The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 20

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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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The Male Lead Has Gone Mad for a Villainess — Episode 20
That evening, we all gathered for dinner. Vanessa was laughing even as she complained, covered head to toe in dirt, while Seraphine sat among the children, eating with them.
Lilia had nodded off with a piece of bread still in her mouth. After a full day of running and playing, her complexion looked better than it had in weeks.
Vanessa, having hastily wiped the soil from her face, came over and flopped down beside me.
I looked up at the night sky, where stars were beginning to bud like seedlings. They shone so brilliantly it was almost blinding.
* * *
But those brilliant stars had begun to fade.
The farther we traveled from Willow and the closer we drew to Gracestone, the harder it became to sleep. As night fell, the terrible cries of monsters began to drift toward us. Worse still was the awful suspicion that between those bestial sounds, I could hear human screams.
It felt as though we were drawing closer to hell itself. Even the children, who had been so full of energy and joy, began to grow frightened and withdrawn.
“Look at this.”
The children were particularly restless at night. Kael decided it would be safer to keep them gathered in one place, so he moved them all into Lilia’s quarters and stationed additional knights around the perimeter. I found myself naturally falling into the role of their caretaker.
How I became a nursemaid, I’m not entirely sure.
The blessing was that the frightened children seemed to trust me well enough.
I was in the middle of performing Shadow Play for them—the children sitting huddled together, clutching pillows tightly to their chests.
What else could I possibly use to soothe them in such wretched conditions? Old tales? The only story I know well is something like the tale of Janghwa and Hongryeon. I do admire that vindictive spirit, though.
“What is this one?”
“Um, a butterfly?”
“No, it’s a dragon!”
“If you ask me, it looks like a bear!”
“I’m right.”
“No, I’m the one who’s right, I’m telling you!”
The children bickered among themselves. Watching them so quickly forget the danger outside and squabble like this warmed my heart. There was something about it that felt like my happy ending drawing near.
“The answer is…!”
The children fixed me with bright, eager eyes.
“A lion!”
“No way!”
“You’re lying!”
“You said lying is bad!”
The children protested. Well, if I say it’s true, then it’s true. Of course, there was one flaw in this entertainment—I had absolutely no talent for Shadow Play.
“From now on, this is a lion. Understood?”
“That’s just nonsense!”
“Yeah. Lilia would do it better!”
“No, I’d do better!”
The children resumed their bickering. As I watched their bright eyes gleam and began to shape something else with my hands, the door to the quarters creaked open and Vanessa slipped inside.
“Hmph, couldn’t sleep.”
With all that fear, how could anyone sleep through those sounds? Vanessa smiled awkwardly and squeezed in beside me.
“Shadow Play is my specialty, Rosana. Shall I give it a try?”
“Please do. Though you probably won’t be any better than me.”
“No way! Lady Rosana is the worst at it!”
Vanessa received the children’s praise and got to work. Lilia pressed herself firmly against my side. Recently, now that she was eating a bit better, her face had filled out somewhat, making her childlike features all the more pronounced. I pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
These children expect so much from me.
Wait.
I’m skilled at Swordsmanship and I train diligently—if I’m also doing this shadow play, won’t that make me seem too human? Seraphine showered me with praise again today.
But Lilia had been unusually quiet. Normally she would have been chattering away with the other children, but today she only clung to me.
Lilia tightened her grip around my waist.
While the other children focused on the shadows Vanessa was creating, Lilia squeezed her eyes shut. Burying her small face into my embrace, she whispered in the tiniest voice.
“It’s coming.”
“What?”
“It’s coming now, Rosana. It’s approaching us.”
It was barely a whisper, but I heard it clearly. The reason Lilia couldn’t sleep? Relentless nightmares. She could sense the movements of monsters, the threats approaching the expedition—she read them in her dreams.
When Lilia spoke with such certainty, there was no doubt. The muscles I’d been carefully building tensed and swelled.
Now I understood why Lilia had been so quiet all day. She’d been sensing the monsters’ movements.
“How many? What kind? How are they moving?”
“…They’re moving through the earth. It’s a massive Earth Spider colony. The mother is leading her young. The large threats are… one, two, three… four… fifteen! Fifteen, Rosana.”
While Vanessa kept the children’s attention, Lilia whispered to me alone, her voice barely audible.
Fifteen. An Earth Spider colony. Those giant arachnid monsters were known for their speed across the ground. They spewed corrosive venom, wielded venomous spines, and used sticky webs to ensnare humans—vicious hunters, all of them.
I kissed Lilia’s forehead.
“You’ve done well, Lilia.”
Lilia blinked, her eyes wide with fear. As I moved to stand, she wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Me too. I need to go—I can bind their limbs if I’m there…”
“Lilia.”
I gripped her shoulders firmly and sat her back down. Kael was no weakling, the sort to cower behind a child at the mere sight of an Earth Spider. Neither was I. Nor were the knights gathered here.
Those who had trained tirelessly for a day like this were no different.
Lilia fixed me with eyes rimmed as though ready to spill tears.
“Stay here.”
I whispered with quiet certainty.
“When this Shadow Play ends, I’ll come back.”
“……Rosana.”
“I promise nothing will happen.”
I kissed her soft forehead lightly, then the bridge of her nose—a blessing that the adults of this place bestow upon children, rich with meaning. Then I bent close to her round cheek and whispered.
“Have good dreams, Lilia.”
At my words, Lilia nodded, her face scrunched tight against tears.
I glanced back at Vanessa, still commanding the children’s attention with ease, then stepped out of the tent. The cries of approaching monsters seemed to echo from somewhere distant. I drew a deep breath and moved forward.
* * *
The Prophetic Dream that Lilia had experienced was not something to dismiss lightly.
I emerged into the night air and steadied my breathing. At last—the first battle with the monsters. This was the moment I had imagined countless times in my head, now unfolding into reality. With heavy steps, I made my way toward Kael’s tent.
“Your Highness, I have something to report.”
Before I had even finished speaking, the tent flap opened. Kael, it seemed, had not been sleeping either. His quiet gaze fixed upon me.
I wasted no time and pressed forward with what I had come to say.
“The Saint Lilia has prophesied. A tribe of Earth Spiders will assault this place shortly. There appear to be fifteen large specimens, with countless smaller ones beyond counting.”
Kael’s expression froze, turning cold as stone. He issued orders to assemble the troops. It was still deep night. Moreover, if chaos broke out, it would only undermine our coordination in battle.
A low murmur rose from outside the tent. Lights flickered to life across the camp, and everyone moved with the calm precision of those trained for this very moment. Seeing them steady like this, my own nerves settled somewhat.
“Handle this as quietly as possible.”
This night belonged to them—the monsters. The hours when darkness favored beasts over men.

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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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