Is it wrong for me to like seeing the villain suffer [42]
The silky white shirt Arkele wore shimmered gently under the moonlight.
His pants clearly showed his leg muscles, so much so that it seemed at first glance how solid and strong his lower frame was.
Moreover, whenever his body moved, his long black hair would fly, until it seemed to me that everything was going slowly, as if it were a scene from a slow-motion movie.
That's why he probably looked like he was dancing and not practicing.
Bang!
I jolted back from a heavy crash to see that one of the wooden training dummies had broken.
Rather, it is true that Arkle was the one who destroyed it.
Only then did I clearly realize that he was in sword training.
At the same time, I remembered the goal for which I had come.
'I'll invite him to watch the movie with me... and try to figure out the reason for his strange behavior since his return from Kelston.'
I opened the umbrella and started to step into the garden.
Rain showers poured down, hitting the surface of the umbrella with a continuous sound.
Perhaps the noise of the rain drowned out my footsteps, so even when I approached, Arkell did not notice my presence.
“Ark...”
"Don't come any closer. What's your goal?"
As soon as I was about to call him, his firm, emotionless voice interrupted me, without paying attention to me.
And then I realized:
'Ah... he wasn't oblivious to me, he deliberately ignored me.'
He thought I was a servant and nothing more.
I smiled lightly and said:
“Do you remember when I told you we should watch a movie together?”
Only then did Arkle turn around.
“Lizzie.”
A slight astonishment appeared on his features.
“Aren't you cold?”
“It's okay. But...what brings you here?”
“I told you before, isn't this the perfect weather for watching a horror movie? Let's watch it together.”
He said hesitantly:
“Film... you mean that show you shot at Kelston?”
I nodded smiling.
"You helped me a lot in making it. I have finished it completely now. It will be an honor to have you as my first viewer."
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
“So then...”
He muttered, lowering his gaze, and I found myself getting lost again in front of his muscles.
'I didn't think he could look like this either...'
His wet black hair was falling over his face, giving him a sad look.
Through the deep opening of his shirt, his collarbone and his strong chest emerged, but his bright skin, which was glistened by the moonlight and raindrops, looked like a secret that I should not see.
I felt strangely guilty just staring, so I flinched and coughed artificially.
“Ahem… Ahem.”
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing… you just look like you're cold. Let's share an umbrella together.”
I raised my feet on tip-toes to raise the umbrella over his head, but he was so tall that no matter how much I extended my arms I would not reach.
“...Wait.”
As I strained myself, I heard a chuckle escape from him.
He was covering his mouth with his hand while smiling, looking at me from above.
“…Fhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
His warm laugh against my ear made my cheeks burn.
“Your height must be very comfortable.”
I made a joke at him, and he took the umbrella from my hand while smiling.
Then he approached and shaded me, so we were close together under one umbrella.
“Kick… isn’t your back getting wet?”
I noticed that he was leaning the umbrella towards me too much, but he shook his head.
"It's okay. I'm all wet anyway."
“At least don’t compliment me, that makes me comfortable.”
I raised my head at him and laughed lightly.
“And I like your honesty, no problem.”
“…….”
"Then be honest, Arkell. What has happened to you since your return from Kelston?"
He remained silent, his eyes wide and the shadows of his long eyelashes drawing lines under his eyes.
I waited anxiously until he finally spoke:
“...I almost... hurt you.”
He was referring to that moment in Kelston Cave when he lost consciousness due to the flow of magic.
'He's been thinking about that the whole time...'
I was about to reassure him that it was all over, but the thought that he was a threat to me seemed to hurt him too much.
So I tried to listen to him more.
He added in a low voice:
“That situation made me think...that staying by my side as my wife...what might it do to you?”
“…….”
“Cayenne House is certainly not a place fit for a happy marriage.”
He smiled half-heartedly as he said it, as if he were trying to make a joke.
I thought to myself as I looked at him:
'He has improved a lot... he even tells jokes.'
Arkell continued seriously:
“In a word...this is all dangerous. Whether Kaien's enemies, or myself...you are in danger.”
“…….”
“Maybe I didn’t say it well... but what I mean is that... I’m afraid for you.”
I smiled lightly and said:
“I got your feeling.”
I don't know why, but when I saw Arkell speaking with those confused expressions, I had a desire to reassure him.
It was not a desire for empty words of encouragement, but rather a sincere desire to erase his worry from his heart.
I extended my hand and touched his cheek.
I touched his skin, not his heart, yet I felt in that moment that I truly touched the depths of his heart.
“I'll tell you how living in Cayenne affected me.”
“…….”
“You're right, Cayenne is not a good place for a married life.”
“…….”
“But that's exactly why I love her.”
A sly smile appeared on my lips.
“While I was in Cayenne, no day was the same. Every day was different. Some might consider it dangerous, but for me it was a real feeling of life.”
“…….”
“That anticipation of knowing what will happen tomorrow...that's what I really needed, Arkle.”
His gaze trembled as he stared at me, impressed by my confident tone.
“And Cain... and you... you gave me what I was looking for. That's why I want to stay by your side. Will you let me?”
The sparkle in his eyes darkened as he answered in a hesitant voice:
“But… what if the same thing happens again…? If I lose control like that time…”
“Then I'll knock you down.”
"…What?"
“I promise. If you lose control again, I will take you down and stop you myself.”
His eyes widened in surprise at my seriousness.
Then suddenly he burst out with a warm laugh.
“Haha… I wasn’t expecting that answer.”
“I'm not kidding. I have a bit of cruelty in my nature.”
This was a fact, not a joke.
“So then...”
Arkle smiled as he looked at me as if he found it amusing. Then he whispered:
“If it's up to you...Lizzy.”
He gently closed my hand on his cheek, raised it to his lips, and then placed a light kiss on my palm.
“I might not actually be able to defeat you.”
It was like a declaration of surrender, that he wouldn't push me away anymore.
“…….”
“…….”
We both remained silent, looking at each other for some time.
The rain was getting heavier.
I thought it was time to go in, and it seemed that Arkell thought the same thing.
“Let's go back to the palace. You might catch a cold.”
I looked at myself and found that my clothes were completely wet from the rain that had seeped in through the umbrella.
'Will I really get a fever if I keep doing this?'
At that moment I heard his deep voice:
“I was remembering.”
"What?"
“When you asked us to watch what you called the movie together, I remembered it...and I was waiting for it.”
He added the last sentence in a shy tone, and my face lit up with a bright smile.
"Then let's go! Let's watch the movie."
"Good."
“A day like this is perfect for watching a horror movie.”
“I don't understand it well... Is it one of your rituals?”
“It is an indispensable ritual for modern people!”
He did not seem to understand what I said, but he followed my steps, reassured by my confident smile.
We walked together under the heavy rain showers back to the palace.
❖ ❖ ❖
Inside the palace.
When I saw Arkel in his wet clothes, I burst out laughing lightly.
“You better change your clothes first.”
"…Good."
He answered, turning his head away from me, and a slight blush appeared to me to tint his ears.
'What's the matter?'
I didn't quite understand, but I settled for telling him that we would meet in my room after he showered and changed his clothes.
“I prepared something special for watching the movie!”
He nodded silently in agreement, still avoiding looking at me.
Then we separated, each heading to his room.
I took the large towel from the maid's hand and dried my body with it. When I turned to the mirror, I realized that my dress had stuck to my body until it became almost transparent.
'So that's why he turned away...'
I remembered his looks as he desperately tried to avoid looking, so I felt a little embarrassed, but...
'If you think about it... I saw his wet body too, so what's wrong if he sees it like that?'
Once I reached this conviction, my embarrassment disappeared.
'Then he didn't even care. All he did was look away out of respect for me, nothing more.'
With this reassurance, I finished my preparation.
❖ ❖ ❖
Knock-knock-
The maid knocked on the door of Arkell's room, pushing a tray in front of her.
“I brought cold water, sir.”
“…….”
The door opened and Arkel came out wearing dry clothes.
He looked at the jug on the tray.
After sword training, he always used to drink cold water.
He stared silently for a moment, then suddenly took up the jug.
"Oh, sir! The cup... Oh my God!"
The maid tried to quickly offer him a cup, but he beat her, raised the jug above his head, and poured it all over himself.
The maid stared at him in shock, water dripping again from his freshly dried hair.
"S-sir! Are you okay?"
“Ah… yes.”
He answered with an expressionless face.
But inside he was in complete chaos.
The image of Lizzie smiling in front of him was constantly controlling his mind.
'I'll lose my mind... If I don't calm myself down... I'll perish.'
That day was the first time the Arkle was completely broken.
****
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