When A Villain Meets A Villain - Chapter 65

The married couple’s ceremony took place in an underground prayer room in the grand ducal castle.

All the furniture in the prayer room, which was frequently visited by the founder of the Blanc grand duchy, Imperial Princess Ariadna Thessalia, was made out of wood, but it gave a reverent feeling instead of desolation.

After Atalante entered the prayer room, the servants that followed her lit the candlesticks in rhythmic movements to brighten up the dark room.

Atalante, who suddenly became nervous due to the subdued atmosphere, fiddled with her fingertips awkwardly.

‘Where’s Lionel?’

“His Highness will definitely arrive on time.”

Perhaps Agnes had read her thoughts as she spoke straightforwardly after approaching her.

“I’m not curious… but thank you for letting me know.”

Since she could only regain her weapons after making remarkable achievements, Atalante did not make a fit, but imitated the elegance of an aristocratic young lady.

With a satisfactory smile, Agnes retrieved a small and exquisite dagger and held it out to her.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a dagger.”

“I know that, but what I meant was why do I need a dagger…”

“It’s because I thought that Your Highness the Grand Duchess might need it.”

‘This person, I’m not yet the grand duchess, and yet she keeps doing that.’

Agnes, who practically forced the knife in Atalante’s hand, continued with a rather serious look.

“Do you remember what I told you? The place that’ll end the Blanc family is off limits.”

After leaving behind clearly teasing words, Agnes led the servants out of the prayer room.

Unlike her cold first impression, she was secretly, no, rather openly mischievous.

‘I—I’m the boss of Argo… A noblewoman dares to poke fun at a gangster? Isn’t she practically crazy…?’

Atalante was left speechless at the absurdity of the situation and just stared at the place Agnes left with a futile expression.

In the dark room, a pure white man stood by himself, and it was unknown how long he’d been standing there.

Even without ascertaining with her own two eyes, it was all too obvious who he was. Lionel was as well dressed as Atalante was, so he would definitely look embarrassingly nice.

“Atalante.”

Atalante only turned her head towards the door when her name left his mouth. And she instantly regretted doing so.

‘Oh, I shouldn’t have looked.’

Lionel, who wore a wine coloured chlamys above his white latte… Although she didn’t want to admit it, the embarrassing nickname of ‘the sun god appearing in the flesh’ wasn’t an exaggeration.

Atalante, who tried to avoid the firm upper body that was vaguely revealed through the soft cloth, just nodded her head instead of facing Lionel and calling him by his name.

Lionel, who let out a faint deflating sound, stopped a few steps before Atalante.

Although there was a fair amount of space between them, it felt like he was standing close enough to feel his breath.

“What’s with that knife?”

“Agnes just gave it to me all of a sudden.”

Atalante raised her head at Lionel’s playful provocation, and only then did their gazes meet in the air.

Although the eye contact between them was slightly awkward for a couple that’s getting married the next day, Lionel’s eyes curved into a smile uncaringly.

“Well, if I’d known that you’re preparing a knife, I would have come after being mentally prepared.”

“Honestly…! I told you not to make fun of me.”

“I’m sorry. Your reactions are so earnest, and the way you turn red immediately is also really cute.”

“…Do you want me to show you what’s really red?”

Atalante mumbled dismally while holding up the dagger.

However, as though he wasn’t the least bit frightened, Lionel still opened his mouth with an amused tone.

“It reminds me of the day we first met. Being able to stand here together feels like a dream.”

If it’s the day of their first meeting, was he referring to the day Atalante came to kill him?

Although she suspected that he was provoking her, there wasn’t any malice contained within Lionel’s words at all. It just contained the feeling of genuine affection.

As Lionel stared straight into her calm purple eyes, he asked affectionately.

“Then, may I begin the ceremony?”

“Yes.”

With a sigh, Atalante dropped the dagger on the floor and looked up at him.

According to Agnes’ prior explanation, unlike its grand name, the married couple’s ceremony was rather simple.

The groom will declare that the body part chosen by the bride will be hers, vowing to be the bride’s for eternity.

Fortunately, after her teatime with Lionel yesterday, Atalante had chosen the location she wanted.

‘When Lionel asks where I want to have, all I’ll have to do is answer.’

She began to feel nervous for no reason, so Atalante’s clasped hands behind her back tightened and waited for Lionel to ask which part of his body that she wanted.

Soon after standing on the foundation, he leaned towards Atalante and opened his mouth. A dignified and melodious voice flowed out from those parted lips.

“My beloved Atalante, thank you for choosing me among the many men to be your companion. As your husband, I promise to remain faithful to you and serve only you for the rest of my life.”

It was Theodore’s Vow, the husband of the founding Grand Duke Ariadna.

Despite hearing these words from Agnes the day before yesterday, it felt unfamiliar when it was being pronounced by Lionel.

“My breath, my lord, my monarch.”

The subsequent declaration, which bordered on treason, was only permitted by the grand duchy’s direct lineage.

The sentence, which could be dismissed as a series of words spoken bluntly, sounded overly desperate for some reason.

The blue eyes of the man that called her, who was a villain, his king, remained on a single person from beginning to the end.

“In testimony to this oath, I will give a portion of myself to you.”

When the sentence that she’d awaited for a while made its appearance, Atalante couldn’t help but gulp dryly.

In fact, there wasn’t any part of his body that she particularly wanted. Atalante wasn’t brazen enough to want a part of a man that she’d escape from one day.

As such, she was even more vexed. For his sake, she had to choose a place that wouldn’t mean anything afterwards.

“Please make your choice, dearest Atalante.”

Anywhere is fine.

After gently adding what he’d said yesterday, he came to Atalante’s side.

Once again thinking that God is selfish, Atalante briefly engraved Lionel’s outstanding face into her eyes.

“Which part of me would you like to have?”

A place where she can give a nonchalant response when Lionel asks for the reason she chose that place. Atalante stretched her index finger towards it.

“Your ear, Lionel.”

Perhaps because it was an answer he didn’t expect, Lionel’s eyes were filled with a strange gleam. His round eyes blinked a few times slowly, before he opened his mouth and asked.

“May I ask why?”

Atalatne often looked puzzled by his questions, but this time, it wasn’t difficult for her to respond as she’d prepared for it several times.

“The first Grand Duke, Ariadna, also chose her husband’s ears.”

Ariadna Thessalia asked Theodore for his ears, in order for him not to be swayed by the words of others, and to only trust and follow her words.

Of course, there definitely wasn’t such a grand significance behind Atalante’s choice.

She chose the ears only because his ancestors did the same, and so she’d follow suit.

Although it was etiquette for the bride to explain the reason for choosing the body part she chose, Atalante wasn’t brazen enough to be able to talk about the true reason nonchalantly.

She was just copying someone else.

It was also proof that she did not love Lionel.

Lionel, who had a slightly bitter expression, made a nonchalant face before Atalante discovered it.

“Amongst the generations of grand ducal couples, the founding grand duke and her husband had the most harmonious marital relationship. It’s amusing to compare, but I can also interpret it as wanting us to be more intimate than they are.”

“……Do as you please.”

Lionel smiled at her indifferent reply, grabbed her hand and placed it on his ear.

Atalante’s cheeks immediately flushed because she wasn’t used to touching his bare skin.

“W—wait a minute!”

“From now onwards, my ears will belong to you, Atalante. I will only listen to you, and I will only obey your words.”

His blind declaration left her speechless. Atalatnte wondered how it came to this, but it was already too late.

“I hope that you’ll make a small effort, so that I’ll remember the resolutions I’ve made today forevermore.”

“Effort?”

Before she could question him, Lionel pulled out a small object that shone sharply. A pair of metal, with blue light that left a deep impression on others, was definitely……

“Earrings?”

“This is an earring made of rare ore from the Penarote region of the Grand Duchy.”

“Penarote! I know this, the Grand Duchy’s biggest resort.”

“I heard that you’re learning very quickly, but it’s amazing.”

Lionel, who seemed genuinely surprised, continued with an amicable smile.

“It has remarkable hardness, so a certain amount of this ore is mixed within the sword that I use, and it’s also a beautiful ore to look at.”

As she realised why his only sword would shine with a blue hue, Atalante stared down at the earrings in Lionel’s palm blankly.

As the grand duke said, the ore was really beautiful. Its blue colour resembled Lionel Blanc’s eyes.

“What effort do you want me to do with these earrings?”

It isn’t anything difficult, said Lionel, who handed her the earrings while speaking.

“As proof that my ears are yours from now onwards, please pierce them with this.”

“What? I don’t know about anywhere else, but I’ve never pierced someone else’s ears before, though?”

“You are free to make mistakes, so please do so without any scruple.”

‘I’ll become even more nervous if you say that.’

Atalante swallowed the dissatisfaction that was on the verge of bursting and refuted calmly.

“Is there really a need to leave evidence? You’ve already made an oath, so it has all ended.”

“I’m afraid that you won’t believe me.”

He clearly remembered the conversation they had yesterday. He received her huffy gaze with a smile like usual, and the man that bears grudges continued again.

“It isn’t necessary. Still, I hope that you can leave evidence behind with your own hands. Truthfully, I’d love to cut off my ears as per your wishes, but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to hear your voice.”

“…I already said to stop making fun of me.”

“I’m being sincere.”

Perhaps because he wasn’t worried about her touching a strange place, Lionel languidly swept away one side of his hair to give her a good look at his ear.

“Do you really have to pierce it?”

“Yes, all you have to do is pierce it at a place you want.”

Atalante struggled not to look at that elegant neckline of his and slowly reached for the ears underneath his silver hair.

⋅⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅⋅