BJ Villainess Chapter 311

As soon as Clyde arrived at the mansion, he headed straight for the annex where Theresa was. He assumed she would be asleep in her bedroom, but surprisingly, she was curled up on the sofa, fast asleep.

 

“What are you doing here instead of using the bed?” he muttered in disbelief as he approached her quietly, careful not to make any noise.

 

Clyde then sat on the floor. It was an unusual move for him, but since Theresa was lying on her side with her face hidden, he didn’t even hesitate.

 

Theresa’s left arm was stretched out, dangling off the edge of the sofa. Hmm, this is perfect timing. Clyde took a ring from his pocket and held it near her ring finger.

 

It would probably look better if I just put it on her. With her beautiful face, even extravagant jewelry would suit her. Still, considering her personality and aura, something simple seemed more fitting.

 

Clyde lightly touched the tip of her ring finger, causing a burn-like feeling as if he had touched a flame. With a strange feeling, he furrowed his brow and put the ring back in his pocket.

 

“Time to wake up.”

 

Though he didn’t want to disturb her peaceful sleep, it was about time she ate something.

 

“Theresa,” he called softly, but she remained deeply asleep, not even stirring.

 

Should I just let her sleep a little longer? He wondered, gazing at her.

 

A breeze came through the open window, and the golden afternoon sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, casting warm patterns on the floor that matched her sleeping face perfectly.

 

“You should be grateful when you wake up. If you knew what I had gone through and what risks I’ve taken, you’d be so sorry to even look me in the eye.”

 

“…”

 

“So I’ll just take my reward on my own.” He then rested his head on her outstretched left hand. It was pitiful to take praise in such a sneaky way, but Clyde didn’t feel too bad. If she were awake, even this would have been impossible. The feeling of wanting to be adored by someone was new to him. But since it was Theresa, he found himself doing things that didn’t suit him.

 

Clyde continued to stare at Theresa, even as his bangs, flattened against her palm, threatened to poke his eyes.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

Their eyes met suddenly. It was a situation that should have made him feel embarrassed or flustered, but Clyde shamelessly maintained eye contact. The one who ended up feeling embarrassed was Theresa.

 

After hesitating, Theresa asked cautiously, “Why am I holding your hair…?”

 

She’s still the same, ruining the mood. Clyde then surprised at his own thought that just occurred.

 

“Still the same?”

 

Though it was his thought, it didn’t feel like his own. It was something ‘Clyde’ before losing his memories had thought.

 

Theresa slowly pulled her hand away, looking for signs of his reaction. “I didn’t mean to do it on purpose. I was asleep just a moment ago, you know that, right?”

 

“Stop talking nonsense and get up. It was my doing, not yours.”

 

“Yesss.”

 

Clyde called for a servant and instructed them to prepare a meal.

 

* * *

While Clyde left the annex briefly to summon the servant, I let out the breath I had been holding, my shoulders rising and falling. My palms were sweating.

 

“So I’ll just take my reward on my own.”

 

The truth was, I had woken up slightly earlier, sensing his presence. Then, the soft touch against my palm fully woke me, but I couldn’t open my eyes. The feeling of hair and a smooth forehead beneath my hand, the way his long lashes brushed against me when he playfully shook his head, and his straight nose… Even with my eyes closed, I could vividly sense all of it, leaving me with a strange feeling. So, I pretended to stay asleep, trying to avoid the situation as much as possible.

 

“Why are you doing something so strange?” I muttered, frowning. Time spent with him was usually comfortable and enjoyable. But sometimes, like now, he left me feeling completely out of sorts. “Making things awkward for no reason….”

 

Even in <God’s Play>, Clyde was the most ideal friend-like figure I’d ever had. We were rivals at times, but also the ones who supported each other the most. When I was with him, I became incredibly childish, and so did he. Clyde was the most friend-like friend and a character I had poured a lot of affection into, making him precious and special. I wanted to do anything for him, even die in his place. But it wasn’t just love. Not that I didn’t feel anything for him as a man, but love is a bit…

 

I squeezed my eyes shut and roughly ran my hands over my face. The thought of Ozworld, who I had been forgetting like a madman while researching magic and holy power, came flooding back. I had barely managed to forget. The suffocating depression I had been avoiding overwhelmed me again.

 

“I want to kill him.”

 

I had always felt this way, from the very beginning until now. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to erase every trace of the warmth we had shared, to peel off my skin, and eliminate all evidence.

 

As I sat there, curled up with my arms wrapped around my knees, Clyde returned. He approached me but then suddenly stopped. The silence was thick. He didn’t ask why I was like that, and I remained buried in the darkness I had created for myself, my head in my arms.

 

I hated myself for being this way. I didn’t want to show him such a pathetic side of me, but I couldn’t control my emotions. I knew that if I spoke, raw, unfiltered thoughts would come pouring out, so I clammed up, harshly berating myself. By now, I couldn’t even tell if the wounds Ozworld had inflicted were deeper or if the ones I had inflicted on myself were worse.

 

At that moment, Clyde started moving again and sat down beside me. “Not feeling good again?”

 

I nodded silently.

 

“Thought so.”

 

…What? Was that all? I had expected him to comfort me, but it seemed like that was the end of it. Slightly taken aback, I slowly raised my head to glance at him. Our eyes met, and Clyde shrugged, continuing to speak.

 

“I know you’re busy being depressed, but I need your help.”

 

Clyde rarely asked anyone for help, considering most people to be useless fools. So, for him to ask for help now meant something serious. I straightened up from my crouched position and asked seriously, “Did something happen?”

 

“Sort of. During today’s meeting, the imperial elders said they want to formally request that you undertake the project of turning the desert into a green field, and word seems to have spread to the public.”

 

On a planet where even a single blade of grass is precious, what would happen if a person capable of creating green spaces without risk appeared?

 

“Are people swarming here?”

 

“They can’t get here yet. But they’re demanding your public appearance and speculating that I might steal you away.”

 

“What? If anything, I would be the one to steal you away. What nonsense is that?”

 

Clyde bowed his head and chuckled, then smoothed his mouth as he continued. “Anyway, they all want to see you.”

 

“Where should I go?”

 

Clyde extended his hand. “Take it.”

 

Without hesitation, I took his hand, and we plunged into the shadows. In an instant, the scenery shifted, and we arrived in a deserted village. I think I knew where this was. I met Gufel here. It was an abandoned village that existed between walls.

 

Clyde pointed to the tall outer walls. “With your powers, you can eliminate the village and walls in one go.”

 

“I’ve seen Gufel create a city. So I just need to do the opposite?”

 

“…Probably.”

 

Clyde didn’t ask how I had witnessed Gufel’s actions. I felt a sense of satisfaction from his trust in me and focused on my memories.

 

When Gufel made the city grow, she placed her hands on the ground. I mimicked Gufel’s posture and concentrated.

 

This village and those walls were unnecessary structures on the map. To build a new field, let’s wipe them all out.

 

Rumble―! The mixture of magic and holy power spread like a web across the ground. As soon as I deleted all the structures within the selected range, the ruins of the village and the outer walls began to sink into the ground with a great vibration.

 

I looked up at Clyde with a smile of satisfaction. He also smiled with a look of approval, then gestured toward the now cleanly cleared field.

 

“Now, do what you’re best at.”

 

“What I’m best at?”

 

“You make it rain when you’re sad.”

 

I felt a bit awkward at his words.

 

Since holy power is a force used by the mind, it’s greatly influenced by emotions. My sadness manifested as rain. That’s why it rained so relentlessly whenever I wasn’t restrained.

 

Even when the rain hadn’t fallen yet, Clyde opened an umbrella and held it over me as if he had prepared for this. “I’m here, so it’s okay.”

 

What did he mean by that?

 

“Even when it’s raining because you’re sad, you bloom flowers when you see me.”

 

“…!”

 

“Maybe it’s because I’m your butterfly.”

 

At that moment, the ground beneath me and the surrounding area instantly transformed into a green field. Even though it wasn’t raining, the change happened in an instant. Meanwhile, a black butterfly gracefully fluttered around as if it liked the new environment. Then, butterflies infused with magic power, seemingly born from magical plants, began to follow the black butterfly.

 

Despite the breathtakingly beautiful scene, I couldn’t take my eyes off Clyde. I was bewildered. It was as if all my stray thoughts had vanished after a hard hit to the head.

 

As the wind blew in the direction the butterflies were flying, my hair became a tangled mess. I awkwardly pushed my hair back and tried to explain. “That… It’s just that I was happy to see you…”

 

“You still feel that happy to see me, even though you see me every day?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Clyde wasn’t smiling teasingly; his expression was serious, almost devoid of emotion.

 

I did enjoy my time with him. Especially teaching him magic since he didn’t remember any of it—it was thrilling. But had my feelings been strong enough to create such a beautiful forest with magical plants and animals?

 

Realizing the emotions I hadn’t been aware of left me feeling embarrassed. I glanced around nervously, trying to change the subject. “A-Anyway, you said people wanted to see me. So why did we come here?”

 

Clyde replied nonchalantly, “Ah, that. It was a lie, though?”