I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand – Chapter 111

Author: Nikss

💫

At That Moment, Helena Was Already in the Imperial Palace.

She had explained to Aprion that she wasn’t feeling well in an unfamiliar bed and returned to the palace early.

Leaving Aprion behind in the forest, Helena arrived at the palace and sent out assassins as planned—at the designated time, in the most suitable location.

Having left the forest earlier, she hadn’t been able to confirm whether Shannon had successfully stirred up the intended scandal.

So, she had sent the fastest among her trusted subordinates to gather rumors.

But what returned was not news of the Grand Duke’s disgrace—but reports of an unexplained explosion.

And worse, the Emperor and Crown Prince had been caught in the blast, sustaining severe injuries.

Helena stared down at the man kneeling before her, her fists clenched tight.

“His Majesty… What happened to him?”

“His arm was torn off, and he lost consciousness.”

The man speaking in a soft, measured tone had striking violet hair and pitch-black eyes. Despite his languid aura, his smooth skin and youthful features made his age hard to guess. Given the years he had spent by Helena’s side, he was likely in his mid-twenties.

Helena’s eyes widened, frozen in shock.

The man at her feet—Shuell—calmly added,

“The Dark Mage and the Crown Prince said they’d take the Emperor to Bethes.”

“Then…”

Her tone implied, ‘Then why are you here?’

Shuell tilted his head slightly, his violet hair swaying.

“It was almost time for my appointment with you, Lady Helena. So I didn’t follow them all the way.”

As he tilted his head, it brushed lightly against Helena’s knee.

Shuell looked up at her with wide, round eyes—like an obedient pet who knew nothing, clearly expecting something.

Whenever he completed a task well, Helena would reward him by stroking his head.

Shuell had met her when he was very young. Treated as a mutant and sold into slavery, she had taken him in to use as her own blade. She gave him the name ‘Shuell’ and raised him hidden in her shadow.

If Helena commanded it, Shuell would tear people apart without hesitation.

Over time, his once blindly devoted gaze—like a chick following its mother—gradually took on the eyes of a man.

Helena knew exactly what thoughts lay behind the gaze of this man now looking up at her like a puppy.

But even such sticky emotions were just another tool for Helena.

Normally, she would have encouraged him with a gentle voice, telling him to go back and finish the job—but right now, she didn’t have the strength.

“You can’t die yet.”

Why had she become Aprion’s imperial consort? Why had she stayed by his side all this time?

And now, he couldn’t just die like this. Her body trembled with betrayal and fury.

If Aprion died now, the throne would be left vacant. And naturally, the crown would fall to Altheon. After all, *Crown Prince* was just a title for the one most qualified.

“No…”

A near-scream escaped Helena’s lips.

“Lady Helena.”

Unaware of her turmoil, Shuell continued to whine at her feet. Though the sight of his large frame whining was mismatched, the look in his eyes was no different from a child throwing a tantrum.

Helena was exhausted by his innocence. She shut her eyes tightly and turned her head away from Shuell’s.

Silently, he stared up at her.

Helena was seething. Her slender fingers trembled faintly, her lips bitten thin.

In her precarious state, she was more beautiful than ever.

‘Ah… My Queen.’

A dangerous emotion swirled in Shuell’s black eyes.

As he licked his lips discreetly, hurried footsteps approached from outside the door.

Without opening her eyes, Helena muttered,

“Get out.”

“…”

Sullen-faced, Shuell slowly rose to his feet. Clicking his tongue silently, he slipped out of Helena’s chambers—then, as always, erased his presence and melted into the shadows.

Bang!

The one who had interrupted Shuell’s blissful time was none other than Domnique.

He ‘loathed’ that blue-haired brat.

When they were younger, Domnique had clung to Helena, calling her ‘Mother, Mother’—it was disgusting.

And as he grew older, he dared to question Helena’s words and raise his voice at her.

If Helena hadn’t cherished him as her son, Shuell would have killed him long ago.

From outside the window, Shuell’s sharpened gaze fixed on Domnique.

The thing he hated most was how Domnique subtly resembled the Emperor.

Though his blue hair resembled Helena’s, his piercing blue eyes were just like the Emperor’s.

To Shuell, that was unbearable.

If only Domnique had been born a girl—then Shuell could have at least seen him as an extension of Helena.

Then, perhaps, he could have superimposed memories of the Helena who had first picked him up onto Domnique.

But there was nothing of Helena in that towering, foolish man.

Shuell watched the Second Prince with sunken eyes before finally turning away.

At least the event he had wished for had come to pass.

Now, all that was left was to hope that weak Emperor would hurry up and die.

Shuell’s well-shaped lips curved into a graceful smile.

‘My Queen… Actually, I was the one who crippled the Emperor.’

As he returned to his underground quarters, Shuell smiled lazily.

Until her mood improved, this would remain his little secret.

💫

While the unconscious Emperor was being treated by the High Priest, Reukis took a proper rest.

Teleporting two grown men over a long distance had been exhausting even for him.

Meanwhile, the sky outside had already begun to darken into a deep blue.

Knock, knock—

Someone tapped lightly on the door of the small chamber.

At Reukis’ short acknowledgment, the man who entered was the one who had been standing beside the High Priest.

Zen informed him that the Emperor’s treatment was complete.

Reukis grabbed his outer robe and headed toward the altar where Altheon stood.

“Are you returning to the Imperial Palace?”

At Reukis’ question, Altheon glanced down at the still-unconscious Emperor before nodding.

“I must. It’s going to be chaos once we return.”

Altheon’s brow furrowed slightly.

The Emperor and Crown Prince had vanished during the hunt, and the tournament had been abruptly halted.

Once back at the palace, Altheon would undoubtedly be swamped with work—so much so that he might not even have time to sleep.

The longer the Emperor remained unconscious, the more fatigue would pile up for Altheon.

And the same went for the Grand Duke before him.

Today’s incident had been that sudden.

But what weighed on Altheon’s mind wasn’t the mounting duties—it was his fiancée.

‘She must be terribly anxious right now.’

Thanks to the bracelet she had given him, Altheon hadn’t suffered a single scratch.

Yet Karina, ever the worrier, would still be restless.

Even after hearing the Grand Duke’s reassurances, she had insisted on crafting that bracelet for him.

Ironically, it had ended up saving his life.

Still, he could vividly picture Karina pacing nervously until she saw him in person.

Altheon wanted to meet her, to explain everything himself.

To thank her. To whisper that ‘because of her, he was unharmed—so she could finally let go of her fears.’

‘If Karina hadn’t returned to her estate and stayed at the palace instead, I could see her right away.’

For some reason, he was certain she would have done just that.

Even if returning to the palace meant drowning in duties, he would make time to ease her worries.

Altheon turned to Reukis and asked, “Do you have enough mana?”

Attempting teleportation with insufficient mana risked landing them in some bizarre location.

But Reukis nodded without hesitation.

As the two prepared to leave, Nethesia shook her head urgently.

“No, you mustn’t! Not yet. Using mana before His Majesty’s condition stabilizes is—”

“Your Highness.”

Reukis cut her off, addressing Altheon instead.

Altheon had no intention of reversing his decision and replied immediately.

“His Majesty the Emperor will not be coming with us. The Knights will arrive here shortly. Until then, we entrust His Majesty’s safety to you.”

“…Very well.”

Nethesia nodded reluctantly.

A single word from the High Priest carried the weight of the temple itself—its authority absolute.

Everyone present knew this, so the two men hurried their preparations.

Once Reukis fixed the coordinates, Altheon stood beside him. Dark mana coiled around the two men, swallowing them whole.

When Altheon blinked, the familiar sight of his office in the Crown Prince’s palace greeted him—not the Vetais Temple.

The Crown Prince’s office, known for its stringent security, was always kept silent.

This was to remain alert to even the faintest movements or sounds of potential threats.

But today was different.

Not only was Eden present, but unexpected figures were waiting as well.

His fiancée, Karina, his aide Eden, and—

“…Duke Rackester?”

The former was understandable, but the latter’s presence was a complete mystery.

The moment Altheon appeared, Karina rushed forward and threw her arms around him.

“Your Highness!”

“…Karina. Were you that worried?”

Overcome with emotion, Karina buried her face against him without answering.

Soon, her shoulders trembled faintly.

Altheon’s gaze softened at the sight of Karina, usually so composed, acting like a child.

Though he had often been tempted to tease her when she stood so regally before him, seeing her like this didn’t bring him the satisfaction he’d imagined.

“Because of your gift, not a single hair on my head was harmed. So don’t cry, alright?”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her slender shoulders.

As the two shared their emotional reunion, Reukis and the Duke locked eyes.

Themis’ gaze trembled as if searching for something.

Reukis, utterly baffled, raised an eyebrow.

“…Merria. Wasn’t she with you?”

The Duke’s lips, pressed tightly together until now, parted slowly.

At his grave question, Reukis sensed something was amiss.

Karina, too, seemed to remember something and pushed away from Altheon’s embrace.

“What do you mean?”

Reukis’ voice was icy.

A heavy silence filled the room. When no one spoke, Eden finally broke the quiet with a low murmur.