Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

The city center, where the festival was in full swing, lit up the dark sky as bright as daytime.

It was the first time I had seen so many people, including my previous life.

Luka and I held hands tightly to avoid losing each other as we passed through the lively and bustling crowd.

The western festival was also popular among nobles from other regions, and we could occasionally see people we had briefly encountered at parties.

‘By the way, this is really a historic event…’

Sky lanterns flew high in the sky, and splendid bands marched and danced on every street.

And soon, beautiful fireworks would paint the sky like a picture.

It wasn’t an empty saying that the people of the west live and die by festivals.

“Wow-“

Seeing the scene of people celebrating as if there was no tomorrow, I thought that it might have been a real loss if we hadn’t come.

“If I take you to the clock tower, what reward will Ria give me?”

Luka suddenly asked as I was walking, mesmerized by the sights of the street.

“As for a reward… I’ll let you stay overnight at my villa today.”

I said with a smirk.

I had no intention of sending only Luka back to the Marquisate in the middle of the night.

It had been a long time since we slept together, and this couldn’t even be called a reward.

As Luka was about to say something to me, a shop caught my eye.

I took him to a shop front where various handmade accessories were displayed on red cloth.

“Welcome! We have plenty of rare jewels that you can’t see every day, so feel free to look around!”

The merchant, who spoke with a friendly face, soon rushed over to another customer who said they wanted to pay.

He must be having the busiest day of the year.

“Luka, look at me.”

At those words, Luka turned towards me and looked down.

It was surprising how well the western attire suited him.

People passing by all stopped for a moment to look at his sacred figure that seemed to have come out of a myth.

‘But why is he staring so intently… My face will burn.’

This was precisely Luka’s unconscious seduction that I had mentioned.

Even just standing still, his excellent appearance made people misunderstand.

“Ahem, here- It suits you well indeed.”

Having developed some immunity since the orphanage, I regained my composure and put one of the displayed rings on Luka’s finger.

The smooth silver ring had a small ruby set in the center.

“Don’t you think so too?”

Luka, whose ears seemed to have turned red, nodded.

“Mister, I’ll take this one!”

“Oh my- The little miss has a good eye? It’s originally 30 silver, but since it’s a good day today, just give me 20 silver.”

“Woah, thank you.”

In the west, they didn’t know much about Rayes’ famous silver hair, and Luka had used magic to dye his black hair brown, so no one thought we were Princess Rayes and the Crown Prince.

Therefore, they probably thought we were children from some wealthy merchant family.

I paid the merchant and gifted the ring to Luka.

In reality, it wasn’t worth as much as those displayed in boutiques frequented by nobles, but the design was modest and the finish wasn’t bad.

No, the ring shining on Luka’s finger looked more luxurious than anything else thanks to its well-matched owner.

“It’s a reward. For bringing me here.”

It was a ring I gifted while lightly enjoying the festival atmosphere.

But…

“I’ll… cherish it for life. Thank you so much.”

Luka fondled the ring as if it was truly precious.

“No, for life…? I’ll buy you a better one next time.”

Luka just smiled silently at my flustered response.

By the way, I’m sure I put the ring on Luka’s index finger, but somehow it had moved to his ring finger.

Did it not fit well on the index finger?

Whatever the reason, looking at the ring sparkling on the fourth finger, Luka looked like a boy who had just gotten engaged.

Seeing Luka smile as if he had received the most precious gift despite its modesty, I felt strange and changed the subject.

“What’s that, is it chicken skewers? Looks delicious.”

I moved towards a stall emitting an appetizing smell, holding his hand.

“Wait, that’s…”

At that moment, we saw a couple.

The couple, who seemed unusually close, were none other than Damon and Sarah.

Damon had hidden his eye-catching white hair under a hat, and Sarah was also dressed simply, so we almost missed them.

‘They both returned to the Marquisate as if they had an urgent appointment, but they came out to the festival secretly.’

The two of them, smiling brightly while putting flower crowns on each other in front of a flower shop creating a festive atmosphere, were enough to give goosebumps to onlookers.

Although I was very glad to meet them unexpectedly, I didn’t want to disturb them, so I pretended not to notice and led Luka away.

‘Come to think of it, how did they become lovers if they were originally childhood friends?’

I briefly recalled memories from my previous life.

I had seen cases where college classmates developed feelings and started dating, but childhood friends were different.

Doesn’t it feel like the third gender? At least it did to me.

‘But… why did it turn out like this.’

To think I’ve come to like Luka.

Originally, I preferred older partners to younger ones, but did my beliefs change because I became younger?

I rubbed my forehead at the sudden realization.

“Ria, are you okay?”

Luka, who already had an overprotective tendency because I had coughed up blood yesterday, was keenly attentive to even such small actions of mine.

The touch filled with worry, the eyes focused on me, the smooth voice.

Everything was an element of temptation.

I suddenly grabbed Luka’s cheeks and faced him.

“What if I’m not okay, what are you going to do?”

A grumpy voice came out.

“These days, you, you’re too concerning.”

At my sincere words, Luka thought about the meaning for a moment, then his pupils dilated as if surprised.

‘What did I just say…’

Just as I was beginning to regret my impulsive words, Luka smiled with his cheeks still held by me.

“I, I’m also concerned about Ria. Very much so.”

I screamed inwardly.

Even a nine-tailed fox wouldn’t be this bewitching.

I thought I might have been completely blinded by love, but all the passersby around us stopped in their tracks and blushed while looking at Luka.

Why, when it wasn’t even them who received the confession?

Even the men seemed to be swallowing hard, waiting for my next answer.

But I would only be a burden to this kid with a bright future ahead.

With a plan that’s only grandiose but actually no different from being terminally ill.

“That’s right, we’re too concerned about each other. Almost to the point of obsession.”

I said, raising the corners of my mouth.

“This must be because we’re no different from ‘family’.”

The one word that came out of my mouth drew a line between us.

I spoke as if I was very moved that we had become so close after going through many things together.

“Family…”

As Luka trailed off, repeating that word, I removed my hands from him and walked ahead.

“It’s almost midnight now. Let’s go to the clock tower before the bell rings.”

The fireworks start exactly when the bell rings to announce midnight.

People who don’t know well might think that many people would gather there as it’s the place where the iconic scene from ‘The Lady of the West’ was born, but in reality, that couldn’t be the case.

The reason the two protagonists could climb the clock tower was because the male lead, Drivich, was the owner of the clock tower.

Ordinary people couldn’t enter.

And in reality, the owner of the clock tower was Marquis Einhasil.

However, unfortunately, Sarah had said last time that Damon had severe acrophobia and couldn’t even climb up…

Recalling that, undoubtedly only Luka and I would be climbing the clock tower today.

Previously, I had casually mentioned to Damon that I wanted to climb the clock tower, and he had given all of us permission to access the Marquisate’s private property.

‘It’s as exciting as watching a stage from the first row of a concert hall.’

I thought as I walked ahead.

“Ria.”

As I was about to turn around at the sound of Luka calling me, purple hair flashed past my eyes.

‘Senia…?’

It was someone who couldn’t possibly be here.

But the back view was undoubtedly her.

I headed towards the alley where she had disappeared to confirm if I had seen correctly.

At that moment, the band forming a procession suddenly started passing behind me.

I was flustered at being suddenly separated from Luka, but I could be certain.

It was definitely Senia.

“Lady Senia.”

A girl with an unfamiliar cold expression was standing in front of me.

Her blue eyes were sunken without a single point of light.

“How are you here, lady…”

“I was passing through the west on my way to see my grandfather and remembered that Laveria had come to the Marquisate for recuperation, so I stopped by briefly.”

“At this late hour? Where is the Duke, and you alone…”

‘She says she stopped by the west for me…?’

If that were the case, she would have gone to the Marquisate first and would have heard the news that I was staying overnight at the villa.

And then she would have learned that Luka and I had gone to the festival when she visited the villa.

In normal cases, wouldn’t she wait at the villa instead of coming to look for us directly?

“To think His Highness would be with you… When I heard it by word, I doubted my ears, but it was true.”

Senia muttered with a strangely hostile smile.