I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand

「Dear Merria,

Today, I was reminded of you and it made me think of you all day because the bright sun felt nice like the day we first went out for a date.

I’ve been waiting for the day I’ll meet you, maybe on the weekend, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was passing slowly, so I held my pen and wrote to you like this.

Please be generous with my impatience.

.

.

.

If it’s okay with you, I’d like to see you tomorrow.

I miss you.

Your lover, Reukis.」

From the moment she read the second sentence, the corner of Merria’s lips began to twitch.

The embarrassing content reached its peak at the end.

‘I have received his letters several times before, but I have never gotten used to such ticklish letters.’ (Merria)

Merria glanced at Lexie and then quickly read the letter again.

She tried to keep a straight face, but it didn’t work.

Merria’s face unraveled smoothly like a cat being petted.

She read the letter a couple more times, folded it again, and put it in one drawer.

In the drawer were piles of letters she exchanged with Reukis.

Merria struggled to press down on her rising lips smiling, and tore open another letter.

「Dear Lady Rackester,

I’m writing this letter while reflecting on our short encounter.

Last time, at Mrs. Fabro’s party, I asked if I could write a letter to Lady.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t introduce myself at that time.

Normally I would have written my name on this letter, but someone said that the more questions people have about each other, the better.

I heard that the Lady’s coming of age this year.

Would you allow me to enjoy the honor of being the Lady’s partner at the banquet held, the once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age night?

I want to officially introduce myself while dancing that day.

I have ordered my servant to return to the Rackester’s mansion in three days, so please give me your answer at that time.

I hope the Lady would be curious about my name.

Someone who’s not Dylan.」

The more she read the letter, the more difficult Merria’s expression changed. Merria’s head tilted, staring blanking at the letter.

‘Are you interested in me?’

She wasn’t being conceited, but rather a reasonable question following the recent change.

It was undeniable that there were many young noblemen who were interested in Merria, who appeared again in society.

There were still those who stalked away from Reukis’ gaze.

Fortunately, the number of people who have approached her since Mrs. Fabro’s party has decreased significantly.

First at the park where I had previously avoided meeting Reukis, and second was at Mrs. Fabro’s party.

‘Both meetings have been less than 30 minutes… There’s no time to fall in love.’

Although it was a bit absurd, she decided to write a reply immediately because it was not something to ponder for long.

Merria began to write on the paper that Lexie brought.

She sealed the envelope, writing to Dylan’s owner, rejecting his offer of a partner. Then held out the azure envelope to Lexie, who was standing next to her.

“Lexie, please deliver this letter to the servant who will come in three days.”

“Yes!”

After a long day, Merria leaned back on her bed and picked up a book.

It was a novel that Lexie recommended, saying that it was creating a sensation among women recently.

She didn’t care about her hair getting messy and lay on the bed and began reading.

‘And I couldn’t fall asleep until dawn reading.’

✿

The night before, Merria, who had stayed up all night thanks to a compelling novel, stood up from her seat.

Normally, I would have been sleeping late, but today I had an appointment early in the morning.

Merria, who moved her heavy legs and entered the bathroom, escaped sleepiness with a splash of water.

Lexie, who stopped by for Merria’s bath, was surprised seeing Merria’s dark eyes.

“Lady, did you have trouble sleeping?”

“No.”

“You look very tired…”

At Merria’s resolute answer, Lexie clouded the ends of her words as if embarrassed.

Lexie massage Merria’s hands to help her relax

“I stayed up all night reading what you gave me.” Merria continued as she felt her mind gradually clearing up.

“Ah! Have you seen ‘The Duke of the North was Amazing at Night‘?” (Lexie)

“Yes.”

I didn’t know when I read it late at night, but it was a very embarrassing title to put on my mouth on a morning when the sun was bright.

Contrary to the ambiguous title, the content was platonic.

While preparing by listening to the praises of Lexie, a black carriage entered at the Rackester.

Upon the arrival of Reukis, Merria also hurriedly finished preparing and left.

Merria picked out a dark green dress on Lexie’s recommendation.

When I went out the front door, Reukis with a soft smile was waiting for me.

Reukis wore a white shirt and a dark cream-colored robe, and it looked as if he was matching Merria’s outfit.

He escorted Merria to the carriage, pleased with the way they looked like a couple from head to toe.

Already familiar with Merria’s habits, Reukis left the window where she would sit.

She sat down and looked out as usual without much thought.

Reukis was happy to see that Merria seemed to accept his touch naturally.

Fortunately, the two were able to escape the mansion without encountering Lilith.

After enjoying the light wind, Merria turned to Reukis sitting in front of her.

“Doesn’t it look like we’re wearing the same clothes today?” (Merria)

“At a glance, we look like a couple matching our outfits.” (Reukis)

Reukis smiled brightly, giving off a pleasant mood.

If I had known that you would like it this much, I wondered if I should have made a set of clothes and given it as a gift.

‘No, that’s a good idea?’

Merria pursed her lips and nodded to herself.

If his birthday was near, it would be perfect as a gift.

Merria, who thought she should ask Karina where men’s clothes are sold for Reukis’ gift.

“Reukis, when’s your birthday?”

“December 25th.”

“Really?” Merria, surprised at his answer, asked back.

Reukis nodded gently, not knowing what to say.

“That’s right.”

“Oh, that’s amazing…” (Merria)

“…?”

“I’m not lying, it’s my second favorite day after my birthday.” (Merria)

Merria said, covering her mouth with her hands, as she was really amazed.

Looking at Merria’s reaction, Reukis asked with a smile.

“Why?”

“Um… I read a story about that day in my childhood book. In some places in the north, children believe there’s a fairy who gives gifts on December 25th.”

Merria, who was contemplating how to explain Christmas, decided to mix a suitable lie.

It was a bit funny to call Santa Claus, a man with a lot of beard, a fairy, but this would help Reukis to understand.

December 25th was a normal day in this world.

‘Probably, I would be the only one who knows about Christmas, and it was a perfect match for Reukis.’

For Merria, Reukis was the one who always made her feel good and excited.

Reukis looked like a grandson listening to a tale told by his grandmother in front of the fireplace.

Merria, who burst into laughter as Reukis looked so cute, continued.

“But actually, it’s an affectionate lie to protect the innocence of young children. The true identity of the fairy was the child’s parents.”

“Are you deceiving the children?” Reukis nodded and said.

“That’s true, but I think it’s a good lie. As children grow up, they naturally realize that fairies don’t exist, but childhood memories remain as a good memory.” Merria replied.

“I think the children there would be happy.”

“Right? The 25th was such a romantic, exciting and warm day. Reukis was born on a good day.”

As the wind flowed in from the window, Merria held her hair gently, smiling.

“When is Merria’s birthday?”

“It’s February 26th.”

“I would definitely remember that.”

It was still a cool early summer in the evening, so it was still a long way before their birthdays.

Reukis answered firmly, thinking of preparing the best gift from now on.

Merria smiled softly, staring at his determined face.

“I don’t like big parties, so let’s celebrate it in a simple way.”

“Tell me if there’s anything else you want.”

Reukis had an aggressive attitude, as if he would write it down if there was a piece of paper.

“Since I like cakes, I like to go to cake shops for a day, and I like to take a night stroll in a quiet place. Was there anything you wanted to do or receive on your birthday, Reukis?” Merria continued with a smile on her lips.

Due to his birthday, which was much later than she expected, Merria, who had decided to give a couple matching clothes as an excuse, decided to find out his taste through this conversation.

Although they had eaten and gone out together several times, it was not difficult to identify the preferences of Reukis because he was only trying to match Merria with everything.

‘I just had a good opportunity, so I wanted to find out something.’ (Merria)

Merria fiddled with her fingers as she waited for his reply, whether he liked some gifts or wanted to go somewhere.

Reukis, who stared at Merria, said in a faint voice.

“I… haven’t celebrated my birthday since I was a child.”

“Why? Did anything bad happen on your birthday?”

With his eyes closed, Reukis looked sad for some reason, and Merria’s brows furrowed slightly.

Maybe someone spilled the cake at his birthday banquet?

She tried to think about the reason, but nothing came of it.

“Rather the opposite.” Reukis shook his head and said.

With a slightly cracked voice, Merria waited quietly for his words.

Then Reukis softly continued.

“On the 25th, I used to get presents from my parents in the morning and eat out together in the evening. For me, my birthday was one of the happiest days of my life.”

Since Reukis always answered Merria’s questions with sincerity, it was just a simple question.

‘But I didn’t know I was digging into the past that Reukis had buried.’ (Merria)

I was speechless as if I had been hit on the head.

She just stared at Reukis who was sitting in front of her.

“When I think of my birthday, I’m always filled with happy memories, so after my parents passed away, I couldn’t accept the reality that they don’t exist anymore.”

“…”

“So I ran away. I don’t want to stain the happy past anymore.”

“…After the rampage of-”

Merria was frowning before she knew it and whispered slowly following his words.

She had seen it, too. Those kinds of people who live tied to the bright and beautiful past.

However, Reukis seemed to separate his past self from his present self.

Instead of reminiscing about happy memories, his words to protect them from the gloomy present felt like scratching at Merria’s heart.

“Reukis.”

Reukis sat with his head bowed as if he had done something wrong.

I felt like I should see what kind of face Reukis have now.

Merria carefully moved to the other chair across from her.

“Look at me.”

Reukis slowly lifted his head as he quietly clasped the hand that rested on his lap tightly.

His eyes were sadly dry.