How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 97

From Huluppu’s tone, it seemed like it happened quite a while ago, since people usually don’t engage in physical touch before realizing they have feelings for someone.  

 

So, I couldn’t even begin to guess what Yves, who didn’t even know his feelings were love until we had that honest conversation, could have done to me.  

 

Of course, Yves had shown subtle signs of obsession with me even before coming to the Holy Kingdom.  

 

But that was closer to a survival instinct, as I was the only one who could purify his curse at the time.  

 

‘No. Even if he had feelings for me back then, it would’ve been during his denial phase. There’s no way he would’ve done something like kiss me…’  

 

As I continued to speculate in my head, I quickly shook it off to stop the train of thought.  

 

Unintentionally imagining Yves kissing me while I was asleep, the vivid memory of his lips from yesterday resurfaced, making my face heat up.  

 

Even though no one had ever said Yves did such a thing to me.  

 

Feeling awkward and embarrassed for no reason, I subtly changed the subject, sensing the awkward silence.  

 

“I’m very curious about what Yves did while I was asleep, but I’ll hear about that later. Right now, there’s something else I’m more curious about.”  

 

Huluppu, who had been sitting across from me with his chin propped on his hands, responded with an intrigued tone.  

 

[Oh? I’m looking forward to what kind of unpredictable question you’ll ask this time.]  

 

“First, there’s something I need to clarify.”  

 

[What is it?]  

 

“Was there a special reason you had Fenrir bring me here? Or did you just want to chat with me like last time?”  

 

Huluppu tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t understand the intent behind my question.  

 

[I just thought it would be fun to talk to you again. Did you not want to talk to me if there wasn’t a special reason?]  

 

“Of course not!”  

 

I vehemently denied, waving my hands at Huluppu, who looked hurt with his drooping eyes and pouting lips.  

 

“It’s not that. I just thought something might have happened since you went through the trouble of sending Fenrir to bring me here. You know how I don’t stop asking questions once I start.”  

 

I explained my intentions in detail to avoid any misunderstandings.  

 

“If there’s something Huluppu needs to tell me, I wanted to hear that first.”  

 

Fortunately, my rapid-fire explanation seemed to work, as Huluppu’s expression quickly softened.  

 

‘Well, as an immortal divine tree, he probably wouldn’t be hurt by something like this, but it felt like I was making a child cry, so I couldn’t help but feel restless.’  

 

Plus, his resemblance to Yves played a part, making me feel even more protective of him.  

 

As I was thinking this, Fenrir, who had been quietly eating dessert, chimed in.  

 

[Well, you really do pour out questions endlessly.]  

 

Having just experienced my barrage of questions earlier that morning and a few minutes ago, Fenrir seemed to empathize.  

 

‘Judging by the way he’s grinning so wide his sharp teeth are showing, it seems like he’s trying to tease me.’  

 

But since it was my own words, I couldn’t argue back.  

 

Just then, Huluppu, who had been staring at Fenrir, brought up an unexpected topic.  

 

[By the way, Fenrir, you said you’d bring Laura back quickly, so why did it take so long?]  

 

Though unintentional, the conversation naturally shifted to Fenrir.  

 

[And you even put up a barrier this time so I couldn’t see. Is there some secret you don’t want me to know?]  

 

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Fenrir looked extremely flustered.  

 

Probably because he couldn’t outright say, “I was asking about your preferences.”  

 

Moreover, since preparing a gift to make Huluppu happy was a genuine secret, Fenrir hesitated awkwardly.  

 

[Well…]  

 

Unable to come up with a proper excuse, he fell silent, his eyes darting around.  

 

‘Does he not realize how suspicious his behavior is?’  

 

Watching Fenrir, who was clearly showing that he’d been caught, I suddenly felt a wave of absurdity.  

 

It reminded me of how he had laughed at me this morning, even though he couldn’t control his own expressions.  

 

‘Honestly, this is ridiculous.’  

 

Just as I was starting to feel slightly annoyed at being dismissed by Fenrir, who wasn’t much better than me at hiding his emotions, our eyes met.  

 

[Laura, help me.]

 

“…”

 

[Don’t answer! I’m speaking now so only you can hear.]

 

I was about to respond to Fenrir, who was blatantly asking for help, but I closed my mouth again at his sudden outcry.

 

[If I can think of a good answer in my head, I will… It seems I can no longer read your thoughts because I awakened today.]

 

He seemed to be sweating profusely and feeling awkward.

 

‘Though it’s not visible because of his white fur.’

 

While I was lost in trivial thoughts, Fenrir’s complexion gradually darkened.

 

And Huluppu’s gaze, watching him, also grew colder.

 

When Fenrir couldn’t readily answer a seemingly trivial question, he seemed convinced he was hiding something.

 

But it wasn’t a lie that Fenrir had been eagerly planning a surprise gift to satisfy Huluppu, so he remained silent until the end.

 

‘He teased me earlier for asking endless questions, but now he can’t remember any of them.’

 

We had talked about so many topics, like Xenon and the ability to read thoughts with divine power, so there were plenty of excuses to gloss over things besides Huluppu’s preferences.

 

In the end, I was the one who broke the heavy silence.

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

As I spoke in the quiet, Huluppu, Fenrir, and even Yves’ gazes turned to me simultaneously.

 

‘Actually, I was planning to pretend not to know because I was annoyed that he laughed at me this morning.’

 

Originally, Fenrir’s request was just to ask about Huluppu’s preferences.

 

So, this situation had nothing to do with me, and whether I helped him or not, there was no particular gain or loss for me.

 

But seeing Fenrir struggling to manage his expression, I suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie and couldn’t just leave him be.

 

“The reason Fenrir couldn’t answer is because of me.”

 

[Why? What’s going on?]

 

It was fortunate that Huluppu’s silver eyes immediately turned to me. If he had kept looking at Fenrir, he might have noticed his wide-eyed expression in real-time and sensed something was off.

 

‘It’s the first time I’ve seen someone worse at managing their expression than me.’

 

Technically, in my past life, I was ordinary enough to handle social interactions, so it’s not me, but Laura’s body that’s bad at managing expressions.

 

Anyway, I began to speak on behalf of the dazed Fenrir.

 

“I didn’t really want to share what happened today with others. He was probably being considerate of me.”

 

[Ah… If you don’t want to, I won’t force you to tell.]

 

“It’s okay, Huluppu. The people I didn’t want to tell included Selene and those around me.”

 

Although I hadn’t said it out loud, it wasn’t a lie.

 

‘I really did think this in my heart!’

 

After rationalizing it in my head, I shamelessly continued.

 

“We talked about many things, but first, Fenrir said he would help me settle comfortably in the Babylonian Empire if I was okay with it.”

 

[That’s right!]

 

Fenrir, who finally recalled our conversation, chimed in as soon as I finished speaking.

 

[Why did you suddenly make such an offer to Laura?]

 

On the other hand, Huluppu’s gaze grew even more suspicious. I don’t know how he usually acts, but it seems she finds it hard to believe Fenrir made such an offer to me.

 

“This morning, I missed my prayers because of Fenrir, so I think he felt guilty.”

 

I quickly intercepted before Fenrir could say something clumsy.

 

‘He seems worse at lying than me.’

 

It’s not that I can’t lie, but since possessing Laura’s body, I’ve been unable to hide my expressions, so I just avoid lying.

 

“Then the conversation shifted to Xenon. I found out exactly who Xenon is today.”

 

[That’s right! I was so shocked when she said she didn’t know Xenon was the minor lord of Achelide!]

 

Thanks to finding an escape route, Fenrir regained his usual vigor.

 

‘Wow, his ability to switch gears is no joke.’