The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind - Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Time went by like that.
It was right when Desian and Sen were in the middle of their confrontation.
Citrina hadn’t arranged flowers at the mansion for a long time. The white dress she wore matched the lycianthus.
Except for the fact that she had cut herself a few times while trimming the roses, so she felt a bit lightheaded.
It was fine.
‘Now that I’ve made the garland, I might give it to Lita or Adilac.’
Gemma didn’t say anything, nor did the curse master, so Citrina assumed the dizziness would pass.
But the peacefulness of the manor was soon interrupted.
There was a knock on the door from the maid.
The maid asked in a timid, uncertain voice.

“Umm, Citrina-nim…”
“Yeah?”
Citrina replied, and the maid added urgently.
“Mr. Aaron Pietro is here.”
“Aaron?”
Citrina blinked in surprise. But it wasn’t in a bad way.
She hadn’t seen Aaron in a long time.
“Yes. He wants to know if it’s possible to meet with you.”
“Let’s see him then.”
Citrina said to the maid.
“I’ll do as you ask, miss.”

The maid bowed and opened the door wide.
Aaron could be seen outside the door.
But he wasn’t the only one outside.
Adilac and Lita also peeked out, one by one.
All three of them were different species, genders, and social classes. However, all of their eyes sparkled with love.
Though Adilac and Lita were quick to look away They just wanted to see Citrina’s face.
For that reason, it was Aaron alone who ran to her.

“Citrina!”
“Hi, Aaron.”
Citrina smiled.
She raised her hand to greet Aaron.
Her sleeves rolled up as she waved, and the bracelet near her wrist caught Aaron’s eye.
Aaron let out a short grasp.
“Pretty.”
Aaron smiled at the bracelet on her wrist. But it wasn’t clear if he meant the bracelet was pretty or if she was pretty.
Either way, Aaron looked like he had the world at his feet.
“You mean I’m pretty? Right?”
Citrina teased.
“Yeah, that’s right! Citrina is naturally pretty.”
Aaron chimed in, chuckling.
Every time Aaron grinned like that, Citrina was struck by a certain mood.
Like…an older sister to a brother with a big age gap between them.
A nimble-fingered maid set out refreshments in the manor’s parlor.
Citrina and Aaron made small talk in the parlor.
Soon, Aaron whispered in a serious tone.

“Citrina, I think the case will probably be solved soon.”
“Yeah, is that so?”
It was in line with the conversation she’d had with Desian so far.
“Yeah. There’s talk in the Holy Land, too. You want to cut off your tail, right?” [T.L. Note: Referring to getting Elaina out of her life.]
Aaron replied. He was not his usual cheerful self. Citrina smiled weakly at Aaron’s stern look.
“It seems that way.”
“So don’t worry too much. Oh, and one more thing.”
After Genfiros’ futile death, it was only a matter of time.
“Investigators from the Holy Kingdom came and rounded up the members of the Order of Elon. They’ll probably go to your sister…maybe tomorrow or the day after that.”
Aaron couldn’t say more. Instead, Citrina finished his sentence for him.

“It will be over.”
“Yeah.”
Citrina looked at the refreshments the maid had set out. There was a beautiful array of sweets with all kinds of flavors. But her appetite was not whetted.
Aaron saw her looking at it and carefully changed the subject.
“When are you going to tell my brother? Does he still not know about it? That you know his true nature?”
-His devilish nature.
Gemma quickly interjected, but Aaron was oblivious. Citrina answered both Gemma and Aaron at the same time.

“I don’t know yet.”
Then she added gently.
“…I visited the almshouse sponsored by Duke Pietro not long ago.”
“This…is the first time in my life I’ve felt sorry for Older Brother [Desian].”
“I know, right? So….”
Citrina opened her mouth.
“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to tell him soon. The next time I see him, I’ll say it right away.”
As she said that, Citrina remembered the letter Elaina had handed her.
Desian loved her and would gladly follow her lead.
Desian still had a raw personality, but the leash was in her hands.
So she could be honest now.

“Good!”
Aaron replied cheerfully, looking like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
He finally lifted his teacup and took a sip.
‘He’s finally relieved now.’
It seemed like it was his first time taking a sip of tea since he sat down.

“Drink slowly.”
Aaron nodded.
As Aaron sipped his tea, Citrina’s gaze fell on the vase on the table.
Come to think of it, Citrina was earlier trimming flowers to be put in that vase.
‘But there were thorns.’
The thorns on the flower had pricked her fingertips and made them bleed.
It was a common occurrence for gardeners.
However, you couldn’t stop trimming the flowers just because you were afraid of the thorns.
She had a slight headache. Nothing too severe.

“Citrina.”
Aaron called out to her as she finished his tea. Citrina was so lost in thought, she missed his words.
“Citrina?”
“Uh.. Yeah.”
Citrina answered lightly.
Aaron’s voice rang in her ears.
Aaron was right, everything would be fine.
So why the foreboding?
Citrina had a headache that seemed to stab her slightly.
…Now, what is Elaina doing?
Meanwhile, Aaron had finished his tea.
He watched her carefully, choosing his words.

“Citrina.”
Aaron chose to give Citrina a few words of warning.
“Even so, take care of yourself for a while. They say it’s all coming together, but it’s not looking good.”
Aaron’s voice was serious.
Citrina smiled cheekily in response.
“Yeah. I’m being careful. You should also be cautious, Aaron..”
“Don’t worry too much about me!”
Aaron threw up his hands. Citrina smiled as she looked at Aaron.
Aaron was cute too. Seeing his cheeks blushing made her want to pinch them.

“Aaron.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have some time in the afternoon?”
“Anytime is fine with me.”
Aaron was busy. Citrina was aware of that.
But he responded quickly and graciously as if it was no big deal to make time.
As if to reward him, Citrina whispered back.
“Then after tea time, there’s someone I’m going to meet.”

“Sure.”
Citrina’s plan was to meet with the curse master in the mansion.
‘Maybe if I meet with her, I’ll be able to figure something out.’
Vague anticipation and anxiety mingled in her mind.
Citrina hadn’t replied to her letter, and Elaina remained quiet.
She felt like there was something more, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it yet.

****

When Sen was arrested, Elaina was pushed to the brink.
‘It’s not over yet’
Elaina was still the deputy commander for the knights of the Holy Kingdom. Her position gave her immunity, so she wasn’t completely detained.
‘….But I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I’m finished.’
The thought that she couldn’t be the only one to die and all of the hatred for her older sister dragged down on her.
It all mingled in her head. Elaina mulled it over for a while.
And then a man slid the door open smoothly.

“Elaina-nim.”
It was Tanin, a man she had often seen in the Order of Elon.
He had reached her by passing the shadow knight’s surveillance. He had slipped past the imperial palace surveillance and Desian’s own men.
His movements were smoother than a snake.

“Elaina-nim.”
“…Tanin-nim.”
“Long time no see.”
It sounded like he was making a quick stop before meeting Duke Pietro.
“With the Magic Tower in ruins and Genfiros and Toloji dead, are you the only one left ?”
“Yes. Beyond that, I don’t know. They’ve all scattered.”
This reproving tone was unfamiliar to Elaina. She responded coldly to it.
“Of course you wouldn’t know, Elaina-nim.”
The man laughed sinisterly. His smile was somehow suffocating.
Even Elaina knew that a person in this mood was dangerous.

“I didn’t expect Desian Pietro to come out like that either.”
“Yes.”
“It can’t be helped now. Elaina-nim, do you remember the first day that you and Genfiros met in the Holy Kingdom?”
“…I remember. You saw the bad luck stigma I created.”
Elaina recalled.
It was the bad luck stigma she had created with her divine power.
Elaina went around putting stigmas on anyone she didn’t like. The same was true for Aaron, who ‘chose’ Citrina over her.
Branding was easy and fun.
One for each person who dared to stand above her. Marks to wish them bad luck.
She smirked as she remembered the past.

“Now we are going to create a new stigma, one that turns back the clock.”
“That…what does that mean?”
Elaina asked nervously.
“Turning back time.”
“You’re going to turn time backward?”
“Yes, kind of like the stigma of bad luck…a regression stigma.’
“A regression stigma is not something I can do.”
Elaina backed away looking fed up.
She hadn’t taken many steps backward when a spear was pointed at her head.

“Don’t you want to get revenge? Don’t you want to get back everything that was taken from you? In a world chosen by god, created for humans, don’t you want to live beautifully too?”
Hearing his words, Elaina moved slightly away from the window seat.
Actually, that was Genfiros’s goal.
When Sen was arrested, Elaina had already thought about Genfiros’s offer. But she had stopped because she was afraid of the price.
That’s because she couldn’t risk it all and she didn’t have enough divine power.
“The Pope has already abandoned you. You’re a complete loser at this point.”
Tanin mocked her with an evil tongue similar to Toloji and Genfiros.
Genfiros was dead, but Tanin had taken his place. This further fueled Elaina’s outrage.

“I’m not a loser.”
This was all because of Citrina. Elaina muttered Citrina’s name a few times.
Citrina, Citrina, Citrina.
She was fed up with it.
Elaina glared at him sharply with bloodshot eyes.

“I’d do anything to ruin her.”
Elaina always got rid of her mistakes. It would be okay if she went back and started over again.
So that she could have it all.
Elaina believed she could succeed.
“That’s a good attitude.”
The man wrinkled his nose at her.

“Tell me. How do you turn back time?”
“A drop of your blood was all that was needed for the stigma of bad luck. The stigma of regression requires a more complex formula. There is a great price to pay for regression.”
“Say it. The price.”
“My life, your life…and there’s one other thing.”
Elaina stiffened coldly. The man smirked at her frozen expression
“Are you afraid?”
Afraid?
She wasn’t afraid.
The last thing she wanted was for her perfect pride to be dented Elaina replied with a cruel look.

“I’m not afraid.”
The man replied smoothly as if he had everything in order.
“I like that. We don’t have much time. We might be followed, or they might have already caught onto us.”
The man chuckled before adding a final thought.
“Now trust me, you’re going to leave this place.”
“Good.”
Elaina stammered, grabbing the table.

“Yes.”
Soon, she picked up her sword.
A little divine power was left as well as a bit of the method for enacting the curse.
‘I could have branded them with a drop of blood then…’
Elaina despised the idea of hurting herself. Her high self-esteem was unforgiving.
Until Sen was detained and her life began to be denied.
Elaina decided to experiment with all of her remaining options.

“You know, I don’t plan on dying alone.”
“That’s a very good idea.”
Tanin smiled approvingly.
Elaina clenched her teeth. Elaina and Citrina couldn’t face each other. Elaina couldn’t even get into the Flang mansion, where Citrina could have a perfect defense.
Elaina’s eyes sunk into her skull.
This moment.
Already her heart was loaded over with contempt on top of contempt, hatred on top of hatred, and anger on top of anger.
Today was the time.

“Be specific. How can I do this?”
“We’ll get you out of here. I just need one last thing.”
The man opened the door.
The guards outside the door were in a death-like sleep.
The sight of them brought Elaina to a stiff stop.
Before she walked out the door, there was one last thing she had to ask him.