To be the Villainess

O40.

Chapter 40

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“YOU’RE AWAKE.” I rubbed my head, feeling an unusual warmth tingling across my scalp. As I tried to stand, the world around me blurred, spinning in lazy circles.

“You should really be resting, Lady Intruder,” came a smooth, almost amused voice. I turned to see the man behind it, eyes narrowing in recognition.

Sebastian? What is he doing here? Then the memory rushed back—he had been the one to drag me back, preventing my escape to the City.

“If I had even a fraction of my strength right now, I would—” I started, only for the man who had seized me to silence me with a light touch, his hand over my mouth as he chuckled softly.

“Shh... I’m just having a bit of fun, my lady.” His voice was low and velvety, filled with a dark amusement that made me pause. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns across his face, highlighting the striking contrast of his dark blue hair and piercing emerald eyes. I blinked, stunned, when I recognized those features. Him?!

“Look there, on the wall,” he continued, gesturing with a smirk toward a weathered poster tacked onto a nearby tree. My stomach dropped as I recognized my own face glaring back, my features unmistakable on the wanted notice.

“Do you truly think it’s wise to wander around the City with that on display?” he murmured, his tone light but his gaze sharp. His smirk widened as he leaned in, almost close enough to feel his breath. “Now, my lady... it’s time to rest.”

The world darkened then, his presence the last thing I remembered. Somehow, he had put me to sleep. And although my body still throbbed with exhaustion, I had regained enough strength to continue.

I scoffed, my lips curling with disdain as the memory of my face plastered on those wanted posters surfaced in my mind. Huh. What in the world? The Emperor must have completely lost his mind.

“Do you want to eat?”

The voice made me tilt my head, catching sight of Sebastian by the fire, a thin wisp of smoke rising from the fish he was roasting over the flames. We were hidden in a cave, the shadows cast by the flickering light dancing over the jagged walls. His calm expression, the ease with which he cooked, made my glare harden as he dared to step closer.

After everything, he still has the nerve? I thought, fury simmering just below the surface. Didn’t he betray me? It was him who tipped off the Emperor, wasn’t it? Led him right to our cabin…

I stood abruptly, squaring my shoulders and narrowing my eyes. “What are you doing?” I sneered, keeping my voice as sharp as the tension filling the air. My hands were free now, and with each passing moment, I felt my strength returning—enough to show him exactly what I thought of his so-called ‘kindness.’

Sebastian stepped forward, holding out the cooked fish toward me as if in peace. Without a second thought, I slapped his hand away, sending the fish tumbling into the dirt. My gaze remained cold. I don’t trust him.

He froze, eyes lowering to the fish sprawled and mutilated on the ground. For a moment, silence stretched between us, taut with unspoken tension. Then he sighed, a resigned sound, as he knelt to pick it up, brushing off the dirt.

“Some people,” he muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for me to catch, “really don’t know how to recognize a simple act of kindness.”