I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 14
Episode 14
“Let me down. We’re already here.”
The urgent shout echoed through Permette’s mind. It was only then that Permette looked at Min-joo, who was now tugging at Permette’s clothes, muttering and tearing at the fabric.
“That’s an expensive clothes.”
“What does it matter?”
“Do you have money to ask about it?”
Min-joo, who had neither money nor possessions, let out a sigh of sorrow and reluctantly released Permette’s clothes. Yes, these were the reactions…
Permette belatedly realized that by teasing Min-joo and Vehen, he had become distracted and hadn’t given Min-joo time to change clothes.
Time is precious, and if he allowed her to change clothes now, it seemed unlikely she would come back.
“I’ll give you a robe, so put it on.”
Permette, tossing Min-joo onto the sofa as soon as he finished speaking, threw a neatly folded robe towards her as if presenting it.
From the robe covering Min-joo’s upper body emanated a strange and subtle odor.
“What’s this smell? Get it washed and buy a new one. You have plenty of money.”
“I’ve been working. If you’re curious about the cause of the smell, I can tell you, but…”
It seemed someone had been harmed on Vehen’s errand. Just like Permette’s setup. Min-joo shuddered at the truth she understood without words.
Still lying on the sofa, Min-joo raised the robe.
“I hope it’s not your blood.”
“Of course not.”
“Now you want me to wear this…”.
When Permette, seated opposite her, tapped the carriage, it smoothly moved forward. Min-joo frowned at the robe.
“Don’t want to wear it.”
“You should wear it.”
“Why?”
Permette, who had loosened the neatly tied cravat around his neck, unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a long, deer-like neck.
“If rumors circulate that you and I are having fun, that’s fine with you.”
“Ugh, I’ll wear it.”
Servants working in noble mansions had designated attire, and the attire varied from house to house. Min-joo’s maid outfit unmistakably belonged to the DeVirté family’s servant.
At the suggestion that it might appear as if there was something between her and Permette, Min-joo unfolded the robe and draped it over her shoulders. It was heavier than she thought.
“It’s heavy.”
“Probably because of a lot of blood…”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Even though she spoke like that, she was someone who would wash it multiple times a day. A character with a clean image in unnecessary details.
Why did such a character come to the mansion before washing the robe? Not particularly curious.
The robe Min-joo wore, tailored to Permette’s height, reached down to her toes, and there was still plenty of room around the waist. Min-joo fidgeted within the robe, untied the apron, and let it down outside the robe.
“…”
Her eyes met Permette’s. Seeing the sudden appearance of what looked like a skirt outside the robe, Permette widened his eyes, gripping the sofa. If he thought it was a skirt, shouldn’t he be covering his eyes? He should have that level of quick thinking.
“I thought you were undressing.”
“Apron, it’s an apron. Why are you even looking at that? Are you a pervert?”
“Surprised, that’s all.”
Whether he was surprised or not, Min-joo, seeing him respond seriously, couldn’t help but chuckle and rested her chin on her hand.
Countless trees passed by beyond the window. A different kind of comfort, a different structure from a car. It felt foreign once again.
“I should clarify a little about my misunderstanding.”
A soft, melodious voice echoed through the carriage. Min-joo glanced at Permette out of the corner of her eye, and Permette neatly removed his jacket and laid it on the sofa.
“To call you His Highness the Crown Prince’s spy would be insincere and incompetent, and to call you a sorcerer would suggest a lack of knowledge.”
In reality, she wanted to sue him for defamation. The bones that had been verbally beaten felt like they were throbbing.
Min-joo glanced at Permette with a slight irritation, absentmindedly rubbing her shoulder.
Permette, with an affectionate smile, leaned forward and narrowed the distance. Though it was a somewhat inappropriate attitude, his yellow eyes flashed sensually like a wolf’s.
“If your words are true, what are you?”
His ashy hair, touched by the light, turned white, and his moon-like eyes were transparent as if facing the sun. His carefully crafted face looked warm.
“If I may ask, are you a lion, even dropped from the sky by the gods? A messenger of the gods, fallen from the heavens.”
It was a mocking question, filled with disdain for the extravagant words. In a world with temples and deities, Min-joo was a being beyond that.
Min-joo couldn’t answer and turned her head completely towards the window.
“Or perhaps some prophetic oracle…”
“Are you crazy? What’s an oracle to a human?”
Even if she was incompetent and had nothing, an oracle was something else. At the very least, they should be of the same species.
Min-joo glared at Permette fiercely, but Permette was genuinely troubled and pained.
“I don’t know. No matter how much information I gather or speculate…”
“…”
“I can’t accept the fact that there’s another dimension. Are you really an extraterrestrial from beyond?”
“No, please protect my species. Isn’t dimensional travel more plausible than extraterrestrials or prophetic oracles?”
“None of them are plausible.”
To him, who believed only in what he could see, dimensional travel was an excessively extravagant truth.
Min-joo briskly pulled out her arm, still hidden under the robe.
“Seeing only this, it makes me wonder if you’re really an oracle.”
“I asked you to protect my species.”
The robe lay on the floor. Without unnecessary words, Min-joo stomped on the robe with a sense of satisfaction. Permette silently observed without offering any criticism.
Min-joo didn’t bother to mention that she had stomped on his robe just to satisfy his curiosity. Instead, she redirected the conversation to resolve his curiosity.
“In a world where sorcerers exist, where is the guarantee that dimensional travel doesn’t?”
“Sorcerers have been suppressed and erased from the world for a hundred years. Whether they exist is also unknown.”
“They probably exist. I have a magic book that’s only been around for 40 years.”
Permette seemed a bit surprised.
The revelation that a sorcerer who disappeared a hundred years ago had survived and even created a book left Permette unable to conceal his astonishment. Although it couldn’t be confirmed if it was a book created by the sorcerer.
“I know that you’re instructed by Vehen to investigate sorcerers or magical books. That’s why you’re telling me this, right? Because you couldn’t find any traces.”
“Claiming to prophesize, and resorting to manipulation.”
“It’s not manipulation. Even without manipulation, you should know. You said those things to convince me to withdraw the request from Vehen.”
To be honest, he was surprised. She had just brought it up, and yet he could sense her inner thoughts and received a straightforward response.
Unless it was someone he had known for a long time, such reactions were not easily given. It wasn’t the Permette he had known for a long time, and he focused on Min-joo with an intrigued attitude.
“Still, find it for me. You also want to get rid of me, don’t you?”
For a moment, it felt like his throat was blocked, and he couldn’t respond. When Permette got interested, he would dig in and rummage until the end.
There had undoubtedly been a time when he wanted to get rid of Min-joo, especially when he misunderstood her as a spy or a fraud.
But now that he knew Min-joo wasn’t a spy or a fraud, and he became interested in the fact that she could perform dimension travel and prophesize, his perspective shifted.
Moreover, it was intriguing that she seemed to know him so well, despite having met him only recently.
No one had ever tried to see through Permette’s true intentions. No one in his life sought to understand him.
“If it doesn’t cause harm… there might be no need to get rid of it.”
Is this okay? For the first time, Permette felt confused about his decision. He had always obtained certainty without any hesitation, and this was the first time he felt uncertain.
The swaying carriage came to a stop.
As if avoiding the seat, Permette stood up and opened the carriage door. Stepping onto the ground, he turned back, extending his hand towards Min-joo. He knew she wouldn’t take it, but still.
“Just take the clothes and we’ll be back.”
Min-joo stepped down from the carriage, as expected, but it felt strangely disheartening. Permette clenched his fist in the air and followed Min-joo who was walking ahead.
Her robe, fluttering along with her skirt, mingled with the scent of her robe lingering around her nose and his fragrance. Strangely, his gaze was drawn to her.
“Let’s go together.”
Min-joo suddenly felt curious. If she stayed by his side, would he recognize her, someone no one had ever bothered to acknowledge before?
They arrived at the clothing store, and Fortis handed over a box of clothes.
Even though she had bought so much, there were still clothes left. Min-joo, who stubbornly insisted on carrying them herself, eventually yielded half to Permette because the stacked boxes obstructed her view.
Fortis playfully chuckled, finding Min-joo’s situation cute.
“Are you wearing the viscount’s clothes? You look like you stole your brother’s clothes, and you’re very cute.”
“I think I am.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. People with black hair always look young…”
That Min-joo could naturally blend in here was also a reason. This place had a variety of hair colors, skin tones, and body types. If not, Min-joo might have become a spectacle.
“Everyone looks the same, whatever. Anyway, any news?”
Permette, instead of Min-joo, responded in a low voice, leaning to the side and poking Fortis. Fortis started writing on a piece of paper without saying anything.
Fortis’ handwriting was so messy that it was difficult to understand. Min-joo had to chew on it for a long time to decipher it, but Permette easily recognized it and put it in his pocket.
“You did have news.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been trying so hard not to raise suspicion, you should give me extra pay.”
“Okay. I will.”
Fortis playfully smiled with a charming twinkle in her eyes. Permette, quite calmly, turned to Min-joo.
“Do you want to change your clothes?”
“Anyway, we’re going back, so why bother?”
“I just want to see if it suits you. You mentioned that my robe is heavy too.”
Permette spoke with a gentle smile. It felt like the affectionate words of a lover, making Min-joo disgusted.
She knew it was an insincere action. He used such affectionate behavior merely as a means to navigate society. Like wearing a mask, it was acting.
Someone who didn’t want to show 100 and only showed 50, covering it up with a seemingly naive and affectionate demeanor. How could one develop genuine feelings in such a situation? A dishonest attitude doesn’t earn trust.
Min-joo looked down at the robe just before it touched the ground. It was indeed uncomfortable.
“Well then, I’ll go change.”
After putting down the baggage, Min-joo picked up one box and went into the workshop. Fortis offered to help, and followed Min-joo inside, and seeing this, Permette, who had brought all the belongings, left the place first.
The dress she had brought was quite a bright light pink.
The sleeves were wide but not uncomfortable, and the lightly tied waistband didn’t make it hard to breathe. The only thing that felt a bit awkward was…
“The front is too revealing…”
“Everyone wears it like this~”
Fortis, who said this, was dressed the same way. Min-joo lost her words and looked at herself reflected in the mirror.
It seemed quite nice.
However, she felt a bit embarrassed by the shabby shoes that didn’t go well with the pretty dress. When she gathered her toes, feeling awkward, Fortis smiled kindly and untied Min-joo’s hair.
“Try tying your hair neatly. It’s a shame to wear pretty clothes and leave your hair messy.”
“Anyway, I’m going to work right away….”
“I’m just lifting your mood, so what’s the harm? Come on, have a seat.”
Min-joo, who was forced into the chair, stared at herself in the mirror. She felt like she was in a hair salon.
Fortis skillfully tied up Min-joo’s hair while casually chatting and also added small accessories. It had been a long time since she indulged in such stylish activities.
When Min-joo turned her head in admiration, Fortis proudly puffed out her shoulders.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s beautiful. You’re talented.”
“Well, of course. I’m good at cutting with scissors, and sewing with a needle, so why would I be bad at doing hair?”
Fortis affectionately removed a stray thread from Min-joo’s clothes and asked her to come again next time.
As Min-joo greeted and lifted the curtain of the studio to leave, Permette, wearing a jacket, stood at the door.
Wondering if she had thrown away everything, including the luggage and the robe Min-joo had worn, she hurriedly opened the door and stood in front of Permette. She had expected him to carry the luggage, but it seemed he had left it in the carriage.
As Min-joo rushed over, Permette smiled brightly like a flower.
“It’s beautiful. I thought you would look prettiest with your hair down, but I was wrong.”
“Uh, what about the luggage?”
“I left it in the carriage. We have a place to go.”
Was it necessary to leave it in the carriage? They could have gone together. Min-joo tilted her head in confusion. Since he was generally inscrutable, even figuring out his intentions was a task.
Naturally, Permette took Min-joo’s hand and draped it over his arm, intercepting her before she could retort.
“There’s something I want to show you, so it’s better to stop by.”
“I said I’m only taking clothes.”
“I didn’t hear it well?”
Pretending not to know was a skill at the national representative level. As Min-joo tried to pull her clenched fist out with a displeased expression, Permette, who had exerted strength on her arm to obstruct, lowered his upper body.
His breath reached her ear clearly, sending shivers down her spine.
“Can you spare some time for me today?”
“Why would I?”
“I’m asking you out on a date.”
When the startled Min-joo turned to look, Permette was smiling gently, like the sunlight of a spring day. That acting again.
Min-joo made a disgusted expression at his acting.