I’m a villain, but I want to live a long life.

CHAPTER 3 ” I’m a villain, but I want to live a long life.”

“Oh my God, Mr. Sevin, what are you doing here?”

I blinked open my eyes. Familiar sights, familiar smells, and a familiar voice.

“Mr. ……?”

“I was wondering where you were, but here you are, did you finish the paperwork I gave you this morning?”

I scrambled to my feet and checked the cold clock on my left wrist. I leaned over the couch to catch a glance…….

Only five minutes had passed.

“Oh, I’m just so tired, I thought I’d get some sleep…….”

“Uh-oh, I’m about to get a little frosty. Mr. Sevin. Don’t you realize we’re in the middle of a busy season?”

“Oh, I know! That’s why I worked overtime last night…….”

“Never mind. Speaking of which, let me tell you something. Honestly, you know you’re not the only company that hires new people who don’t know anything and teaches them everything, right?”

Darry shrugged, and the iced coffee in his hand clinked. I fell silent, at a loss for words.

“You have a break room? That’s great. I know how important company well-being is these days, but don’t you think it’s a bad idea to be away from your desk for so long at a time like this?”

“…….”

” I’m a gunner, but…… Mr. Sevin, are you the kind of person who needs to be taught such obvious things?”

The deputy let out a small sigh as he finished speaking. I was dizzy from the nonstop barrage of question marks.

The words, “Then why are you in the break room…….,” stuck in my throat, but I held them back.

This was the least of my problems.

So I had to stay calm. You’ve been through worse, worse, worse, Se-bin-lee.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but how do you have a social life, Mr. Sevin? Are you a landlord or some kind of golden boy they talk about these days? No.”

“…….”

“Let’s all just try to be a little more considerate, okay?”

I nodded reluctantly, watching the deputy point to the door with his eyes. My parched throat tingled and ached.

I slowly walked past him and headed for the break room door, a deep sense of skepticism settling in.

“Mr. Sevin, are you the owner of the building, or are you one of those gold diggers they talk about?

Darry’s voice echoed in my head.

“Not unless I’m reborn”.

I sighed and tugged on the door knob. Suddenly, blinding light poured in through the crack in the open door.

I reflexively scowled. The light was so bright it was almost blinding. And then…….

“Has the Duke of Tigeris contacted you yet!”

“That, that…….”

Someone’s voice became a little clearer. As I listened, I could hear the murmurs of several people.

“What kind of nonsense is that, that we can’t figure out what’s wrong? If we can’t get up and go……!”

“Dad, calm down.”

A familiar voice spoke up, calming someone down. It was Estelin.

A strange sense of relief washed over me that didn’t match the situation. I clenched my fists under the covers and drew in a small breath.

“I’m still in this world.

Darry’s image was too vivid to be a dream.

The way he looked at me, the way he mocked me, the way he laughed. I still shuddered at how vivid the sensations were.

I was secretly trying to calm my emotions.

“It’s all my fault……. I’m the reason why Selenea died. …….”

The voice of a crying child.

“……Eria.

I opened my eyes slightly and scanned my surroundings.

Through my blurry vision, I could see Eria, her face blue and her shoulders shaking.

She was terrified that I’d taken her cup from her and knocked it over.

I nodded inwardly, feeling a little sorry for her, but then she started sobbing.

“Now, I never dreamed that the cup was poisoned……. If Young Ae doesn’t wake up soon…….”

Eria’s voice trailed off, and then she broke down in sobs.

“Oh, I’m so sorry……!”

“It’s going to be okay, Eria, the doctors said the vein results aren’t too bad, we just need to wait and see…….”

And then it happened.

Suddenly, my whole body started throbbing, and the pain was overwhelming.

Eventually, a grunt escaped my mouth. In an instant, a crowd gathered around.

“The Princess!”

Cringing at the sudden outpouring of attention, I forced myself to open my eyes slowly.

I let out an unnatural groan as if I had just woken up.

“Ugh, ugh…….”

“Youngae……, are you awake?!”

Someone grabbed my hand. It was Eria, her face covered in tears.

“……, where am I?”

Her voice cracked. She sounded very sick, I thought.

Estelin took a step closer and said with concern.

“Oh, this is my room. I was going to take you to the guest room, but in my haste to get to the room closest to the ballroom, I got lost…….”

She trailed off apologetically. But before she could reply, Eria interrupted again.

“Young Ae, are you all right, or are you very ill?! Someone must have poisoned the glass……. Young-ae drank it and got sick…….”

Eria’s lips quivered. Her reddened eyes were filling with tears again.

I squeezed my eyes shut in embarrassment and thought to myself.

“…… is a child,” I thought to myself, “after all that bossiness a moment ago.

No matter how tough I put on a front, a twelve-year-old didn’t seem to be able to handle it. I felt myself relax a little.

“It’s me……, Miss Eria. I’m fine, stop crying.”

But my sobs grew louder.

I stiffened as I watched her sobbing, unable to breathe properly.

Just then, someone patted her shoulder and stepped forward.

His brown hair was swept neatly over his forehead, and he was handsome beyond his middle age.

“Duke Laurent?

The lead actor in the original. It was Calypso Laurent, Estelin, and Eria’s father.

“It’s been a long time, Selenea, not since I saw you often as a child.”

I slowly rose to my feet to greet him, but another throbbing pain shot through me and I sagged back down.

I frowned, and the Duke looked down at me and said worriedly.

“Just lie down. You need to rest now.”

He narrowed his eyes and added.

“Eria was right. The drink you drank was poisoned. Someone at the party must have played dirty.”

He wiped his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

I coughed and avoided his gaze.

“I’m the one who pulled that dirty trick.” …….

My buried conscience prickled.

“We’ll have to investigate further, but they say it’s not the strongest poison on the market, so for now, you’re lucky you’re in this condition.”

Duke Laurent spoke softly. I nodded shakily.

It was no wonder no poison had been detected. The tears of the gods were no mere poison.

It was more like a functional drug.

Only dangerous in larged doses.

While I was still racking my brain, I suddenly heard the Duke’s serious voice.

“What would have happened to Eria if she had taken that drug…….”

A strange look of guilt crossed his face as he shook his head as if the mere thought was horrifying.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. The Duke said.

“……I am greatly indebted to you.”

The sincerity in his voice made me smile wryly.

Suddenly, he bowed briefly to me. I froze, wide-eyed.

I froze, wide-eyed.

The head of one family, a duke, bows to the youngest member of another family.

It was an overly generous gesture of gratitude.

Bewildered, I looked around and saw others bowing in the same way.

And they weren’t just bowing like the peacock.

“Your waist is folded at exactly the right angle.

I blinked in confusion and swallowed hard.

‘Gee, I feel like I’ve been beaten pretty good…….’

Apparently, to the people of this mansion, I had become ‘the benefactor who saved Eria’s life’.

Without knowing the context, that might be true,

After a moment of silence, I couldn’t help but feel awkward and muttered softly.

“Eh, I only needed Eria to be safe, and besides, I’m pretty much fine, so there’s no need for this…….”

I meant it. But I couldn’t help but shut my mouth.

Somehow, the atmosphere became even stranger.

“I thought you were going to be angry…….”

“……Rumor has it you have a temper.”

Users chattered, and that was it.

“Yeongae…….”

Eria, who had barely stopped crying, was sobbing again.

Estelin stood behind her, mouth agape, staring at me in shock.

Even Duke Laurent looked at me, impressed, and muttered, “……She’s a sweet child.

I rolled my eyes for a moment, then nodded inwardly, convinced.

Yes, she is. Now that I think about it, the original Selenea would never have let this happen.

‘She’d have been a whale of a woman, and she’d have been evil.

Maybe she would have demanded compensation from Estelin, the party’s organizer.

No, no, it would be a relief if that was the end of it.

I slipped away from their gaze. My conscience pricked me again.

I coughed in embarrassment, and one of the maids hurriedly offered me a cup of warm water.

I hesitantly accepted it with both hands.

Then, once again, sighs erupted from everywhere.

“How can he be so humble…….”

“My God, he’s so gentle.”

“You have the virtues of a nobleman, from what I’ve heard!”

Things just kept getting stranger and stranger.