I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 95

Merria’s brow furrowed slightly. 

 

The thought she had about the imperial family of her own empire might have been somewhat presumptuous, but it wasn’t insincere. 

 

The two princes, born of noble blood, had grown up under the watchful eyes of everyone since childhood. 

 

Barring any unforeseen events, one of them would become the future emperor. 

 

Naturally, the two had been compared in even the smallest of habits as they grew up. 

 

For the most part, Altheon had held the upper hand.

 

The only thing Altheon hadn’t achieved on his own was the emperor’s favor. 

 

Since it was impossible to change one’s birthright, Altheon didn’t dwell on it, but even the shield of being the younger brother wasn’t enough for Domnique. 

 

After all, even Reukis, who was much younger and also of imperial blood, had surpassed Domnique. 

 

In such a situation, most people would predict Altheon’s overwhelming victory today. But for some reason, Merria couldn’t bring herself to make such a hasty judgment.

 

It was only natural for the protagonist to emerge victorious, but today, that absolute truth didn’t seem to reassure her. 

 

It seemed Karina felt the same way, as a hint of tension was visible beneath her smooth, curved smile. 

 

In her hand, she held a white handkerchief embroidered with golden threads. Unconsciously, her grip tightened, causing the edges of the handkerchief to crumple slightly. 

 

Merria, keeping her gaze fixed on the podium, subtly patted the back of Karina’s hand. 

 

Karina’s stiff shoulders visibly relaxed at the gesture.

 

The people of the empire did not welcome a weak emperor. Whether noble or commoner, all citizens desired an emperor who could raise the walls of Tristan high. 

 

They wanted a strong emperor, one who would make neighboring nations hesitate to even lift their heads. 

 

For this reason, the current emperor, Aprion, was not particularly celebrated. 

 

His striking appearance and romantic tales might have supported him during his time as crown prince, but now, overshadowed by his grown sons, he was little more than a faded emperor.

 

As the murmurs of the crowd grew louder, a servant stepped forward and blew a horn. 

 

When the commotion subsided, the servant announced in a clear voice, “His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress have arrived.” 

 

At this announcement, everyone turned toward the podium. The two still appeared as close as lovers in their prime. 

 

Aprion, with his golden hair neatly swept back, spoke with an indifferent expression, “This is my first hunting festival. I hope everyone enjoys the competition and achieves good results. The glorious winner will receive a prize personally from me at the banquet on the final day.”

 

Aprion’s voice echoed low through the Ethos Forest. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, their excitement palpable. The air was more charged than usual, heightening the anticipation. 

 

Next, Helena, the empress, presented a token of appreciation to the captain of the Elexid Knights, who guarded the emperor. 

 

It was a gesture of gratitude from the empire’s matron to those who protected the imperial family. 

 

After Helena stepped back, noblewomen from various families came forward to follow suit.

 

Representing the Rackester family, Sir Gwen and a few knights who had eagerly volunteered for the competition stood in line. 

 

Raven bestowed upon them sword ornaments adorned with their family crests. 

 

Once the formalities were over, it was time for personal gestures. 

 

Among the hesitant young ladies, Karina was the first to step forward. She walked confidently toward Altheon. 

 

Altheon, who had been staring intently at her as she approached, let out a soft chuckle. He accepted the handkerchief she offered and pressed a deep kiss to the back of her hand. 

 

The young ladies watching blushed at the sight.

 

With Karina leading the way, the rest followed without hesitation. The young ladies hurried toward the knights they favored—some to their lovers or fiancés, others to express their admiration to those they had long admired. 

 

Merria also turned her gaze to find Reukis. 

 

Spotting him in the crowd was easy. Reukis, seated proudly on his jet-black steed, stood out even at a glance. He had already fixed his gaze on Merria from afar.

 

Beside Reukis, a few young ladies hesitated, waiting for an opportunity to approach. 

 

Merria’s lips curled into a slight smile as she quickened her pace. When she got close enough, Reukis, who had been sitting motionless on his horse, leaped down gracefully from his high perch.

 

“Merria,” Reukis said softly, his eyes crinkling as he took her hand. 

 

“Today feels like the first day I saw you.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Reukis tilted his head and glanced down at his attire. “The first day I saw you sober. We met in the hallway during the victory banquet, remember?”

 

“Ah.”  

 

At their first meeting, Merria had been heavily intoxicated. 

 

As a result, her memories of that night were hazy, almost as if they had been cut short. 

 

Reukis nodded in understanding. When Merria pulled out a pure white handkerchief, Reukis extended his wrist toward her. 

 

Typically, such tokens were tied to the hilt of a sword or tucked into a chest pocket, but Reukis presented his hand as if in a formal partner request.

 

Merria, realizing his intention, let out a soft chuckle. She tied the handkerchief around his wrist, making sure the embroidery was visible, and he pressed a firm kiss to the back of her hand.

 

“I will win and present you with the Tears of Nethesia,” Reukis declared.

 

“Yes, I’ll look forward to it, Sir Knight,” Merria replied with a radiant smile. 

 

She adjusted the knot on the handkerchief and added, “Don’t get hurt. This is only for wiping sweat.”

 

“Of course,” Reukis said, his lips curling into a pleased smile as he touched the handkerchief that bore Merria’s handiwork.

 

“All participants, please prepare yourselves!” 

 

A servant holding a horn announced loudly, signaling the start of the event. 

 

Reukis waited until Merria had walked away before gracefully mounting his horse. 

 

Thanks to his unwavering focus on Merria, the young ladies who had been waiting for a chance to approach him ended up handing their handkerchiefs to the other knights of Altairs. 

 

The knights, emboldened by the attention, clenched their fists and steeled their resolve.

 

Kalix, who had also received a sword ornament and was in high spirits, approached Reukis. 

 

“Did you receive that from a lady?”

 

“Yes. She embroidered it herself, just for me,” Reukis said, casually showing off his wrist. 

 

Kalix, as a loyal subordinate, praised Merria’s embroidery skills and the affection it conveyed. 

 

As the horn sounded once more, echoing through the vast forest, Reukis spurred his horse and galloped into the woods.

 

💫

 

Those who didn’t participate in the hunt usually passed the time with tea parties or casual hunting to stave off boredom. 

 

However, the first day was often spent resting, as everyone had traveled by carriage since the early hours of the morning. 

 

Judging by the noise coming from some family tents, it seemed a few had overcome their fatigue and gathered together. 

 

At such a large event, people who didn’t frequently see each other would naturally take the opportunity to catch up.

 

Instead of returning to their respective tents, Merria and Lilith accompanied Karina, whose expression was unusually somber. 

 

Karina, who disliked being alone with her thoughts, expressed her gratitude to the two. Katie had already prepared refreshing iced café lattes and hot coffee tailored to their preferences.

 

“Don’t worry too much. His Highness is strong. He’ll return as if nothing happened,” Merria said, stirring the ice in her coffee.

 

“Worrying about someone who’s been through war is like worrying about a fish finding its way back to the sea,” Lilith added, nodding in agreement.

 

Karina let out a small laugh at their playful banter. Then, she subtly steered the conversation toward Lilith. “By the way, Lilith, who was that earlier?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

 

Lilith replied with an innocent expression. But Merria had noticed—the slight twitch of Lilith’s fingers as she held her cup.

 

“What? What are you talking about?” Merria asked, and Lilith shrugged.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“You must not have seen since you were a bit far from where the Grand Duke was. Lilith handed a handkerchief to a certain gentleman,” Karina explained.

 

“What?” 

 

Merria’s mouth fell open in surprise. 

 

“Don’t tell me it was an embroidered handkerchief?”

 

Lilith rolled her eyes at Merria’s question. 

 

“Ugh…”

 

“Is that the important part? Not the handkerchief itself?” Karina asked, puzzled.

 

Merria leaned forward eagerly to explain. “Remember when you saw my embroidery skills?”

 

Karina nodded immediately.

 

“I told you that was the bare minimum of what’s expected, right? But Lilith hasn’t even reached that level. She’s less skilled than I am.”

 

“Ah…” 

 

Karina let out a small gasp. If Merria’s embroidery skills were barely passable, Lilith’s must have been practically nonexistent.

 

Merria tilted her head curiously. 

 

“You refused when I suggested we make them together last time. Did you suddenly change your mind?”

 

Before meeting Karina, Merria had suggested that Lilith join her in making handkerchiefs—or rather, in receiving a crash course from Karina. But Lilith had declined, saying she had no one to give one to.

 

Lilith pressed her lips together and muttered, “At the time, I really didn’t have anyone to give it to…”

 

“At the time?”

 

“So you’ve met someone recently!” 

 

Merria and Karina exclaimed in unison.

 

Karina’s guess seemed to hit the mark, as Lilith didn’t deny it.

 

“Where did you meet? At a masquerade? A tea party? Or was it a fateful encounter on the street?” 

 

Love stories were always entertaining, especially ones filled with such romantic potential. 

 

Karina, now fully engrossed, clapped her hands excitedly as she asked. The worries that had weighed on her earlier had completely vanished.

 

Lilith, reminiscing about the conversation she’d had with him a few days ago, began hesitantly, “When I first saw him, I thought he was really unlucky…”

 

The two leaned in, ears perked. Lilith’s story continued for quite some time after that.