I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 157

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“What….”

I closed my mouth. My heart pounded like a drum inside my chest.

Below my throat felt stuffy, as if something was completely blocked.

“…Selene, why are you crying.”

“Ah.”

Only then did I realize that tears were flowing down my cheeks.

I stared blankly at Rubel without even thinking to wipe away the tears.

All sorts of emotions that I couldn’t readily define were mixed together, raging in my chest.

It seemed like relief, but also like something else entirely.

In the midst of my confusion, I managed to part my lips with difficulty.

“I know… I know, so.”

And I spoke the words that remained most clearly in my complicated mind.

“In the future… don’t avoid me again.”

It was ridiculous.

The relief coming from elsewhere was greater than Rubel’s confession.

‘Because he wasn’t trying to avoid me.’

Because he hadn’t made the decision to become Emperor and consequently decided to distance himself from me.

Because he said it was okay that I had tried to use him for my family, that I was someone with many secrets,

I was so relieved by that.

Rubel answered.

“Yeah, I won’t do that.”

I nodded while avoiding his gaze. The tears clinging to my eyes flowed down again.

Then a warm, gentle touch reached my cheek.

“Please don’t cry. Avoiding you… I was foolish. I’m sorry.”

I reflexively turned my head to the side. Then, feeling embarrassed, I rambled on.

“No, it’s fine. I was just a little surprised. More importantly, Casian will be waiting. We should hurry back….”

That’s when it happened.

Rubel, who had been staring at me intently, suddenly grabbed my wrist without warning.

I froze in place with wide eyes at his touch gently pulling me toward him.

The distance that was already close had now completely disappeared.

My gaze looking up at him and Rubel’s half-lowered eyes met exactly.

“You haven’t done it yet.”

“What?”

“Given me an answer.”

At his low voice, my tears naturally stopped. But Rubel had a serious expression as if nothing had happened.

“I like you, Selene.”

Blood rushed to my face.

“So I want to hear your answer.”

My heart dropped to the ground with a thud.

When I tried to step back hesitantly, Rubel gently pulled me toward him again.

‘What is this….’

Even without looking, I could vividly picture what kind of state I was in right now.

I muttered in a voice I barely managed to compose.

“You want me to, give you an answer?”

“Don’t people usually do that? That’s what I heard.”

“…From who?”

After saying it, I belatedly thought it was a stupid question.

But Rubel stared at me and answered seriously.

“From Casian. And from Tigris’ other elite soldiers too.”

“….”

“They all said that unless it’s a rejection, people usually give an answer right there on the spot.”

I stared at Rubel blankly.

‘What kind of conversation is this even…?’

But as soon as I came to my senses, my face turned red again.

“Still, you should give me time to think….”

“Asking for time to think is mostly a rejection, they said. Is that what this is?”

I closed my mouth in bewilderment. Then Rubel let go of my wrist.

“Your tears stopped.”

I looked down at my wrist that had been held by him just moments ago with a dazed expression.

Rubel brushed my hair that had been scattered by the wind behind my shoulder and muttered.

“Still, if that’s what you want.”

“….”

“If you need time, I can wait. As long as it takes.”

When I looked up, I saw Rubel had returned to his usual calm expression.

I stared at him for a moment and then spoke. For some reason, I felt frustrated.

“…You said you read my expressions well.”

Rubel was silent for a moment, as if trying to understand what I meant. Then he opened his mouth.

“I didn’t say I read them well. I said I could see them sometimes.”

I opened my eyes wide in disbelief. Some thought quickly flashed through my mind.

‘Is he an idiot?’

After hearing his confession just now, I had turned bright red in front of Rubel.

And I had even cried, telling him not to avoid me anymore.

Yet he still didn’t know how I felt.

Thinking back on how I must have looked just now made my face want to turn red again.

I hastily avoided Rubel’s gaze and said.

“Then, what if I reject you?”

Rubel lowered his gaze as if thinking, then answered.

“I’d have to try harder, until you accept me. Of course, if you said you disliked it, I’d stop.”

And he slowly added.

“Still, I hope you wouldn’t push me too far away.”

I stared blankly at his endlessly serious face and then laughed helplessly.

“Then what if I said I liked you too?”

Rubel froze for a moment. His well-shaped lips parted slightly.

I stared intently at the scene of his long eyelashes casting shadows over his eyes.

A very calm and gentle voice reached me.

“Well. I’m not sure. But….”

Rubel looked up at me. Then he smiled faintly.

“I’d probably kiss you. That’s what people usually do.”

“What?”

Rubel smiled softly. The tips of his ears were slightly red. The wind blew between us once more.

I stared blankly at Rubel’s hair swaying in the wind.

The season was the dead of winter, just like when I first met Rubel.

Standing face to face in the forest was similar to that time too.

But somehow, it wasn’t as cold as it was then.

Then something vaguely appeared in my vision, so I slowly looked up.

“Ah….”

Snowflakes were falling one by one from the cloudy sky.

Rubel must have noticed it too, as he looked up at the sky.

A long silence continued. I whispered softly while still looking up.

“She probably wouldn’t have cried.”

Rubel lowered his head to look at me. I met his gaze as well.

“From the beginning, tears wouldn’t have come… if you had disliked me.”

The snowflakes that had fallen to the ground slowly melted into the earth.

“Honestly, the future feels overwhelming. There are so many things to worry about… Even now, I’m not sure what’s right. But…”

I smiled faintly.

“I like you too, Rubel.”

Those were the words that had been tickling at the back of my throat for the past few days.

Rubel froze with his lips slightly parted. I stared at him intently, then hastily turned my gaze away and said.

“Anyway, don’t you dare say anything different later.”

“…”

“You might not realize it, but we’re really in big trouble now. What on earth are we going to tell the Duke—no, Father? Of course Duke Haren will be pleased, but when I think about how Estelin and Rosette will react…”

At that moment, my body suddenly tilted forward.

I stopped speaking and opened my eyes wide. I could feel Rubel’s warm hand gently cupping my cheek.

Thicker snowflakes softly settled on my eyelashes. The sensation was cold, hot, and ticklish.

Water droplets from melted snow blurred my vision hazily. Beyond that, Rubel was there, very close.

“Ru…”

The voice trying to call his name was swallowed. I even stopped breathing and stared intently at Rubel’s face.

My breathing became shallow and my legs lost their strength. I could feel strong arms supporting my waist.

The sensation of lips touching was much softer than I had imagined.

Without realizing it, I gripped Rubel’s clothes tightly, then squeezed my eyes shut.

That evening. 1st Floor of the Dormitory Tower of Repose.

Anita Solb stood there with a completely soul-drained expression.

The pre-admission students who had come to Rishion to take the entrance exam initially numbered two hundred in total.

However, about half of them returned home due to injuries or change of heart on the first day when camping was conducted.

One hundred students remained to participate in the subsequent Diermant subjugation.

Most students never even encountered a Diermant, and even the groups that did mostly fled when overwhelmed by the Sacred Sprites’ presence.

As a result, the only admission candidates who engaged in what could be called combat against the Sacred Sprites were Anita’s group and Selene’s group.

However, the Diermant test was completely nullified. This was because the Diermant turned out to be Sacred Sprites.

So this artifact disabling test was conducted instead.

To be honest, for a Rishion entrance exam, the difficulty level was on the easier side.

About seventy out of one hundred students passed.

Thirty students failed.

Anita stared blankly at the notice board hanging on one wall of the hall.

There, the names of the thirty failed students were mercilessly displayed in large letters.

Her clenched fists trembled violently.

Exactly fourteenth from the top.

‘Anita Solb’

It was unmistakably her own name.

“…My condolences, Miss Anita.”

Lark muttered in a low voice.

“Th-this is strange. Why only Miss Anita…”

Joseph also watched her reaction carefully. Chepri and Naila maintained silence without saying a word.

Anita had a complexion as pale as someone nearly dead. Soon, a thin breath escaped from her lips.

“…Ha.”

She and her group members had all scored zero points on the artifact test.

Strictly speaking, Anita bore much of the responsibility for how things turned out.

She was the one who had made the reckless plan, and she was also the one who had forcibly pushed it through.

But it was hard to accept. No… that wasn’t it.

If it had been acceptable, she would have accepted it.

If it had been worth accepting, she would have accepted it.

She was a mature person who knew how to gracefully accept even defeat.

But.

‘This isn’t right. This can’t be happening.’

If she had failed, then all her group members who received zero points should have failed as well.

She shouldn’t be the only one to have her name on that shameful list of failures.

The trembling that started in her hands gradually climbed up her arms. Eventually, she began shaking her entire body.

‘Why only me?’

All the other group members except herself had passed.

‘Joseph, Lark, Hanod, Chepri and Naila too, everyone…’

No matter how much she searched, their names weren’t on the failure list.

It meant they had all passed.

But why.

Why was she the only one who failed?

“Miss Anita!”

The next moment, the frozen Anita began walking somewhere. Lark called out, but it was useless.

Her staggering steps became increasingly steady as she moved forward.

Stride by stride, eventually almost running.

Her gaze seemed half soul-departed, yet chillingly persistent, focused on only one place.

Next to the stairs leading to the 2nd floor.

Toward Vice Principal Professor Sadina, who was having a conversation with an administrator.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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