As a Villain I Really Don’t Want To Be Pursued by the Heroine

67

The girl was wearing her pink pajamas from that morning, and looked like a beautiful, delicate flower just after a morning shower, with her red hair dripping wet down her shoulders and her face rosy like a small apple. Her thin, pale legs hung down from under her thin clothes, and a sweet scent wafted over.

“I’m done washing, it’s your turn… why are you staring at me like that?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow, slightly tightening her clothing.

But for some reason, her expression was also very soft and gentle. Her hand seemed to be covering her chest, but was actually just pretending.

Unfortunately, it was actually impossible for anyone to see anything even if she didn’t cover herself, given Charlotte’s flat figure.

Damn it, I didn’t know this guy was so cute?!

Seeing this adorable scene suddenly, any man would have his heart racing, right?!

Luckily, Roy was a master of facial expressions, and he managed to suppress his unusual reaction and act naturally, saying, “Oh, nothing, just a mistake.”

“Oh,” Charlotte responded dully, and then took off her shoes and padded softly towards Roy, her bare feet making a slight creaking sound on the wooden floor.

“How do you like this?”

Roy felt strange, as if Charlotte wasn’t as angry as she had been in the morning when he had seen her in her pajamas, but rather… nervous?

“It’s really cute.”

The clothes were too thin, clinging to the girl’s wet skin and revealing a beautiful, rosy complexion, making Roy unsure where to look, and he could only slightly move his head.

“Is that so, you like it…?” he got the desired response, which made Charlotte feel embarrassed, and her mouth curled up into a satisfied arc.

Charlotte picked up the basket of clothes beside her, her voice even more cheerful than before.

Before leaving, the girl looked back.

“The words spoken at dinner…”

“It was just a joke, don’t take it to heart,” Roy said with a bitter smile.

If she took it too seriously, he would be the one feeling embarrassed.

“I had a great time today too!” Charlotte finally mustered the courage to speak her mind.

Her unexpectedly straightforward words, like a kitten burrowing into one’s chest, stirred a tumult of emotions in Roy, leaving him somewhat caught off guard.

The girl stretched out her pale fingers languidly, pointing them in his direction, her tone somewhat forceful, her little face a bit tense, yet her eyes were so tender and warm.

Under the night sky and starlight, her crimson, lustrous eyes shone like the brightest stars, twinkling with the most splendid anticipation.

“Don’t forget our promise!”

“I’ve never danced with anyone before, and you better not stand me up this time!”

With that, the girl walked away with light steps, disappearing into the night.

Only Charlotte knew the courage it took to say those words. Once out of Roy’s sight, she almost fled back to her room in disarray, throwing herself onto the bed.

The little princess buried her now flushed face into the soft pillow, her heartbeat refusing to calm down.

“Ah, I said it, I actually said it!”

Just bringing up the dance appointment sent Charlotte into a flurry of emotions.

This way, Roy might feel a bit of her affection, right?

Originally, she wanted to be more reserved.

The ambiguous closeness shared on the griffin ride, the joy of hunting together, and the warmth of the sunset unique to youth – all these had intoxicated Charlotte, making it increasingly difficult for her to extricate herself.

Although the girl had harbored romantic fantasies from the start, now, she finally felt the tangible sensation of those dreams coming true.

She was determined to make this fantasy a reality.

But…

Charlotte got up, clutching the pillow, kneeling by the bed, gazing at the fragmented corner of the moon in the night sky, lost in her own melancholy thoughts.

“I wonder what he thinks…”

Under the same night sky, Roy, soaking in the warm bath, also looked up at the bright moon above.

As the villainous young master, he had to keep his distance from Alice, the true heroine and the fated girl, to stay alive.

But if Charlotte didn’t like Alice, there was no such thing as a compulsory destiny in this world…

“When will the ball come?”

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After the bath, Roy returned to his room to sleep.

The anticipation for the ball had him slightly overexcited, tossing and turning until he finally sank into slumber.

Sleep is often peaceful and serene.

But amidst the haze, Roy suddenly felt a trembling from the depths of his soul that he couldn’t stop.

In the boundless darkness, there was a cluster of sinister, crimson fire.

A terrible flame, utterly unlike Charlotte’s noble and vivid scarlet.

It was the color of blood.

In a daze, swords clashed, and the battle roared to the heavens.

A colossal creature spread its wings, the sky burned to nothingness, and a rain of fire poured down, eliciting pitiful howls from all living beings.

At the end of blood and fire, the young prince and eleven knights, riding griffins, charged fearlessly towards the mountain peak piercing the clouds, against the fiery rain.

But it was just a moment.

More images, as numerous as stars in the sky, flooded in, nearly suffocating Roy.

He remembered this palpitation.

He had felt the same when he took the “Ironblood” potion!

Then too, many images had flashed by, but he had no time to care.

Now he realized, he had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg!

He saw the young prince facing the fiery disaster head-on.

He saw the black-haired knight at the zenith of the sky, striking at the black dragon.

He saw, atop unnamed mountains, something ancient, massive, majestic, indescribable, with supreme divine might, crossing the boundaries of time and space, casting a glance at him.

“…Nock… descendant…”

“Black hair, …eyes, thou art… descendant…”

Every word from the ancient being tore at Roy’s soul with pain.

But compared to when he took the potion, he found himself gradually adapting.

And the mumbled, vague whispers were becoming clearer.

But just as Roy was about to discern the meaning of the whispers, everything before him was engulfed by a raging inferno.

Just like the first image he saw.

The apocalyptic fire, a natural disaster.

In the depths of rolling magma, at the end of the subterranean flames, it seemed as if something ancient, something that should have been forgotten by mankind, slowly opened its eyes.

At that moment, the agony of the flames searing his heart struck Roy.

Roy woke from his sleep, startled, gasping for air, clutching his chest tightly.

He almost crushed his chest to confirm that his heart was still there, not turned to ashes.

“Just now, what was it…”

Roy clutched his head, desperately trying to recall the dream he just had, yet it felt as if flames were scorching his brain.

Amidst the severe pain, he could only remember fragments.

There were only two important pieces.

One was the murmuring, a colossal being standing atop the pitch-black summit.

And the other…

“What kind of joke is this?”

Roy slowly looked out the window, feeling as if the distant towering volcano was coming to life.