When The Cruel Villain Seduces Me - Chapter 118

“I can’t bear to listen to you anymore.”

Perhaps he didn’t think the duke would have come with her, Leighton was terrified and brushed off the pain of his broken hand for a moment.

The duke turned his head toward Nelia while ignoring Leighton.

“Nelia, may I take care of this on my own?”

“Yes, please do.”

Nodding her head, Nelia left her place first.

Leighton abandoned the chance she gave him. She really couldn’t care less about Leighton now.

***

Lily sent a letter to Nelia a few days later.

The letter stated that Leighton said nothing and refused to leave the monastery.

The writing was full of concerning things, but Nelia raised the corners of her mouth by herself as she read the letter.

The duke made Leighton unable to speak, nor to escape from the monastery until he truly repented.

‘It will be impossible for Leighton to repent of his sins, so he must live in the monastery for the rest of his life.’

Nelia hoped that Leighton would get along with the priests there and purified his wicked mind completely.

Nelia, who folded the letter and put it on the table, looked out the window.

“By the way……”

Nelia finally had time to reflect on herself after Sigrid and Leighton’s problems were sorted out.

The very first thought that came to her mind was that the duke finally didn’t turn into a snake and she realized she hadn’t properly congratulated him.

The thing she had dreamed all her life finally came true, but she had been glossing it over.

The Duchess and the Marquis of Clint didn’t know about this yet, so she hoped she could invite them to the duke’s mansion and celebrate it together.

There was one more thing to do. It was to confess her feelings to the duke.

She promised herself to confess her feelings when everything was over, this was the time she had to fulfill that promise.

The moment to fulfill that promise was tonight.

‘What kind of expression would His Grace have on his face?’

She was certain he would be pleased.

When she imagined his reaction, she felt giddy for no reason.

Nelia’s face was flushed in no time, and she had to cool them off by putting her cheeks on the table.

After that, there was a voice with a knock.

“Lady Nelia, Marquis Clint has come to visit.”

Nelia went downstairs hurriedly.

Marquis Clint was supposed to stop by the duke’s mansion today. He didn’t come to see the duke, but to meet her.

‘I feel like I’ve gotten close with Marquis Clint before I realized it.’

It was after the fever incident that they became so close. After that, the Marquis was so grateful to her as if she was his savior.

She obviously experienced troubles that she wished would never happen again in her life at that time. The duke turned into a snake while she was away and how she struggled to explain it to Leighton when he found him out.

Ton looked perplexed as he didn’t know about this.

“He must have known that the duke will be back in the late evening, so I have no idea why he came at this hour.”

The duke was fine to stay separated from her now, so he has been going to work at the imperial palace on his own lately.

“Oh, the Marquis came to meet me.”

Ton still didn’t seem to quite understand the marquis came to see her instead of the duke, but he kept his mouth shut like a professional butler.

“How have you been, Young Lady Nelia?”

The Marquis greeted Nelia with a happy expression. Nelia also greeted the Marquis, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time as they entered the drawing room.

The Marquis took a sip of tea Nelia poured out for him and spoke up slowly.

“Isn’t there anything that happened during the lunar eclipse?”

Nelia thought about what kind of answer she would come up with. There was too much going on that day. However, she settled on what she had to say now.

“Yes, nothing happened.”

Nelia had no intention of letting him know that the duke didn’t turn into a snake anymore.

She wanted to save this great news for their celebration that would be held in a few days.

“That’s a relief, then. I was quite anxious because the wizard hiring just the day before. It’s a relief knowing that nothing happened when I saw His Grace show up in the palace the next day.”

“Yes, don’t worry about it.”

Nelia imagined the marquis’ face when he would be surprised at the celebration later. She swallowed her laughter at the happy imagination and pretended to sip on her tea.

“I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but His Grace seems to be doing well lately.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I can tell because I’ve been watching His Grace for a long time. He’s definitely different from before.”

A gentle smile formed on the Marquis’ face.

“It must have been Young Lady Nelia’s influence.”

She felt burdened a lot when she heard it in the past, but she could finally accept it in a completely pleasant way.

The reason she changed her mind was because she had acknowledged her feelings for the duke.

Nelia was embarrassed and moved her fingers around the cup slightly.

“Thank you for saying so.”

“No, I sincerely hope that His Grace would hold the young lady even until his acting about injuring his foot end……”

The Marquis closed his mouth in the middle of speaking.

There was a moment of fleeting silence.

“……”

The Marquis was so still as if an ice statue that was about to break. Nelia was more concerned about something than the Marquis’ state.

“His acting about injuring his foot……?”

The Marquis was sweating as if he was struck with a fever.

“Yes.”

“What I mean about that is……”

“His Grace……”

Huft, the Marquis of Clint shut his eyes tightly with a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry, Young Lady Nelia.”

Nelia seemed to understand the Marquis’ words by now.

“So His Grace has been lying to me.”

“If you think so, there’s nothing I could do, however…… That’s how far the duke wanted to be stuck with the young Lady.”

“Going as far as acting as if I hurt his foot.”

The Marquis clapped his lips at Nelia’s flat and cold tone.

“……I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry, Your Lord? You just told me the truth.”

Although it was a mistake.

Whilst thinking that way, even the Marquis who deceived her until a moment ago didn’t look favorable in her eyes either.

“Young Lady Nelia, you may not fall out of love with His Grace, aren’t you?”

Nelia stared at the Marquis when he asked that, and discovered that he was genuinely confused.

‘If it seems that I’d fallen for him this much, I would have run away from the duke’s mansion.’

She was once almost got eaten by the duke when he turned into a monster, she was once strangled by the duke who was possessed by Shilin, and even got shot with an arrow when she was trying to save him.

He had several life-risking situations because of the duke, but in the end, she remained by his side because she loved him.

However, it was also true that she felt very upset at the fact that he was lying to her.

She was so worried after stepping on the duke’s foot. She still couldn’t even relieve her anxiousness for a while after he offered her the maid’s job.

Nelia thought of the years she spent in fear of getting into the duke’s bad side, whom she knew as a villain, like a flash.

‘……The confession I was about to make today is going to be postponed.’

Nelia said inwardly while maintaining a cold expression on her face.

“To be honest, I’m disappointed.”

Marquis Clint appeared shocked. There seemed to be a lightning effect behind his stiff expression.

“Uh, how can I make you better, young Lady?”

“It’s not your fault, but why do you want to make me feel better, Your Lord?”

“Even so……”

Nelia stood up from her seat and pretended to be upset.

“I think I need some time to think about His Grace.”

The Marquis tried to reach out to her while saying, ‘Y-Young Lady Nelia…… That’s not what I…….’ but Nelia pretended not to notice it and left the drawing room.

Nelia plopped down on the bed after she returned to her bedroom. The unexpected truth kept occupying her mind.

“How would I return it to him?’

She wanted to make the duke experience the same situation she was in.

Nelia, who was thinking for a while, opened her eyes wide.

Right, here it is!

***

When the duke returned to the mansion, he was greeted by Nelia, who was sitting on the sofa with a bandage around her ankle.

The duke approached the figure without even taking off his jacket first.

“Nelia, are you hurt?”

His voice was full of anguish as he asked. As if it was the duke himself who had been injured.

Nelia dropped her eyes at her feet with a sullen expression.

“Yes, I sprained my ankle when I walked upstairs.”

“Oh, gosh…….”

The duke dropped on his knees and lifted Nelia’s feet, putting them on his lap.

Nelia’s toes curled up when her bare feet were exposed before his eyes.

The duke examined Nelia’s ankle closely and ignored her reaction. They’re wrapped with the bandage anyway, so there was no way for him to notice it.

The duke slowly laid Nelia’s feet down on the floor again.

“This is a serious problem, it would be uncomfortable to walk if you hurt your ankle like this.”

“Yes…… I’m worried about that, too.”

Nelia asked quietly.

“Do you, perhaps, have an ability to heal others?”

The duke got some of Sigrid’s power which made him more powerful.

That’s what Leighton did. Not only did it turn him into a gorgeous dragon, but he also restricted him from talking and made him unable to leave a certain distance.

Obviously, Nelia asked this because she didn’t want the duke to have a healing ability.

On the contrary, she really didn’t want him to heal her ankle at that moment.

‘……It’s a fake disease anyway.’

If the duke cured her with his power, this show would result in nothing. Nelia waited for the duke to answer.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have healing power.”

The duke had a really sorry look on his face. No, it seemed to be beyond regret and filled with remorse at a single glance.

Nelia’s heart turned weak for a moment, but she wanted to continue this play for a week and mess around with the duke.

It was very short compared to the times she suffered.

“Then, His Grace will have to suffer for some time because of me.”

The duke seemed to be very serious regardless of Nelia’s quite brazen tone.

“Of course. I’ll be your servant for the time being, and I’ll be your hands and feet until your ankles are healed.”

She liked that…… He claimed himself as her servant much more than she was supposed to.

However, if there was anything that bothers her, it was the reason why he said that he would act as her hands as well.

However, Nelia found out the reason soon after. The reason the duke said that.

It all started when he lifted her up from the sofa.

“Kyaa!”

Nelia circled her arms around the duke’s neck out of surprise. He carried Nelia in his arms in princess hold and walked on.

“I’ll go up to your room and compress it for you. It will help you get better.”

The duke said and went up to the fourth floor with Nelia in his arms. Everything he did was witnessed by all the maids.

Nelia had doubts for a moment after the situation she didn’t intend to happen unfolded.

‘……About my plan, will it be okay like this?’

***