuinely couldn’t understand Xenon’s mindset of willingly entering such an unfair contract.

  

[It’s because by contracting with me, he could solidify his position as a minor duke.]  

 

“Ah, so he needed your power to secure his position as the heir.”  

 

[Exactly! I have nothing to gain from contracting with a human, after all. If Xenon hadn’t begged and pleaded, I’d probably be traveling the world freely by now.]  

 

Fenrir snorted proudly as he spoke.  

 

‘Well, divine beasts are rare, after all.’  

 

In a world without magic, having a powerful divine beast on your side would give any family immense prestige.  

 

Not that I know much about the political struggles of a noble society.  

 

As I was thinking that, one word in Fenrir’s explanation suddenly stood out to me.  

 

“Wait, you said minor duke… So Xenon is from a ducal family?”  

 

[You didn’t know? Xenon is the heir to the only ducal family in the empire.]  

 

“Huh?”  

 

[Their territory is in the north, but since they mostly stay in the capital, it shouldn’t be too inconvenient for you.]  

 

“Hold on. The north… a ducal family?”  

 

Good grief, the northern duke.  

 

This was truly unexpected. It was a cliché that often appeared in romance fantasy novels, but it didn’t exist in ‘Please Take Care of the Saintess’ due to the world’s setting.  

 

After all, curses only manifested in people whose bodies couldn’t handle excessive divine power.  

 

Naturally, the target characters were all royalty from various countries.  

 

As I stood there stunned, unable to respond, Fenrir, who had moved to my feet, looked up at me and asked again.  

 

[Did you really not know?]  

 

Instead of answering, I nodded vigorously.  

 

‘Even in the original work, Xenon’s status or family background was never described in detail!’  

 

What’s more, Xenon had silver hair and blue eyes. The complete opposite of what you’d expect from a northern duke.  

 

‘Usually, they have black hair and red eyes.’  

 

Of course, as more romance fantasy works have been created, the hair and eye colors of northern dukes have become more varied, but black hair and red eyes still dominate.  

 

Also, when you think of a northern duke, they’re usually stoic, hot-tempered, or have a cold demeanor.  

 

But Xenon was kind, sociable, and even had a knack for playful teasing.  

 

‘It’s almost like they created his character by flipping every cliché about northern dukes on its head.’  

 

He felt more like a sub-male lead, someone akin to a mafia boss, an information broker, or a nouveau riche merchant.  

 

That’s why I never even guessed he was the Northern Duke.