Villainess Noblelady, Thinking of You
After we returned home and washed our hands, we sat down to eat Yuua’s homemade meal—prepared from the swift boar we had hunted that morning.
Ordinarily, the meat of that monster should have been tough. Its entire body was built of dense, hardened muscle.
And yet… this meat was incredibly tender.
It melted on the tongue like fatty toro, dissolving the moment it entered my mouth.
“…H-how is it?”
Yuua sounded unsure, almost timid, as she sought my opinion.
“It’s delicious,” I answered.
“Ah… thank goodness…”
She let out a long, relieved breath. I couldn’t understand it. With skills like hers, why did she lack confidence so much?
When I asked her, she said it was because her cooking still fell slightly short compared to her master.
But Yuua’s skill was undoubtedly top-tier. She could easily serve any noble house. At the very least, she was far better than the cooks of House Lirifar.
And yet… there was someone in the royal palace who surpassed her?
“…I’d love to try that person’s cooking someday,” I said with a small laugh.
“Yeah. If everything gets resolved someday, let’s go together,” Yuua replied, smiling back.
For some reason… that exchange left me with a strange feeling.
Something I had never experienced in my life until now.
Even when I was with my former fiancé, the second prince, it wasn’t that I was bored. If anything, my days had been busy—filled with purpose. A life I had, in my own way, found satisfying.
And yet… it had never felt like this.
This sense of fulfillment.
(I don’t want to lose it.)
The thought came unbidden—and the moment I realized it, I snapped back to myself.
That line of thinking was dangerous.
I had already made my decision.
To live a life of escape.
I had decided the moment I was cast aside by the second prince. However, I never intended to die. I would run as far as I could.
But that meant I could never return to a life under the sun again.
And I had no intention of dragging this girl into that fate.
This is only temporary. Yes… only for now—
The moment I thought that, a sharp pain stabbed through my chest.
(…I really am the worst.)
If anything, I should never have accepted her proposal.
That word—“elopement.”
I should never have taken Yuua’s hand that day.
There is still Yubelut hiding within the royal castle. If Yuua and Yubelut were to join forces, it would be easy to topple Arnight.
Yes—once she returns there, Arnight will be alone. Forced to stand against two capable people with nothing but what I left behind.
There is no way that incompetent man could keep winning like that.
Which means… the moment I sent Yuua back, I would be setting Arnight on a path to ruin.
And yet, I still took her hand.
The moment Arnight becomes king, this country is finished. I knew that—and still, I chose her over it.
That meant I had chosen my emotions over the nation itself.
A complete traitor.
Rejected by the second prince, unable to return to my family… I was already alone.
And yet I wasn’t strong enough to survive that solitude.
I only wanted someone beside me to heal the wounds in my heart.
That was the only reason I accepted Yuua’s invitation.
How pathetic.
As I silently mocked myself, Yuua leaned in and tilted her head, concern in her eyes.
“Lady Vina? Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I replied, and continued eating.
She must not realize it.
The person she admires is a strong, unshakable me.
I cannot show her something so weak.
If she leaves… then I—
*(What would I become…?) *
Would I break under solitude… or continue living, isolated and alone?
No. That won’t do. I have to become stronger.
I gently patted Yuua’s head and silently made a vow.
For her sake. So that she can return to the royal castle without worrying about leaving me behind.
I will become stronger… stronger and stronger—
Mentally and physically.
Perhaps sensing something subtle in me, Yuua gently wrapped her hands around the hand that was stroking her head.
“…Lady Vina. Are you really sure nothing happened?”
Her gaze was serious. It always was.
Those clear, unclouded blue eyes… like a pristine sky.
If I looked too long, I felt as if I might be drawn in.
I forced myself to look away and shook my head.
“No, nothing. Sorry. I was just spacing out a little.”
But her grip on my hand tightened.
“…Lady Vina. I will never leave you alone like that foolish brother of mine. I will always stay with you.”
She probably thought I was still suffering from the broken engagement.
So she was trying to comfort me.
But even if her intention wasn’t exactly what she meant… right now, those words made me happy beyond measure.
The unease inside me vanished all at once.
“…Thank you, Yuua.”
People always said I was unapproachable, cold, impenetrable.
But that wasn’t true.
Because I was the kind of woman who could be filled up so easily… just by hearing the one thing I needed most.
After finishing our meal, I cleaned up the dishes in the kitchen.
It was still daytime. We had finished the monster hunt earlier than expected, so there was nothing else planned for today.
“Yuua, want to go somewhere?”
As I spoke, she sat on my lap, resting her small weight against me, thinking for a moment.
Then—
“I actually like just… spending quiet time like this with Lady Vina.”
She smiled shyly.
Ah… she was truly adorable.
I wrapped my arms around her stomach and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“V-Vina-sama…? Th-this is a bit embarrassing…”
“Sorry. Just for a little while.”
“Y-yes…”
She wasn’t used to it, was she? Her ears turned completely red.
(So cute.)
I held her like that until nightfall, the warmth of her body slowly soothing me… until I eventually fell asleep without realizing it.
And before I knew it, Yuua had also drifted off beside me.
