I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 132

💫

 

A little earlier in time.

 

It was the moment when Ariene met another Ariene.

 

After pushing away the senile old woman spouting nonsense and fleeing, Ariene immediately went to meet Deston.

She only realized she had grabbed the wrong ring in her haste when she was already inside the carriage.

 

“Damn it.”

 

Ariene cursed the entire ride.

It felt like all the blood in her body had rushed to her head. Her tangled thoughts buzzed and screamed, and those infuriating words remained stubbornly lodged in her mind, refusing to fade.

 

‘I am the witch Ariene. The you from the original world.’

 

Nonsense.

 

She gritted her teeth and shook off the thought.

Of course, deep down, she knew it wasn’t entirely nonsense.

As much as she hated to admit it, the old woman had the exact same face as hers.

 

Moreover, it felt like she was looking at herself decades later. The wrinkled eyes and faded green hair, its roots losing their luster.

Ariene was overcome with a grotesque sensation, as if she had come face-to-face with her future self.

 

‘You… your memories aren’t complete, are they?’

‘See? You know nothing.’

 

On top of that, the stories the old woman had spun all seemed to mock her.

And what was the last thing she had said?

Something about absorbing her and making her disappear, if she recalled correctly.

 

Just thinking about it again made her blood boil, her face flushing red with rage. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind.

 

‘Focus on the one goal in front of you.’

Once she finished what she had originally set out to do, she could afford to think about the rest later.

 

💫

 

Knock knock—

 

At the sudden intrusion, Deston reflexively twisted his body.

He did so to ensure the mana stones he had spent all night extracting wouldn’t get scratched.

 

Still turned away, he sharply furrowed his brow.

This stage was crucial in the process of crafting mana stones.

 

It was because the extracted magical power was condensing, and the mana stone was just beginning to take shape.

To have an unwelcome visitor at such an important and sacred moment—There was no way Deston would receive them graciously.

 

Without even glancing their way, he spoke toward the empty air.

“I’m busy.”

 

Bang—

As if they hadn’t heard his answer, the guest pushed the door open without permission.

There was no telling whether it was Garion, his secretary, standing behind him, or perhaps Countess Hasliter and her husband, who had come to pester their son about marriage—unlikely to be some rude client.

 

In any case, he was in an extremely sensitive state and deliberately ignored the intruder, continuing to steadily draw out mana from his hand.

“…”

 

Perhaps because he genuinely seemed busy, no answer came.

Naturally, Deston assumed the person had left. But before he could finish that thought, his vision flipped upside down.

“…?”

 

Amid the tumbling view, he caught a glimpse of turquoise hair. His pupils dilated sharply.

“Wai—!”

 

Before Deston could finish his sentence, Ariene swiftly fled into another room. He stretched out his hand, using magic to bind her feet.

Thanks to that, Ariene, now off-balance, let out a loud noise as she thudded to the ground.

 

“I thought you were at least someone who kept promises,” Deston said, rubbing the stinging back of his head.

He was smiling, but his eyes were narrowed in an odd expression.

Ariene thought he looked like he was showing his true self. She scrambled away from him, drawing out the power of the still-unfinished mana stone.

Deston halted his steps, which had been meant to catch her.

‘It’s still incomplete.’

 

Whether she knew that or not, the girl forced a teleportation.

Whoosh—

Wind swirled around Ariene.

With a triumphant smile, she downed a potion in one gulp.

 

Crash!

The moment Ariene’s form disappeared, the office door was violently flung open.

 

Deston instinctively turned his head toward the source of the sound. There stood Grand Duke Frederick, his eyes gleaming sharply.

 

“Your Grace, what brings you here…?”

Deston spoke with a dazed expression. But his words were left unfinished.

 

Thud!

 

He collapsed again under the sudden pressure.

Rolling and tumbling—Deston, who had never experienced such things even during magic duels at the academy, let out a hollow laugh.

And when he lifted his head, he could no longer laugh.

 

Because before him, a silver-haired woman had likewise fallen, and a cold, gleaming sword was pressed against her slender neck.

 

💫

 

Two full days had passed since Merria disappeared.

Time flowed slowly yet swiftly, but steadily.

Since the news had reached them in the evening, it might have been even longer.

 

During that time, Reukis spent his days and nights wide awake. He neither ate nor slept, dedicating himself solely to searching for any trace of Merria.

 

Two days prior—

After entrusting the emperor to the temple and returning, he was met with news that went beyond shock—it was outright horrifying.

 

‘Merria is gone.’

 

The ducal household had realized it a little sooner than Reukis, who had been at the temple.

The reason was the explosion that had occurred in the forest.

Since the accident happened during a hunt, someone present must have reported the situation and ensured an evacuation.

 

Of course, except for a select few, most were unaware of the emperor’s critical condition or the whereabouts of the grand duke and crown prince.

Even Themis only knew that the crown prince had been ambushed and that a series of accidents had followed.

 

Fortunately, he had been on the outskirts of the forest when it happened.

Themis immediately returned to the Rackester encampment to check on his family.

 

And that’s where the problem arose.

Merria, who had been left alone in the encampment to sleep, was nowhere to be found.

 

Lexie, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, mentioned that a visitor had come to see Merria earlier.

Until then, no one had thought to ask who that visitor might be. Though no one voiced it, the unspoken assumption was that it must have been the Grand Duke, Karina, or perhaps even Lilith.

 

There was a reason Merria’s family didn’t react too gravely at first.

From a young age, Merria had always enjoyed wandering about—so long as it wasn’t in high society.

Especially as she grew older, she would often visit the shopping districts with just a maid or even alone, without any guards.

On top of that, she had recently formed new connections with people like Karina and Reukis.

Since she frequently went out to meet them, the family assumed she must simply be with one of them.

 

But those hopeful thoughts gradually faded as time passed.

Even after the situation had calmed, Merria did not return. Neither Karina nor Riley knew of her whereabouts.

And before long, something that appeared to belong to Merria was found near the path leading into the forest—

 

The ribbon Lexie had carefully tied for her that morning.

Though trampled and ruined under the footsteps of those who had passed through the forest, the embroidered pattern matched.

Lexie recognized it and burst into tears.

 

“There was an explosion in the forest… She must have dropped it in shock while taking a walk,”

Someone offered Lexie a forced, unconvincing consolation. But the heavy atmosphere refused to lift.

Anxiety seemed to swirl palpably in the air.

 

By the time Reukis finally returned to the imperial palace, the tension had reached its peak.

Even beside Reukis—the last remaining possibility—Merria was nowhere to be found.

 

Themis had come here alone, leaving behind Raven and Serinia, who were anxiously waiting at the estate.

Had Merria been with her lover, it would have been exasperating, but at least she’d be safe.

What a foolish, inconsiderate daughter, causing her family such worry. That was what he should have been able to report.

 

“…Merria—she wasn’t with you?”

 

Themis steadied his trembling voice and spoke.

Facing the Grand Duke’s bewildered expression, the unease in his chest solidified into certainty.

Instead of the speechless Duke, it was the Crown Prince’s aide who delivered the news.

In an instant, the Grand Duke’s eyes turned icy, a sharp fury radiating from them. Everyone in the room held their breath as a chilling silence stretched on.

Quick to notice the tension, the Crown Prince arranged a private room for the Grand Duke and the Duke to talk.

Though his presence might have made things more efficient, the unconscious Emperor had left him with an overwhelming pile of duties.

Altheon excused himself, saying they could call on his authority whenever needed.

 

“…”

“…”

 

In the room now occupied only by Themis and Reukis, even the air seemed frozen.

Before long, Lexie was summoned. The reasoning was simple—as Merria’s maid, she had spent the most time with her.

In fact, Lexie had been the last to see Merria. Her eyes were already red and swollen, as if on the verge of breaking down.

Losing the young lady she had served her entire life had clearly devastated her.

And to think that she had been the last one to speak with her…

Lexie wanted nothing more than to slap herself for carelessly leaving her side.

 

Sniffling, she cleared her throat and spoke, “The young lady said she wasn’t feeling well this morning and took a short nap.”

That much had already been confirmed by Serinia and Lilith.

The crucial part came after. They needed to focus on the moment when the family had all left the tent, leaving Merria alone.

 

Lexie, her eyes red and puffy from crying, stammered as she continued.

“While the young lady was resting, I was organizing her belongings… when someone came to see her.”

“Who was it?”

 

Reukis asked with a stiff, hardened expression.

 

Lexie’s voice was choked with sobs, her breath hitching as if she were hiccuping.

 

“I-I don’t know the name, sorry…”

 

Lexie rubbed her eyes roughly with her bare hands and bowed her head.

 

“Enough. Do you remember anything else?”

 

This time, Themis was the one who asked.

 

Lexie, still dazed from crying, frantically shook her muddled thoughts.

 

Like stirring a pond with floating leaves using a net, her frantic mental effort dredged up a flood of information.

 

“The young lady didn’t lower her tone, and she seemed to have an afternoon appointment with that guest… And also, she was a gentle-looking beauty with long, silvery hair.”

 

“Enough.”

 

Reukis cut Lexie off, pressing a hand to his throbbing head. He didn’t need to hear the rest to guess who she was referring to.

 

“Again. That woman.”

 

Reukis muttered under his breath.