For the Young Villain’s Happy Ending - Chapter 132

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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 132

It was a pleasant rhythm.
Raina Hart’s heart was like water flowing gently most of the time. When it raced like this—like drizzle tapping against still water—it meant she was thinking of me.
Kevenriak Heteroven covered the corners of his mouth as they began to rise. He furrowed his brow to suppress the smile, and it seemed the gesture alone had shaved five years off the lifespans of every noble in the Audience Chamber.
The Emperor’s voice resonated through the silent Audience Chamber.

“Since no one has spoken up until now, it appears there are no objections to returning the territories of the Tunterra Empire.”
“….”

He had invited anyone with objections to the return of the lands to step forward, yet the nobles merely swallowed hard while gauging the Emperor’s mood.
Occasionally, someone would nudge or exchange glances with their neighbor, urging them to speak, but none possessed the courage to step forward before a mad Emperor.

“The territories in Tunterra that you own shall, as of today—”
“Y-Your Majesty!”

One noble was about to lose a portion of his domain with his eyes wide open. He called out to the Emperor in desperation. His desire to keep what was his had overcome his fear.

“I-Is this not rebellion? If we willingly return the lands, those vicious Tunterra dogs will become arrogant. It would be more fitting to demonstrate Your Majesty’s omnipotence to those conceited wretches….”

He flinched.
The noble’s words ceased at the Emperor’s subtle gesture.
The Captain of Imperial First Knights handed a piece of parchment to the marquis standing closest to the Emperor’s seat. As the elderly marquis accepted it warily, the Emperor spoke.

“Read it.”

Upon the Emperor’s command, the marquis unfolded the parchment. His pupils trembled as he read the words written there.
The marquis moved his quivering lips and spoke.

“To Dopel Marquis… the Emperor’s decree is hereby proclaimed. Operation of illegal gambling dens for money laundering, complicity in illegal slave trafficking, habitual bribery, ….”

The longer the marquis spoke, the more the face of the noble who had just refused to return his lands drained of all color.

“For accountability regarding the fourteen criminal acts aforementioned, the Dopel Marquis title is hereby stripped, and all lands and assets belonging to the Dopel family are to be c-confiscated in their entirety.”
“Y-Your Majesty! This is far too harsh…!”

However, Dopel Marquis, silenced by a silence spell, could lodge no protest whatsoever.

Whoosh.
Every noble in the Audience Chamber witnessed the moment Dopel Marquis became a pauper in an instant. A chilling silence descended.
Somewhere along the way, the Captain of Imperial First Knights held a substantial stack of papers in his hand. The nobles’ minds raced rapidly.
Would they surrender only the Tunterra lands they possessed, or would they be stripped of everything like Dopel Marquis?
The crucial point was that not a single person in this chamber was righteous enough to be certain their name wouldn’t appear in that stack of papers.

“Another failure.”

At the Emperor’s words, the nobles shook their heads vigorously.

***

Late evening.
I was in Kevenriak’s chamber. Unlike the darkened world outside, the Emperor’s Chamber blazed with lamplight.
Through the window left open for ventilation, the crisp autumn breeze of evening drifted in.
Leaning my back against the sofa, I read something in my hands, then rested my head against the backrest and tilted my gaze diagonally backward. In my silver eyes viewing the half-tilted world, the figure of my beloved appeared.

“Keri.”

It was Kevenriak. The Emperor approached without a sound, a shawl draped across his hands. He had planned to surprise me by wrapping the shawl around my shoulders—

“You’ve been caught.”

In Hibei, this was a skill he rarely failed at. Kevenriak adjusted my posture and wrapped the shawl around my shoulders, then asked tenderly.

“How did you know?”
“Hehe, how could I not know what Keri is doing?”

At my playful words, Kevenriak laughed lightly. It seemed his heartbeat had given him away as he approached secretly.

“Are you finished persuading the nobles?”
“Yes.”
“It seems we’re done here too. The Rebel Forces are agreeing to a peace treaty.”

In my hand was a piece of paper the size of my palm. It was the paper that had been tied to the leg of the Rebel Forces’ messenger bird that tapped on the window moments ago.
The sender was Tiernan Fargan, and the content stated they would establish a peace treaty.

“They’re accepting the coercion…?”

Though the passage was written in a way that could be misinterpreted.
Kevenriak Heteroven, leaning against the back of the sofa, murmured softly. Raina Hart flinched and folded the paper in half. The fact that she had played the villain was a secret from Kevenriak Heteroven. She changed the subject.

“Vivian fell asleep, so I brought her to her room.”

Vivian had insisted she was fine, but she must have been pushing herself too hard, because she eventually collapsed into sleep. Since I knew her physical condition better than anyone, I arranged for her bedding in one of the rooms within the Emperor’s Palace.
I cast a healing spell and erected a barrier to prevent any intruders from entering.
After that, I also dealt with the Subspace from which Simona had escaped. The Imperial Palace Underground Prison, with one wall destroyed, was in complete disarray and not a single prisoner could be seen—it appeared to be Simona’s doing. She must have needed to replenish the power she expended breaking free from the Subspace.

‘Dark magic that devours souls….’

I recalled Simona, who had fled. Given that she primarily wielded shadows, there was a high probability that her true form was hidden within those shadows.
She would appear again. Regardless of her purpose, as long as Simona was the true mastermind of this world, she would not simply vanish.

“….”

Then I stopped thinking. Kevenriak Heteroven had wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind, the back of the sofa between us.
His black hair tickled my cheek and the nape of my neck. I could no longer find peace of mind or healing in the black fur of my cat, who had grown so much larger.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

I couldn’t hide my agitation as I asked Kevenriak Heteroven.
We had clearly been talking about Vivian. Or perhaps about the peace accord with the Rebel Forces. Yet what came from Kevenriak Heteroven’s lips was on an entirely different subject.

“Raina Hart, were you thinking of me just now?”

I wasn’t sure when “just now” referred to. If he asked when I last thought of Kevenriak Heteroven, I couldn’t pinpoint that moment. These days, I was always thinking of him.

“I suppose I was…?”
“I thought so.”

Kevenriak Heteroven sighed softly as he murmured. Despite his words suggesting he already knew the answer, there was a sense of relief in his languid, anxious breath.

“Your heart was racing. Just like now.”
“It, it was?”
“Yes.”

It was better when I didn’t know his heart. Each moment I feel her heart, it fuels my greed.

“….”

Kevenriak released the two arms that had enveloped Raina. He folded his arms across the backrest just beside her shoulder, resting his face upon them and turning it toward her. Raina’s face was right before his eyes.
As long as she lives, I can endure this.
Kevenriak clenched his fist within the hand hidden by his folded arms and spoke.

“Raina.”

Blue eyes met the silver gaze reflected in her own, and they narrowed softly.

“I’ll wait for you.”
“….”

Raina gazed at that beautiful smile. Like an obedient beast, quietly folding its front paws and swishing its tail—a beautiful villain. If I were to stroke its chin here, it would emit a contented sound and remain by my side. Docilely.

‘When did it become like this….’

Yet to his words of waiting, I could not respond with permission. Without speaking, our emotions were far too clear to each other. Now there was nothing left but to acknowledge it.
That it was I who was restraining the urge to feed the beast.

Raina turned her head and brought her lips to Kevenriak’s. The soft sensation touched and parted in an instant, and the smile vanished from his face.
He fell silent as if unable to believe it. The silence was brief, yet time flowed impossibly slowly. Neither of them had cast any magic.
Raina moved her lips slowly.

“Do you not admire me now?”

At the same moment as Raina’s question, he raised his upper body.

“How could I not.”

Those words were the end. No further words were needed between them.
Kevenriak embraced his light.

***

By now the sun had set completely and darkness had settled in.
The window was closed and the curtains drawn. The Emperor’s Chamber was dark as always, yet it no longer carried the cold, desolate air it once had.

“….”

It felt like a dream. The rising heat made my eardrums throb, blurring the line between reality and illusion. We confirmed our existence through the sound of each other’s heartbeats. Our quickened breaths mingled together. As our lips met again, I forgot everything once more.

“My name.”

Raina Hart’s fingertips traced the edge of Kevenriak Heteroven’s lips—those soft corners she adored. Gazing at his crimson mouth, she pleaded.

“Say my name.”
“…Raina Hart.”

Moving his throat, Kevenriak spoke her name in a low voice. A thirst consumed him.

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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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