When A Villain Meets A Villain - Chapter 78

Atalante was rather shocked as she looked at Diana, who was being treated on a stretcher.

Her entire appearance looked so terrible, like it was astonishing enough to see her breathing. Her exposed skin was smattered with an array of colours, like it was proof that she was covered in wounds.

It was hard to believe that she was an honourable imperial princess.

“W, we’d encountered bandits, and barely managed to escape here.”

The coachman that was driving Diana’s carriage, explained the reason for the princess to reach that point in a trembling voice.

As Lionel looked alternately at the unconscious princess and her coachman, he had a faint smile instead of a frown on his face.

“You fled from the capital to the Northern Grand Duchy just because of bandits?”

“Well, about that… I’m unaware of the exact circumstances, but I heard that prior to her departure from the palace, a quarrel occurred between the Princess and the Crown Prince. Perhaps that’s why the Princess ordered me to leave the capital.”

“Diana had a fight with Amphion?”

Despite hearing a plausible excuse, the curl to Lionel’s lips did not fade. It wasn’t a joyous grin, but an obvious sneer.

“Where did you encounter the bandits?”

“At the Grand Duchy’s border… I think.”

“There is a strong focus on public order in that area though? How unusual.”

In the face of Lionel’s persistent gaze, the coachman trembled and eventually lowered his head.

“Give him a room for now. I’ll listen to the detailed story after the princess wakes up.”

Lionel seemed to find it boring as he let out a sigh, before he retracted his gaze from the coachman and gave an order.

Atalante confirmed his departure, before looking down at the princess with astonishment

“It’s certainly… odd.”

“Which part?”

Lionel gazed affectionately at Atalante, who had a troubled expression, and asked in a soft voice.

“The princess was that injured, and it was mentioned that even her escort knights had lost their lives, but only the coachman is too uninjured for that.”

“I agree.”

“But honestly, it’s rather cruel. I’m used to seeing people hurt, but… I feel a little disgusted.”

She remembered seeing the princess, Diana, standing behind the emperor during the founding festival. Although she curled into herself, she was as elegant and pretty as the moonlight.

But now, her face was already ruined beyond recognition. The only thing that could prove her identity as Diana, a member of the imperial family, was the golden dress she wore and her black hair.

“For her to still be alive despite suffering such injuries…”

“That’s right. I think she’d taken a medicine that strengthens her vitality.”

“It smells rather fishy.”

“My sentiments exactly. It just doesn’t make sense that Amphion and Diana had an argument.”

Amphion, it’s definitely the name of the crown prince.

Lionel seemed to know them well. Atalante once again realised the loftiness of this man’s status and gave him a weak smile.

“You acted like you didn’t like the empire, but it seems like you’d been rather close to the crown prince or the princess, right?”

“I wouldn’t say we’re close, but we’ve met in the past before.”

“During your days as the lovely Grand Prince?”

Lionel smiled awkwardly at the sound of her obviously teasing words.

“It seems like you’ve entered the office’s study. The door should’ve been locked tightly though.”

“Opening a door is nothing to me.”

With a flourish, Atalante pulled out the tool that picked the door from her hair—a hairpin.

Lionel watched the crimson hair tumble down with a strange glint in his eyes and planted a light kiss at the tips of her hair. It was a suppressed movement, like he was holding something back.

Instead of blushing like she did before, Atalante looked at him with a pretence of calm.

“What do you intend to do from now on? Mr. Lovely Grand Prince.”

“Please don’t call me that anymore. I’m thinking of putting off the interrogation until after the princess regains consciousness. For now, let’s finish our previous conversation.”

Lionel changed the subject, and took her hand in a gentle yet firm manner.

A slight hint of anger was present on Lionel’s face, albeit lasting for a short moment. It was the first time he’d shown such a face to Atalante since ingesting the drug.

Atalante sensed intuitively that Lionel was reluctant to talk about his days as the ‘lovely Grand Prince’, and so she didn’t provoke him anymore.

Thanks to that, they did not exchange any conversation as they departed from the room the princess was sleeping in until their arrival in their bedroom.

It was the first time that the Grand Duke, who’d whispered sweet nothings without even batting an eyelid at all the crazy things she did, showed such a firm attitude.

‘Perhaps I’d touched a certain nerve of Lionel’s.’

Even though it was the first time she’d discovered a ‘line’ that shouldn’t be crossed, for some reason, Atalante wasn’t happy.

Lionel, who’d always walked in pace with her, was currently walking a step ahead of her. Although they were still holding hands, Atalante couldn’t feel the natural and affectionate warmth through their gloves.

Above all, she wasn’t adapted to his subdued silhouette.

Atalante didn’t know what she should say to a man that was obviously feeling down because of her.

She’d never imagined herself soothing wounded feelings instead of using force to threaten.

The sound of Lionel’s sigh broke the strange silence that surrounded them.

“…I’m sorry for being mean to you just now, my wife. I wasn’t gracious enough.”

As he apologised, Lionel fiddled with his dishevelled bangs instead of looking at her, perhaps because he wasn’t in a good mood.

It felt itchy and awkward. Atalante agonised over how she should react, before deciding to reveal her honest feelings. As she pleased.

“I’m sorry for making fun of you. I didn’t know you disliked that nickname that much. It’s not a bad nickname though.”

With a slightly aggrieved tone, Atalante defended herself in a pointed voice. Only then did Lionel glance at her with a slight smile.

“The nickname itself isn’t the problem. It’s just… I was reminded of bad memories.”

The bad memories in question must be referring to the grand duchy’s fire incident.

Instead of actively inquiring about his past, Atalante waited for his following words silently.

After staring at the calm purple eyes dazedly, Lionel let out a long sigh.

“I don’t want to show an unsightly appearance in front of you.”

Lionel, who’d confessed with an exhausted look and leaned his forehead on Atalante’s shoulder, as though there was something hideous on his face.

Atalante, who had endured the urge to mess the silver hair in front of her, lowered the hand that’s hovering in the air.

“You can pat me.”

“Have you, perhaps, grown a pair of eyes on the back of your head as well?”

At Atalante’s question, Lionel laughed aloud from his leaning position on her shoulder. It was evident that he wasn’t in a pleasant mood from the oddly weak smile.

“The book I’d read seemed to be a diary that’s written by your nanny.”

“Are you talking about Sophia?”

“It seemed like a pretty old diary, but you remember her name quite clearly.”

He didn’t respond. It suddenly occurred to Atalante about how Lionel recited a series of unfamiliar names previously, when he was having a nightmare.

Perhaps all those names were actually names of the deceased.

On the other hand, Atalante wasn’t able to recall all the names of her dead companions. The same was true of the nobles and enemies that she’d dealt with.

To be exact, she’d forgotten them on purpose. There was a time when she’d remembered each and every name, but she’d almost gone crazy from the nightmares of the dead that tormented her day and night.

From then onwards, Atalante forgot their names from the moment their souls left their bodies, which were buried in the cold ground. It was heartless of her, but it was an inevitable choice.

‘Are you alright, Lionel?’

Perhaps because she’d identified with him even further, she’d almost fallen under a foolish illusion that the man that was borrowing her small shoulder appeared extremely small.

“I don’t know what Sophia had written about me, but she’d lost her life at my hands. Her life ended at the hands of a child that she’d dedicated a large portion of her life to raise.”

It was an eerie remark.

She wanted to ask the reason, but as he confessed to the murder calmly, Lionel’s voice was so subdued that Atalante could only stare at his gorgeous silver hair.

“I heard that you’d changed completely after the fire incident at the grand ducal castle.”

“Exactly. Sophia was on vacation at the time, so she’d managed to survive.”

“At the end of her diary, she’d hoped that you’d smile like before at least once more.”

She didn’t know why she was saying this, but Atalante didn’t stop speaking.

Perhaps because she was certain that Lionel had only kept his nanny’s diary without ever opening it.

Despite knowing that she wouldn’t gain anything by reciting the diary’s contents.

Why? Was she curious about how he would react?

“Like before…”

Lionel, who murmured gloomily, slowly removed his forehead from her shoulder.

“There’s no such thing as before. Because I can never return back to that time.”

In line with that brutal declaration was a shimmering gleam within Lionel’s blue eyes.

But Atalante felt a strange thickness to his voice.

“I’d married you because I thought that you’re a kind, generous, and magnanimous man, but you’re such a mess.”

She made a joke to change the atmosphere, but it wasn’t all that amusing.

With a slow smile, Lionel answered in a completely different tone than before.

“I’ll do my best to appear that way in front of you. But my essence wouldn’t change.”

Atalante couldn’t help but nod when he said that his essence wouldn’t change.

Chilly and subdued pupils, and sharp words that were spoken without reservation.

It felt like she was facing Lionel’s true self for the first time.

‘If his essence wouldn’t change, it meant that he wouldn’t actually fall for me even when he’s drugged.’

The word ‘effort’ sounded fishy and strange.

Atalante swallowed back her bitter smile, brushed against the shiny blue piercing on his ear and opened her mouth.

“The same goes for me. Even if I’m dressed in finery and use a refined manner of speech, my true essence is that of a villain from the slums.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Unlike you, if it’s possible, I would like to go back to the past.”

“You’re saying such cruel things.”

He had an uncomfortable expression on his face, as though he’d been stabbed in a vital point.

But it was the truth. Atalante wanted to go back to the times before she met Lionel.

She wouldn’t have to go through such strange feelings if she hadn’t met him.

She would have continued doing as many horrible acts as she wanted for the rest of her life, and eventually met an end that she was befitting of. She wouldn’t have been swayed by the sweetness that was scheduled to end while being tormented with unnecessary worries.

After meeting that man, she was afraid of being someone that wasn’t her.

“How about you? If possible, don’t you want to go back to the past?”

Back to the days where he had everything, and glowed a rosy sheen as the ‘lovely Grand Prince’.

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