I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand Chapter 97

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Before sunset, those who had entered the forest began to return one by one.  

 

The hunting competition lasted a total of three days.  

 

The first and second days were dedicated to hunting, and on the final evening, the winner would be announced, followed by a celebratory party.  

 

Because of this, no one overexerted themselves on the first day.  

 

It was better to conserve energy for the days ahead.  

 

Reukis shared the same sentiment and had mentioned that he would return early on the first day.  

 

Merria headed to Frederick’s tent at the time he had informed her in advance. She wanted to spend time with him before the evening.  

 

As she entered, Reukis greeted her. He looked as though he had just washed up, covered in sweat and dust.  

 

“Did you use the handkerchief as I told you?”  

 

She was asking if he was unharmed, concerned for his well-being.  

 

Reukis smiled faintly, “I brought it back as it was.”  

 

However, Reukis’s wrist was clean. When Merria raised an eyebrow, he brought over a plate that had been placed on the table.  

 

Removing the dome-shaped lid, as if not a speck of dust was allowed, revealed a neatly folded handkerchief inside.  

 

“I had to wash it, so I had no choice…”  

 

The pristine, immaculately folded handkerchief brought a smile to her face.  

 

“I’ll tie it again for you tomorrow.”  

 

Reukis nodded with a gentle smile.  

 

Merria’s lips twitched as she watched his hair sway with the motion of his nod.  

 

“Shall I comb your hair?”  

 

Perhaps it wasn’t fully dry, as the ends of his hair were curlier than usual.  

 

Hearing this, Jaina found a comb in the luggage and handed it to Merria. She seated Reukis in a chair and stood behind him, gently combing his hair.  

 

Looking down at Reukis’s head from above felt strangely unfamiliar.  

 

“How can it be so black? It’s fascinating.”  

 

Accustomed to her own light hair, Merria felt as if all the light in the world had vanished when she looked at Reukis’s dark hair.  

 

‘Or perhaps the opposite.’  

 

It was said that black absorbs all light.  

 

So, doesn’t that mean it holds more light than any other color in the world?  

 

Reukis always referred to himself as darkness, but to Merria, he always seemed radiant.  

 

His flawless smile and sparkling eyes were proof of that.  

 

As Merria smiled and carefully combed his hair, Lexie came looking for her.  

 

“Miss, it’s Lexie.”  

 

Hearing Lexie’s voice from the slightly open gap, Merria glanced at Reukis. She was asking if it was okay to let her in.  

 

When Reukis nodded, Merria responded a little louder so it would carry further.  

 

“I’m here. Come in.”  

 

Lexie entered, lifting the fabric, and immediately bowed upon seeing Reukis.  

 

“Hello, Your Grace.”  

 

After greeting him, Lexie approached Merria and said, “Master says we should all have dinner together tonight. Miles will be joining us as well.”  

 

“Ah.”  

 

Merria, who had planned to stay here until evening, furrowed her brow. She rested her chin on her hand, seemingly deep in thought, then turned her gaze to Reukis, who was looking up at her from below.  

 

“Reukis, will you be eating alone if I leave?”  

 

“Yes.”  

 

His entourage consisted only of the servants of the ducal household.  

 

Since the master and servants couldn’t dine together, he naturally had to eat alone.  

 

After a moment of hesitation, she asked him,  

 

“If you’re okay with it, how about joining us for dinner?”  

 

“That would be nice.”  

 

Reukis replied with a smile, his eyes crinkling.  

 

Merria shook her head, stopping him.  

 

“Don’t just say yes right away. You might feel more comfortable eating alone. You know… you saw earlier, right?”  

 

Merria continued in an awkward tone.  

 

Reukis quickly understood what she was implying. She was likely referring to the Duke’s uncooperative attitude.  

 

But as he had thought before, Themis’s coldness had no effect on Reukis.  

 

Reukis took the comb from her hand and placed his own hand in its place.  

 

“I would appreciate the invitation.”  

 

He rubbed his cheek against the back of her hand and nodded.  

 

“Lexie, can you go ahead and let Father and Mother know? I’ll be there soon.”  

 

“Yes, Miss.”  

 

Lexie left first. Merria sat in the chair beside him and observed Reukis.  

 

It was sudden, but this would be the first formal meal where she introduced him to her family.  

 

Merria hoped that Reukis would make a good impression. He had washed up thoroughly, and his hair was neatly combed.

 

As for his face, it was naturally clean and tidy.  

 

“What will you wear for your outer garment?”  

 

“Are you choosing for me?”  

 

It was unclear whether Reukis understood Merria’s serious intentions. He seemed to simply enjoy being treated like a doll in this situation.  

 

However, since no one had anticipated such a scenario, there weren’t many options to choose from.  

 

Merria carefully examined the clothes Jaina had laid out.  

 

Since he was wearing a white shirt, she wanted to pick a softer color instead of black.  

 

After her meticulous scrutiny, she settled on a blue hue with a hint of white.  

 

After one last check of Reukis’s attire, the two left the tent.  

 

‘I hope they don’t intimidate him too much.’  

 

She wished her family wouldn’t act out their usual ‘cold ducal family’ routine today.  

 

Themis was already glaring at him with fiery eyes.  

 

If the atmosphere became any more frigid, the salad for dinner might get stuck in Reukis’s throat.  

 

With a worried heart, she walked toward the tent bearing the Rackester flag.  

 

“Oh, I was just about to come and fetch you.” 

 

Before the two could enter, Lexie rushed out to greet them. She explained that she had been on her way to inform Merria that dinner was ready.

  

Coincidentally meeting them saved her the trip, and she guided the two inside.  

 

“Miss and His Grace have arrived.”

 

“Good.” 

 

Themis responded briefly in a stern voice.  

 

Recognizing this as permission, Merria approached the table with Reukis.  

 

The head seat was left empty, with Themis, Raven, Serinia, and Miles seated on one side.  

 

It seemed they had arranged themselves this way upon hearing that the Grand Duke would be joining the meal.  

 

Merria directed Reukis to the empty seat and took her place across from Themis.  

 

However, contrary to her expectations, Reukis circled around and took the seat beside her instead.  

 

Raven, who had inadvertently ended up facing the Grand Duke, subtly twitched the corner of his mouth.  

 

“…?”  

 

Merria awkwardly rolled her eyes and glanced at Reukis. He simply smiled back innocently.  

 

‘I think that seat was left empty for you…’  

 

She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.  

 

“Ahem. Bring out the meal.”  

 

Themis, whose thoughts were unclear, showed no particular reaction.  

 

At his command, delicious dishes were laid out on the table. Though the variety was less than what they had at the estate, it was an impressive feast for an outdoor setting.  

 

Clink—

 

The only sound was the clinking of utensils.  

 

As if by some unspoken agreement, no one spoke.  

 

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Merria broke the silence.  

 

“What about Sir Gwen?”  

 

Gwen had represented Rackester in the hunting competition today.  

 

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been necessary, but today was special enough to invite him to dinner to acknowledge his efforts.  

 

Themis answered her question.  

 

“He wasn’t satisfied with today’s performance, so he went to reinforce his bow. I sent him off on my own accord, but seeing him go to such lengths, I couldn’t stop him.”  

 

“Ah…”  

 

Raven chimed in next.  

 

“Your Grace, you were in the forest earlier today as well, weren’t you?”  

 

Reukis, now the subject of the question, nodded slightly.  

 

“That’s correct.”  

 

“How was the hunt today? As you can see, our knight doesn’t seem too pleased with his results.”  

 

Raven’s sly remark lightened the mood slightly.  

 

Reukis quietly set down his utensils and shook his head.  

 

“I didn’t go all out either. The results will include tomorrow, so I’m sure that knight is focusing on seizing his next opportunity rather than being disheartened.”  

 

At his words, Raven chuckled softly.  

 

“Is that so?”  

 

As the atmosphere loosened a bit, Serinia spoke up.  

 

“Come to think of it, I haven’t properly greeted Your Grace yet. This is my fiancé, Miles.”  

 

She gestured to Miles, who was seated beside her, and he nodded slowly.  

 

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Miles Butler.”  

 

“Reukis Frederick.”  

 

Reukis responded just as succinctly to Miles’s greeting.  

 

With the exchange of introductions, the meal began to feel more like a proper dinner.  

 

As the conversation flowed, Raven subtly brought up another topic.  

 

“Miles, it’s been quite difficult to catch a glimpse of you lately.” 

 

“I’ve been trying to adjust my schedule to match Serinia’s, so… my apologies.”  

 

Miles rubbed the back of his neck as he continued.  

 

“My professor hinted that I’ll be officially appointed as a professor after the next semester ends. After that, I should have much more free time.”  

 

“Once things settle down, we’ll start discussing marriage plans.”  

 

Serinia added, nodding her head.  

 

Miles smiled shyly. The heartwarming scene softened the corners of Themis’s eyes for the first time in a while.  

 

“It’s about time. Indeed.”  

 

He seemed to recall the young Miles from their first dinner together years ago.  

 

Back then, Miles had been even younger than Merria was now.  

 

At the time, the marriage between Serinia and Miles had seemed like a distant future.  

 

Yet, time had flown by so quickly.  

 

Themis wasn’t the only one feeling sentimental; everyone in the tent looked at the couple with warmth.  

 

Amidst this, one person was particularly fixated on the two.  

 

It was Reukis, dressed according to Merria’s preferences. He had completely stopped eating and was staring intently ahead.  

 

More precisely, he was meticulously observing Miles, who was smiling warmly.