The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 174

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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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Chapter 174

My heart pounded from the shock of the unexpected situation.

‘I can’t swim!’

Since I didn’t want to gulp down water through my nose and mouth, I quickly held my breath.

But then.

Ruellian’s hand lightly touched the back of my neck.

Immediately, strength drained from my body and my breathing became comfortable. The chill I felt from the cold water also disappeared.

It felt like wearing a warm protective suit with an oxygen tank attached.

My blurry vision also cleared, and I began to faintly see the underwater scenery.

Although my eyes were half-closed, I could at least distinguish shapes.

‘Oh?’

My heart was still pounding.

I told myself to calm down.

‘Calm down. It’s not scary. It’s actually fascinating, isn’t it? Look carefully.’

Ruellian was now swimming while holding me tightly.

Light was emanating from somewhere underwater, revealing the rugged cave terrain formed directly below the port.

I had learned that cave terrain could be formed when waves crashed and eroded the coastline. Was this one of those cases?

Among them, I could see a space draped with what looked like curtains made of aurora. It seemed to be marked using divine power.

‘That’s why the underwater wasn’t dark.’

As Ruellian swam toward it with me, the curtain of light opened, revealing the cave inside.

Was this also a secret hideout?

A wood fire was blazing brightly, making it neither dark nor cold but warm.

I could see emergency supplies like food and water, and it was a surprisingly well-equipped space.

‘You could hide here for several days without anyone knowing. Ruellian probably did exactly that.’

My feet touched the ground and dragged slightly.

Since we had emerged from the water, I tried to put strength in my legs to walk on my own.

But strangely, my body went completely limp.

“Sleep…”

Ruellian carried me and laid me down on a blanket beside the campfire. Watching water drip from my clothes, he muttered.

“Sorry. There was no other way.”

“…”

I wanted to respond, but no voice came out.

Ruellian didn’t seem to think I would respond anyway. With my eyes half-closed, he probably thought I was unconscious.

‘Was I supposed to faint originally?’

Earlier, as soon as we entered the water, Ruellian had touched the back of my neck and cast some kind of magic.

That must have been a fainting spell.

But it seems it didn’t work completely on my body.

‘That makes sense. Unlike others, I have the special ability to see his stigma.’

I finally understood.

That’s why I couldn’t completely faint and ended up in this sleep paralysis-like state. I’m the only person his magic doesn’t work completely on.

‘That’s amazing.’

I felt a bit proud even in this situation, but soon a cold criticism echoed in my head.

‘But you still can’t speak and are lying flat on your back just the same, right?’

…True enough.

I tried to put strength in my body to break free from the paralysis, but it was useless.

As I struggled alone, I heard Ruellian’s voice near my ear.

“For now…”

I saw him walk to the campfire and add plenty of firewood.

The fire flared up.

Then Ruellian went to where the emergency supplies were stored and returned with an armful of towels.

“I need to dry you off…”

He lifted a towel to wipe my face but hesitated and stopped his hand.

Somehow he seemed to have suddenly become timid.

Where had gone the boldness of darting around to lure the Security Forces and grabbing someone to jump into the water?

“Hmm…”

He hesitated for a while holding the towel, then finally started drying somewhere other than my face.

The farthest place from my body. The very edge of my clothes spread out on the blanket.

‘It’s not even particularly wet anyway.’

He had made the campfire so strong that the moisture remaining on my body actually felt refreshingly cool.

I wanted to ask him to control the fire a bit, but my tongue still wouldn’t move.

“…”

Meanwhile, Ruellian kept his mouth tightly shut as he pressed down to remove moisture from my clothes.

“You’ll catch a cold if you stay wet…”

He muttered the obvious.

From my lying position, I could see his profile.

Only after noticing that even places the campfire didn’t reach had turned red did I finally understand.

‘Oh right, my clothes must be clinging to me since they got wet. That’s why he can’t look directly at me?’

He was on the run with a bounty on his head, hiding from Security Forces pursuit, and he notices something like that now?

Yes, he notices.

Considering Ruellian’s status and upbringing, this would indeed be an awkward and uncomfortable situation.

It felt even more so thinking we were alone in this place no one knew about.

Perhaps to ease the awkwardness, he muttered again.

“This cave was a refuge for persecuted monks in the past, and if you go deep inside, there are stairs connecting to the village. Even though you probably can’t hear what I’m saying right now, I’ll leave a map where the bread and water are. You’ll find it quickly, won’t you?”

“…”

“You don’t need to worry about the villagers either. I’ve arranged it so they won’t be caught even if their identities are investigated. The serious criminals’ charges will also be cleared soon…”

Ruellian rambled on like that before falling quiet again.

‘…?’

Curious about why, I slightly turned my gaze to look at him.

He was looking down at my face with his mouth closed.

The somewhat embarrassed expression he had while wringing out my clothes had already disappeared.

His eyes, illuminated by the blazing campfire light, were a dark violet color.

His hair, wet and clinging to his forehead, made his face look somewhat sad and a little younger than his age.

“You helped people again even though it wasn’t your concern. Still as spirited as ever.”

Ruellian quietly spoke.

“No, I know. You pretend to be a troublemaking villainess, but you’re actually kind-hearted. You just can’t stand to watch the weak suffer. Thanks to you, several people saved their lives today. I don’t know why you came here, but… thank you.”

He sighed and picked up a clean towel. Then he brought it to my face and carefully wiped away the moisture.

“Live as you please. Just don’t get hurt. If that happened, I could never forgive myself.”

I could feel his touch through the thick, soft towel.

My heart began to pound.

Only then did I finally realize.

‘No. It didn’t start pounding just now, it’s been pounding continuously since earlier. Since we jumped into the water. No, before that. Since Ruellian first appeared…’

I thought my heart was pounding from shock at the urgent situation.

But that wasn’t it.

My heart had been beating steadily and clearly since I met him.

‘What is this?’

In that moment, I realized.

This is fluttering.

Suddenly, the moment I first encountered Ruellian in the Sanctuary forest came to mind.

Bickering with him thinking he was a mercenary, then meeting again through the religious trial, discovering his identity and secrets, attempting negotiations to get his weakness, then visiting this secret Information Guild…

All the events that had happened flashed before my eyes like a panorama.

I had no idea until now.

At some point, all those memories had become recollections I could recall with a smile on my lips.

‘I see.’

In the shock that felt like being struck in the head, I realized.

‘I hadn’t lost my heart because I was obsessed with survival. Look at this. My heart is beating like this.’

The reason my heart wasn’t swayed even by Aldensis’s confession, whom I had loved so passionately one-sidedly.

The reason I could cut things off cleanly with Zikren, even though I certainly didn’t lack human fondness for him.

It was because I had already begun to fall for Ruellian while going through countless events.

That’s why my heart didn’t race at all for other men.

‘….’

As I was dazed by this belated realization.

Ruellian’s voice reached me once again.

“Anyway, that’s good. You’re finally going to be united with someone you’ve loved for over 10 years.”

He looked down at me and murmured calmly.

“It’s unfortunate that I can’t bless you since I’m currently falsely accused and being pursued. If that weren’t the case, as an Agent of the Divine, I would have wished you all the happiness in this world. You deserve to live happily. Congratulations on your engagement.”

Huh?

I was flustered.

No wonder his tone had sounded like someone saying farewell from earlier.

He had also heard the news that I was getting engaged to Aldensis.

‘That’s not it!’

The engagement was broken off. It was fake anyway.

I wanted to say that.

But still, no sound came from my throat, and I couldn’t move even a fingertip.

“….”

Ruellian looked at me closely as if trying to remember my appearance one last time. Then he turned around.

His figure was about to disappear into the darkness inside the cave.

‘Wait!’

At that moment, I squeezed out all my strength.

Finally, sound burst from my blocked throat.

“Wait!”

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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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