I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand

✿

 

Shannon couldn’t eat cherries. It’s not a matter of preference, it’s a compulsory decision.

 

Shannon had a severe cherry allergy. Cherries were difficult to cultivate in the Empire, so they were considered high-quality fruits.

 

Therefore, Shannon had never encountered it before, so she didn’t even know she was allergic to it.

 

Meanwhile, in the scene where Shannon in the original was having a meal with Altheon, there was an incident where she inadvertently ate a cherry covered with whipped cream.

 

Although she ate a little, her body had hives and fever, her throat was swollen, and her coughing continued.

 

After that, there was a commotion that all doctors were called by Altheon to the castle.

 

‘Shannon doesn’t know it yet…!’

 

The present Shannon had never had a meal with Altheon.

 

Therefore, the opportunity to experience the taste of cherry has naturally disappeared.

 

Merria reached out to Shannon with a visibly embarrassed face.

 

“Are you okay? Don’t you have a fever?” What about coughing? Doesn’t your throat hurt?”

 

She scrambled and stood hastily and checked Shannon’s wrist.

 

Seeing that it hasn’t turned red yet, there were no allergic symptoms, but it might appear soon. There wasn’t much cherry in the cocktail, but it was fatal to Shannon.

 

Shannon lightly frowned at the flustered Merria. “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

 

She looked like a strange person, but Merria didn’t care.

 

“I’m going to call a doctor right now.”

 

“Hey.”

 

Shannon pounded on the table at Merria acting desperately. Shannon’s call eased Merria’s panic a little.

 

Merria gazed at Shannon from afar.

 

“Stop treating me like a patient and sit down. People are looking at us too.”

 

When she said that, I turned my head and everyone was looking at us with their eyes wide open.

 

Merria stared at Shannon with trembling pupils and sat back down.

 

“…Are you okay?”

 

“Did you poison this?” Shannon answered Merria’s small mumble.

 

Like in the old days. Shannon recited a little. But Meria didn’t hear her because she was so engrossed in her thoughts.

 

Merria tried to calm her confused mind. She shrugged as she looked at Shannon with trembling pupils.

 

“Ah, why is that…?”

 

She tilted her head innocently, but her eyes were searching for something.

 

Shannon, who I know by the book, and Shannon in front of me were just completely different people.

 

Merria thought that Shannon was somehow weird, but that sense of strangeness did not disappear.

 

“I’m sorry. I saw a little bug in the glass, thinking it might be a pest.”

 

For some reason, I couldn’t tell the truth.

 

As Merria answered awkwardly, Shannon frowned.

 

“It would have been nice if you told me before drinking…”

 

“Right, I said it too late.”

 

She drank the marinen bay cocktail in front of her and followed Shannon’s every action.

 

A lot of time has passed, but Shannon was still the same. No rash appeared on her white skin, and no cough mixed with her clear voice.

 

‘Strange…’

 

Merria lowered her gaze and frowned.

 

There’s something I know about Shannon, that she doesn’t know.

 

“…”

 

Merria calmed her heart as she touched the ring on her left hand.

 

‘What is it?’

 

She glanced at Shannon sitting in front of her. With flawlessly clear silver hair, pure features, and pink petal-like eyes.

 

It was the Shannon I knew. From the naked eye, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

 

‘Maybe because of the ring?’

 

While Reukis said that he had to have physical contact with Merria, he could feel much power just by being around Shannon.

 

If the power of the ring was made stronger by the use of the real owner, Shannon, it could also have other benefits I wasn’t aware of.

 

And it was better for Reukis.

 

Merria shook her head stiffly.

 

Shannon then asked, looking through the menu, “I’m going to order another drink, you?”

 

Merria pointed to the glass in front of her, and said, “I’ll take this one.”

 

Shannon called the staff and pointed to Merria’s cup. “Two glasses the same as that one.”

 

While the staff brought a new glass, Merria drank the rest of her drink. She looked straight at Shannon, feeling slight rising courage.

 

Shannon, holding a glass, had a familiar ring in her hand. It was a little loose and seemed to fit snugly on her index finger.

 

Sensing Merria’s gaze, Shannon raised the corner of her lips and asked.

 

“Are you looking at this?”

 

She reached out her hand and stroked the ring with the tip of her fingers. At this, Merria nodded her head slightly.

 

‘As expected. I was right that the princess dropped it.’

 

On the second day of Coming-of-Age Night, I kept an eye on Merria and Reukis, erasing my presence from afar.

 

Considering that the princess had lost her valuables, the banquet went smoothly.

 

Usually, it was normal to investigate the servants or search for the ring according to the previous day’s track record.

 

In addition, a high degree of stealth magic was affixed to this ring.

 

Because of this, I thought that the owner, Merria, would directly pursue the ring’s whereabouts of herself. But Merria didn’t take any action.

 

I found out through Deston that she didn’t even report the loss of the ring. That’s why I was wondering if this ring belonged to Merria.

 

But just in time, Merria came up first and asked for a conversation.

 

And it was perfect for her to even open up the topic of the ring. Of course, it wouldn’t be a good thing if the owner caught me with something I picked up.

 

The priority for me was to find out what the princess was up to.

 

Shannon looked down at the loose-fitting gold ring. The arrangement of letters that continued like a pattern was a magic formula for casting stealth magic.

 

A completely different form from what those called wizards use in the empire.

 

This was very familiar to Shannon. Because it was an ancient letter from another country that had been in my head since reason existed.

 

It was used in a small kingdom that had already been absorbed by the Empire long ago, so as far as I know, there are only a handful of people who currently use this ancient script as a magic formula.

 

Most of them spent their years living in deserted mountains or sleeping as if they were dead.

 

But suddenly, a princess who was born in the capital and grew up in the capital all this time had this magical ring?

 

To the best of my knowledge, Merria was a person without an ounce of magic. Because of that, I could easily possess her body in my previous life.

 

‘Who is it?’

 

Who the hell gave this to the princess? It was clear that it was the same person as me, but there was no one who I could guess.

 

So, I was going to get information from Merria’s lips directly.

 

‘If it’s Shannon… she would have done this right?’

 

She covered her mouth with her hands with an astonished look on her face.

 

It was as if she was startled to hear Merria’s words. Merria, who saw Shannon of the original work overlapping with her current appearance, leaned forward.

 

“Then… Have you ever seen or met a suspicious old woman recently?”

 

It was an old woman who gave Merria the ring, so she speculated that Shannon might have gone through the same process.

 

The reality was a little different, but Shannon, curious about what Merria was saying, nodded her head.

 

Nodding innocently. Shannon’s gesture brought Merria’s face into full bloom. The old woman gave Merria limited information and left.

 

Now that she was so sluggish in deciphering the notebook, Shannon was a happy breakthrough that suddenly appeared.

 

Merria thought that Shannon must have heard more details than her. The old woman involved in Reukis’ runaway incident must know something.

 

“Can you tell me where you saw her? Do you know where I can meet her?”

 

Merria’s voice was a little excited because it was the first time she met someone who also knew the old woman besides herself.

 

Shannon, who was trying to respond appropriately, frowned at her appearance.

 

‘I’m not the kind of person to go looking for something like that.’

 

She tilted her head and looked at Merria, then turned her gaze away from her.

 

“I just met her while passing by… I don’t know either.”

 

Merria’s excitement soon softened when Shannon answered.

 

‘I thought if it’s Shannon something would be different.’

 

Shannon seemed to be in a situation not very different from mine. 

 

Merria clasped her hands and asked Shannon. “Shannon.”

 

Shannon tilted her head at her call. Merria wanted to know how much of Shannon’s power worked for Reukis.

 

She was still worried that Reukis would suffer from heat and darkness.

 

Reukis smiled, as usual, saying,

‘I’m fine,’

but I couldn’t think of it that way after listening to Kalix.

 

Kalix said Reukis had abruptly stopped his mana training, which he had resumed after meeting Merria.

 

It was like saying that the magic of darkness was fluctuating again in his body.

 

There was no need to adjust because he used a lot of offensive magic only during the war, but this place was in the middle of a peaceful capital.

 

In this place where there are always people around, Reukis, who lost the last thing that could control his mana, had no place to use magic.

 

Especially when he met Merria, he suppressed the darkness to the limit, and his condition was like a glass full of water.

 

Recently, even on a date, Merria, who was worried about him, often said that they should go back quickly.

 

Because of this, she came to talk and did not consider the distance from Shannon or closeness at all.

 

“Can you do me a favor? I will surely pay you back.”

 

However, Shannon, who heard this, also did not know the distance between the two.

 

Because as far as she can remember, Merria never appeared on Shannon’s lips. Nevertheless, earlier, Merria had shown her kindness to Shannon.

 

There’s no unconditional kindness in this world. Even if it was due to good intentions, I thought that

‘intention’

was still included.

 

Some would do good out of hypocrisy or complacency. Or there were cases where there was a specific goal.

 

‘And, as far as I could tell, this woman in front of me was the latter.’

 

Because the overbearing and stupid princess in my memory thinks that hypocrisy was worse than a teaspoon of tea.

 

After thinking that far, I had a different idea.

 

‘What the hell is this ring?’

 

It wasn’t because the other party was Shannon that Merria leaned in. But because she has this ring… Frederick’s power was in it, but Merria wasn’t a Frederick.

 

This ring, which even has a high degree of stealth magic, made the princess move.

 

So I wanted to know… What’s this ring that catches the eyes of the Grand Duke at once and even makes the princess ask politely.

 

Was there something I can’t feel?

 

Instead of answering, Shannon fiddled with the ring under the table.

 

Though I had previously thought that this ring was a piece of junk just by seizing the attention of the Grand Duke.

 

A satisfied smile appeared on her lips. She then raised her gaze to stare at Merria.

 

“If there’s anything I can do to help.”

 

As she spoke with a bright smile, Merria immediately nodded.

 

“Thank you very much. If so, when can we meet… “

 

From then on, everything went smoothly until the appointment. The two left the store with different ideas.

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