I Don't Want To Do a Romantic Comedy With a Villain! - Chapter 50

Episode 50

“Listening to it, rumors about Min-joo have been circulating ominously within your residence, right? What’s the use of a man who can’t even care about his lover’s reputation but sticks around all day? It won’t make things any better. Just because he closely monitors doesn’t mean it’s all the same protection, right?”

It made him angry because everything he said was true.

Vehen opened his eyes wide and clenched his fist when he heard this. Suddenly, a warm sensation was felt over the tightly clenched fist.

Min-joo had placed her hand on top of Vehen’s fist, enveloping it.

Surprised, Vehen opened his mouth, and Min-joo looked at him with a troubled expression.

‘Hold it in. You’ll lose to him; you have to endure it.’

Even though he stayed with her all day, he couldn’t provide perfect safety.

He felt like he was going crazy with anxiety.

Vehen was feeling extreme anxiety and fear about losing Min-joo.

Tedric, seemingly adept at scratching Vehen’s nerves, didn’t stop talking.

With each word Tedric uttered, Vehen had to restrain the urge to throw a punch.

“Stop looking for the sorcerer. I’ll make sure Min-joo returns. You just do what you need to do now.”

“What is it that I need to do?”

Suppressed and suppressed again, a low, fractured voice emerged.

Unable to move Min-joo’s covered hand, he could only grip it so tightly that his nails dug into his palm.

Tedric laughed.

As always, gently.

“Pull me down and proclaim my brother as the emperor.”

He almost jumped up. How could he say that so blatantly?

Perhaps it was Min-joo’s influence or simply a cool remark in the deaf reception room.

Veins bulged on Vehen’s forehead.

“You speak as if you wish for that, Your Highness.”

“Ceteran is like a child, innocent and full of justice. He wants to do the right politics and become a saint. He talks a good game, but isn’t the throne contested by the Empress and DeVirté, not his brother? How did I not know that?”

“Why, you know all about it.”

“You think I’m just going to give up the throne to the Empress and the Duke? It’s a shame you think so little of me.”

He had never underestimated him. No one knew how thoroughly he had prepared to break Tedric’s lofty nose.

Vehen unconsciously reached out to Tedric.

It seemed like unless he strangled him or punched him in the face, his anger wouldn’t subside.

Squeezing the cushion, pressing that gentle face, and breaking his nose would probably make him feel better.

Min-joo grabbed Vehen’s sleeve, and with an urgency that matched her desperation, Vehen turned toward her without pushing her away.

“Sit down, Vehen.”

“…You.”

Vehen’s emerald eyes lost focus, and through the opened seams, rough breaths escaped. The veins that surged to contain his anger moved like living snakes.

If left alone, Vehen would undoubtedly cause an incident. Just thinking about Vehen, accused of assaulting the crown prince, being executed made the back of the speaker shudder.

Though Vehen’s sudden anger was unclear, it needed to be stopped first.

Min-joo looked straight at Vehen, her black eyes determined.

“You can endure this. Endure it, Vehen.”

“No.”

“I have to go get my things. Let’s go together, to the house. Let’s go back together.”

Min-joo grabbed Vehen’s hand. The large hand held by the small fingers was trembling slightly.

Min-joo ran her thumb over the back of his hand, pressing firmly as if massaging.

“Your Highness, I’ll go. We’ll talk next time.”

“If you leave now, when will you come back to me?”

“Arranged a place for me to stay. Don’t try to kill me just because I leave.”

“I can’t be sure if you leave me alone for too long.”

Tedric, who had scratched and taunted Vehen’s emotions, waved hands calmly.

As if trying to take away the gaze fixed on Tedric, Min-joo forcefully squeezed Vehen’s hand.

Eventually, Vehen looked down at Min-joo and composed his breathing.

“Let’s talk on the way, us. There’s a lot to discuss.”

“…”

As Vehen was about to bid farewell to Tedric, Tedric raised his head with a hesitant expression.

“That’s enough. Go on.”

“Yes. Until next time, Your Highness.”

“Min-joo, please comfort your lover. He seems quite angry.”

Afraid that Vehen might grab Tedric by the neck and throw him, Min-joo quickly pulled Vehen’s arm and left the reception room.

The corridor was deserted, and the light shining through the windows looked bright and refreshing, making it even more desolate.

Min-joo and Vehen quickly passed through the corridor and got on the carriage.

In a hurry, Min-joo didn’t even think about stopping by Ceteran to say hello.

The carriage was, as always, luxurious, and the sofa was soft.

Perhaps because it was a somewhat familiar space, Min-joo felt a little relieved.

It felt like the tension was easing.

Leaning back with her shoulders, Min-joo examined Vehen’s condition.

He seemed unexpectedly anxious, restless, and terrified. What could be so frightening?

He wasn’t a character to be frightened by Tedric.

Min-joo still tightly held the trembling hand of the man who seemed ready to punch with all his might.

Vehen, with moist, emerald eyes like a field wet with rain, looked at Min-joo.

Avoiding his persistent gaze, Min-joo lowered her head.

“You must be very surprised. I was incredibly surprised too.”

“…What on earth happened? Explain properly.”

Vehen placed his fingers on Min-joo’s palm, and with a slight scratching motion, he interlocked their hands.

Feeling the sensation of his thick fingers delicately grazing her palm and covering her hand like claws, Min-joo shivered. It was ticklish, and she shook her shoulders.

It was done almost unconsciously, but it was intensely deliberate as if moving his fingers with utmost consciousness.

Min-joo cast a sidelong glance at Vehen.

“Well… Should I tell you from the beginning, or summarize it?”

“Just tell me the important parts.”

“Because I wasn’t sure if I could go back home, I went to the dimensional wall where I had teleported, but Tedric caught me eavesdropping and kidnapped me.”

“Explain in detail.”

Vehen’s fingers slowly traced Min-joo’s palm. Unsure if he would let go, Min-joo debated whether to withdraw her hand or pretend not to notice.

“I went on a stroll with Permette… and it happened when I was alone. I saw a dimensional wall nearby, where I had teleported before, and wanted to check it out. Since I’m always inside the house and it’s hard to go out, I thought it would be nice to take a look while I was out.”

Did she make him angry? It must have been difficult since she had caused trouble.

Min-joo spoke, her shoulders hunched, and head lowered. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Vehen’s reaction.

“On my way to the wall, I saw Tedric. He was talking about dealing with reformist nobles who were protesting about slave rights and even dealing with the sponsors supporting those nobles. I wanted to inform you as soon as I heard, but I got caught hiding.”

“And then?”

Vehen’s voice didn’t change its pitch dramatically as if he were angry, nor did it sound accusatory. It was calm as usual, rough, and strangely gentle.

Min-joo finally felt she could straighten her hunched shoulders a bit.

“If I run, I might get caught and killed, and if I pretend not to hear and get caught, I might die too. So, I pretended to be a spy. On the day we fought in the dressing room… there was a maid named Chichen who approached me. I don’t know if she’s a spy or if she likes you.”

“Probably a spy.”

“Yes, that seems likely. So, I told Tedric that Vehen knows about the spy, has bought her, and even leaked false information to create confusion. I said I came to deliver the message in a hurry… and I told him I could prophesy because he was trying to kill me.”

“You did well. It’s better than dying foolishly.”

“And Vehen.”

Although he seemed unable to control his anger earlier, now that they were having a conversation, he didn’t seem angry at all. Instead, he appeared more concerned about Min-joo.

Min-joo lifted her head to face Vehen.

She met his intense emerald eyes, solemn yet neat with well-groomed dark brown hair that looked almost perfumed. It was as if she was unnecessary from the beginning.

Yet, there was a desire in his face, a longing that Min-joo recognized as directed towards her.

“Why?”

Vehen asked. Underneath his initial response, anxiety was evident.

“It’s Tedric. How about persuading him to give up the throne? He didn’t seem like he wanted to become emperor as much as it seemed. In the future, he assassinated the empress, and when that time comes, it will be truly unstoppable. I want to prevent it before that happens, without shedding blood if possible.”

In her conversation with Tedric, Min-joo gained a lot of insights.

Tedric desired to become emperor, but it wasn’t a matter of personal greed. It was more accurate to say that he wanted to ascend to the throne because he had to be the emperor.

Moreover, he foresaw his own death. When Min-joo told Tedric that he would die in the future, he didn’t show any signs of fear. Instead, there was a curiosity about how he would die—a body destined to die, wondering about the manner of death.

Even if he became emperor, he knew he would die. It was not a prophecy but a future predicted through intuition and calculation. Though unfortunate, he didn’t necessarily have to die. If it were possible to avoid shedding blood, it was better not to see it.

She already knew the fear and despair that came with seeing blood. She experienced it enough when Vehen’s mansion was attacked and through the incident with Mireille.

She didn’t want to experience it again.

As Min-joo carefully chose her words to convince Vehen, Vehen spoke first. His attitude wasn’t particularly friendly.

“…I don’t have good feelings for the Crown Prince.”

“It seemed that way. It was quite noticeable.”

“I lost my parents to the Crown Prince. More precisely, it was the Count Mirtese, his subordinate, who killed them. But above him was the Crown Prince.”

“It’s a rather sudden personal matter. I’m sorry, but how should I react so that Vehen’s feelings won’t be hurt?”

Although it was an unexpectedly shocking statement, Vehen seemed unaffected.

Min-joo knew about Vehen’s past. For a secondary male protagonist, there should be some background story.

Vehen lost his parents in a carriage accident. On a rainy day, the carriage slipped on a steep road, falling off a cliff. The duke, along with his wife, including the coachman, held their breath.

Vehen was seventeen at that time.

After losing his parents, Vehen cast away his soft past to fill their vacant positions. He became the unfeeling and indifferent person he is today.

It wasn’t a grand or remarkable past narrative, but for an ordinary teenager, it was a sad event that was difficult to accept.

There weren’t any other significant storylines besides the tragic event of losing his parents. It was merely a few lines of dialogue, and it didn’t develop into a major plot.

However, it seemed to be a considerable source of pain, more than Min-joo had initially thought.

The setting that ended in just a few lines didn’t seem significant, but the anger Vehen had shown in front of Tedric was not a light emotion.

“Don’t react. Just… just let it be.”

“…It must have been difficult.”

“It was back then. That’s why I hoped the Crown Prince would face consequences.”

It’s in the past tense. Does it mean he doesn’t hope for that now?

Min-joo observed Vehen. While Vehen showed intense emotions in front of Tedric, he didn’t seem to feel the same anger during their current conversation.

“You don’t seem so eager for revenge now.”

“…Forget it. It’s already annoying enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just said it. So, what about status and the house?”

He deliberately changed the subject. Min-joo quickly noticed, but pressing him further didn’t seem like it would yield a response.

Min-joo awkwardly scratched the back of her head. The hands still clasped together felt strange.

“It was a conversation during breakfast. If you imprison someone you hate, your reputation will suffer, and you won’t want others wandering around your space. So, he offered to find a house for me, saying it might be dangerous for an unknown commoner to live in a good house. He also said he would provide a status.”

Vehen tapped his chin at a steady pace.

Tedric was arrogant. At the same time, he was shrewd.

By giving Min-joo a residence as a gift, he intended to limit her living environment, control her activities, and keep an eye on her. If Min-joo were to live in the house Tedric provided, it would be filled with Tedric’s people, and he could monitor Min-joo’s every move.

Even if Vehen or Neriant visited Min-joo’s house, the servant, a person of Tedric, would relay the conversation. A ploy to control Min-joo’s social life and activities, including giving her a status.

Vehen furrowed his brow. He couldn’t let it happen like that.

“No, you’re my maid. You can’t go anywhere.”

To protect and ensure Min-joo’s safety, Vehen harbored possessive desires.