Chapter 18

‘A snake with a triangular-shaped head. A viper!’

A poisonous viper was crawling straight toward Jason.

As if his already sickly, fragile body wasn’t enough, getting bitten by a venomous snake could put him in serious danger. I frantically ran toward Jason.

“Jason, watch out!”

The moment he turned around, I threw myself at him and shielded his body with mine. The viper sank its fangs into my leg.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped me at the same time.

At the sound of my groan, Jason immediately killed the viper with his sword. In the meantime, I could feel the venom spreading throughout my body.

When I let out a painful whimper, Jason gently laid me across his lap. Then he tore a strip from his clothes and tied it tightly above the bite to prevent the poison from spreading as much as possible.

“Marie, stay with me!”

“…Are you okay?”

“That’s what I should be asking you. Why did you do something so pointless?”

“…I don’t want to see you hurt. Jason, you don’t want to see me hurt either, right?”

The worry in Jason’s eyes wavered.

That alone was practically an answer to my question, and I was happy.

‘Should I use the antidote soon?’

The reason I was so happy about receiving Jason’s concern was because I was immune to poison.

After living through 500 lives, wouldn’t it be strange if I still had no resistance to poison?

Of course, this body itself had no immunity. But I did have an antidote item.

‘I’ll use the antidote item.’

<Children cannot use antidotes. Medicine is not something a child should handle carelessly. Additionally, the daily item usage limit has been changed to 3. Please enjoy the even more exciting Hard Mode.>

This damn system….

As my consciousness faded, I cursed the system and lost consciousness.

How much time had passed?

I opened my eyes with a groan, my head throbbing painfully.

“Finally awake?”

“…Jason?”

Had we returned to the ducal residence?

Jason was sitting in a chair, looking at me with a sulky expression. His dark circles were deep, and he looked exhausted, as though he hadn’t slept at all.

‘C-Could he have been taking care of me?’

I was so surprised that I tried to sit up.

Jason pressed a hand firmly against my forehead and made me lie back down.

“Lie down. You’ve been asleep for a week.”

“You mean… you took care of me for a whole week?”

Judging by the fact that he was still here taking care of me, he probably had.

Could it be? Did he finally start liking me?

Even though my entire body ached, I was incredibly excited by the fact that he had stayed by my side and nursed me back to health.

“…You collapsed after saving me. Did you expect me to just ignore you?”

Krrgh, his tone was still cold and curt, but now his words were clearly filled with concern for me.

This was tremendous progress.

I wanted to clap my hands and run around the room once.

“Hehe. I’m so happy that you’re worried about me.”

“…Idiot.”

Jason looked at me as though I were pathetic, but the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Ah, it really had been worth getting bitten by that viper.

I guess this was what they meant when they said you grow through pain.

“I think getting bitten by that viper was worth it since you’re worried about me. It’s the first time I’ve ever been happy to be in pain!”

I had actually experienced several occasions where I was happy despite being in pain, but I lied, coating my words in honey so I could create a favorable situation.

“Haah. Has this kid lost her mind?”

Perhaps because I had said something completely insane, Jason looked at me in disgust.

Regardless, I smiled brightly and touched Jason’s hand.

Maybe because I had been bitten by the viper in his place, he initially allowed me to hold his hand without complaint.

But when I kept touching it without stopping, saying things like ‘I’m so happy holding your hand. Should we hold hands all the time from now on?’, he quickly pulled his hand away.

“It’s hard doing everything by myself, so hurry up and get better.”

On top of that, he was practically wishing me a speedy recovery.

This was enough.

It was time to use my ultimate question.

I needed to shake his heart even more and make him realize his own feelings.

“Jason, do you like me?”

“Huh?”

“I mean… does the real you, in your current appearance, like me?”

Jason’s pupils darted rapidly.

His childhood was filled with nothing but terrible memories.

The former Duke of Valentine pretended to be a good person in front of others and gained fame, wealth, and power.

But at home, he verbally abused Evan every day and threw things at him.

Even when Evan was injured by something the former Duke threw at him, he was never properly treated.

The former Duchess of Valentine spent every day buying expensive, extravagant jewelry and dresses to satisfy her vanity, while refusing to buy even the things Evan actually needed.

Yet the former Duke and Duchess meticulously maintained their public image, terrified that even the slightest bad rumor might spread.

Whenever both of them were in a bad mood, they would lock Evan in the attic and leave him without food.

They found pleasure in watching him pound on the door until his hands bled, begging to be let out.

Evan had no siblings, and the servants simply ignored him and refused to speak to him.

He was always lonely and sad.

But whenever he showed any emotion—whether happiness, sadness, or anything else—the former Duke and Duchess subjected him to horrific abuse.

Even after growing up, he could never understand his parents.

And so he naturally became a child who hid his emotions.

All while waiting for the day his father and mother would die.

Eventually, the former Duke and Duchess of Valentine died in a carriage accident, leaving Evan alone.

But for the first time, he no longer had to live in fear of what would happen to him.

Although he was lonely, he was happy.

Evan dismissed every servant who had turned a blind eye to his abuse or sided with his parents, and slowly hired people he could trust.

He reached marriageable age, but he had absolutely no intention of getting married.

The Duke and Duchess who had abused him had never been a loving couple. They were far more likely to hurl verbal abuse at each other than behave like affectionate spouses.

Because of that, Evan feared that he might end up trapped in the same kind of marriage.

Until he met her.

“There was someone here before you.”

It was an accidental meeting.

He had been forced to attend an annoying party and, unable to stand being surrounded by noisy people, escaped to the terrace.

But when he entered without thinking much of it, someone was already there.

He apologized briefly and was about to leave.

“Just stay. If you leave, you’ll probably be surrounded by countless people again.”

He was famous as a war-crazed killer, but because of his handsome appearance and immense power, he was considered a desirable husband by countless women.

As a result, outside the terrace were women waiting eagerly for an opportunity to approach him.

Reluctantly, he decided to stay for a while.

Perhaps listening to one person’s words was better than dealing with several annoying people at once.

But she didn’t say anything.

Naturally, he became curious about why she wasn’t trying to speak to him like everyone else.

Still, starting a conversation wasn’t in his nature, so he remained silent.

“You’re wondering why I’m not talking to you right now, aren’t you? It’s written all over your face.”

Yet she somehow read his thoughts.

Everyone he had met until then had been too focused on their own feelings, desperately trying to say something that would help them get closer to him.

Because she was different from the others, he developed a small sense of curiosity about her.

But he carefully hid his emotions.

“No.”

“Don’t worry. I’m just tired of talking to men because my parents are always trying to arrange marriages for me.”

Her parents constantly tried to arrange marriages between her and the sons of marquises, counts, barons, or viscounts.

In response, she deliberately behaved strangely until the men gave up and left.

She genuinely seemed tired of men.

Without even looking at him, she leaned against the terrace railing and gazed out at the scenery.

As her hair fluttered in the breeze, she brushed it back and smiled faintly.

For some reason, she caught his eye.

In that moment, he felt a strange emotion.

He became curious about just how different from everyone else she could truly be.

So he thrust his fist directly in front of her face with all his strength.

Naturally, he expected her to be frightened.

But she remained completely calm.

He was caught off guard, but casually lowered his fist.

“There was a bug.”

“Thank you. I really hate bugs. I’m so glad you saved me from having to look at one.”

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

Whenever he threatened someone, they trembled in fear.

So he couldn’t understand her calm reaction.

“Oh, is it because of your nickname, the War-Crazed Killer? Rather than being scared, I think you’re reassuring. And, honestly, I’m a little envious.”

“Reassuring? Envious?”

“You’re amazing. That’s a nickname you can only earn by protecting the world, after all. And if I were with you, I don’t think I’d be afraid even if we went into a monster den. I’d always have someone I could rely on.”

She smiled warmly as she spoke.

‘Not afraid of me… reassuring, and even envious…?’

It was the first time.

The first time someone hadn’t avoided him, but had looked him directly in the eyes and called him reassuring.

His affection for her grew.

And for the first time, someone other than himself looked beautiful to him.

But he didn’t want to acknowledge that fact, so he hurriedly left the terrace.

Yet perhaps it was fate.

He soon found himself meeting her again.

This time, it was because of marriage.

People around him repeatedly told him that if he wanted his family to continue, he needed an heir.

He hated his parents, but he didn’t want his family line to end.

So he decided to marry.

And there was already someone who came to mind.

He casually looked through the countless marriage proposals he had received.

Then one letter caught his eye.

“Letisha Florence.”

Her name was among the proposals.

“If I have to get married anyway…”

If he had to marry someone, he thought he would rather choose her than someone boring, troublesome, and utterly uninteresting.

So he sent her a reply accepting the marriage proposal.

Since they had both agreed, all that remained was the wedding.

The two of them met privately.

He expected her to talk about wanting an extravagant wedding, a beautiful dress, or a happy married life.

Instead, as always, she gave him an answer he never expected.

“Are you really okay with marrying me?”

“That’s what I should be asking you. I won’t be able to give you love.”

“I’m not very good at socializing, so I’ll probably be criticized by high society. And honestly, I’m not confident that I can give love either.”

Rather than begging him for love, she openly admitted that she wasn’t even confident she could give it herself.

At that moment, he fell helplessly in love with her.

But then he was cursed.

And only later did he discover that Letisha had been afflicted by the same curse.

In his normal form, he loved her so much that he felt as though he would die if he couldn’t see her.

He openly showered her with affection.

Through loving her, he realized for the first time that he was capable of loving someone so deeply.

But when he took on the appearance of a child, he couldn’t do that.

Because of the painful memories from his childhood.

He had become accustomed to hiding his emotions because of the abuse he suffered.

So although he liked her, he couldn’t believe her love, nor could he express his own feelings.

That was why he always acted cold and curt and refused to stay with her.

Even when she kissed him.

Even when she suffered from a high fever because he didn’t go looking for her.

He felt something strange inside him, but convinced himself that it was only a temporary emotion and quickly returned to his usual behavior.

That was how he remained.

Until she took the viper’s bite meant for him.

“…Are you okay?”

Even as he himself was turning pale from the poison, she was still worrying about him.

His heart trembled violently at her actions.

‘If you keep doing things like this, I won’t be able to hide my feelings.’

His pounding heart made it impossible to conceal his emotions any longer.

The feelings he had kept locked away deep inside since childhood slowly began to emerge.

It would still take quite some time before he could openly express those feelings to her.

But considering how proactive she was being, for some reason, he felt reassured.