I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 115

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Just this morning, Shannon had been peacefully preparing a meal.  

 

Originally, Ariene always sent word before visiting Demeter. Though the two had a secret signal between them, it was merely a precaution in case an outsider discovered this place.  

 

In truth, it was nothing more than a device to keep Shannon alert.  

 

But this time, Ariene had arrived unannounced.  

 

Though Shannon was slightly surprised, she was more delighted to see Ariene.  

 

However, when she opened the door, Ariene wasn’t alone.  

 

It was unclear whether this could be called a companion, but instead of Deston, it was a stranger.  

 

“Ariene…?”  

 

“Miss, let me in for a bit.”  

 

Instead of answering, Ariene shrugged her shoulders.  

 

Slung over her shoulder, wrapped tightly in a pitch-black robe, was a limp figure. Shannon quickly stepped aside to let the two inside.  

 

When Ariene set the robed figure down, a familiar face was revealed.  

 

Shannon’s eyes widened as she asked, “Ariene, why is this person…?”  

 

Ariene frowned at Shannon’s recognition.  

 

“You know her?”  

 

Ariene had been caught off guard before when Merria had approached Shannon so familiarly, unaware of their prior connection.  

 

‘Seeing her recognize the sleeping noblewoman, there really must be something between them.’  

 

Back when Shannon still lived at the Magner estate, Ariene had always given the same warning whenever she sneaked out:  

 

It’s fine to go sightseeing, but don’t engage in unnecessary conversations or show your face to others.

 

There had been one time Shannon deliberately broke that rule—  

 

When she met Merria. Shannon had wanted to cherish Ariene’s concern.  

 

Or, to be more precise, she was afraid Ariene would be disappointed and leave her.  

 

To Ariene, who stayed by her side despite having neither wealth nor status, the only things Shannon could offer were endless gratitude and kindness.  

 

That was why she couldn’t bring herself to admit she had done something that would upset Ariene.  

 

At Ariene’s question, Shannon clamped her mouth shut.  

Instead, she forced a bashful smile, as if trying to brush it off.  

Fortunately, Ariene wasn’t in the clearest state of mind.  

She didn’t have the energy to question Shannon’s awkward reaction.  

 

Ariene left the sleeping Merria in a room and locked the door.  

 

‘I’ll come back tonight.’

 

With only those words, she vanished like the wind.  

 

At first, Shannon was excited just knowing someone was in the house, pacing restlessly by the door.  

 

But Ariene had taken the key when she left, meaning Shannon couldn’t enter for conversation or to offer a meal.  

 

‘Ah!’  

 

Then, a brilliant idea struck her.  

 

The mischievous Deston had enchanted the space, creating hidden passages everywhere.  

 

For Shannon, who often spent time alone, finding these passages was a sort of game.  

 

Luckily, she knew of one that led to the room where Merria slept.  

 

The only problem? She only knew how to get ‘in’, not how to get ‘out’.  

 

Knowing Deston, there was a good chance he hadn’t even made an exit.  

 

So before entering, Shannon prepared thoroughly.  

 

A change of clothes for Merria, water, a meal, snacks, washed fruit for dessert—  

 

She even packed books and embroidery in case Merria got bored. Since Ariene would return in less than half a day, this would be enough.  

 

Basket full of supplies in hand, Shannon headed to the wardrobe in the opposite room.  

 

When she placed her hand on what appeared to be nothing but a wall, the illusion melted away, revealing the room where Merria slept.  

 

Suppressing a giggle at her little adventure, Shannon began rationalizing to herself:  

 

‘If she wakes up alone, she might feel uneasy… or bored…’  

 

Not seeing that Merria’s hands were bound, Shannon assumed she was in a similar situation to her own.  

 

Perhaps kind-hearted Ariene had rescued someone else?  

 

Shannon had absolute faith in her belief. She couldn’t even imagine Ariene, who had helped and saved ‘her’, harming anyone.  

 

If Merria really was in the same position, she’d be deeply confused upon waking.  

 

Shannon remembered how startled ‘she’ had been when she first opened her eyes here alone. She’d had Deston’s explanation and Ariene’s letter—but Merria seemed to have neither.  

 

There was a chance Merria wouldn’t wake before Ariene returned, but if she did, Shannon was prepared to take on Deston’s role this time.  

 

But it wouldn’t take long for that decision to bring Shannon a fatal consequence.

 

💫

 

Despite all her searching, Shannon had been hiding right under her nose.  

 

“…Ariene.”  

 

Shannon called out to her, fidgeting nervously.  

 

Ariene turned her gaze toward Merria, who lay on the bed. The noblewoman still appeared to be asleep, the lingering effects of the sedative keeping her unconscious.  

 

Ariene walked past Shannon and approached the bed. She stared intently at Merria’s closed eyes.  

 

The steady rise and fall of the noblewoman’s chest suggested she was in a deep slumber.  

 

‘I gave her the sedative, so it’s too early for her to wake.’

  

The sedative in Merria’s tea had been diluted from what was originally meant for the Grand Duke.  

 

Because of that, even Ariene couldn’t gauge its exact potency. Her gaze drifted down Merria’s body before stopping at one point.  

 

“…Hm?”  

 

Her eyes landed on the manacles around Merria’s wrists.  

 

A magic stone pulsing with dark energy. She didn’t need to ask who had gifted them.  

 

‘To ward off pests, huh? How arrogant.’   

 

Ariene frowned and reached out. But before her fingers could touch Merria, a dark energy seeped from the yellow-tinged ore.  

 

The shadows, following Reukis’ orders, were wary of Ariene—the one who had forcibly put Merria to sleep.  

 

When Ariene didn’t withdraw her hand, the darkness began to envelop Merria like a thin veil.  

 

The swirling black mist looked undeniably threatening.  

 

‘You’re just shadows that tried to devour your own master.’

 

The Grand Duke had ingrained such obsessive loyalty that the darkness now clung to Merria like a devoted puppy.  

 

Ariene’s frown deepened as she glared down at Merria.  

 

“…Tsk.”  

 

She let out an irritated sigh.  

 

Behind her, Shannon flinched at the sound. Ariene glanced back at the restless presence she felt.  

 

‘First, I need to get Shannon out of here…’

  

Slowly straightening, she scanned the room.  

 

A half-read book on the table.  

 

A basket of food.  

 

A set of unworn clothes.  

 

And Shannon, standing there avoiding eye contact. She could roughly piece together what had happened.  

 

‘What do I do with a little bird who’s made a mistake and is now watching my every move?’

 

Suppressing her rising irritation, Ariene forced a weary expression.  

 

“Miss, how did you get in here?”  

 

Another sigh escaped her, making Shannon’s already sullen face droop further.  

 

Shannon hesitated before finally mumbling, “Well… I used a secret passage Deston made. I found it while exploring the house alone. I’m sorry.”  

 

She clamped her mouth shut after speaking.  

 

‘Deston.’  

 

Given his usual antics and Shannon’s personality, she was likely telling the truth.  

 

Ariene normally wouldn’t have cared—Deston’s pranks around the house were nothing new.  

 

And given her own past actions, she was lenient with Shannon.  

 

But this time, Shannon’s curiosity had crossed a line, testing Ariene’s patience.  

 

“…Do you not remember me saying I’d be back soon?”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“And you do realize why I *locked* the door, don’t you?”  

 

“Ariene…”  

 

Shannon was utterly flustered. She had never seen Ariene’s expression so dark before. Her pupils trembled as panic swirled inside her.  

 

‘Is Ariene angry?’

  

A foreboding whirlpool grew in Shannon’s chest. She bit her lip, shoulders shaking slightly.  

 

‘Don’t cry. You can’t cry.’  

 

Ariene had always been so kind to her. 

 

When she overheard her former friends’ cruel words and cried, when she endured the Count’s abuse—Ariene had comforted her, stayed by her side, assured her she’d done nothing wrong.  

 

But now, Ariene was clearly furious with her.  

 

For the first time.  

 

‘I never realized how sharp your eyes look when you’re not smiling.’  

 

‘You really are like a finely honed blade.’  

 

Tears welled up in Shannon’s eyes.  

 

‘Are you tired of me? Are you going to leave me?’ 

 

Questions swirled endlessly inside her, but none made it past her throat. She was terrified that if she asked, Ariene would say yes. 

 

“Ariene, I’m sorry… I messed up…”  

 

Choking back a sob, Shannon clutched the edge of Ariene’s sleeve with weak 

fingers.  

As if letting go would make her disappear.  

 

The tremors in Shannon’s shoulders traveled through her fingertips to Ariene.  

Watching this, Ariene’s frown deepened.  

 

What is she so afraid of?  

 

Just the hardening of her expression had shaken Shannon like never before.  

 

Of course, it was Ariene herself who had made the girl so blindly dependent.  

 

She had cleared away all other branches, leaving Shannon with no shelter but her. She had become Shannon’s sky, her light.  

 

The sight was satisfying—yet at the same time, it stirred guilt.  

 

‘Guilt. Remorse.’  

 

She had thought herself long past such words.  

 

But now, faced with this silver-haired girl crying like a lost bird, Ariene didn’t know what to do.