I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 29

Episode 29

If we are to learn about Neriant, the female protagonist in this task without even a title, Neriant is a conventional and seemingly proper heroine. 

She had a warm heart, shed tears easily, and was a meticulous person. 

If one were to personify kindness, it would be Neriant. Her day was dominated by static hobbies such as sewing and drawing.

With a warm tone, she never tried running, and her slender ankles and calves, as well as her thin and smooth fingers, showed no signs of hardship. She was a well-raised noble lady, a lovely lady who set the hearts of men on fire.

Despite her fragile and gentle appearance, Neriant possessed an unwavering belief and determination that couldn’t be broken. She was a female protagonist that even Min-joo couldn’t help but love.

Inside her body, there was Se-yeon.

If Count Velirian had been more distant, he might not have noticed. If she had been an indifferent daughter with a bad relationship, he might not have noticed his daughter turned into a knight, lifting boulders with a crowbar.

Maybe he would have thought she took up exercise as a hobby or dreamed of becoming a knight.

However, Count Velirian loved his daughter deeply, overflowing with interest, proudly carrying around the handkerchief she embroidered.

Refusing to send off his beloved daughter into a cold marriage, Count Velirian adamantly rejected all matchmaking proposals. He keenly noticed Neriant’s change and realized the truth—it wasn’t his daughter.

‘Father, if you wish, I’m willing to live together for the rest of my life. I am happier living with my family than with any other man.’

Neriant, who shyly smiled and spoke these words, suddenly tried to break the Count’s arm without any warning and began spewing unheard-of profanity. It was incomprehensible how such a thing could happen.

The doubt turned into certainty not long after. Although he didn’t understand the concept of possession, he was sure she wasn’t his daughter. 

Therefore, the Count couldn’t bring himself to see his daughter. 

Someone unknown who had turned his beloved daughter’s body inside out was roaming his house, and it was mentally challenging to face.

He couldn’t bring himself to visit the temple, fearing how his daughter would be treated. Despite hiring a doctor secretly, all they said was useless; the more he saw, the healthier she seemed to become.

‘Marry her.’

So, they decided to marry her off and get rid of her right before their eyes. It was truly a magical turn of events. Since his daughter was no longer his daughter, he couldn’t call her as such.

Sending her to an unheard-of family was an unreasonable act as a father, and rather than marrying her off to a mediocre noble, it was better to marry her to a prince. Therefore, Count Velirian spared no effort to send Neriant to a place with good water and air.

As a result, he ended up having consultations with Prince Tedric, and Prince Ceteran interfered, leading to the current situation.

“Yes, Viscount Ziken has been found guilty…”

“Yes, Count. There are also rumors of a mastermind. If you read the newspaper today, it seems like they prepared it in advance.”

Count Velirian unfolded the newspaper brought by the butler. The news of the overturned gambling den was reported last night, and the next morning, it made headlines.

[Is a Slave a Human?]

It was a provocative headline, and the content was not much different. 

Seeing the newspaper, Ceteran came to mind. His words about implementing justice echoed in his mind. The Count, who participated in politics but did not belong to either the moderate or reformist faction, was relatively free, and the newspaper supported the reformist faction.

“It seems he keeps his word.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, never mind.”

If they let it go like this, Ceteran might be able to bring Tedric down. It would be better to take advantage of the situation and secure benefits before that happens. The problem was how to handle the consultation with Tedric convincingly.

The Count looked in the direction of Neriant’s room. If he tried to argue that there was a reason she couldn’t marry, it would make it difficult for her to marry Ceteran as well. The best solution was to make Tedric cancel the marriage first.

But that was not easy. The Count sighed, his head in his hands.

“Why is it like this?”

Neriant leaned against the window, watching the Count’s actions with a puzzled look. 

After causing a commotion at Vehen’s house and getting caught by the Count, Neriant was put under house arrest.

However, being a docile captive was not her style. So, she opened the window, descended the outer wall, and safely reached the ground floor. In the process, she spotted the Count groaning beyond the window.

Of course, Neriant didn’t care enough to react and simply made a face as if saying she had seen it all before running across the garden.

“Lady!”

Chete, who came to bring snacks to the prisoner, shouted, looking for the missing Neriant.

To avoid being caught, Neriant quickly ran, climbed a wall, and jumped down with shoes in hand. She continued running.

Having taken some money and knowing where to catch a carriage, Neriant’s destination was clear—Vehen’s house.

“You can’t.”

“Why? I’ll just see someone and leave.”

“There’s been no contact from House Velirian, and if rumors spread that a lady from Velirian came here like this, it will be awkward for the Duke as well.”

“I’m not here to see the Duke.”

“What?”

The gatekeeper’s eyes widened. Unless it was Vehen, there was no reason for a lady from Velirian to come this far.

“I came to see a maid in this house.”

“You can make an appointment to meet her separately.”

“Then call the maid for an appointment.”

The gatekeeper looked at Neriant with a troublesome expression. Since he seemed to be saying that she should do it herself, Neriant didn’t yield and locked eyes with him. The gatekeeper did his job so well that Neriant didn’t want to insult him by cursing him.

“Her name is Park Min-joo. She has black hair and usually accompanies the Duke. Please call her.”

“Are you talking about the dedicated maid? The Duke must be out, so she would have gone with him.”

“Then, you should have said that first. Are nobles so arrogant?”

“What?”

The gatekeeper held his ground, and Neriant, with her aggressive demeanor, didn’t back down. If the gatekeeper did his job too well, Neriant wouldn’t have bothered. She didn’t argue too much because she did her job well.

“Just tell me when she’ll be here. I’ll wait inside until she comes.”

“It’s not allowed.”

As they argued, the sound of a carriage approached from afar. Neriant wondered if it might be people sent by the Count to capture her. To blend in, she casually stood next to the gatekeeper, pretending to be one of them.

The gatekeeper glared at Neriant as if saying he’d deal with any crazy person. The approaching carriage turned out to be the Duke’s.

Anticipating that Vehen and Min-joo would be in the carriage, Neriant, with a brightened expression, ran towards it. Even if her high heels dug into the soft ground and cracked, Neriant paid it no mind.

As Neriant got closer, the carriage abruptly stopped.

“W-What is it! Move away, it’s dangerous!”

The coachman shouted at Neriant in confusion, but she ignored him and forcefully opened the carriage door.

“I’ve come to pick you up, my adorable baby kitten!”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Neriant, expecting to see Vehen, was surprised to find Min-joo sitting next to an ashy-haired man she hadn’t seen before. The ashy-haired man suddenly aimed a gun at her with a serious expression.

“Step back from the door.”

“Huh…?”

No matter how good Neriant’s reflexes were, she couldn’t avoid a gun pointed at her nose. She reluctantly raised both hands and stepped back.

Permette, unlocking the door, immediately aimed the gun as if ready to shoot.

“Ack, put the gun down! What are you doing!”

“Why are you reacting like this, Min-joo? We were attacked, so we have to respond.”

Min-joo desperately held Permette’s arm down again, but Permette straightened it out, aiming at Neriant.

Permette’s golden eyes glowed, and Neriant instinctively realized. He was a strong one. For a moment, she wanted to challenge him, put down the gun, and face him with her fists, but seeing the frightened Min-joo, that desire vanished.

“I know her, I know her! Put the gun down!”

“Do you know her? Did Min-joo have acquaintances?”

Even after hearing Min-joo’s words, Permette did not lower the gun, so Min-joo desperately tried to pry it away by overlapping her hands. 

Not a blink. Neriant found Permette’s reaction annoying.

“I’m not interested in you, so just give her and leave.”

“Huh.”

Permette, who bound Min-joo’s struggling wrists, chuckled. Neriant held the carriage door tightly, glancing fiercely at the man with the gun, while Permette aimed directly at Neriant. It was a tense situation.

Min-joo, freeing herself from Permette’s grip, shouted while raising her arms.

“She’s Neriant. The one who’s going to marry Ceteran. You can’t shoot her!”

“What? What did you say?”

It was a surprising expression without a response. Well, it was understandable. No one would expect a noble lady who was going to marry the Third Prince to barge into someone else’s house, block their carriage, and forcefully open the door.

Moreover, Permette had never seen Neriant up close.

Permette had been voluntarily ostracized in high society. He didn’t know the faces of other nobles well, but he knew their past actions in detail.

So, Permette reluctantly lowered the gun and released Min-joo’s wrist. Min-joo sighed and nudged Permette with her shoulder, signaling to Neriant.

“Come in for now.”

Neriant looked at Min-joo and smiled brightly, then hopped into the carriage. Now that they were together, Min-joo felt awkward.

She had thought they would meet soon, but this sudden encounter was unexpected, and it seemed improper to bring a guest into a house without its owner.

Looking at Neriant, Min-joo hesitated. After a moment of contemplation, she turned to Permette, who was sitting there.

“I, um, need to talk with my friend. You can go first.”

“Would I be a hindrance?”

“What?”

Permette protruded his lips and stared at Neriant, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. He wasn’t as standoffish as Vehen.

Putting a lock on Permette’s gun, Min-joo tucked it away in her embrace.

Fearing that Neriant might be tempted to escape, Permette squeezed Min-joo’s hand tightly.

“I heard she says she’s taking you. And as you mentioned before, you’re relying on Lady Velirian, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Why you should go?”

It was so absurd that Min-joo couldn’t even formulate a reply. Permette looked at her with a slightly furrowed brow, and his deep, thoughtful gaze met hers.

His large and rough hand, his broad shoulders twitching slowly, and his lips hesitating as if carefully choosing words were all unfamiliar to Min-joo.

“If His Excellency didn’t permit it, I don’t want it either. The planned matter is mostly settled, and there’s no reason for me to stay here any longer. But still, please don’t go.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to be with you.”

Out of affection, that’s why. 

Min-joo couldn’t understand it, but she carefully pondered Permette’s words before responding.