I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand

 

✿

 

The soft air and the occasional gloomy scream.

The interior, decorated like the inside of a mansion with the lights off, was like a blocked space from the outside.

 

It was daytime earlier before we entered, but it was dark as if it was the middle of the night here.

 

The interior, which was reduced to low illumination, clearly showed that this wasn’t an ordinary restaurant.

 

There was nothing in the endless straight corridor, but it felt like there was something there.

 

Rather, it looks suspicious to be clean and empty.

 

“It wasn’t a restaurant…”

 

Merria was reluctant to take a step and spoke to her lover.

 

Reukis was also in a state of bewilderment. It was because he realized something he didn’t even know before.

 ‘Darkness.’ 

Reukis was a brilliant dark knight. In other words, he could create strong darkness that turns the sky of a wide battlefield into a black night in an instant.

 

So she thought it was impossible for Reukis to feel repulsed by the darkness.

 

Because right after his mana rampage from childhood, he locked himself in the dark.

 

But that and this situation were different. It was darkness created by others, not by him. He feared this moment, left helplessly in the dark.

 

It felt like he was going back to the night of the storm when he couldn’t control the darkness.

 

Suddenly he couldn’t breathe and heat rose around his eyes. The darkness grew bigger by noticing his agitation.

 

With minimal instinct, Reukis suppressed the darkness from getting out of his body.

 

The darkness threatened him like a beast with the reins unleashed, despite Reukis’ efforts.

 

As time went by, he suffocated.

 

“Oh… ah, huh.”

 

At the sound of breathing, which grew harshly, Merria blinked her eyes and looked at his expression.

 

“Hey.”

 

His trembling pupils and moonlit breath made her guess his condition roughly.

 

“Reukis?”

 

When I called his name and he didn’t answer, my doubts changed into conviction.

 

‘You’re scared… right?’

 

He had a sour look on his face like a man who ate an unripe fruit. I couldn’t believe a dark magician was afraid of this fake horror experience.

 

It’s like a fish that was scared of water.

 

‘It’s not just water. I think it’s like water in a cup.’

 

Merria laughed at her thoughts and glanced at Reukis’ complexion.

 

The shaking pupils weren’t able to notice Merria who was right in front of them.

 

Merria slowly grabbed his hand to calm Reukis, who had already lost his soul.

 

“Reukis, calm down. It’s okay.”

 

The blue energy that came out from her hands went to Reukis’ hands.

 

‘It had a calming effect on Derek. Would it work on this guy?’

 

Whether it was working or not, Merria, who was half-believing in its effect, looked Reukis in the eye.

 

Fortunately, the focus gradually returned to Reukis’ eyes, perhaps because of Merria’s power or because time had passed.

 

“Re..u..kis…yo…okay?

 

He looked away from Merria as if he needed something to fix his gaze on.

 

“Reukis, are you okay?”

 

“Ah.”

 

“…”

 

Perhaps he came to his senses, Reukis gave a brief exclamation and stepped back.

 

When the hands that were in contact with each other fell, the power that was flowing was also cut off.

 

Reukis swept his face with his hands, feeling the calm lingering in his body.

 

It was because of the slight embarrassment that came after recognizing the situation and the little emotion that he felt from Merria after a long time.

 

Merria, who was staring at the embarrassed Reukis, tilted her head.

 

‘It turns out that it’s a disgrace for a dark magician to be afraid of darkness. Well, it could be something like that.’

 

Merria, who was not even a wizard among those close to him, interpreted his embarrassment that way.

 

When I came to that conclusion, I felt as if I had seen his tender flesh.

 

She wasn’t very pleased with what she had learned, but she also wasn’t perfect as someone who has flaws, she wouldn’t ignore other people’s weaknesses.

 

Merria patted him on the arm, comforting him otherwise.

 

“Did you get scared?”

 

“…”

 

With tender worry and gentle strength, Reukis barely endured the foolishness that leaked out of him.

 

He answered by nodding his head, wondering if she would notice the redness around his eyes when they made eye contact.

 

Rather, it seemed that his figure was not okay, igniting Merria’s concern.

 

She felt a sense of responsibility and firmly said.

 

“It’s okay. If you’re scared, just look at my back and walk next to me.”

 

Merria reached her hand out to Reukis.

 

It was a silent sign asking for a hand. Reukis also understood her intentions and put his hand over her small hand.

 

Merria smiled a little at the appearance of a puppy who relaxed its guard.

 

“Let’s go outside.”

 

Merria’s light words threw a small stone on Reukis’ heart and plunged deeply.

 

The stone she threw sank into his mind and settled in. Slowly and steadily enough that even Reukis himself doesn’t recognize it.

 

✿

 

Under the guidance of Merria, the two safely escaped the horror experience and headed straight to the bright square.

 

Even after she came out, she carefully looked at Reukis’s face every now and then.

 

Fortunately, he looked fine. Except once in a while, his earlobes seemed red and he kept avoiding my eyes.

 

Merria, who was staring intently at his side of the face, turned her head with a light heart.

 

Reukis was not in a bad condition, so the date between the two continued.

 

Merria said as she found a familiar cafe while walking without a definite destination. 

 

“Would you like to go there and drink something?” Merria asked, pretending like it’s natural.

 

There was something I wanted to check out there rather than taking a break or because of thirst.

 

Reukis nodded immediately again this time.

 Jingle~ 

When I opened the door, an employee recognized me and guided us. It was not a typical table, but a place with a wall-side view.

 

“Oh, not there today. I’m fine here.” Merria said, pointing to a table near it, it’s a table where she always sits.

 

She tried to hide her purpose for coming here, but today it was because she had a companion.

 

While each ordered and waited for a drink, Merria’s gaze continued to stare out the window.

 

Even if she tried not to do that, it was simply because she was curious about something.

 

This was a cafe, which she almost always stopped by whenever she went out.

 

‘It’s not there…’

 

I expected it, but I couldn’t help but feel empty every time. I looked out of the window looking forward to meeting her, but the alley was empty.

 

Merria bit her lips again and rested her chin while in thought.

 

Merria, who was known to have lived in hiding after making her debut as a child, actually enjoyed going out. Nevertheless, she was not talked on the lips of the nobles because she usually enjoyed visiting places where Merria was covered with robes and where there are few nobles.

 

The day of the year when she turned 16 was the day she went out as usual.

 

Merria wore a plain blue dress that Lexie brought, and headed to the shopping street, covering her platinum hair and face under a large-brimmed hat.

 

“Miss! Today was the day the 14th volume of ‘

The Hero’s Innocent Pursuit

‘ was released… Should I buy that book?”

 

Lexie, who points to a bookstore with a long line of customers, asks Merria if she wanted to buy a book, with a crumpled impression.

 

“That long line, are you okay with that?”

 

Lexie said she didn’t care, and vigorously spit about the popularity of the book and the reasons to buy it.

 

Merria nodded roughly as she cheered for Lexie’s love for the book.

 

“Then I’ll be looking around by myself, I’ll meet you in front of the fountain at five.”

 

“Yes!”

 

It was not dangerous to walk alone in the shopping district during the day because there were a lot of people.

 

So I went and looked around without Lexie.

 

What should I do?

 

My original purpose was to take Lexie to the new tart house, but I had some time to spare, so I was going to look around the streets before that.

 

Merria was snooping around wondering about the inside of an alley that she didn’t usually stroll around.

 

“Lady, come here and take a look.” The woman sitting in the street giggled and talked to her.

 

The woman pressed deeply on her dark purple robe, which appears to be black at first glance so that her face would not be visible, but her age and gender could be determined by her wrinkled hands and voice.

 

Was it because it looked mysterious with the unidentified items laid at the entrance of the alley where there aren’t many people?

 

Merria strode into the alley and stood in front of the old woman. The objects placed randomly on the red cloth were not in very good condition.

 

There were all sorts of things, including old books with worn-out rugged covers, rusty ornaments mixed around, and beads containing smoke that looked suspicious to anyone.

 

Merria, who had never heard of a rare wizard before, was deceived and asked.

 

“Are you a wizard?”

 

“Me? I’m not just a wizard.”

 

The old woman smirked as if it were an absurd question.

 Are you a scammer or a crazy person? 

When Merria, whose interest sank in the continuous blunt response, tried to turn around and leave, the old woman said in a dreary voice.

 

“You’ll die in four years.”

 Boom… 

Merria’s heart sank. Her anxiety grew intensely and her heart pounded violently.

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