The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind - Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Citrina returned once more to Desian to tell him she was returning to her manor, which she had received when appointed the last name Flang.
Only a short time had passed, but she was curious how far the magic sword had gotten in its search.
When Citrina returned, Desian remained silent. He didn’t say much until they were in front of the Flang mansion.
So Citrina thought he had let it go.

…at least for the time being, she imagined.
But before he said goodbye to her in front of the mansion, he said something she didn’t expect.
“I’m a knight too.”
Citrina tried to hold back her laughter for the moment.
Desian was quite lovely these days.
“…you’re also a knight, aren’t you?”
Was it because she liked him? His expressionless face reminded her of a scrappy little boy.
So Citrina stretched her words in a teasing way.

“Yeah.”

While she was teasing him, he was very serious.
Desian lightly lifted his sword and presented it to her. Citrina stared at the blade, which was oxidizing before her eyes.
The evil spirit within the magic sword must have been weakened.
Citrina shook her head as she looked at Desian Pietro, who controlled the sword possessed by an evil spirit.
Let’s just say he was acting naturally because he liked her… but how on earth did he hide his identity from other people?
“Then you’ll have to give me your knight’s oath later.”
“Soon, I will. Definitely.”
Citrina wondered if it was her imagination, but Desian’s eyes appeared to have a fire within them.
She smiled shakily.
Somehow…Citrina had stirred up Desian’s competitive spirit. She kept forgetting that he was a ferocious beast.

‘Now what about Aaron?’
She would have to protect him from Desian.
“Del, you like me.”
“…Yeah.”
His voice reverberated deeply, sounding like a growl.

Facing him, Citrina blinked.
He was a man who said with his whole body that she was his entire world.
A man who says with every fiber of his being that he strives only for her.
Citrina slowly ran her fingertips up his face, from his chiseled jawline to his deep cheekbones.
“I like you the best, of anyone in the world.”
As she said that, Citrina sported the happiest face ever.
Though in fact, she didn’t realize it.
With a goodbye wave like a fluttering butterfly, Citrina entered the Flang mansion.
The smell inside the mansion was somewhat familiar. Like the smell of Lita’s freshly baked bread, it was the smell of a friendly home.
By the time Citrina got inside the mansion, Lita was eating the fresh bread.
After Desian returned from seeing Citrina off at the mansion, he looked at the peridot necklace and pondered.

‘I wonder if she noticed.’

Citrina said she still loved him. She was also thankful to him.
She didn’t ask how he’d acquired that object.
Sitting belovedly on the desk in his office, this was the first necklace Citrina crafted.
Staring at it, Desian thought to himself.
He didn’t think he could hide it forever.

“If you noticed…what would you do?”

The magic sword on the table vibrated. As it vibrated, it slowly chipped away at its lifespan. However, he didn’t care about the sword’s lifespan
The sword had yet to find an answer.
It must be detecting other swords bound by necromancy.
The spirit inhabiting the sword served Desian as its master, so he had a rough idea of what was going on.
Certainly, it was only a matter of time until all of these secrets were laid bare.
However, none of these risks or conflicts were of any importance to him.
Desian leaned back in his chair.
He wanted Citrina to love him for all that he was, but he knew that wasn’t possible.
Besides, he’d already decided to be Citrina’s perfect type.
For the time being, he’d live as her lapdog, at least until he rid her of all the sinister things in her life.
He would make it a peaceful and lovely world.

“This is getting annoying.”

His voice came out like a sigh.
All this trouble, he’d have to handle it right away.
Desian picked up the magic sword with both hands. It was so light he could barely feel its weight.
To him, this whole event was extremely light.
Though her emotions carried so much weight. He couldn’t even read her thoughts. Everything she did and said was footnoted and interpreted.
…so that was the bottom line.
Would Citrina notice all of the things he did?
That’s why he couldn’t move hastily. She was his only limitation.

****

Meanwhile, Citrina found herself in a strange situation.
This was a time when Desian, the mysterious mage, Desian’s magic sword, and Citrina were all worried about the conspiracy of the Holy Kingdom.
That meant it was an intense time.
In other words, the fact-finding team had yet to return to their country. They, along with Elaina, were watching the time pass as calmly as crocodiles waiting for prey in murky water. However, they must be up to something.
Inside the mansion, Citrina was relaxing in an armchair facing the window.
A mysterious creature started flitting before her eyes.

-Who is that person?
-Why is he pacing around the mansion?

The man hovering around Citrina’s mansion was quite interesting. He was spying, but his movements were obvious to even a casual observer.
Citrina and Gemma looked out the window, tilting their heads.
-It doesn’t look like he has a sword.

-Why is he here?
-Well, I don’t know either.

He didn’t seem to be possessed by a sword, so what in the world was he wandering around her house?
The answer was obvious.
Elaina made him do it.
But wasn’t it too obvious for a trick?
What the hell were they plotting?
Citrina decided to wait and see, but the paladin was unexpectedly bold.

-Oh, he’s going to talk to the gatekeeper? Right?
-Yeah.

The man knocked on the mansion’s door.
Citrina was reluctant to open the door, but the man mentioned the name of the fact-finding group. It was difficult to say no when he had an excuse.
‘I’m curious about what he’ll say.’
After fixing her hair and clothes, she agreed to meet with him. Until she realized he was an impenetrable wall.

“So, what brings you here?”
Citrina smirked, taking the full brunt of the paladin’s hostility.
“Citrina Foluin-nim, correct?”
“It’s not Foluin”

With that small detail, Citrina drew the line.

“I was given a new surname.”
The man listened to her in silence. And he smoothed the wrinkles from his stiff outfit.
“Yes, Citrina Foluin-nim. I am Paladin Sen.”

He was stubborn.
Citrina stared at him.
“Paladin, what business do you have here?”
What on earth was he doing wandering around here? Sometimes it was hard to figure out the motives of the innocent.
Citrina glared into Sen’s eyes.

“I hear you’ve been bothering Elaina for a while.”
“I have?”

Elaina hadn’t played much of a role in the Empire. That’s because most of her efforts were used to try and ruin Citrina’s life.
Nevertheless…
Elaina’s image among the paladins seemed to be at its best.
So Elaina’s follower had come to her like this.

“Yes. What in the world is Elaina-nim guilty of?”
“Hmm…”

For now, she decided to hear what he had to say.

“It breaks my heart to see you thriving while Elaina is being detained.”

…What the heck?
In Sen’s mind, Citrina was the evil big sister who bullied her innocent little sister.
She almost burst out laughing. It was so amusing that she wanted to dissect Sen’s brain.

“So you’re saying Elaina is guilty of something?”
“Yes. Please let Elaina-nim go.”

He was even pleading.

‘This is the wrong sort of love.’

Citrina chose to respond appropriately.

“Um, so in your opinion…I’ve been bulling Elaina and you want me to stop?”
“Yes. I’m here to give you a final warning.”
“Then you’ve come to the wrong place.”

Citrina looked into Sen’s eyes. He was untainted by magic, untainted by witchcraft.

“I’ve never once been obsessed with Elaina.”

She blinked. Light shown through her eyelashes.

“Now you’re even lying.”
-He seems different from Genfiros, so why is he like that?

Gemma clicked her tongue as she stretched out beside a teacup.
Citrina picked up her teacup without answering Gemma. The herbal tea smelled good and tasted just as wonderful.

“That’s a lie.”

It wouldn’t be long before the magic sword dug up the truth. Citrina thought of several things she could do.

-Someone tell me what’s wrong with him! I can’t stand it. I want to smack him.

What do you mean, you’re going to smack him?
What on earth was happening with Gemma’s language habits? Ever since she became a Higher Elemental, Gemma’s mouth had gotten foul.

‘What the heck happened?’

She sounded like someone who had been through a series of vicious storms.
Citrina tore her eyes away from Gemma with difficulty. Sen was murmuring something.

“We’ll find out later who is telling the lie.”

Contempt flashed in Sen’s eyes. He struggled to hide his instinctive revulsion.

“Do you not feel sorry for Elaina’s imprisonment at the imperial palace?”
“She’s not being tortured. It’s only her feet that are shackled.”
“That’s correct, but to the sacred Elaina-nim…”

No, what sort of nonsense was he saying?
Citrina scratched her eyebrow. It didn’t sound like anything interesting would be said.

‘I thought he’d say something smarter since he came in the name of the fact-finding team.’

She decided to keep it short and call it a day. The follower Elaina had created was naive, stupid, and stubborn.
Those three elements made up the character of this man. That offended Citrina.

“I pity Elaina.”

Sen’s expression twisted at those words.
Citrina put the nail firmly in the coffin next to the word pity.

“I pity her for being stuck with the bad luck she caused.”

To Citrina, Elaina was exactly that. And now she just wanted for the both of them to go their separate ways.
She guessed that sooner or later, they would go their separate ways.
It took Sen about three seconds to comprehend Citrina’s words, with his face turning red. He was the type of person who could neither hide nor control his emotions.

“Your words don’t make sense. So that’s the end of the warning. Do you understand?”

And now a threat.
Sen scrambled to his feet. It was ridiculous to follow others while blindfolded. His naivety and low self-esteem were written all over his face.
Citrina looked up at him. It seemed odd, even though he was looking down at her.
It’s just…she wasn’t even angry.
As she tried to ignore him, she suddenly realized she had a definite answer.
Looking up at the man, she answered in a calm voice.

“No, I’m the one giving the warning.”

Sen had just gotten out of the beautiful Holy Kingdom. He was like a flower leaving the greenhouse. That’s why she thought he didn’t understand how the world works just yet.
She was sure he’d find out if he moved around enough.
She felt a bit sorry for Elaina.
She was so naive.
But this wasn’t Elaina’s turn. The Elaina Citrina has known, and the Elaina in <Elaina’s Flower Garden> is the kind of girl who thinks in terms of multiple possibilities.
Sen left without saying goodbye. No doubt he intended to carry out Elaina’s next command, and even though it seemed obvious, she had to be prepared.

‘It’s a bit ominous.’

What happened to the investigation into Elaina’s group, anyway?
Citrina opened the small diary she’d recently purchased and began to write down the current situation in the square.
As she pondered, the door to Citrina’s mansion opened once again.
The visitor to Citrina’s mansion was Oslo, her teacher and a dwarf.
He was accompanied by an unknown man whose name she could not remember, but whose face she recognized.
He is also a different species, so I thought it would be good to discuss this matter.
But she didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.
Citrina and Oslo sat down in the drawing room. The maids were once again busy welcoming guests to the mansion. Truthfully, Citrina could not fully trust the maids.

-I made the room soundproof.

Gemma was a pretty handy card at a time like this. Gemma lay down on the table.

“Oslo-nim, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

Sensing Citrina’s embarrassment, Oslo laughed quietly.

“There are a lot of people worried about you.”
“Yes?”

Citrina repeated, puzzled. It was a bit of an awkward topic to bring up out of the blue.

“It’s not a big deal. Lita put up an image sphere. He must have sensed something was odd.”

There was an unusual atmosphere. Oslo’s face was frighteningly bloodless as he said it.

“Ah… Lita sent it. Yes. Something…not so great happened.”

Come to think of it, there was a video sphere in the atelier. The dwarf had given it to her because of the mining contract and the problem of obtaining ore. Lita must have used it.
How much did the dwarf know anyhow?
Behind his back, Lita hesitated before handing him a teacup. Oslo glanced at Lita.

“Okay. That’s an admirable kid you’ve got. He seemed worried about you.”

Oslo, who drew his gaze slowly from Lita, caught a glimpse of Gemma, who stretched beside the teacup and patted his stomach.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

Oslo looked at her, his face calm. Citrina had a feeling she knew what Oslo would say next.
It was that he had a secret.

“Your sister became a pawn of the Holy Kingdom.”
“…Yes.”
“The head of the paladins is dead.”
“Yes, that’s true.”

Citrina lightly affirmed. With the heavy atmosphere, Oslo quickly wiped off his face.

“There’s still some trash to be picked up. Including…your younger sister.”
“Yes.”
“We may have to kill her.”

Citrina squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. Elaina had tried to kill Citrina as well. And Elaina would try to approach her again.
Could they cut out all of the rotten roots from the Holy Kingdom?
That is before Elaina was completely consumed by them.

“I’m prepared for that.”
“Okay. The dwarves and elves as well are all hidden underground or have gone abroad.”

Citrina was well aware of this. But she had never given it much thought. Citrina bit her tongue, chastising herself for her indifference.

“Things are better now. We just need to get rid of all of the stragglers all at once. Just watch out for your family.”
“…Yes.”
“They’ll attack you as if it’s the final straw. I’m not sure what to expect. The black things are slowly gathering together, and they’re moving again.”

Citrina sighed deeply. The spirits were great beings, but all beings have their vulnerable points.
The Elementals were great beings, but all great beings have weaknesses.
In the case of the Elementals, anyone who takes part in a murder breaks their pact with the spirits.

“Those who aid in murder lose their divine status. Did you know that?”
“Yes. I know.”

The dwarf’s gnarled hand touched Citrina’s.
Citrina looked at his hand, which had been weathered by years of wear and tear.
This was a world where she stood with her feet firmly planted.
She’d always thought about it, but the last thing Citrina wanted to do was work for someone.
But working for other beings that she’d grown to like.
That sounded fine.
Whether he knew of her decision or not, Oslo handed her a small gift box. Citrina took the gift.

“This… what is it?”
“Open it and see.”

Citrina unwrapped the gift. The dwarf wasn’t very good at wrapping, so it looked clunky.
But what was inside was anything but clunky.

“Peridot…earrings.”

It was earrings made of peridots. She gave a small smile. It wasn’t a bad feeling.

“Yes, they’ll protect you a little.”
“I’ll put them to good use.”

Citrina slowly slipped the earrings into her ears. Immediately, a sense of security spread through her. Just like when she’d heard the melody of the music box Aaron had given her. She felt calm.

“That’s my work!”
“That’s what I made!”

Just then, the man, who had been looking around curiously without saying a word, spoke up.

“I came along with Oslo since he said he was traveling alone. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Citrina!”
“Oh, long time no see.”

Citrina looked at the smiling man and thought to herself.

‘That guy…what was his name? Who was he?’

Citrina was puzzled.
“You don’t remember? I met you and left…so you don’t remember me?”

It was the man who had flirted with her annoyingly while she was staying at the dwarf’s atelier.
The man who left to serve the elf as his master.

“I remember.”

Citrina nodded, the faint memory tugging at her.

“Really? Then did you wear the elf’s dress that I worked so hard on?”
“…Huh?”

The elf’s dress? What in the world was he talking about?
Citrina frowned slightly. There was talk about the elf’s dress for some time now.
But it didn’t quite make sense to her. It seemed like it was the dress she wore at Lection Garden.

“…if it’s the elf’s dress, I did wear it.”

That woman had also mentioned the dress a while ago. Citrina’s eyes narrowed slightly again.

“That was quite the commission.”
“…Be quiet. That is the client’s wish.” [Oslo]
“Well, it was a dress made with love.”

It was ridiculous to talk about a dress made with love in such a childish tone. All the information in her head gathered together, piece by piece.

“I see.”

The elf’s dress was ordered by Desian. A long time ago, he had ordered it for her.
There was no change in Citrina’s expressionless face. But the dwarf glanced at her as she rose to her feet. He had done his duty and warned her, so now he could leave.
Once the dwarf left, Citrina opened her wardrobe. She stared at the shimmering dress inside.
‘I had guessed that Desian ordered it, but…’
Citrina knew it was Desian Pietro who invited her to Lection Garden.
At the time, she thought it was just the kindness of a friend.

‘The elf’s dress.’

So she hadn’t exactly known it was made by the elf over such a long period. No, she was too busy living the recognize the truth.

“It’s as pretty as ever.”

Silver, soft fabric, falling in thin streams.
The dress made by the elf, and that she wore in Lection Garden, was in her wardrobe.
Since when and how had Desian thought up this dress?
Citrina calmly recalled his appearance in the original work. The words of the book seemed like images.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
He had said he liked her from the start. Citrina picked up the silver dress that the elf had made for her. Now it felt like his feelings were at her fingertips.
So Citrina smiled sheepishly.

“Ah…it makes me want to look at it again and again.”

After a glance at the elf’s dress, Citrina stretched briefly.
If she wanted to see it, there was no reason to hold it in.
Citrina opened the door. The maids milling about outside looked at her in surprise.

“Where is Lita?”
“What?”
“Is Lita in his room?”
“Yes, I believe so….”
“Thanks!”

She grabbed the hem of her dress and walked quickly.
It’s romantic.
Romance was beginning to paint her life too. Her heart was full to the brim. Citrina opened Lita’s door and shouted.
“Lita!”
“Yes?”
“I’m curious about something. You said you contacted Desian, right?”
“Oh, yes?”

Lita nodded with a puzzled look on his face. Citrina strode towards Lita.