I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 101

Reukis stared blankly at his empty hand. He had tried to pretend to sleep, but it seemed he had actually fallen asleep.

 

Although the sensation of swinging the sword was still vivid, he felt as if he were still in a dream.

 

The situation he had just faced felt so unreal that it intensified that feeling.

 

In the silent space, as Reukis gradually regained his sense of reality, he shouted like thunder.

 

“Kalix!”

 

At his call, Kalix, who had been waiting outside, rushed in immediately.

 

Reukis pointed to the opposite side from where Kalix had entered and said,

 

“The assassin has escaped. She has a severe wound on his abdomen, and no strong magical energy is detected. Even if she has hidden himself, she must be nearby.”

 

“What should we do about the aftermath?”

 

It was an attack on a Grand Duke.

 

A matter so grave that no one would object if the perpetrator were executed on the spot.

 

It was an act so severe that a swift beheading would feel merciful. But he had to be kept alive. Reukis had many questions for that woman.

 

However, there was no need to bring her in gently.

 

As long as she could answer the questions, it didn’t matter if her limbs were severed.

 

“Just enough to move her mouth coherently. Capture her and bring her here.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Kalix drew his sword and went outside.

 

And because Kalix had gone inside, two more people witnessed the situation. Gwen, who was leading, and Merria, who was behind her.

 

“Miss, please step back.”

 

Gwen jumped forward to block her view, but Merria had already seen everything.

 

Blink~

 

Merria, who had been standing still with her eyes wide open, blinked her stiff eyes deeply.

 

“This… is.”

 

What is this? Merria muttered softly. She shook her head vigorously, as if her mind had stopped.

 

It wasn’t that she was still half-asleep.

 

Despite her calm demeanor, her fingertips were trembling.

 

It was a clear sign that the scene before her eyes was neither a dream nor an illusion. She stared blankly at the back of the knight who was shielding her.

 

Soon, her gaze fell on the face of her lover beyond Gwen.

 

There stood Reukis, his sharp eyes still filled with killing intent.

 

“Ah.”

 

When their eyes met, Reukis let out a small gasp and his eyes gradually widened.

 

Whatever the reason, he had just pointed a sword at someone.

 

To Kalix, who had fought alongside him on the battlefield, or to Gwen, a knight, it might not have been a big deal.

 

But Merria was different. She had grown up in a peaceful capital.

 

It was clear that the sight of blood and screams would be unfamiliar and frightening to her. He had heard that even among knights who had seen blood for the first time during the war, some had vomited.

 

Even trained knights reacted that way, so he was worried that Merria might faint.

 

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to approach her because he couldn’t bear to show her his current state.

 

Reukis wished he could have kept this side of him hidden from her forever. He knew that even the knights who had seen him leading the charge in battle felt both awe and fear.

 

Always craving affection, he hoped Merria wouldn’t be afraid of him. He knew he would instantly notice even the slightest hint of hesitation in her.

 

It was something only he, who had long been subjected to such gazes, could feel.

 

Reukis stood there, unable to make any excuses for his self-protection, which he had always managed well.

 

Due to the large slash, the floor was soaked with blood, and his hand still held the sword.

 

He thought he should at least turn his back to avoid her seeing him, but. His expectation was completely off.

 

Instead, Merria pushed aside the knight guarding her and ran inside. Her long platinum hair fluttering as she ran towards him, covered in blood.

 

“Reukis!”

 

At her scream-like call, Reukis instinctively raised his head.

 

Merria was neither terrified nor repulsed by him. Her crimson eyes were filled only with worry and confusion.

 

Before Reukis could even realize it, his arms opened slightly.

 

Clang—

 

The sword he had been gripping so tightly that his veins stood out fell with a dull sound.

 

And then, Merria, with her warm presence, fell into his empty embrace.

 

💫

 

Earlier, after reading a strange anonymous note, Merria ultimately couldn’t bring herself to sleep.

 

The peculiar feeling she had upon seeing it compelled her to act.

 

‘The content is too unusual to dismiss as a mere prank.’

 

Serinia seemed completely unaware, and in Merria’s limited social circle, there was no one who would play such a pointless joke.

 

Moreover, the handwriting felt oddly familiar. She couldn’t remember where she had seen it, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

 

The unease blended with the déjà vu from the first day of the hunting competition, which had passed so peacefully, raising an indescribable sense of foreboding.

 

She vaguely remembered hearing something once.

 

That nagging feeling was usually not a mistake but a warning born from years of accumulated experience.

 

So, Merria decided not to ignore her intuition.

 

After all, she needed to talk to him about Emily, and she was his lover.

 

Wasn’t it said that lovers could meet for no reason at all and simply say, ‘Just because,’ as if it were an invincible position?

 

Thinking that, she saw no reason to delay further.

 

Merria grabbed her coat and headed out.

 

Soon, her destination wasn’t Frederick’s barracks but where Gwen was. For the unease that had taken the form of ‘intuition,’ she needed a suitable solution.

 

That’s why she thought of Gwen.

 

Gwen had experience guarding her before, had no assigned duties tonight, and, most importantly, was a trustworthy knight nearby.

 

Gwen was the only one who met all these conditions.

 

Unlike the other knights on guard, Gwen, who had come as Rackester’s representative to the hunting competition, was resting.

 

Of course, for him, even rest was a way to keep his body in peak condition. The important thing was that he wasn’t on duty at the moment.

 

Moreover, he had accompanied Merria as her guard on an outing before.

 

Since they were already acquainted, there was no awkwardness in approaching him.

 

Thus, Merria asked Gwen to accompany her as a guard for a nighttime stroll. Gwen, grateful even for the untimely request, grabbed his sword and followed.

 

Of course, the stroll was just an excuse; Merria’s steps led unhesitatingly to Frederick’s barracks.

 

A noble lady going to meet her lover late at night with a knight in tow might seem a bit immature, but it was all for her own protection.

 

More precisely, it was to ensure that even if she fell into a trap, Reukis wouldn’t be caught.

 

;You know how it goes in those situations.’

 

Someone calls you out, and it turns out to be a trap, and the lover who tries to save you ends up fatally wounded.

 

So, Merria took the minimal necessary precautions.

 

Even if this suspicious letter was a trap, she needed to have a safety measure so Reukis wouldn’t have to save her.

 

Thus, Merria and Gwen arrived at Frederick’s barracks.

 

When the guard at the entrance saw Merria and looked utterly shocked, her unease doubled. Hurrying inside, they found Kalix with his sword drawn.

 

Upon spotting Merria, Kalix raised a finger to his lips.

 

Understanding the signal, Merria nodded slightly. Standing in the silent, dark space, it felt like anything could happen at any moment.

 

The unusual atmosphere prompted Gwen and Kalix to flank Merria protectively.

 

Soon, murmuring sounds came from inside, followed by the rough clatter of objects falling.

 

Like a stone dropped into a frozen lake, the tense air shattered instantly.

 

The chaotic sounds of struggle and pained groans.

 

“I should have killed her earlier.”

 

A short sentence, but one that struck her ears sharply.

 

‘This voice…?’

 

Merria stared with trembling eyes at the curtained-off area inside.

 

Kalix, who seemed to understand the situation, disappeared inside as if he had been waiting. And the scene she encountered was beyond imagination.

 

A ruined bed, overturned chairs, a bloodied sword, a floor soaked in blood, and Reukis.

 

Reukis, standing there drenched in red, looked utterly unfamiliar. The pungent smell of blood forcefully explained the source of the red.

 

His eyes, filled with a killing intent she had never seen before, slowly turned to meet hers.

Merria shuddered.

 

Not because she was afraid of Reukis.

 

But because the forgotten ‘original villain’ overlapped with Reukis in her mind.

 

The Grand Duke Frederick, who stormed the imperial palace to take Shannon from Altheon, engaging in a bloody massacre.

 

‘No.’

 

Before she knew it, she was running toward Reukis. Fearing that her weight might reopen his wounds, she slowed her steps at the last moment.

 

As she gently pulled him into a trembling embrace, Reukis’s arms wrapped tightly around her.

 

“What… what is this?”

 

Merria immediately looked up to check Reukis’s complexion. He looked slightly dazed, but his color wasn’t noticeably bad.

 

Seeing the corners of his eyes droop as if embarrassed by the awkward situation, she recognized the Reukis she knew.

 

Merria bit her lip, feeling an inexplicable relief.

 

Still, just in case, she pushed against his chest and checked his blood-soaked shirt.

No cuts or tears were visible as she examined it.

 

Merria hugged him tightly again, her face crumpling.

 

Since he didn’t even groan when she squeezed his waist, it was clear he wasn’t the one injured. She let out a deep sigh of relief.

 

“You’re… not hurt, right?”

 

He had hurt someone.

 

Which meant Reukis had been threatened. She knew all too well in her mind how strong Reukis was.

 

But seeing Reukis injured and bleeding was a different matter. She wrapped her arms tightly around Reukis. Her actions were almost frantic, as if to confirm his safety.

 

Reukis accepted her embrace, gently stroking her platinum hair. Her heartbeat, pressed against him, was faster and more intense than usual.

 

It showed how shocked Merria was.

 

Reukis pressed his lips deeply to her cold forehead.

 

Then, without a word, he patted her back to help her calm down.