I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 107 - Their Thoughts

 

Reukis slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with anticipation.  

 

His golden eyes, sparkling with excitement, eagerly searched for the platinum hair of his beloved.  

 

“…”  

 

But the sparkle in his eyes faded almost immediately.  

 

The one walking toward him with a cheerful stride wasn’t his lovely lover but the insufferable Kalix.  

 

A soft, fluffy handkerchief was tied to the tip of Kalix’s sword.  

 

Reukis glared at Kalix, who was grinning cluelessly as he approached.  

 

But only for a moment. Reukis’s eyes soon grew misty again, and he slowly moved his hand. He pulled out the handkerchief he had carefully kept close to his heart.  

 

Though the back of it was still stained with her blood, he hadn’t sent it to be washed because he couldn’t bear to lose Merria’s scent.  

 

He also hadn’t had the time to worry about such things.  

 

Reukis gently stroked the clean side of the handkerchief, his brow furrowing slightly.  

 

‘…Did she get angry because I was too stubborn?’  

 

Though the topic had been a bit rough, arguments between lovers were common.  

 

But to Reukis, that was just the thinking of men who didn’t know how to be loved.  

 

Of course, his lover was someone who accepted his whiny words and actions with a kind heart. He knew Merria wouldn’t break up with him over something like this.  

 

Yet, even such a small fight felt like a luxury to Reukis. He already felt he didn’t receive enough affection, and now the time to see Merria’s smile was being reduced because of such trivial matters.  

 

That was something Reukis couldn’t accept.  

 

That’s why he felt even more miserable. He regretted not acting in a way that matched his narrow-minded thoughts.  

 

In the end, he hurts Merria’s feelings.  

 

He had trivialized her concerns and forced his thoughts on her.  

 

As Reukis reflected on his shortcomings, his gaze fell to the ground, his eyes downcast. He wished no one would speak to him except Merria.  

 

After all, he knew this sinking feeling wouldn’t go away unless his lover came.  

 

Even Kalix, who had been laughing earlier, didn’t dare approach Reukis today.  

 

For some reason, the area around Reukis felt dark and heavy.  

 

After a while, a servant climbed onto the platform and blew a short horn.  

 

“Those departing for the hunt, please gather near the preparation line.”  

 

At his words, people mounted their horses and headed toward the edge of the forest.  

 

“Today’s hunt will last until the sun touches the spire. At that time, horns will be blown simultaneously from various locations. Afterward, the game will be tallied, and the winner will be announced. Please keep this in mind.”  

 

Just then, a memory suddenly flashed in Reukis’s mind as he gloomily stared at the ground.  

 

It was the conversation he had with Merria when she tied the handkerchief for him.  

 

‘I’ll definitely win and present you with Nethesia’s Tears.’  

 

‘Yes, I’ll look forward to it, knight.’  

 

Merria’s bright smile as she looked at him floated in his mind.  

 

Originally, what he wanted wasn’t the prize but something else. But if he won, Nethesia’s Tears would also be his.  

 

If he apologized to Merria at the upcoming party and presented it to her, his kind lover might smile softly as if to say it couldn’t be helped.  

 

Reukis gripped the reins tightly and nodded.  

 

“Kalix.”  

 

“Yes.”  

 

Kalix, who was also on horseback beside him, responded.  

 

“The area richest in game is the northwest, right?”  

 

As the forest’s boundary was to the south, the deeper one went, the more rugged the terrain and the higher the difficulty of the prey.  

 

Theoretically, it was easier to score points by hunting one large prey rather than several small ones.  

 

But that was just theory, and unless one was truly aiming for victory, no one ventured too deep.  

 

“That’s correct. Are you planning to go there?”  

 

Kalix nodded slightly and asked. 

 

Reukis seemed to ponder for a moment before continuing.  

 

“We’ll head northwest as soon as the hunt begins. And we’ll return before midday.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

Kalix’s mouth dropped open at the extreme difficulty of the plan. But before he could say anything more, a long, majestic horn sound echoed through the forest.  

 

Bruuuuuump!

 

It was the signal marking the start of the hunt.  

 

Without hesitation, Reukis kicked his horse’s sides hard. His sleek steed, as if it had been waiting, began galloping across the vast forest.  

 

Kalix hurriedly followed, disappearing into the depths of the forest behind him.  

 

💫 

 

Swish—

 

The sound of a finely honed sword cutting through the air echoed.  

 

But no one in the area had drawn their sword from its sheath.  

 

Thud—

 

Next came the sound of something collapsing, followed by a massive tremor that shook the ground.  

 

Reukis, who had been aiming his bow from a distance, quickly urged his horse toward a small hill.  

 

As he got closer, the shape of what had appeared to be a mountain became clearer.  

 

There, a bear with an arrow lodged in its neck lay sprawled, its eyes rolled back. The bear’s muscles, which had been trembling finely, soon grew still and then stopped completely.  

 

Reukis stared at the scene for a moment before leaping off his horse.  

 

“This might be useful.”  

 

It was the second sentence he had spoken today.

 

The first prey he had caught was a silver fox with a bluish tint, found around the middle of the forest.  

 

Though not large, it was swift and agile, making it a somewhat time-consuming target.  

 

The reason Reukis hadn’t let the fox escape was simple:  

 

Its fur was glossy and just the right size, perfect for making a scarf.  

 

While standing still and aiming his bow, Reukis successfully caught the fox with a single arrow.  

 

After that, he hunted lions and large birds, but none met his standards—either their fur wasn’t of good quality or the color wasn’t appealing.  

 

However, this time, his prey was a bear with reddish-brown fur covering its entire body.  

 

Its ferocious head might be useless, but the fur on its torso would be very useful.  

 

In his mind, he could already picture Merria smiling at him in the middle of winter, wearing a fox scarf and a bear-fur coat.  

 

To minimize damage to the prey, he aimed for the back of its neck with his arrow.  

 

Once the bear collapsed, the slender arrow was barely visible against its massive frame, so he dismounted to mark it.  

 

He took out a black ribbon to signify ownership and tied it to the end of the arrow.  

 

Then, he drove it deep into the center of the bear’s forehead.  

 

The bear, already lifeless, didn’t move a muscle.  

 

Soon after, Reukis remounted his horse and looked up at the sky.  

 

The sun was still high, right at its zenith. Having hunted everything worth points deep in the forest, he felt this was enough.  

 

“Let’s head back now.”  

 

“I’m good to go too,” Kalix said, shrugging.  

 

His quiver was nearly empty.  

 

After all, Kalix’s goal was for the entire knight order to dominate the top ranks, starting with first place.  

 

It was to humble the arrogant knights of the Second Prince.  

 

At this rate, it was clear that Reukis would take the top spot, if nothing else.  

 

So Kalix, rather than enjoying minor hunts, wanted to return early and clean up. The two turned their horses around and galloped back toward the forest’s edge.  

 

As they moved outward, the number of people they saw increased.  

 

When they reached the area with the easiest prey, like rabbits and small foxes, someone noticed them and approached.  

 

“Your Grace.”  

 

Turning his head, Reukis was surprised to see an unexpected figure.  

 

It was Lilith, dressed lightly with her hair tied up high. Beside her was a man Reukis didn’t recognize.  

 

Realizing she was Merria’s cousin, Reukis paused.  

 

Kalix excused himself and left first. The remaining three naturally began introducing themselves.  

 

“Ah, this is Geoffrey Owen. I’m not originally a participant, but I asked him for help to try hunting briefly,” Lilith said, introducing the man beside her.  

 

“Pleased to meet you, Your Grace,” Geoffrey said.  

 

Reukis nodded slightly in acknowledgment.  

 

Geoffrey carried an arrow with an orange tip, while Lilith had a quiver filled with plain arrows.  

 

This indicated that Geoffrey was an official participant, while Lilith was an additional one.  

 

For the hunting competition, participants had to register their colors and arrows in advance for scoring purposes.  

 

While mid-event participation wasn’t allowed, casual participation for fun was permitted.  

 

However, such participants could only hunt in the outermost area using unmarked arrows.  

 

It seemed Lilith had joined in this casual manner.  

 

“Have you already finished hunting?” Lilith asked, her eyes wide.  

 

Reukis gave a small nod.  

 

“We’re on our way back.”  

 

At this, Lilith smiled slyly and replied teasingly,  

 

“Are you returning early because you’re worried about Merria?”  

 

“…?”  

 

Reukis looked at her, confused. Seeing his puzzled expression, Lilith frowned slightly.  

 

“You haven’t heard? This morning, Merria suddenly complained of a headache and had to lie down.”  

 

“Is that true?”  

 

Reukis’s face twisted with concern as he urgently asked for confirmation.  

 

Earlier that morning, Lilith had gone to find Serinia after finishing her preparations. She remembered Serinia showing interest in hunting and wanted to invite her to join.  

 

Of course, Lilith didn’t realize that Serinia’s interest was in the research potential of the hunted animals, not the hunt itself.  

 

Unbothered by such details, Lilith was determined to get her involved.  

 

Though she had been invited to hunt by Geoffrey, whom she hadn’t known for long, she still felt a slight awkwardness.  

 

It was a very minor feeling, but it was there.  

 

“Serinia, would you like to join me today—?”  

 

But what greeted Lilith was Merria, fast asleep.