I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 150

Episode 150

Ceteran knew he had been taken advantage of.

How could he not? He had blatantly seen the attempt to climb on top of his head.

Yet he remained silent. He thought of her as the only person who could help him, perhaps because she resembled his mother and was easily swayed.

Ceteran looked at Neriant sitting next to him.

“Will you accept me?”

A mix of red and bright golden hair. Even when it was long, it was beautiful, but the rugged shape of the short cut was also very lovely.

There was strength in Neriant’s face that used to seem gentle.

A firm body and calloused hands.

The strong appearance of Neriant, which could not be hidden even in a dress, seemed more impressive as time went on.

While Neriant was becoming more impressive, Ceteran remained stagnant without any progress.

“…I’m afraid of disappointing you.”

“Me?”

Neriant asked with widened eyes in response to the heavy words.

Seeing her nonchalant reaction, Ceteran felt relieved as if there was no reason to be surprised or worried.

Ceteran stumbled through what he wanted to say, making a mess of it.

“Isn’t that right? Being pushed around by Marquess Trimidri, unable to stop her, even assisting her in court… A pathetic and foolish man like me is surely not suitable as a husband…”

The more he spoke, the more he felt like crawling into a hole.

His deflated voice, shoulders, and bowed head made his self-esteem seem low, like the contents of the letter.

Neriant sighed and leaned back on the sofa however they wanted.

“It’s not that bad. Being pushed around by her is not so…”

Ceteran’s head dropped further at the indifferent tone.

It was as if asking how to handle being teased because of this reaction.

If she teased him a little more, he might cry… If she pushed further, there would be no turning back.

Neriant put her arm around Ceteran’s shoulders and said in a casual tone.

“Why did you do that? Tell me the reason, Your Highness.”

Startled, Ceteran looked up at Neriant.

His eyes were filled with tears, making his stern face look adorable.

Despite wanting to tease and comfort Ceteran like a child, now was the time to recognize him and acknowledge his shortcomings.

Ceteran stumbled over his words, not knowing what to say.

“It’s my fault. I’m lacking in everything…”

“Besides that reason.”

Neriant grabbed Ceteran’s shoulders.

His red eyes widened, and his leaning body spilled onto the sofa without reservation.

“W-What… what is this now…”

Ceteran, looking up at Neriant sitting on top of him, blushed crimson.

His hands were awkwardly folded, and he could barely string together a coherent sentence.

Neriant sighed and touched the side of Ceteran’s head with her hand.

“Speak properly. I want to hear the reason.”

It felt like his heart was about to burst. While Neriant looked stunning from below, the words he had to say were not pleasant.

Ceteran fidgeted with his hands and turned his head. When he turned his head, he saw a hand with prominent veins in front of his eyes.

“Will you… not be disappointed?”

“There’s nothing to be disappointed about.”

“…Do you not even have expectations of me?”

Ceteran glanced at Neriant out of the corner of his eye.

She looked like a lion, but her actions were no different from those of a small animal, making Ceteran wonder if she should grab her and swallow her up in an instant.

But then he came to his senses and raised one corner of his mouth to smile.

“Since our relationship started without any expectations in the first place, there’s nothing to go wrong. Do you want me to be disappointed?”

“…Of course not.”

Ceteran hesitantly placed his hand on Neriant’s wrist, which was cautiously gripping the sofa.

Stop acting cute. She wants to devour him.

Neriant squeezed Ceteran’s hand and gripped the sofa again.

Ceteran’s face turned so red it seemed like steam would rise.

“Then, please tell me. Why were you treated that way?”

“Y-You grabbed my hand…”

“Do you want me to let go?”

“N-No.”

He didn’t want to let go of the hand he had just grabbed.

The calloused skin, the short nails, and the hand felt surprisingly warm.

Ceteran fidgeted with his fingers and smiled as if in ecstasy.

“It’s nice to hold hands…”

“Stop acting cute.”

“Yes?”

She couldn’t hold back the words she had been holding in.

As Ceteran turned his head in surprise, Neriant leaned her forehead against his.

A gasp escaped hastily.

“Tell me before I handle it my way.”

“…Yes, yes? Lady Velirian…?”

“Answer.”

It was a concise yet firm tone.

Ceteran strengthened his grip on the hand with clipped nails as he shrunk his shoulders.

The gaze that seemed to devour him felt dangerously intense.

It felt like he would be eaten up completely, and he would end up crying in a mess.

Yet strangely, he felt a sense of anticipation, wondering if he had gone crazy.

Ceteran lightly brushed the forehead he was holding and asked shyly.

“…If I answer, will you… at least match me?”

He keeps acting cute and she’s losing her mind.

As she was about to become a beast herself, Neriant could smile coolly.

“I’ll do that.”

With a friendly response, Ceteran closed his eyes tightly and murmured.

“…Because she resembles my mother, that’s why I was treated that way.”

“Well done.”

Neriant, still smiling like a victor, tilted her head and stole Ceteran’s lips.

Ceteran, startled by the sudden kiss, widened his eyes, then closed them again, facing the blue eyes that seemed to devour him, feeling his face flush.

They say your first kiss sounds like bells ringing in your ears and tastes like lemons.

Ceteran thought he could smell a strange scent of earth, hear rough breathing, hear dry swallowing, and taste tea.

“I-I.. haven’t failed, have I…?”

With his face reddened after the brief kiss, Ceteran asked timidly.

Neriant chuckled as she tightened her grip on the hand with clenched fingers.

Her short hair brushed against Ceteran’s head as if teasingly.

“If I say I’m disappointed, will you cry cutely for me?”

“…As if I would.”

“Then let’s say I didn’t.”

Ceteran pushed Neriant away playfully and sat up straight.

Neriant raised an eyebrow indifferently and asked.

“Why are you sulking, Your Highness?”

“It’s not sulking. But don’t you keep teasing me too much?”

“Because you’re cute.”

Was Neriant always this playful?

Ceteran couldn’t recall ever being called cute in his life. Perhaps he had heard it when he was very young.

Hearing such words with this physique and face felt embarrassing and shameful.

Ceteran attempted to change the subject with a cough.

“Anyway, Your Highness, what is it about the Empress that makes her so much like the Marquess?”

It failed spectacularly.

Neriant, who never spoke back, was either consistent or indifferent.

Ceteran trusted that Neriant wasn’t disappointed in him, yet he still worried.

Unable to easily speak, Ceteran watched as Neriant smiled relaxedly.

“What part resembles?”

That relaxed smile reassured him. There wouldn’t be any disappointment because there weren’t any expectations in the first place.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, it was just that Neriant was interested in Ceteran himself.

It felt like becoming a naive child when he was with Neriant.

Ceteran cautiously wrapped his hand around Neriant’s wrist.

“…Authoritative, pushing one’s own opinions. The atmosphere as well.”

Ceteran hesitated in his response and gauged Neriant’s reaction.

Contrary to his concerns, Neriant simply nodded without any particular reaction.

Seeing that attitude made him feel relieved that no matter how he appeared, it wouldn’t matter to Neriant.

“Then did Empress behave authoritatively towards Your Highness?”

Neriant firmly grasped Ceteran’s hand again. The subtle touch made him shiver, causing his shoulders to tremble.

Although they had occasionally hugged, it had always been a conscious effort to avoid public attention.

Today, however, the physical contact felt excessive, almost like a lethal dose. He worried his chest and face might burst.

“Yes… She did. It’s her nature, but… It was a bit overwhelming for me because she had many expectations of me. Whenever she was disappointed in me, I felt truly worthless…”

He trailed off, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

Neriant listened silently without any emotional fluctuation, then suddenly rested her head on Ceteran’s shoulder.

Startled, Ceteran took a sharp breath and froze.

What if his pounding heart could be heard by everyone?

He wants to kiss her again, but what if someone notices?

The worry was quickly overshadowed by the following words, leaving his mind blank.

“Thank you for your hard work. There’s a superior in our unit like that too. If you act as you please, they’ll be terrified and run away. Your Highness is a kind person, so it’s okay to act freely once in a while, isn’t it?”

The soldier’s tone was rough, but somehow the sentence felt soft. She didn’t think much about it. If this person said so, then it must be true.

Even if the empire were to collapse, he would believe it just because this person said so.

Is this love, or is he just so pathetic that he easily trusts people?

But Neriant’s words resonated deeply within him, leaving him nodding dumbly.

Act as he pleases. Without listening to his mother, without caring, just as he wish.

He leaned his head against Neriant’s head.

His chest trembled, and even his breathing felt cautious.

* * *

After Nelsie returned, things became chaotic.

Having reclaimed the empress’s position, Nelsie wielded power to purge the nobility and started building her influence.

Ceteran tried to establish a stronger influence than Nelsie, but it wasn’t easy.

The nobles knew.

Ceteran could never defeat Nelsie, and he needed to capture Nelsie’s heart to benefit.

Of course, Vehen was also out of Nelsie’s favor, but since Ceteran frequently summoned him to the palace, Nelsie couldn’t take any drastic actions.

In social circles, there were difficult-to-prove stories about Vehen’s insults.

Before the trial resumed, Marquess Trimidri contacted reformist nobles to request witnesses, but very few agreed.

Min-joo chuckled softly when she heard the news.

“Can you focus on me when you’re with me?”

Vehen retorted bluntly.

Wearing a hoodie and carrying Min-joo’s padding on his shoulders, Vehen looked like a foreigner traveling in Korea wherever he went.