The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The imperial summer ball was held at Lection Palace, one of the most beautiful flower gardens in the empire.
It was a place where only the most beautiful flowers in the world were gathered and displayed, and where they were enchanted to become eternal.
By the time of the current emperor, the Lection Gardens had been perfected, and the summer balls had become even more prestigious than before.
It had become a gathering place for all high nobility below the emperor.
Baron’s daughter, Citrina Foluin, took a step into Lection Garden, where lower nobles such as herself were not supposed to set foot.
Her mind raced with questions.

‘The emperor himself invited me to the Lection Garden summer ball, right? I was even given this brilliant dress.’
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand the emperor’s behavior, but she couldn’t refuse an invitation from the palace.
‘Rumors can’t have spread already about our jewelry business.’
Citrina’s jewelry business was still in its infancy.
‘Still, it’s not enough for the emperor to invite me, it’s, it’s too odd.’
They say he’s a puppet at the whim of Duke Pietro, but the emperor is the emperor. It was not like the daughter of a baron had the power to refuse.
Citrina quickly came to grips with the situation.

“Let’s eat as much delicious food as I can since I’m here already.”
Muttering under her breath, Citrina nonchalantly raised her dress slightly. The touch at her fingertips was silky smooth.
The elegant silk dress, woven with dense silver threads, was perfectly tailored to her size.
Citrina tried not to think about the stitching on her shoulders and the glittering diamonds around her waistline; it was too much to bear.
Still, it was reasonably crowded inside the Lection Garden.
For better or worse, Citrina had arrived a bit late.
She made her way over to the food table. The sight of the dessert in front of her whetted her appetite.
As she nibbled on the finger food, the taste spread through her mouth.

‘Ah, it’s sweet.’
As she was basking in the healing flavor in her mouth, she heard some whispers behind her.

“Excuse me, who is that lady?”
“I’ve never seen her before.”
“I don’t know any ladies below the level of marquess.”
The lively conversation between a young noblewoman and a nobleman caught her attention. Citrina seemed to be the subject of their chatter.
‘I’m also curious why I was called here.’
Citrina basically had a golden ticket. She decided to try and ignore what she had heard.
The server handed her a low-alcohol, fruity cocktail.

“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, beautiful lady.”
The server smiled and walked past her.
The cocktail was surprisingly to her taste.
Sipping her sweet drink and savoring the taste, Citrina missed the next few words between the noblewomen and noblemen.

“Wait, wait, wait.”
“…Yes?”
“Isn’t that the dress she’s wearing, the one that the elf made… that there’s only one of?”
“No way.”
The murmurs grew louder.
It was loud enough that she could not ignore it.
With a few sips of her cocktail, Citrina turned to them lightheartedly.
It was then.
At the Lection Garden entrance, the knight posted at the door announced with a trembling voice.

“The Duke of Pietro, De, Desian Pietro is entering!”
“Gasp!”
“Oh my god, Did I hear wrong….”
“His Excellency?”
A young noblewoman screamed. The men stopped talking as their faces paled. Some people stepped back slightly.
The sound of something shattering filled the air.
In the chaotic situation, only Citrina remained calm.
She was lost in thought.

‘Desian? That Desian Pietro?’
Citrina knew Desian Pietro well.
Possibly, she knew him better than anyone else in the world.
It all began when they met four years ago.
He was the ultimate villain in the world where she had reincarnated.
How hard had she tried to rehabilitate him?
At that moment, Citrina felt a flash of emotion.
‘That’ Duke Desian Pietro slowly made his way down the main path.
At the man’s perfect entrance, the atmosphere in the garden chilled like cold water.
Unaware of the frozen atmosphere, Citrina looked up at him.
Desian was as beautiful as ever.
He had long lashes, prominent cheekbones, a subtly shaded face with perfectly delicate features, dark eyes, and dark hair.
It was a beauty that felt languid and decadent- beauty that affected her view of the world.
The sight of him made Citrina feel disconcerted.
‘He should have a bloodstained magic sword in his hands, but it’s missing?’
Instead of a bloodstained sword, he held a bouquet of roses.
‘There was a phrase in the original work that everyone within a kilometer of Desian would be annihilated, so I’m sure he’s been rehabilitated. I’m proud of that.’
Thank God, she thought to herself.
Citrina was so focused on Desian’s condition that she didn’t notice how the atmosphere around her was cooling.
As Citrina reminisced about the past, Desian approached her.
His eyes were clearly focused on her.
Citrina slowly lifted her gaze from his fingertips to meet his eyes.

“Citrina.”
At that moment, Desian’s expressionless face lit up with raw emotion.
It was an unmistakable joy.
He stood in front of her with a big smile on his face.
Citrina returned his gaze with a small smile of her own.
“Welcome back.”
Standing face to face with her, he bent down and whispered affectionately in her ear. It was the same as when he was with her as a child.

“My ear is itchy, Del”
Was it because they were so close? The hairs on the nape of her neck stood up and her ear itched.
Was it because of his nickname?
Desian’s smile widened.
Meanwhile, Citrina who hadn’t seen his smile, put a hand on Desian’s wide shoulder and pushed him away.
He allowed her to push him back with little force.
She smiled and spoke again.

“How’ve you been? I missed you.”
Citrina gave a light greeting. Oddly, Desian’s expression stiffened at that moment.
He was clearly embarrassed. Not that anyone would call him tense.
Citrina smiled blandly and his mind went blank.
“I really missed you too.”
The man handed her the roses ever so slowly. It was like it was in slow motion.
“Is this a welcome back home gift? Thanks, Del.”
How sweet, Citrina thought, to see her childhood friend after all these years.
As Desian listened to her speak, he smiled radiantly, which caused her heart to feel as if it was on fire.
A warm wind blew around them.
For them, it was quite a beautiful reunion.
But for everyone else…
Truthfully, all of the high-ranking nobles that were gathered there thought they were dreaming.

“Wha, what is this?”
“…I know.”
Duke Desian Pietro was obviously human, but he was treated like an outside existence.
He was known by such nicknames as ‘Blood Crazy Duke, Death’s Ambassador, Iron-blooded Duke, The Only Person Who Survived and Conquered in a Mountain of Bodies’ and the like.
No one had ever seen him smile. His face was always impassive, and it was said that he only smiled at the end of a battle.
Who could believe ‘that’ Duke Desian Pietro could be so sweet!
He was even holding a flower instead of his infamous magic sword!

“Those, are those flowers?”
“I think so…”
There was something more surprising. The lady seemed to be calling Desian by his childhood nickname.
This alone was enough to surprise everybody.
The situation was racing toward the edge of chaos, with no one in the room quite sure what the hell was going on.
Regardless of their feelings, the reunion between Desian and Citrina was affectionate and magical in a beautiful flower garden.

*******

Citrina Foluin was sixteen years old when she remembered her past life.
Thanks to her baronial family’s fallen circumstances, she had been working to pay off their debt since she was a child.
She worked as a companion to noble children and put up with their petty insults.
But it had grown more serious recently.
She had to deal with the nobles’ pranks, such as spilling filthy water on her.
“It’s alright. I can deal with it for the happiness of my family.”
Citrina calmly recited these words to herself.
She was doing the same on the day she remembered her past life.
Citrina was ridiculed as a disgrace by the nobility. And now the countess was passing her along to another assignment.
“If you work as a playmate for the children of the Pietro Dukedom, it’s like a death sentence. But you really need the money, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Don’t die and come back alive, okay?”
“Thank…you. Ma’am..”
Citrina clenched her teeth and answered.
It was easy for a noble lady in a position of power to slight the fallen baron’s house.
But….

She recalled some disturbing rumors she had heard about the Pietro Dukedom.
“Then go ahead, lady.”
The title of ‘lady’ was another offhand insult for someone from a poor house. Citrina smiled at the insult without flinching.
Resolving her situation, Citrina made her way back to the baron’s place.
She had no idea that this day would change her point of view 180 degrees.