The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 37

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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 Is Actually the Mastermind and Only I Know It — Episode 37
Even the escort knights who had been following in silence vanished at Evan’s gesture, and thanks to Dust biting someone, only he and I remained in the corridor.
‘Is he angry…?’
His expressionless face gave nothing away. I tried to slip down from his hold, but he gripped my waist so firmly that escape was impossible.
The cool temperature emanating from his solid chest, and that inexplicably vexing sensation brushing against my skin, nagged at me relentlessly.
‘When exactly did he come back? He only just left.’
It shouldn’t have been possible for someone on a secret errand to return this quickly. Wasn’t this the speed of turning around the moment he arrived at his destination?
Of course, he wouldn’t have done something so absurd….
‘…….’
He wouldn’t have, right?
“Evan, where are we going?”
“Ruby Palace.”
When I ventured the question, Evan replied matter-of-factly. I wanted to ask why he would visit Ruby Palace instead of my own palace, but I decided against it.
Best not to poke at things right now….
“Linet.”
A small gasp escaped me.
At his plainly spoken call, I found myself swallowing hard as Evan looked down at me steadily.
“Does your wrist hurt much?”
“What? …Oh no, I’m fine. Completely fine!”
“You certainly look it.”
He let out a soft scoff, his gaze sliding toward my wrist. Even at a glance, the swelling around the handkerchief was quite severe.
But after secretly getting myself into this mess, my conscience wouldn’t let me whine about the pain….
“…I can’t use Healing Magic. So don’t get hurt.”
Evan’s expression darkened noticeably as he spoke in a measured tone. That’s odd—surely even a demon could use Healing Magic….
His emotions, which were usually impossible to read, seemed strangely transparent now.
“But that’s not something I can control…. Fine! I absolutely won’t get hurt!”
His gaze suddenly turned sharp as a blade. I hastily changed the subject, and Evan let out a small laugh. With that, the stiffness in his features melted away to his usual expression.
‘Wait, he laughed. ……Though it looked like he was laughing at the absurdity.’
Still, I was relieved that his mood seemed to have improved.
“If it bothers you, tell me. I’ll deal with it.”
There was a reason his words lacked a subject. It meant he wasn’t referring only to Rosebelle.
“That thing I said earlier—I wasn’t joking.”
His low voice continued. If that earlier statement was what he meant….
‘Should I kill her for you?’
…If he meant that seriously, that would be a problem.
‘Why does he keep trying to kill humans lately? As if he actually could.’
In the original work, it was stated that some Risk befalls demons when they kill humans. But exactly what that was never clearly explained.
In any case, that’s why demons could torment humans but couldn’t kill them.
‘Should I just ask him about it?’
It’s not clear whether he’d willingly reveal something akin to a demon’s weakness, though.
“But you can’t harm humans anyway. …Because of the Risk.”
At my words, Evan’s deep green pupils moved slowly. The depths of his gaze remained inscrutable, but I could distinctly feel that he found my observation intriguing.
“Seems you’re curious about that.”
When I nodded silently, Evan opened his mouth quite readily, to my surprise.
“When a demon kills a human, that human’s life becomes poison and flows backward through the demon’s body. As it accumulates, the demon writhes in endless agony until finally ceasing to exist.”
The answer came simply, containing roughly what I’d anticipated. It needed to be this severe to keep demons from carelessly harming humans.
But was this the end? He continued speaking.
“However, that only applies to Lower-Ranking Demons.”
The moment Evan’s words trailed off softly, his green eyes widened gently.
“I’m not one, Linet.”
“……You’re not? What do you mean….”
He didn’t respond to my words anymore. I tried to ask something more, but before I could, we arrived before Ruby Palace, making that impossible.
“Have a physician brought.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Evan gave the order to the attendant who approached, then strode quickly into the palace. I’d naturally assumed we were headed to the reception hall, but he passed right through it.
“Evan, the reception hall is this way.”
“Mm.”
“‘Mm’ is not an answer—if we go this direction—.”
“We’ll reach my bedchamber. You know that well.”
Seeing my eyes waver, Evan gave a quiet laugh and answered. He’s doing this on purpose right now, isn’t he?!
If it were any other time, I would have raised a fuss and demanded to be let down, but given what I’d already done, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
The pain in my wrist was growing worse by the minute, too. Ah, it hurt so badly I didn’t have the energy to bicker about it.
“What, you don’t like it?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I’m in pain, so just hurry up and get us there.”
I turned my gaze away and muttered, and he let out that low chuckle again. In the end, I had no choice but to enter Evan’s bedchamber cradled in his arms.
The bedroom, with its composed black-toned interior adorned with touches of gold, suited Evan perfectly—a man who emanated restrained danger.
Under other circumstances, I would have been thrilled to see my crush’s bedchamber, but now…
‘Will I be able to escape this place safely?’
Worry, nothing but worry…
Barely managing to slip out of his embrace, I sank onto the central sofa and tried to organize the chaos swirling in my head.
‘So what Evan was saying is basically that he’s not an ordinary demon, right?’
I felt one step closer to understanding his true nature—something I’d only been able to guess at until now.
‘At minimum he’s high-ranking, or possibly even an Arch Demon—the very thing I should be most afraid of.’
No wonder he’d spoken so carelessly about killing me. And I hadn’t even realized it.
‘I’d assumed demons spoke that way just as casually as humans complain of exhaustion or hunger—mere idle talk.’
But what if it had all been genuine?
‘And thinking back to that first encounter in the Mist Forest, he really was trying to kill me—as if Risk meant nothing at all to him.’
Suddenly, goosebumps erupted across my entire body. If I had said yes even once to his teasing question…
Knock, knock.
The sound of a knock came, and shortly after, a physician entered. Coming straight to me, he examined me this way and that before hesitantly opening his mouth.
“Your skin is quite fragile, miss. Even the slightest pressure can cause bruising, so I would advise caution.”
Explaining that it seemed to be an inherent constitution, the physician applied medicine and wrapped my wrist, then quickly withdrew.
The moment the physician’s presence vanished, Evan pressed his hand to his temple as if his head were aching.
“I knew humans were weak, but you’re particularly fragile. At this rate, I’ll need to deal with injuries before we even reach dinner.”
“What kind of worry is that, phrased so ominously!”
I couldn’t tell if that was concern or a curse. As I was frowning about it, Dust gradually emerged from my sleeve and descended to my wrist, carefully pressing his head against it.
— Whimper…
Though I couldn’t understand his words, I sensed what the little creature’s whining meant. He clearly thought it was his fault that I’d been hurt.
“It’s all right. It’s not your fault.”
— Whine, whine…
As I stroked his soft, round head, Dust wrapped himself tightly around my injured wrist.
Thanks to this small creature, I’d been able to face Rosebelle safely. And I’d even gained dependable friends in the bargain.
“You’ve put on weight since I last saw you. Quite a bit, actually.”
“What? Evan, that’s incredibly rude!”
Evan stared at Dust, who had popped suddenly into view, and dropped a curt observation. At that, Dust’s round eyes narrowed to slits and his little feet began to stamp indignantly.
— Chirp! Chirp!
“How dare you show your temper to me?”
— …Whimper, whimper.
At Evan’s cold remark, Dust quickly scurried back inside my sleeve.
“Don’t be angry. He’s frightened of you.”
I hastily sheltered Dust in my sleeve, and Evan turned his head with an expression of utter bewilderment.
“This is strange. I’m your fiancé, yet you keep taking that creature’s side. I’m far more beautiful than some demon, aren’t I?”
Genuinely unable to comprehend, Evan tilted his head while catching his own reflection in the glass of a drawer.
“…Please be aware of what you’re saying.”
Seriously, what kind of thing is that to say about a mere demon…

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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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