I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 119

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As soon as the wound treatment was finished, Shannon stood up.  

 

Merria’s gaze followed her movements.  

 

Shannon brewed two cups of herbal tea at just the right drinking temperature.  

 

One for herself, another placed before Merria.  

 

Merria stared at the steaming cup before lifting her eyes to meet Shannon’s. Her look demanded an explanation.  

 

“You seem quite shaken, miss. Please have some warm tea,” Shannon offered.  

 

“But why do you keep calling me ‘miss’…?” 

 

Merria finally voiced the question that had been bothering her.  

 

Shannon tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear.  

 

“Do you remember me?”  

 

Merria paused. It was an odd question from someone she’d shared drinks with and made plans to meet today.  

 

If simply asking whether she remembered, the answer was yes.  

 

Something felt off, but Merria nodded dutifully.  

 

Shannon’s lips curved into a soft smile as she sipped her tea.  

 

Among Shannon’s monotonous life, her encounter with Merria stood out vividly.  

 

Fortunately, Merria remembered, ‘I thought only I would remember…’  

 

Shannon continued shyly, “I wasn’t sure you’d recognize me… We met near the cake shop in that alley last time.”  

 

Merria couldn’t understand why Shannon brought this up now, but since it was true, she nodded.  

 

“…We did?”  

 

“Your companion was there. I heard them call you miss.’”  

 

“Ah…”  

 

“That day… I was truly grateful. Thanks to you, I could properly celebrate my mother’s birthday.”  

 

Shannon chattered like reuniting with an old neighbor.  

 

But Merria had more pressing questions.  

 

“Do you know where we are?”  

 

“This is Demeter. A bit distant from the capital’s center. Ariene brought you here. This is my first time seeing someone else here, so I wasn’t sure what to do…”  

 

“Ariene?” 

 

Merria repeated the name like reading unfamiliar letters.  

 

Shannon, misreading the silence, nodded slowly.  

 

“Yes.”  

 

She naturally assumed Merria and Ariene were acquainted.  

 

In Shannon’s world having lived alone with her sick mother as a child and then confined to Ariene’s care it was unthinkable to bring a complete stranger here.  

 

But Merria, caught in this impossible situation, understood less with each word.  

 

Shannon seemed to think Merria simply didn’t know Ariene’s name.  

 

Merria studied Shannon intently before asking, “That person brought me here? When? My last memory is riding a carriage with you.”  

 

“What? No. Maybe you dreamed it? Ariene brought you here. She’s like family to me.”  

 

Shannon waved her hands in correction.  

 

Merria pressed her lips together. The carriage’s jolting, the damp smell – too vivid to be a dream.  

 

“I don’t know how you came to be here, miss, but Ariene wouldn’t harm you,” Shannon assured.  

 

Merria remained silent. 

 

Frankly, she found no comfort in this.  

 

How could she trust the intentions of someone she’d never met? The only small comfort was that Shannon was the one saying this.  

 

“Does my family know I’m here? Or Reukis?” Merria asked with chilling calmness.  

 

Shannon immediately shook her head, though Reukis’ name made her expression flicker with recognition.  

 

‘Reukis.’

 

Shannon didn’t take long to recall a particular memory. Her lips parted slightly.  

 

At some point, Shannon had begun encountering frequent disturbances during her outings—strangers bumping into her with threats or pretending familiarity. These incidents gradually made her reluctant to leave the house, despite once enjoying relative freedom.  

 

That day, since Ariene was on leave, Shannon had ventured to the shopping district after a long time, intending to surprise Ariene with sandwiches from her favorite café. 

 

But on her way home, a man she’d never seen before grabbed her. Though they should have been strangers, he raged at her for breaking some unknown promise.  

 

Normally, Shannon could extricate herself from such situations, but this time, the man was unusually persistent. 

 

Even when she raised her voice and tried to pull away, she couldn’t break free.  

 

Then, by chance, someone intervened.  

 

Grateful, Shannon followed the man—only to find him standing before an imposing carriage. Thanks to Riley, who had once helped her understand nobles, Shannon mustered the courage to ask his name.  

 

Now, looking back, she couldn’t fathom how she’d dared. Perhaps the relief of being rescued had lowered her guard.  

 

When she asked for his name, he answered, ‘Reukis Frederick.’  

 

The name was unmistakable—both that of the man who had once helped her and the sole Grand Duke of the empire.  

 

Shannon’s eyes widened as she pieced together the forgotten memory. Then, she startled again at how casually Merria referred to him.  

 

‘When he showed me kindness, I vaguely assumed he was high-ranking nobility…’  

 

Not that generosity was exclusive to the wealthy—her own father, Count Magnor, had never spared even a scrap of bread for a child, despite his vast fortune.  

 

She was simply astonished to have met someone she never expected to encounter in her lifetime.  

 

While Shannon was lost in thought, suspicion flickered in Merria’s subdued gaze. She sensed something amiss in Shannon’s unfamiliar reaction.  

 

But before Merria could press further, Shannon spoke up with pale eyes, almost pleading innocence as she waved her hands.  

 

“I don’t know what’s happening outside. Truly. I haven’t even stepped out since coming here. It’s safer to stay hidden until the Count stops looking for me—”  

 

In her haste, she even revealed details she’d never shared before.  

 

“Wait—what?”  

 

“Ah… Actually, Count Magnor is my birth father. Though the Countess isn’t my mother.”  

 

“…I see. But what do you mean by ‘hiding’?” Merria asked, her voice subdued.  

 

Shannon answered readily, “Literally. The Count wanted to marry me off to some noble, but Ariene got me out of the estate before that.”  

 

“…”  

 

“So I can’t go outside until he stops searching. If someone recognizes me and reports my location, I might have to return to Magnor Manor.”  

 

Shannon said this without a trace of resentment. The contrast between her bright tone and the grim story only made it more unsettling.  

 

“…What are you talking about?”  

 

“Huh?” Shannon tilted her head at Merria’s murmur.  

 

Merria mirrored the gesture, equally perplexed.  

 

‘From what I’m hearing, it just sounds like she’s been moved to a different cage.’  

 

The more Shannon spoke, the less sense it made. This girl was proudly describing her own confinement—what kind of reasoning was that?  

 

‘Count Magnor is looking for her?’  

 

That was news to Merria.  

 

And if Shannon was openly living in Magnor Manor, how could the Count be searching for her in the first place?

 

Yet the Shannon before her didn’t appear to be lying.  

 

In fact, the dissonance she’d felt during their previous encounter was absent in this girl.  

 

Innocent, endearing, full of warmth— Exactly as Shannon had always been in her memories.  

 

Thump, thump—

  

Merria’s heart began pounding violently.  

 

If her fragmented memories were true—if she had indeed ridden in that carriage with Shannon—  

And if this Shannon wasn’t the real Shannon…  

 

‘There can’t be two people with identical faces in this world.’  

 

And no one could feign such natural reactions without suffering amnesia.  

 

Twins? Doppelgängers? Countless possibilities flashed through her mind.  

 

Then, at last, one memory surfaced.  

 

“Is there magic that lets you copy someone else’s face?”  

 

“If something so convenient existed, the world would drown in crime. Just change your face after murder, and you’re free.”  

 

A dreadful premonition took hold—the explanation for this impossibility might lie here.  

 

Merria struggled to steady her breathing. She needed to ask calmly, without betraying suspicion.  

 

If Shannon sensed anything amiss and clammed up, she’d lose her last chance.  

 

Adopting an understanding tone, Merria said, “That must have been an incredible help. For someone to go that far, you must have known each other for a long time?”  

 

“Yes. She worked with me at Magnor Manor when I was still a maid. Honestly, without Ariene, I might have spent my whole life lonely in the annex—or been sent off as some old noble’s bride. Thanks to her, I can live comfortably now.”  

 

Shannon rested her chin on her hands with a gentle smile. She looked peaceful, content—like someone ensnared in a tranquil dream.  

 

Merria’s gaze absorbed every detail of Shannon’s expression.

  

As if by watching closely enough, she might uncover some hidden truth.