I’m a Villain, but I Want to Live a Long Life - Chapter 31

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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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One hour ago from now.

After stopping by the house at the top of the hill, Tatio was gazing at the sunset from the reed field.

It was one of his daily routines that he never skipped.

Lying on Plau’s Hill and watching the setting sun would calm his restless heart.

Perhaps that was why.

He would often remain lost in deep thought until the sun had completely set and stars began to appear one by one in the sky.

But today was different.

Tatio looked back at the darkening sky and rose from his spot.

‘…The wind is too cold.’

The shape of the clouds was also a bit different from usual. He pulled his robe tight and began walking.

Behind him, the winter reed field swayed endlessly in the wind that blew from his back.

But the moment he entered the forest, Tatio tilted his head as if he had heard some sound. However, he soon shook his head, thinking it must be a hallucination.

He had been suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations all day.

Whenever he closed his eyes, the face of the girl he had seen during the day would appear and then scatter.

Her voice, clear as a bell, was also vivid in his ears.

Tatio thought himself pathetic and quickly crossed through the forest.

This place, called the ‘Cursed Land’ by others, was home to him.

Following the complex paths that only he knew, he would find his humble abode inside.

He had been maintaining his own peaceful life here for several years now.

Upon arriving at his dwelling, Tatio roughly washed his face.

Then he immediately left the house again. Carrying a sword he had carved from wood himself.

Since settling here, he had never missed a single evening of training.

There wasn’t much else he could do anyway.

It was the moment strength entered his hand gripping the wooden sword.

Tatio’s expression suddenly furrowed.

From somewhere, he could hear the cry of a monster along with a faint smell of blood.

After standing in place for a moment, Tatio eventually began walking as if entranced.

‘Are Duke Tigris and his knights conducting a subjugation nearby?’

That couldn’t be. There were no monsters dwelling in this area.

Then what could it be?

In the commotion carried by the wind, it seemed like a woman’s voice was mixed in.

His steps quickened.

Soon, having discovered something in the darkened forest, he stopped in his tracks.

His golden eyes slowly widened.

“You are…”

The boy was gently stroking the wyvern’s head as if it were a pet cat.

At that sight, I froze with my eyes wide open.

Golden eyes shone clearly beneath jet-black hair.

My mouth slowly fell open.

The person before my eyes was undoubtedly Rubel.

The missing prince.

He gazed at me with a strange expression mixing curiosity and wariness.

I abruptly stood up from my spot.

I could see him step back slightly, startled by my sudden movement, but I staggered toward him.

Then I immediately grabbed the hem of his robe. Relief and fierce anxiety washed over me simultaneously.

Because of Casian, who lay collapsed on the ground.

I roughly wiped my cheek with my blood-stained hand and muttered.

“Pl-please help.”

The prince’s eyes widened slightly at those few words.

I barely managed to steady my breathing to swallow my sobs. Tears kept flowing down my cheeks.

My face, covered in blood and tears, must have looked ridiculous. But right now, I didn’t have the luxury to care about such things.

“…Casian is badly hurt, please.”

I stared at Casian, who lay collapsed on the ground, groaning.

Only then did the prince’s—Rubel’s—gaze slowly move downward.

“I’m begging you, please…”

Then Rubel gently pushed away my hand that was gripping his robe.

I froze and stared blankly at his face shining under the moonlight.

Did this mean rejection?

My lost hand began trembling at the ominous premonition.

Come to think of it, Rubel was someone who had lived cut off from the outside world for a long time.

‘Of course he wouldn’t want to get involved with strangers.’

Even in the original story, Rubel’s appearance at the estate was years from this point in time.

And his personality, which was indifferent to everything except the female lead.

‘What if he refuses to help?’

A pitiful sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.

I had never wanted our first meeting to be like this. This wasn’t the plan I had prepared.

If I were to meet him, I had intended to give him a thorough explanation of the situation first.

Persuading him to come to the Tigris estate together was supposed to come after that.

Of course, even if things had gone according to plan, I had no guarantee that I could definitely bring him back.

He was someone who had hidden in the Cursed Land with the sole determination to survive.

But instead of the normal first meeting I had hoped for, I was showing him such a suspicious appearance from the start.

I desperately looked at Rubel’s face, whose inner thoughts I couldn’t fathom.

On the ground, the unconscious Casian was groaning in pain again.

Perhaps hearing the sound, a slightly troubled look crossed Rubel’s face.

I spoke desperately with a burning heart.

“Please… please help. If we leave him like this, he might really die.”

A moment of silence passed.

When my impatience reached its peak during the terrible silence, the frozen Rubel finally moved.

After hesitating briefly, he was approaching the collapsed Casian. Then he bent one knee and began examining Casian’s wounds closely.

The wyvern sat quietly with its wings folded, as if it had never been violent.

Then Rubel, who had been examining Casian’s wounds, stood up.

My eyes widened.

He was lightly lifting Casian onto his shoulder.

“…Follow me.”

His voice was indifferent.

I remained frozen with a shocked expression for a moment, then quickly nodded. And I began walking between the dense trees, following him.

When I turned my head, I could see the wyvern left behind. The monster showed no signs of following us or attacking.

It was simply licking the wounds on its wing joints with its long tongue, making the brutal battle from moments ago seem absurd.

Rubel looked back and said.

“…It’ll heal if left alone. Monsters have incredible vitality. As long as you don’t cut off their heads, they’ll keep recovering.”

Wyverns were monsters notorious for their fierce temperament. Moreover, since they belonged to the dragon family, they weren’t easy to deal with either.

It was fortunate that it was Casian; an ordinary person would have become the wyvern’s meal in the blink of an eye.

Yet Rubel had subdued that fierce wyvern with one hand.

No, I wasn’t sure if it could even be called subduing.

More precisely, the wyvern had become a docile lamb on its own in front of him.

I calmly observed Rubel’s silhouette, faintly glowing under the moonlight.

I had some idea of what this might mean. But right now, Casian’s safety was more urgent than that.

How much time had passed? He finally stopped walking.

In the middle of the forest, completely still without a breath of wind, stood a roughly built cottage.

Rubel gestured for me to come in and stepped inside first.

I quickly came to my senses and followed behind him.

Soon, an interior with only the bare minimum of furniture came into view—so sparse it was hard to believe anyone actually lived here.

“I can’t treat this wound here. At best, I can only provide first aid.”

Rubel said as he laid Casian down on the bed.

When he removed his thick robe, his solid body clad in only a thin tunic was finally revealed.

I stared blankly at Rubel as he lightly shook his hair.

He soon headed to what appeared to be the kitchen and returned with a strange-looking bottle and white cloth.

Then he crouched down in front of Casian and tore the pants covering the wound area without hesitation.

The wound, still bleeding continuously, was exposed.

Rubel skillfully applied the cloth he had brought to the wound area and began to stop the bleeding.

I was completely frozen, watching the blood gradually soak the white cloth.

Meanwhile, the bleeding had somewhat stopped.

After removing the cloth and checking the wound, Rubel scooped out white ointment from the bottle he had brought. Then he began spreading it on the grotesquely swollen wound area.

It was truly a scene that felt completely unreal.

Even as he finished applying the ointment and wrapped clean bandages around Casian’s thigh, I remained frozen like a stone.

Then Rubel muttered quietly.

“If he had been bitten, he wouldn’t have survived. But with this much, there shouldn’t be any danger to his life.”

Only then did the tension that had been gripping my entire body finally release. I let out a small exclamation along with a sigh of relief.

“Ha, really, thank goodness…”

“But he still needs to receive treatment with healing abilities.”

I answered with a trembling voice while standing awkwardly by the door.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll make sure he gets treatment.”

My legs kept shaking and I was barely maintaining my balance when Rubel, who had been watching me with curious eyes, muttered.

“…The bathroom is over there.”

I widened my eyes at the unexpected comment.

Then I suddenly realized that I was covered in Nephas blood from head to toe.

Sure enough, Rubel looked away and added awkwardly.

“I thought you might want to wash up.”

I rubbed my cheek with the back of my relatively clean hand. Then I nodded in bewilderment.

“Uh… thank you, Rubel.”

The moment I said that and unconsciously smiled slightly.

Rubel’s hand, which had been checking the bandages wrapped around Casian, suddenly stopped in mid-air.

Eventually, he slowly turned his head to look at me. His expression was somehow strange.

He had a completely rigid face as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

I blinked blankly at the suddenly changed atmosphere when the bandage fell from his hand with a thud.

Right before my eyes, Rubel’s face gradually turned pale.

“Why…”

I tilted my head when he suddenly strode toward me.

Then in the blink of an eye, he grabbed my shoulders and pushed me against the wall.

“…How do you know that.”

His voice was sharp with an edge, completely devoid of the indifference from moments before.

I stared at his face with wide eyes.

“What…?”

“Who sent you? The Emperor? Or…”

His intense gaze scrutinized every inch of my face.

I finally realized the reason and widened my eyes.

“I, I didn’t come because someone sent me!”

The strength momentarily drained from Rubel’s hands. But only briefly, as I soon felt an even stronger pressure on my captured shoulders.

“How am I supposed to believe that. You know my…”

Rubel trailed off and trembled slightly with his cold face.

Feeling breathless, I moved my lips.

“So, so I…”

Then I finally squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.

“I came to protect you!”

His trembling stopped abruptly.

When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw Rubel’s pupils looking down at me with a confused expression.

Meeting his gaze, I quickly placed my hand over his hand that was gripping my collar.

“It’s, it’s true. I’ve been searching for you all this time because I wanted to help you!”

“What on earth does that…”

“Please, give me a chance to explain. Just for a moment, Rubel.”

When his real name flowed from my lips once more, the strength finally left his hands.

His wavering golden eyes rippled endlessly.

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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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