I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand

 

✿

 

Merria, who went to bed earlier than yesterday, tossed and turned on her bed and forcibly closed her eyes.

 

After spending about two hours like this, I still couldn’t sleep, so I finally got up and lifted the soft blanket covering me.

 

“Hah… I’m not even an elementary school student excited and couldn’t sleep the day before the picnic.”

 

Now that it’s past midnight, it’s finally the day of Mrs. Fabro’s party.

 

Even with Lexie’s divine request to never wake up and just have a good sleep, Merria was still unable to sleep.

 

Nothing, in particular, has happened since the day of Reukis’ visit.

 

I received Derek’s letter from the Academy that he would apply for the Tower of Magic and then went to Miolo for the final dress fitting.

 

Merria had Lexie massage her skillfully every day, and her skin was in excellent condition.

 

‘Still, I’m so nervous.’

 

“It’s the first time I’ve ever attended a party without Lilith or Karina.”

 

As it came out of my mouth, it felt even more real, so I grabbed the blanket and buried my face in it.

 

Standing alone right away at the third party of her life. It was harsh for Merria, who had lived a life far from society.

 

Just imagining the scene of entering with Reukis tomorrow made my heart jump out of my chest.

 Am I excited? 

No, I’m not.

 

It was because I was afraid of how I would withstand the enormous pressure tomorrow, in the eyes of the nobles that would already be drawn to me.

 

‘

Well, there were familiar faces that Karina introduced before, so she told me not to worry…’

 

Some followers of Karina also comforted her in a small way by attending the party.

 

Still, I couldn’t erase the feeling of being thrown in the middle of a group of predators nakedly.

 

In the end, she tossed and turned until dawn, and Merria got up from the bed with her eyes bright and full of energy.

 

Early in the morning, Lexie, who had come to wake Merria up, found her sitting like a corpse, and staggered as she took a step back.

 

“Miss… you look just like lady Serinia who stayed in the lab all night.”, Lexie said to Merria.

 

Lexie covered her mouth with both hands and wept. She says that when Serinia comes home from being locked up in her lab for a few days, she comes out looking like a zombie.

 

Merria, who was moved by the unpleasant metaphor, answered bluntly.

 

“Lexie, you’re exaggerating it too much.” 

 

“No way. I always tell you the truth.”

 

Seeing Lexie’s fresh smile from the early morning somehow made me feel more gloomy. Merria emptied her glass of cold water and walked into the bathroom.

 

As she immersed herself in the warm water, Lexie and the dexterous maid Lucia rolled up their sleeves and started to wash Merria’s body from head to toe.

 

She first bathes in warm water, then the maids pour a fragrant oil full of the scent of the forest, then wash away with warm water again, and finally massages with the petals that soften the skin, Merria was only able to get out of the bathroom after all that preparation.

 

Merria smiled softly as she showed Lexie and Lucia her fingertips wrinkled from being soaked in the water for a long time.

 

After drying her body, Merria in a gown sat down on the vanity table, and Lucia and Lexie moved their hands in a hurry.

 

As time went on, shadows appeared in Merria’s distinct features, and her plump lips looked lovely.

 

Her platinum blonde hair, as clean as a window reflecting the sunlight, was shimmering beautifully.

 

On top of her head, a flower crown made of fresh yellow Abyss flowers was placed and layered with a diamond chain.

 

The white dress was tailored to fit her body, revealing her curves in several places.

 

When the falling platinum hair was collected to one side, there was a hidden point that cut down to the bottom of the wing bone, giving her the feeling of a mature woman.

 

Wearing her gloves, embroidered only with petals, and thin diamond earrings, Merria looked like a rebellious bride.

 

As she stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection, Merria smiled embarrassingly.

 

With every step, she took, the white skin that flared through her swaying hair made her feel strange.

 

‘Was this what they mean when they say it’s more stimulating?’

 

Merria, who decided to straighten her back and walk proudly, swept her long hair behind.

 

When I looked outside after the elaborate decorations, the sun was already setting.

 

As she sat on the sofa, thirsting for sweet fruit juice, Ruben announced the arrival of Reukis.

 

As I walked out the front door, with the sound of the heels creaking, along with a fluttering white dress, Reukis, better dressed than ever, was waiting for me.

 

Unlike before, when he always wore black clothes, Reukis dressed in a white tailcoat had a reverent atmosphere that could be called a holy knight.

 

However, the vivid gold eyes shining under his black hair, which was swept away indifferently, clearly revealed his dangerous masculinity.

 

His dry eyes turned to the sound of Merria’s footsteps instinctively. His pupils were fixed on Merria who was walking, and his eyes filled with life in an instant.

 

“Reukis.”

 

Reukis, who had stopped without even thinking of escorting the approaching Merria, finally managed to pull himself together at her call.

 

When he reached out his hand in a soft motion, Merria placed her hand on it.

 

Reukis, who wrapped his small hands, led her to the carriage.

Merria, riding in the largest and safest of all Duke Frederick’s carriages, knocked on the wall of the carriage.

 

It was a wall so strong that no matter how many horses ran at it at full speed, it wouldn’t leave a single scratch no matter how much it slammed.

 

The cushion on the chair was so fluffy that it felt like she was buried in marshmallows.

 

Reukis, who had been silent for a long time even after the carriage departed, finally started to speak.

 

“You’re very beautiful today.”

 

Reukis thought carefully about whether it would be funny to exaggerate or if it would be safe for him to say it in short words, but Merria dismissed it as something he usually said

 

Merria, who was looking out of the window, turned her gaze to him and replied with a smile.

 

“Reukis also looks cool.”

 

But even that, Reukis, who was feeling better, blushed up to his ears.

 

Reukis, who was trying to hide his reddened ears with his hair helplessly, suddenly recoiled when he saw Merria approaching in front of him.

 

As his rigid body clung to the wall of the carriage, Merria opened her eyes round and looked at him.

 

“That… doesn’t it hurt?

 

“It’s all right.”

 

He didn’t have time to pay attention to the shock he felt on his back, but his face was burning up when he thought of his excessive reaction.

 

Reukis, who bows his head as much as he could trying to hide only his face, was like a contented puppy hiding his face when playing hide-and-seek.

 

“Oh, wait a minute.”

 

Merria, who had moved from across to the seat next to Reukis, grabbed his body just before seeping into the wall and turned it around.

 

Reukis’ pupils trembled, revealing his face, which was red.

 

Merria’s expression, who was looking closely at his face, crumpled. It was strange that he was speechless and couldn’t make eye contact with me today.

 

As Merria squinted her eyes, Reukis faltered as he was about to break through the wall.

 

“As expected, you’re sick, aren’t you?”

 

“What?”

 

“I think you have a fever. I don’t think you have a cold because your voice was fine…”

 

Not knowing why his face was red, Merria, with a worried expression on her face, put her hand on her chin and immersed herself lost in thought.

 

“Normal knights say that they don’t get sick, was it bad enough if you look sick this obvious?”

 

Reukis, who could neither affirm nor deny, was rolling his eyes.

 

Merria, who thought that Reukis was forcing himself to endure the pain, said after thinking for a while.

 

“Shall we turn the carriage? I don’t mind going to the party alone.”

 

“No.”

 

Reukis shook his head so hard that he feared his hair would be ruined.

 

How could we come to the party together? It couldn’t go wrong because of one patient. Unable to resist his stern opposition, Merria took off one of her gloves and laid it down on her lap.

 

When she put her bare hand on his forehead, he felt really hot.

 

“I think you have a high fever, are you sure you’re okay?”

 

Originally, he had a high body temperature, so he was already used to it, but Reukis decided to fake a little bit of sickness because he felt sorry for the cold coming from her hand.

 

“Merria’s hands are cold, so I think I’ll be okay if we do this.”

 

Reukis, who leaned his head in her hand, looked drowsy.

 

Merria, who blinked a couple of times for the first time seeing him acting like a child, smiled and took off her other glove as well.

 

She gently placed her hands on both of his cheeks, and Reukis satisfactorily closed his eyes and felt her gentle touch.

 

“I have normal body temperature, and you’re hot.”

 

It was a harsh tone of talking to a child who said that he didn’t want to go to the hospital, but he wanted to be taken care of.

 

Watching Reukis obediently entrust his face to my hands, it felt like we were dating in a loving relationship.

 

I unconsciously touched his dark eyelashes that made a shadow over his closed eyes with my finger

 

With my thumb, I gently stroked his closed eyelids, stroking his cheeks as warm as a baby who woke up.

 

“Doesn’t your head hurt?”

 

When Reukis face returned to its original color to some extent, I asked, taking my hand off his face slowly.

 

Reukis frowns for a moment, reached out, and placed my hand back on his face as I tried to pull it off.

 

Then slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me. It was a sympathetic look that brought back previous experiences.

 

“My head hurts a little… I think I’m sick.”

 

“Oh, my!”

 

Merria patted him on the cheek, feeling sorry for how sick he was being so foolish.

 

As soon as I thought about sending him back to the mansion, the carriage began to slow down. Outside the window, there was a nice mansion with red bricks and beautiful decorations.

 

A well-designed cobblestone path was formed from the main gate of the mansion to the front door.

 

It wasn’t as big as the Rackester Mansion, but it was a mansion with the unique taste of its owner everywhere.

 

“We’ve arrived.”

 

The skilled coachman stopped the carriage without rattling. There was already a line of wagons following our carriage, so it was difficult to hold on here.

 

Merria glanced at Reukis’ complexion and led him. “Let’s go in first. I’ll ask the countess to call for a doctor”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

If the doctor examined him, it was obvious that Reukis’ illness would come out as fake.

Since he couldn’t create such a situation, he replied in the healthiest manner possible.

 

Merria, who had been pondering for a moment at his firm words, spoke in a worried voice.

 

“Okay, but please tell me if you’re having a hard time.”

 

He nodded soon after seeing Merria, who had been completely taken in by a fake illness foolishly.

 

He opened the door and walked out as Merria let go of their tangled hands first.

 

Reukis, who came down without using the stairs with his long legs, held out his hand below her and said.

 

“Take my hand and come down.”

 

Merria, who was about to get down by holding his hand, called him up.

 

“Reukis. Would you like to turn around?”

 

Reukis turned around half without saying a word.

 

I gently combed a strand of his hair that had been sticking out from bumping into the carriage wall earlier.

 

Originally, I would have to stretch out my arms to stroke his hair, but Merria had not yet gotten off the carriage, so it was much easier to fix it from there.

 

Merria smiled softly, stroking his hair a couple of times because he looked so cute with his round head resting quietly under her gaze.

 

“It’s all done.”

 

As if he had been waiting, he turned around and stretched out his hand as before.

 

When Merria got off the carriage, the servant of the Fabros, who was waiting for her, came and showed her the way.

 

As they entered the banquet hall with a particularly bright light, a group of people gathered all at once and turned their gazes to Reukis and Merria.

 

Then the banquet hall, which had been buzzing until just now, quickly became as silent as death. H

er sharp sense, which had accumulated from her previous life experiences, was telling her.

 

‘You were talking about us, weren’t you?’

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