I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 3 Part 3
Having made a decision, I changed my course and left the office. Then, after stopping by my room to grab a basket and a towel, I headed straight to the East Hall, where his lodging was supposed to be.
I have enough excuses to meet him.
I’ll pretend to return these things, look him in the face, and casually bring up the topic of about Keene. I might not be able to keep my mouth shut, but I’ll think about that when the time comes.
With that determination in mind, I grabbed a knight who was just coming out of the dormitory.
“Excuse me, Sir Knight.”
“What’s the matter?”
He looked puzzled when he saw the attire, indicating that I was a novitiate. It seemed strange for someone who had no business in their dormitory to come looking for him.
“Can you tell me the location of Sir Peidos Carmel’s room?”
“…What?”
His expression immediately changed, as if he understood. Realizing that he had misunderstood something, I quickly presented the basket.
“This is Sir Peidos’s things. I borrowed them, and I have to return them.”
“Ah, I see.”
Originally, I had seriously contemplated putting fruit in the basket. But judging by the knight’s expression, it seemed like a good decision not to do so.
Peidos Carmel was, of course, very popular.
Especially since marriage was allowed for a Stella, there were some people who even tried to impress him in the temple, where intimate interactions were strictly prohibited.
If I had brought a gift, he would have thought that I was one of them. It felt like my words had some credibility since I only had one unimpressive basket to be returned.
“It’s on the third floor, well, I guess I should tell you the room number as well…”
He gave me a knowing look before adding playfully,
“Well… since it’s Sir Peidos’s room and not someone else’s…”
As a well-known figure, it was apparently awkward to reveal the room number to someone who hadn’t been verified. I wasn’t a high-ranking priest, and I was merely a trainee, so it was enough to understand.
“I know what you mean. I’ll wait in front of the stairs on the third floor. Thank you.”
“Oh, yeah. The morning training will be over soon, so you can meet.”
After saying that, he left the dormitory. Holding the basket tightly, I slowly climbed the stairs, taking one step at a time.
My face burned, and my heart started pounding. It was a mix of anticipation of meeting him and tension over whether I could actually open up to him.
Taking a trembling breath, I leaned against the stair railing.
What should I say when I see him? First, I will return the basket and handkerchief, then find a secluded place where no one is around…
“Du.”
At that moment, I heard a voice I shouldn’t have heard.
Startled, I turned to the side and saw Keene standing there, seemingly at some point, with his arms crossed.
However, for some reason, his aura was slightly different than usual. His smile was much lighter, and overall, he didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
He looked down at me and said with a sneer,
“You can’t do that, trying to enter the room when the owner is outside.”
“…….”
At that moment, my heart, which had been pounding, seemed to freeze in place. After a long time, my blinking eyes finally closed and opened. When they reopened, they started darting around even faster than before.
My hand that was holding the basket trembled. I couldn’t figure out how much he knew and why he came here.
Could it be that he noticed my intention to report him?
“Hey, is it okay for you to wander around like this? What if someone sees you.”
Swallowing my saliva slowly, I looked around. It seemed like everyone was on the training ground, and I didn’t see a rat’s ass in the long corridor.
“Are you worried about me?”
“…….”
“Or are you worried about yourself?”
Keene approached me with a meaningful smile.
Unfortunately, with the railing behind me, I had no place to step back. I looked at him with an anxious gaze as he gradually got closer.
“Why are you trembling like that? How pitiful.”
His warm hand touched my cheek, as if to console me. But that hand soon changed direction and gently stroked my ear.
Exactly where the mysterious magic had been placed before.
“Who did you come to meet?”
“…….”
“The knight you mentioned before? Your secret crush?”
Peidos Carmel is the male protagonist and the commander of the elite knight order, the Gabriel Knights.
He was so strong that it was difficult to find a rival, and, being the protagonist, it was unlikely that anything would go wrong against him.
I knew all this in my head, and yet, I still worried. I had to make sure he didn’t find out that I was here to meet him.
“Ah… no, there was a knight who helped me when I was suffering from a hangover, but he’s not the same person….”
I rambled on with excuses, avoiding eye contact. Throughout the conversation, he kept playing with my hair, from the nape of my neck to my temples, repeatedly tucking it behind my ears.
“You don’t deny you have a secret crush, do you? It doesn’t sit well with me.”
“…….”
“Fine. I’ll stop since jealous men are unattractive. But…”
He suddenly leaned forward. Due to our previous proximity, we ended up in a nearly intimate position.
But I couldn’t afford to pay attention to him. It was because of the words he whispered in my ear the next moment.
“Why did you go to the Pope’s office earlier?”
“…….”
“Did you receive help from the Pope?”
Only then did I realize the function of the magic he had planted on me.
Keene had been monitoring me. It was probably the reason why he knew where my room was.
Does he only know my location? He couldn’t have heard our conversation, right?
No, that’s not it. I had to consider the worst-case scenario. At this point, I couldn’t be certain of anything.
“Well, the Deacon, he asked me to do something….”
He stared at me with a faint smile. It was quite different from his usual habit of making nonsensical jokes.
Looking into his sharp eyes, like well-honed blades contrasting with his gentle mouth, I suddenly realized something.
This man has never been my ally.
“It just so happened that a disturbance occurred, and I was a little reluctant to interrupt with something so trivial, so I thought I’d just…… and do it later…….”
“Du, you do realize you sound like you’re making excuses, right?”
“…….”
His affectionate tone and chilly gaze told me everything. He realized that all the explanations I’ve given him until now were nothing but futile attempts to deceive him.
So I decided to confront him directly.
“You’re the one who stole the holy relic, aren’t you?”
“…….”
Keene’s smile deepened. The cold air had sparked his interest in his lifeless face.
“Are you from Magic Tower?”
“Well, seems like I’ve been caught.”
He spoke in a casual manner, as if saying, ‘The weather is nice.’
Although I had expected it, hearing it for real made my body tremble involuntarily. Having been born and lived twenty-something years in a small city, I had never once thought that I would encounter someone from Magic Tower in my life.
“How… what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
He whispered dangerously. His face looking down at me was akin to that of a lion contemplating how to crush a small bug.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Do you want to live?”
…Is he joking?
I wanted to hit him for asking such an obvious question, but the current Keene was not the usual playful person.
He was considering his options. On how to deal with me.
In this life-threatening situation, I only had one choice.
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“You were going to tell.”
“…….”
As expected, he knew my intentions. I slowly parted my lips, feeling the sweat trickle down my back.
“Well, I hesitated for a moment, but I’ve gathered my thoughts again. I really won’t say anything.”
“Hmm.”
Who could throw a stone at me.1an expression often used metaphorically, conveying a sense of defiance or questioning in the face of challenges or criticism
The past warriors who stood proudly even in front of torture were certainly remarkable. But compared to those extraordinary and excellent individuals, I am just an ordinary and weak human being.
Even among supporting characters, I didn’t have any significant role; I was just a one-dimensional extra, except for the fact that I’m Prim’s rival.
In fact, I had decided not to become involved in such matters, so my life was more important to me than any holy relic I had never seen before.
“Can you really keep your mouth shut?”
“Of course!”
I infused enthusiasm, nodding my head vigorously. My eyes even sparkled with an earnest gaze, as if explaining why their company was my dream workplace in front of an interviewer.
No, there was no need to fake anything. I genuinely wanted to live.
His purple eyes scrutinized me deeply. His gaze started from my face and descended down to my trembling hands.
The corners of his lips twitched, revealing what he was thinking. After uncrossing his arms, his hand slowly moved towards my face.
While his hand felt warm as usual, it felt chillingly eerie. In that momentary hesitation, wondering if this would be the end for me, he gradually leaned his face toward mine.
He came close enough that our noses were almost touching. Now I had no idea what he was trying to do.
Because our faces were so close, my eyes involuntarily glanced at his lower lip. Seeing his lips, which drew a softer line than his sharp chin, reminded me of the touches we shared on the day we first met.
At that moment, with fear filling my heart, unfamiliar emotions began to seep in. Considering the current situation, it was absurd and even comical. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism arising from extreme terror.
Does this person remember that night? Did it hold any meaning for him, or did he not even have a hint of affection towards me?
Was there truly no reason why they didn’t kill me on the first day at the temple? What about his kindness toward me afterward? Buying meat for me? Arguing and acting like a petty lover?
Does this person really intend to kill me?
At this point, I might have been making a wish without even realizing it. I hoped that this person had even the slightest amount of affection for me, enough to turn the tide and save me.
It was a situation when I couldn’t even close or open my eyes or see an inch ahead. Just as it seemed like Keene’s lips were about to touch mine, he suddenly stopped, and then a faint voice came into my ears.
“Let me make a proposal.”
Amidst the strange silence, I finally realized that I had been holding my breath. A sense of relief grew as my shallow breath escaped.
I didn’t think it was a disadvantageous offer, at least not until I heard what it was.
“Bring the Pope’s key within ten days. Then I’ll consider it.”
“…The Pope’s key?”
I asked, wondering if I had misheard, but instead of answering, he raised the corner of his mouth. My mind became desolate like a sandstorm had hit, facing an impossible command.
No way, it must be just a thoughtless remark. What kind of scoundrel would ask me to bring the keys to the Pope’s vault.
- 1an expression often used metaphorically, conveying a sense of defiance or questioning in the face of challenges or criticism