I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand – Chapter 124

Author: Nikss

💫

Having sorted out her thoughts to some extent, Merria rose from her crouched position.

It was the idea that since there was nothing more she could do, she might as well engage in something productive.

As a result, Merria decided to search for anything that could serve as a weapon in the darkness.

At first, she walked while feeling along the wall, but realizing it was futile, she eventually knelt on the floor instead.

Merria let out a small sigh and cautiously stretched out her hand. She was afraid that her hand might get torn again by a protruding nail.

‘Had I known this would happen, I should’ve at least learned how to knock someone out with a strike to the back of the neck.’

Shaking her head vigorously at the gloomy thoughts that had naturally surfaced, Merria decided it was better to focus on the task at hand rather than dwell on such things.

Diligently sweeping her hands across the floor, she gathered as much information as she could in her mind.

Even so, Merria had no way of knowing the situation outside, but it was still better than doing nothing.

Reukis had once said that Arienne was not one to remain idle.

This was an assessment from Reukis, whose swordsmanship rivaled that of the Crown Prince. He was not the type to boast, so his words were likely not a comparison to his own abilities but rather an objective evaluation of Arienne’s full strength.

‘Shannon also mentioned that Arienne carried me here, slung over her shoulder.’

Most likely, escaping this room would inevitably require confronting Arienne.

Even if she tried to seize the moment when Arienne was away, she would still have to push past Shannon to get out.

In the end, a situation where she would have to harm someone awaited her.

Gulp—

A dry swallow slid down her throat, her nerves tense.

Just the thought of it made her heart pound anxiously, and her chest grew tight. Yet, it was an unavoidable step if she wanted to escape this cage.

‘If only I could recover my ring and use teleportation magic…’

Merria bit down lightly on her lip.

By the time she had opened her eyes, the ring made of magic stone had already disappeared.

Shannon had looked at her as if seeing her for the first time, so it was safe to assume Arienne had taken it.

Why had she taken the ring?

Faced with this fundamental question, Merria subtly furrowed her brow. The ring given by the old woman, and the ring given by Reukis—both were gone.

In the end, both items had now fallen into Arienne’s hands.

Just who was Arienne, to have stolen the ring and locked me in this place?

No matter how hard she tried to recall if they had met before, the name Arienne was entirely unfamiliar.

Yet, the answer to this mystery came more easily than expected.

“Is it because of Reukis?”

Merria muttered softly under her breath.

Both rings she had carried were connected to Reukis in some way.

And Arienne had attacked Reukis the night before. Though the reason was unclear, it was evident that Reukis stood at the center of Arienne’s actions.

Reukis had always been a man with many enemies. He may have believed he concealed his true nature well, but in truth, it had long been exposed.

Because of this, Merria already knew Reukis was far from harmless.

In front of her, he behaved like a tame pet, wagging his tail, yet when speaking to others, he wore the face of an authoritative duke or a cold-hearted knight.

Not that Reukis was inherently evil.

Every person had another side to them, and Reukis was no exception—just an ordinary man. He was a duke who had to protect his house and lands, a knight sworn to serve the crown prince.

Naturally, he often found himself in situations where he had to eliminate or abandon others.

Such was the burden of his position.

To safeguard what was his, he inevitably had to make enemies.

And those enemies would see him as an obstacle, a villain, or worse.

The faction of the second prince, the families of those he had executed, nobles from rival nations—The higher Reukis climbed, the stronger he became, and beneath him, there would always be those waiting for his downfall.

“Is Arienne one of them?”

The real question was what drove Arienne.

I heard Deston avoids getting involved in political matters.

That’s why, instead of succeeding his family’s title as a count, he chose to attend the academy and joined the Ministry of Magic even before graduating.

But Ariene seemed quite close to Deston.

It was likely that Deston was the one who cast the sleep magic on Merria’s handkerchief and also the one who helped Ariene escape.

‘A noble-born mage and a count’s maid.’

At first glance, the only thing that comes to mind is a tragic love story.

But Merria doubted that was all there was to it.

If he had fallen in love with Shannon, it wouldn’t make sense for him not to recognize Ariene, who wore Shannon’s face.

And if he had fallen for Ariene, then being with her while she bore Shannon’s face would be just as strange.

“…It’s a puzzle where neither piece fits.”

Just what kind of person is Ariene, who stands at the center of all this?

And why is she doing these things?

Merria struggled to piece together the throbbing fragments in her mind. Eventually, she reached the point of giving up on speculation.

“It’s not like she’d give me a straight answer even if I asked.”

She decided to focus on breaking through the current situation instead.

Merria moved along the wall to keep from falling. Her top priority was escaping this place.

But before that, she needed to confront Ariene at least once. There were two things Merria had to do when she met Ariene.

Confirm her true face, and retrieve Reukis’ ring.

Though it was uncertain whether Ariene would even reveal her real face…

She refused to dwell on that possibility.

Merria forced her wandering thoughts to a halt. Left alone, she wanted to cling to the most hopeful thoughts she could.

Just then, as she diligently made her way forward—

Clink—

Something light brushed against her foot.

Judging by the sound, it was undoubtedly a blade.

Careful not to kick it again, Merria turned her body.

After flailing her hands around a few times, she finally managed to find something.

“Ah— Ow….”

The chilling sensation prickling at her fingertips.

It was clear she had been cut by something sharp.

Relying on the faint feeling at her fingertips, she carefully gauged the size of the blade. The length of the edge was about the size of Merria’s palm—likely a small knife.

It seemed she had been lucky enough to find what Shannon had brought earlier.

Unaware that the knife had come from Shannon, Merria carefully tucked it away inside her clothes.

This would be her last resort.

💫

Not even a few minutes had passed since Merria had that thought.

Thud—

Something fell outside, followed by Shannon’s scream.

“—Ahh!”

Merria bolted upright and rushed toward the door. With her shackled hands, she banged on the door and called out.

“Shannon? Shannon! What’s happening?!”

Her desperate shouts went unanswered.

“Mmph! Ugh!”

A pained groan echoed from a distance, and Merria pressed her ear tightly against the door.

“Ugh!”

The voice sounded as if something was stuffed in the person’s mouth, but there was no mistaking it—it was Shannon.

What’s going on? Merria’s eyes darted anxiously.

Unable to leave or see outside, all she could do was bite her lip in frustration.

While Merria was lost in inexplicable dread, the cause of it all stood in the middle of the hallway, turning his head left and right.

He seemed to be searching for the source of the noise.

At the sight, Shannon writhed and shook her head.

Even in this situation, she didn’t want Merria to be put in danger. The intruder tilted his head at Shannon’s expression, then confidently stepped forward.

Click—

Bang!

Click—

Bang!

The rhythmic, repeating noises made Merria flinch, her shoulders trembling.

‘This sound…’

Click—Bang!

It was the sound of doors being violently thrown open, slamming against the walls.

‘Gasp—’

Merria nearly let out a noise but reflexively clamped both hands over her mouth.

Shannon couldn’t speak—and whoever had done that to her was now searching each room one by one. Merria’s lips quivered.

It wasn’t Arienne.

Even though she had never actually faced Arienne, that was the thought that crossed her mind.

To her, an outsider, the person beyond the door seemed like a stranger to this place. If only she had stayed silent, she wouldn’t have been discovered.

But hearing Shannon’s scream had startled her into crying out, revealing her position.

Merria’s trembling hands fumbled for the dagger hidden in her coat. She had sworn to herself that she would only use it as a last resort.

‘But isn’t this last resort coming way too soon…?!’

Hesitating now would only get her killed. That thought raced through her mind.

Merria gripped the dagger with both hands, blade facing downward for an easier downward strike. Her small hands clenched tightly around the hilt.

“…”

Before the door opened, she searched for the best spot to ambush from.

The room was pitch-black, so she couldn’t make out its layout, but—There was only one place to position herself to attack from behind when the intruder entered.

The wall right next to the door, where the opened door would create a hiding space. She pressed herself against the wall, blending into the shadows as if dissolving into the darkness.

Her heart began pounding violently.

Footsteps grew closer, and the door handle rattled faster.

And then, finally—

Clunk—

They had reached Merria’s room.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Shannon’s desperate screams echoed from afar. Right beside her, she could almost feel the intruder’s breath.

Merria bit her lip hard, forcing her trembling hands to steady.

Clunk. Clunk—

The intruder, finding the door locked, scowled in frustration.

“Damn it, I’m in a hurry, and they had to go and lock this shit?”

Of all times to be thorough…

The muttering voice sounded oddly familiar.

As Merria tightened her grip in confusion, the sound of the door handle breaking off reached her ears.

Bang!

The door was flung open violently as the intruder rushed inside.

“Haah!”

While the intruder glanced around searching for something, Merria swung her arm wide.

“Ack!”

Her clumsy swing must have luckily struck true, as the assailant let out a pained cry. Merria shuddered at the sensation of steel slicing flesh, her fingertips trembling.

Just as she tried to flee without hesitation—

“Hey!”

Her hair which Lexie’s neatly combed was seized by a rough hand.

“Ugh!”

With her hands bound and no way to steady herself, Merria couldn’t withstand the force and collapsed backward.

Outside, Shannon’s muffled screams continued, while the pain in her scalp and backside burned vividly.

Staring at the red liquid dripping from the knife in her hand, Merria let out a small sigh.

‘Ah… So it’s come to this.’

Just as she let out a hollow laugh—The hand gripping her hair slid down to her shoulder and forcefully spun her around.

Helplessly facing the assailant, Merria clenched her eyes shut.

An unconscious reaction, bracing for what was to come.

But nothing happened.