I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 128

“Ah! Sister?”  

 

The boy, shaking off his companions and running over with short, quick steps, was looking straight at Merria.  

 

“Me?” Merria tilted her head slightly as she replied.  

 

The boy nodded vigorously and continued.  

 

“Yes! Thank you so much for last time.”  

 

He stopped running and bowed politely. It had been a long time since she’d spoken to such a young child—aside from Derek.  

 

Despite the boy acting as if they knew each other, Merria couldn’t immediately recall who he was.  

 

“For what?”  

 

“Vermin! What are you talking about? I’m sorry. Really, I’m so sorry.”  

 

One of the boy’s companions, who had quickly sensed the awkwardness, rushed over and bowed deeply after him.  

 

Unfazed, the boy spoke cheerfully, “Last time, you bought me flowers in front of the angel statue, remember? Thanks to that, I was able to save up enough money to get a house.”  

 

“Ah…”  

 

Now she remembered.  

 

Where she had met this little boy before. Merria recalled the day she had made a wish in front of the statue with Reukis.  

 

Then she turned her gaze to Vermin, who was grinning brightly in front of her.  

 

Now that she looked closely, the boy had grown—his missing front teeth had filled in, leaving a neat row. She had been worried after not seeing him during her subsequent visits to the fountain.  

 

‘So it was because he found a house in Demeter.’  

 

The boy had often talked about the ‘the Sister he met by the fountain,’ so Vermin’s older sister, Baidy, also looked at Merria with curious eyes. Her gaze traveled from Merria’s face to her dress, then finally to her disheveled hands.  

 

Noticing Baidy’s expression gradually shifting, Merria hid her hands and stepped closer to Vermin.  

 

Meeting Vermin now was perfect timing.  

 

A single act of kindness had returned to her as a witness who could boost her credibility.  

 

“Vermin? Long time no see. Have you been well?”  

 

With the child’s favor on her side, Merria planned to use it to persuade the coachman.  

 

“Yes!”

 

Fortunately, Vermin seemed to remember her quite fondly.  

 

Moreover, Baidy’s wariness had noticeably softened.  

 

“Do you happen to know this person?”  

 

She gestured with her eyes toward Carlos standing beside her.  

 

Vermin nodded innocently.  

 

To Vermin and Baidy, Carlos was like an uncle. Though not related by blood, he had occasionally offered bread or shelter to the siblings when they were starving on the streets.  

 

Carlos wasn’t the type to settle in one place, so there were more days they didn’t see him than did.  

 

But after Vermin and Baidy settled in Demeter and Baidy started working at a restaurant, he had even looked after Vermin at night.  

 

Given how close they were, it was no surprise Vermin recognized him instantly and was delighted.  

 

“This Sister really needs to ride this carriage now. Can you be a witness for us, Vermin?”  

 

“What’s a witness?”  

 

Vermin, who only half-understood Merria’s words, tilted her head in confusion.  

 

Merria smiled gently at her.  

 

“It means you can explain to others that I’m not a bad person.”  

 

“Of course! Sister is someone I’m really grateful to.”  

 

Young Vermin’s vocabulary for expressing gratitude was limited. But the sincerity overflowing from his words was so undeniable that even Carlos couldn’t help but acknowledge it.  

 

“Sigh. Fine, hurry up and get on.”  

 

As Carlos shrugged, the old woman quickly climbed inside.  

 

Once Shannon had boarded as well, Merria approached Baidy and handed her the remaining earring.  

 

“Keep this safe, and if someone named ‘Lexie’ comes looking, show it to them. Don’t lose it. Understood?”  

 

Merria had decided to take today’s events as a lesson—to never forget to help others. The kindness she had casually extended had come back to her in another form.  

 

Baidy clutched the earring tightly in one hand. With her other hand, she held onto Vermin’s, who looked ready to bolt at any moment.  

 

“Goodbye, Vermin. We’ll see each other again soon.”

 

Merria waved lightly to Vermin before boarding the carriage.  

 

As Carlos cracked the whip, the carriage wheels began to turn.  

 

“Can you go as fast as possible?”  

 

Merria, who had quickly wiped away her smile, spoke through the window.  

 

Carlos cracked the whip once more. The rickety carriage began to pick up speed.  

 

Soon, it left Demeter behind.  

 

💫  

 

Inside the swiftly moving carriage, Merria crossed her arms and studied the old woman.  

 

The old woman, whose complexion had never been particularly good, was now breathing heavily after getting into the carriage.  

 

At first, Merria thought she was just catching her breath. But when the labored breathing didn’t subside, Merria furrowed her brow and asked,  

 

“Are you feeling unwell?”  

 

“Whew. Of course I’m unwell. Every moment in this carriage makes it worse.”  

 

The old woman let out a deep sigh as she spoke.  

 

It didn’t seem like an exaggeration.  

 

“I’ll call a physician for you at the Grand Duke’s residence.”  

 

“A physician?”  

 

The old woman mumbled, leaning against the carriage wall.  

 

“Yes. Just hold on a little longer.”  

 

At Merria’s words, the old woman suddenly burst into laughter.  

 

“You said the same thing when you were tiny. Not sure if you’re naive or what.”  

 

Merria tilted her head at the old woman’s cryptic words. Now that she thought about it, she had said something similar when they first met.  

 

‘She acted as if we’d known each other for ages, even mentioning promises I don’t remember.’  

 

Merria fiddled with the ring on her left hand as she pondered.  

 

Lost in thought, she ended up staring intently at the old woman.  

 

Noticing this, the old woman spoke first, “Honestly, I don’t even understand how things have turned out this way. If you’re curious about something, why don’t you ask, young lady?”  

 

“As far as I know, I only met you in that alleyway. Were we acquainted before?”  

 

“Yes. We met.”  

 

“When?”  

 

“About ten years ago.”  

 

And also in a future that has now become the past.  

 

The old woman murmured softly.  

 

Ten-year-old Merria had been an ordinary child. Though she had once suffered a severe fever around that time…  

 

‘Ah.’

 

Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that Merria had collapsed in the garden back then.  

 

After waking up, Merria didn’t pay much attention to why she had been lying in such an unexpected place.  

 

Because—  

 

“Learning the future was too shocking.”  

 

Merria’s gaze, which had been slowly rising, finally met the old woman’s azalea-colored eyes.  

 

Seeing her stiff expression, a strange certainty settled in.  

 

“Do you also know the future?”  

 

It was something she had tightly locked away in her heart for over a decade, never speaking of it aloud.  

 

And she had been certain she would never mention it for eternity.  

 

So why did she feel that this woman might be in the same position? She couldn’t pinpoint an exact answer, but she sensed that if she didn’t ask now, she never would.  

 

Perhaps half of Merria’s déjà vu was correct, as the old woman’s face remained rigid.  

 

“You mean to say, young lady, that you remember your past life? Impossible.”  

 

The old woman frowned deeply and shook her head.  

 

But for someone who supposedly shouldn’t be in such a state, Merria seemed far too composed. She had assumed that losing half her strength and gaining the face of an old woman was the price for traveling back in time.  

 

Yet here was a noblewoman confessing to having experienced the same thing.  

 

Lowering her voice as much as possible, Merria asked, “You’ve also seen the world where Shannon and Altheon are the main characters, haven’t you?”  

 

“Main characters?”  

 

Merria began pressing her with questions one by one.  

 

“You know the future, don’t you?”  

 

“Yes.”  

 

“In that future, was Altheon’s partner Shannon?”  

 

“She became the Crown Princess.”  

 

“And the Rackester young lady was executed for trying to poison Shannon…”  

 

Merria couldn’t finish her sentence and tightly pressed her lips together.  

 

No matter how much time passed, speaking of her own death was never pleasant.  

 

The old woman, who had been silently watching her, spoke first, “You were beheaded, wasn’t it?”  

 

Merria gritted her teeth and nodded.  

 

Then, slowly parting her lips, she asked, “And Reukis tried to take Shannon for himself by starting a rebellion, right?”

 

Her voice trembled slightly, thick with emotion.  

 

But the old woman tilted her head as if something didn’t add up.

 

“How would you know that, miss?”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“No, that incident happened after the execution of the Princess. How do you know about it, miss—and even the cleverly twisted details?”  

 

“What part is wrong?”  

 

Merria had only stated what she knew.  

 

If the old woman had read the same book as her, there would have been nothing to dispute. Perhaps, after realizing her reincarnation, her memories had blurred or faded over time.  

 

Trying to reconcile their recollections, Merria asked a question, “I definitely realized this place was inside a novel only after meeting you. What about you?”  

 

“A novel? Miss, what on earth are you talking about?”  

 

Their conversation, already misaligned, came to an abrupt halt there.  

 

‘A novel.’  

 

A story where the illegitimate child of a count’s family is chosen, not the daughter of a duke.  

 

Wasn’t that the kind of plot commonly found in cheap romance novels?  

 

No matter how dramatic or twist-filled a story could be, reality always surpassed it. And if this world was a place manipulated by someone’s fingers, perhaps that very being was the one who sent her back to the past.  

 

Thinking Merria’s words were merely metaphorical, the old woman silently shook her head.  

 

Meanwhile, Merria was confused. She couldn’t pinpoint the difference between them, even though they seemed to share half of the same knowledge.  

 

“Didn’t you know about the future?”  

 

Merria looked at the old woman with trembling eyes.  

 

In response, the old woman twisted her lips and answered,“I do and I don’t. Because I’ve traveled against the flow of time.”  

 

“You… traveled against time?”  

 

Something felt off.  

 

Ever since recalling her memories, Merria had never considered that possibility.  

 

Because, to her, it was the ‘future’ that was yet to come.  

 

So why?  

 

Why did the old woman speak of that future as if it were a past she had already lived through?