I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand

Merria and Reukis were leaning side by side against the railing of the terrace, looking at the night sky.

Merria, who was gazing at the prettily seated full moon, put her left hand next to it.

The ring on her hand shone as she moved.

The gemstone, which is brighter and clearer than the yellow full moon, caught her eye.

“But what kind of gem is this? Is it citrine?”

Reukis answered with a light smile hanging on his lips.

“Yellow sapphire. Do you like it?”

“It’s so pretty. I feel like I’m looking into your eyes.”

In the past, I thought it was quite unusual to see Serinia dressed like an emerald-human being.

Having experienced it herself, she seemed to know.

My heart is filled with even such a small thing.

Merria smiled broadly as she leaned her head on him.

‘Serinia probably went back around this time, too.’

Now she was about to return to the banquet hall.

A familiar face appeared in the garden a little away from the terrace.

‘Deston?’

The face of the person who had turned back was not visible, but the one who looked similar was Deston.

Come to think of it, it was the first time I had encountered Deston since my last visit to the Ministry of Magic.

On the day of the banquet, two men and women are having secret meetings in the corner garden…

So was the young noble lady standing in front of him, his private acquaintance?

From the first park, the Fabro’s mansion, the Academy’s library, and even the magic shop that I happened to visit.

Most of the time, Deston was alone when he encountered Merria.

It was the first time he had seen Deston with someone else, so it seemed unfamiliar for some reason.

Since I had no hobby of watching others secretly, I straightened up my back which was leaning.

Then she was about to tell Reukis to return to the banquet hall.

“…?”

Seeing the face of the person who was having a close conversation with Deston, Merria stood tall.

It was obviously Shannon who was saying something with a serious face.

It was a dark night, but that face was surely Shannon’s.

Shannon, facing Deston, pointed somewhere.

However, Merria’s gaze was focused on a different place instead of where Shannon was pointing.

Merria’s eyes, looking at Shannon’s fingertips, slowly widened.

“That…”

It was because of the familiar object in her slender fingers.

“Ri-, ring!”

Merria looked around hurriedly.

The place where she was now was on the terrace on the second floor.

Reukis, who was standing next to her, asked Merria as she rolled her feet from a distant height.

“Merria, what’s wrong…?”

“Uhm, watch over those two! If they disappear while I’m going down, you have to tell me where they wentㅡ”

Merria immediately jumped out of the terrace, entrusted with a heavy duty.

In her dilemma, she didn’t even think that Reukis was running faster than her.

The sound of Merria’s shoes echoed in the hallway.

It seemed like it was the first time I had run with such power.

She quickly descended into the garden and headed to where Shannon and Deston had been.

It wasn’t long ago, but the two had already disappeared.

“Gasp, gasp.”

Merria breathed heavily.

Reukis appeared behind Merria, who was staring at the empty place in vain.

“The two disappeared from the garden as soon as Merria left the terrace.”

He walked over to Merria and wiped her forehead with a handkerchief.

Merria’s hair, which was blown by the wind while running, was also calmly brushed down with a gentle touch.

Merria’s eyelashes flickered quickly as Reukis was doing what he was supposed to do.

Was it in vain?

Even when Merria shut her eyes tightly and opened them, he was still in front of her.

‘When did he come? I didn’t feel he was following me…’

Moreover, he was in a clean state without any disruption.

Of course, since Merria and his basic physical strength are different, Reukis won’t get tired of this distance.

Recognizing Merria’s puzzled gaze, Reukis nodded slightly.

“I came by teleportation. Because you left me behind.”

If Merria hadn’t run out first, he would have brought her here.

Before he could answer anything, Merria left.

Thanks to this, Reukis had no choice but to wait for Merria here after teleporting alone.

I was sorry that I couldn’t do her favor to watch on the terrace, but this one was better.

Otherwise, the roads might have crossed in the middle.

“What?”

When Merria made a shrill sound, Reukis let out a small laughter.

‘I thought it was just convenient, but does magic also work like that?’

Looking at the overly convenient function, the brows twitch.

I thought that it wasn’t that wizards were treated special for nothing.

“I didn’t even know you could teleport. But then, there’s no need to ride a horse-drawn carriage, right?”

At Merria’s question, Reukis shook his head.

“Instant movement consumes much more mana than other magic, so I don’t use it whenever possible.”

“If you think about it like that, even now…”

I don’t think it was the right time to use it.

Merria tried hard to smile.

It was because I thought it was useless to argue with Reukis’ mana, which was not mine.

Reukis said, stroking her hair.

“You’ll be able to if Merria wants too.”

Of course, even if he’s a wizard, it was definitely not something anyone could do.

In order to use advanced magic such as teleportation, the amount of mana you possess must be abundant, and the precision of handling mana must also be high.

Otherwise, he could move to a completely distant place, not where he wanted.

“I don’t have mana?”

Merria answered, shaking her head lightly.

Realizing his own mistake, Reukis’ mouth widened.

At the suspicious reaction of Reukis, Merria’s brows furrowed.

As Merria stared at him, Reukis swept her finger.

“…Actually, this ring contains a little bit of my power.”

“Well?”

“I did it for my satisfaction, but I couldn’t tell you in advance.”

Merria’s eyes narrowed as Reukis lowered his gaze and confessed.

“Why?”

Even to her words, Reukis could not easily answer.

‘Is it like a location tracker…?’

Did his monopoly desire for Merria eventually twist like that?

She waved Reukis’ hand as if to answer quickly

Reukis was contemplating how far to confess his true feelings.

Giving something that contains a wizard’s magic was like a kind of sign.

With a promise of weight equal to giving away a part of themselves.

In a sense, it weighed more than a proposal.

But right now, I was satisfied with conveying my heart, so I didn’t say anything.

It was because I was worried that Merria would refuse because she felt burdened.

And it also contained the boundaries for that winehead that approached Merria in a very little but friendly way.

Since he was also a wizard, Reukis thought he would figure out what Reukis meant.

If Merria asked anything, Reukis couldn’t refuse.

However, if there was one thing that even Reukis could not accept, it was to mention the proposal in this way.

Without those common flowers and rings, marriage could not be said alone under the garden of the Imperial Palace. It’s not enough to make the best proposal after preparing everything.

Moreover, Reukis had been dreaming of a future with her for a long time, but Merria had only accepted his heart yesterday.

It was his thought that marriage would be too early for such Merria.

Reukis’ coolness, which was only displayed at such times, was doing his best to stop himself.

Therefore, Reukis began to explain the purest purpose.

“I don’t want that to happen, but if there’s a problem that endangers your safety, I’ve put my powers to protect you.”

Still, there was a sneaky feeling that something wasn’t right.

Reukis hoped Merria wouldn’t notice that it wasn’t everything rolled to look elsewhere.

“What?”

Merria smiled lightly.

“It’s a really good thing.”

At her positive reaction, Reukis glanced at her.

Of course, Merria, ignorant of magic, did not know the meaning.

She was fully aware of the extent that mana stone was precious.

As the wizards are rare, the mana stone was also a valuable item.

“It used to be precious, but now it has become more precious.”

Merria smiled softly as she touched her ring.

“But can I really teleport with this?”

“Since the amount of mana was limited, it won’t be possible many times, but I think it’ll be possible at least once. If you want, I’ll put a spell together.”

Teleportation was a very difficult experience.

Merria expressed her positive affirmation with her heart, which she would use even when she went to Eriene at the very least.

“Yes!”

Reukis placed Merria’s hand on his.

His black magic flowed through his fingertips and permeated to the sparkling gemstone.

Although it may be said that it wasn’t a very bright sight, the sensation transmitted from the ring was very soft and warm.

As if Reukis’ thoughts for Merria were materialized.

“Are you done?” She asked with her fingers slightly bent.

“Only Merria is allowed to use it. It’ll start naturally if you want.”

“Wow…!!”

Merria glanced at the ring with twinkling eyes.

“Because I’m Leukis’ lover, it’s nice to be able to receive something like this.”

Merria’s reaction was more positive than he had expected, and Reukis was already picturing the next gift in his head.

“But…”

Merria brought Leukis, who had naturally thought of a ring for marriage, back to reality.

Reukis nodded slightly as he looked at her.

“You’re not asking why I came running?”

At her words, Reukis paused for a moment.