For the Young Villain’s Happy Ending - Chapter 108
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 108
“Sister, His Majesty the Emperor has asked me to stay in the imperial harem. I… I think I’m falling in love with him.”
Snip.
“I’m carrying His Majesty’s child. Will it be a boy? A girl? Surely a beautiful child will be born.”
Snip.
“Your Majesty, regarding my sister’s remains….”
The twin blades of the ornately crafted scissors moved up and down. Thorns fell from the rose stem in Simona’s hands. Duke Asperada lowered the newspaper he had been reading and spoke to his wife, who sat at the table with a faint smile.
Petals fell from the rose stem in Simona’s hand. Duke Asperada lowered the newspaper he had been reading. He spoke to his wife sitting at the table, noticing her faint smile.
“Do I?”
“Is that so?”
Simona answered as she cut the last remaining twig.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Pialtis nodded at the crimson rose Simona offered him. His wife had been troubled ever since Vivian Asperada disappeared. Watching her find joy in such small things made him resent their absent daughter all the more.
Pialtis nodded at the sight of the red rose Simona held out to him. She was his wife, who had been troubled by worry over Vivian’s disappearance all this time.
‘She brought shame upon us.’
Vivian Asperada. His grown daughter left without even saying goodbye, disappearing without a trace, even though she knew her father was staying in Jenia. And that wasn’t all.
With a mad Emperor at the helm, the entire nation seemed to spiral into madness.
“Have you heard from Maverick Marquis? I feel uneasy that I couldn’t see him off yesterday.”
“It seems the Marquis household had urgent business. Why should your heart be troubled? It’s that fellow’s fault for leaving so early in the morning.”
Because of having a mad Emperor, the country went to ruin as if it had gone mad itself.
“Have you heard from Maverick Marquis? I feel bad that I couldn’t even see him off yesterday.”
“It seems the Duke’s household had some urgent matter to attend to, so why would your mind be troubled? It’s that fellow’s fault for leaving so early in the morning.”
Simona smiled brightly. Normally, she would have gently reproached herself for not being able to see the customer off. But it seemed her mood was particularly good today.
“Did you pick out fish for the new aquarium?”
“A good opportunity came up, so I’ve already put a few in.”
Pialtis recalled the aquarium Simona had recently purchased and asked. She had said she couldn’t find fish she liked and left it empty, but it seemed she had filled it in the meantime.
Simona exhaled softly.
“But I’m worried because they won’t eat. What if they die? I want to care for them properly and put them somewhere useful.”
“It’s just fish. What does it matter if they die? I’ll buy you new ones.”
“That would be nice, but…”
At his wife’s concern, Pialtis hastily tried to comfort her. Simona ran her fingertips along the smooth flower stem, not a single branch remaining.
“They’re fish I’ve grown fond of.”
***
Daylight arrived.
The Grimoire of Magic and two others passed through the diamond mines of Lindraham Mine, heading toward the entrance of Midra’s Habitat.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm—. World conquest—.”
Zikhard, delighted about something, hummed a tune that didn’t quite work and moved ahead.
‘Tiernan must have made quite a fortune…’
Raina Hart walked without particular thought. Kevenriak remained half a step behind her, walking as if escorting her, his gaze fixed on her. This morning, Vivian Asperada had briefly awakened before falling asleep again.
This morning, Vivian woke up briefly and then fell back asleep.
“Wow, you decided to try living together with that person?”
Since Raina Hart had made a request, Kevenriak Heteroven explained the general situation to Vivian. It was to ask for her understanding about what would happen going forward.
“My body? That’s, of course… it’s fine! Use it as much as you need. But if you succeed in reviving her, the three of us eat together. The expensive and delicious meals the lodger buys.”
“My body? Well, of course… it’s fine! Use it as much as you need. In return, if you succeed in reviving that person, the three of us will eat together. Expensive and delicious food that the lodger will buy for us.”
Vivian threatened to make Kevenriak’s spine curl, and Kevenriak countered by offering to buy her a restaurant in her name.
“…Ugh. Lodger, what are you trying to do to me? But a restaurant does sound nice.”
“…Ugh. Landlady, what are you trying to do by tempting me like this? But I have to admit, the restaurant is nice.”
Vivian gave a thumbs up, and the deal was sealed. Yet Kevenriak’s mind remained unsettled.
“…Keri? Is something on your mind?”
“No.”
When Kevenriak grasped her hand, Raina turned to look at him. He answered with a faint smile.
“The cave is dark.”
I wanted to confirm that you were beside me.
“Am I really that much of a support to you, Keri?”
Raina beamed and squeezed his hand in return. The sensation of her grip felt wonderful—proof that she was here with me.
If I were being selfish, I would restore her body this very moment, while she moved before me. But Raina would never allow such a thing.
The only solace Kevenriak found was that Vivian could sense Raina’s soul.
“…She’s still here?”
“Good heavens, you asked me that less than five minutes ago, didn’t you? Well… yes, she’s still here.”
Kevenriak repeatedly checked with Vivian about Raina’s soul, until an exhausted Vivian promised to inform him immediately if her soul vanished.
‘…Unstable.’
I don’t know how long Raina Hart’s soul will remain here, and I don’t know when my heart will stop. It felt like walking on a floor full of traps. One wrong step on a single tile, and I might fall along with the crumbling tile—a precarious advance.
“I’ve come to want to try living. With Keri.”
Her offer to share our fates terrified me, yet simultaneously set my heart ablaze. A life I could sustain with Raina—it felt as though brilliant sunlight was shining upon me.
Yet I feared my own desires. That same greed that had already caused me to lose her once. Light cannot be grasped by merely reaching for it, so how could I dare commit to being with her?
What if we lose this battle together with Raina—?
If by any chance we lose this fight alongside Raina Hart—
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing.”
How could I tell her that I was thinking of letting go of her hand?
At the very end—when my foot slips into the trap and the ground crumbles beneath me, I won’t drag you down into the abyss with me.
At the very end, when you step on a trap by mistake and the ground beneath your feet crumbles, I won’t let it drag you down into the abyss.
“….”
After a moment of hesitation, Raina Hart interlaced her fingers with Kevenriak’s hand. His eyes trembled slightly.
“Keri, I told you.”
Raina Hart met his gaze directly. As their eyes locked, I felt my heartbeat quicken with each passing moment. The same was true for Kevenriak.
“You have to be in my happy ending.”
When he grew quiet and spoke with gentle affection about something being nothing, it meant he was troubled. And what troubled him was painfully obvious. Sacrifice. That damned sacrifice. Keri, I’m sorry, but I will watch you find happiness.
Keri. I’m sorry, but I’m going to step back and watch you be happy.
“Raina Hart, I….”
Kevenriak opened his mouth, stung by her words. Raina Hart placed her other hand over their interlaced fingers and held firm. As if she would never let go.
With each successive touch, the tips of Kevenriak’s ears flushed crimson, though Raina Hart failed to notice. She was too focused on pushing him forward, ensuring he harbored no other thoughts.
“Do you know how precious you are to me? Since I awakened in Vivian’s body, I haven’t gone a single moment without thinking of you.”
“Raina…?”
“The world was ash-gray. Everything was despair. I scaled the City Walls of Asperada Duke’s Castle to see you. Because I missed you so desperately. Because I was so worried.”
“….”
“The day Vivian awakened, when I left the Imperial Palace. Do you know what hurt me most? That I would never see you again. Keri, you lingered in my heart, again and again.”
Your traces, the memories we shared together.
Every little thing that reminded me of you was precious.
“Back then, I thought I had no time left, so I resigned myself. But now the situation is different, isn’t it? I cannot live without you-.”
I will never let go of your hand.
Just as she was about to say those words, her passionate confession spilled forth like a broken dam. It was Kevenriak who cut through her fervent declaration, drawing her into his embrace. Instead of the right hand she had grasped, he pulled her close with his left arm.
“….”
Raina Hart blinked, her words lost within his firm, expansive embrace. From Kevenriak’s warmth emanated a deep, subtle fragrance. Within it, a faint fruity scent tickled the tip of her nose before fading away. As turbulent emotions surged, her body temperature rose. By the time she became aware of the suffocating heat, a steady rhythm echoed through her muffled ears.
Thump, thump, thump.
Could it be coming from me? As Raina Hart’s startled heart trembled, the source of the sound whispered to her.
“…Stop. Raina.”
Raina wanted to lift her head, but the large hand cradling it prevented her from doing so.
“I feel like my heart is about to burst.”
Kevenriak’s face was deeply flushed as he spoke those words.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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