Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

[To regain your memories, find the mediators who shared the ‘moment of regression’ with you. Fate will ultimately be on your side, and they will naturally gather around you.]

“There are a total of 3 mediators. If even one of them is not met, the memories cannot be regained…”

[You will also learn the identity of the mediators according to the course of fate. However, be cautious. The memories will return not only to you but also to the mediators, so if there is an evil person among them, you will be in danger.]

“Extinguish those who try to disrupt order. The blessing of time will be with you… Is this the end?!”

There were traces of a few more lines engraved below, but they were completely unreadable as if erased by something.

I couldn’t tell who these words were directed at.

Who awakened the Elf King’s soul sleeping in the Elven Stone, who regressed.

This stone slab alone couldn’t tell me.

When I came to my senses, I realized I was lying on the stone slab reading the letters like a madwoman.

Standing up and looking around, there was nothing but an endless garden spread out.

Unable to check my matured face, I felt it with my hands.

The baby fat had definitely decreased and my jawline had sharpened, so it didn’t seem to be my original self.

But…

“Tears?”

As if I had been crying for a while until just now, my cheeks were wet with tears.

“Why…”

As I wondered about this, I felt a strong hand guiding me.

“Ria, Laveria-!”

It was Luka’s voice.

The return was just as instantaneous as the arrival.

When I came to my senses, I was sitting in the chair on the terrace at the top of the clock tower as before.

“Where was I until now?”

“You were here the whole time. With unfocused eyes, reciting some unknown language…”

[Time only knows how to go forward, it has no way of going back.]

I spoke aloud the elven language I had been reading while looking at the stone slab until just now.

The language coming out of my mouth felt as natural as the one I usually used.

“Did you speak in this language?”

“Yes, definitely…”

“It feels like I went somewhere for a moment. Luka, just as you said, like I was caught in time’s prank…”

As I clung to Luka and rambled in confusion, he pushed me into his warm embrace and said:

“Your body is too cold. We should return to the villa first.”

I nodded slightly in his arms.

“Yes, let’s go back.”

* * *

Luka and I headed to the villa in a carriage waiting in front of the clock tower.

Even on the way in the carriage, and while confirming our safe return to my brothers waiting at the villa, I was preoccupied with the contents written on the stone slab.

“Let’s go now, Your Highness.”

“I will be staying at Ria’s villa tonight.”

“What? How can that be…!”

“It’s fine, Miller.”

Drehan blocked Miller, who was about to rush at Luka beside me with the intention of dragging him away.

The villa had no rooms suitable for guests other than the owner’s room.

Although the interior was spacious, most of it was space for leisure or recreation.

Therefore, Luka’s statement that he would stay overnight here meant he would sleep together in my room.

I was sticking close to Luka’s side.

Luka was the being I instinctively relied on, as I was still confused by the strange experience.

Drehan seemed to sense this and turned around, taking the frantic Miller with him.

“I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“No sharing a bed, Ria!”

As the two were about to leave, Drehan turned back and said:

“Come to think of it, I heard the designer of this villa was a great dog lover and made a room for dogs as well-furnished as the human sleeping quarters. I suggest you check it out, Your Highness-“

Whatever the reason, he meant he couldn’t tolerate his younger sister sleeping in the same room.

Watching their backs as they left the gate with a grin, I smiled awkwardly, ‘Haha.’

“By the way, is there really a dog room?”

When I expressed curiosity, the villa’s attendant offered to show us around.

Indeed, the dog room at the end of the corridor where my bedroom was located was as well-furnished as a human bedroom.

Although it was good enough for anyone to spend a night, it was unthinkable to have the esteemed Crown Prince of the Empire sleep in a dog house.

“This is the first time we’ve slept together since leaving the orphanage.”

In the end, we lay down on one bed.

The complete lack of awkwardness was because we were originally orphanage mates who used to fall asleep in the same bed.

Moreover, unlike the narrow orphanage beds, this one was so large that we wouldn’t fall off even if we rolled over several times.

Luka turned to face me.

“Ria, what did you see in that time’s prank earlier?”

“Well… I saw my adult self reading some kind of stone slab.”

“A stone slab-“

“It was a stone slab written in elven language, and strangely, I could read it.”

Luka thought for a moment and then muttered:

“Stone slabs are mediators through which transcendent beings communicate with humans. They’re often found in ancient ruins…”

It seems there was frequent communication between transcendent beings and humans in ancient times, but now it’s almost non-existent.

“Do you remember what was written on it?”

“It was about time-“

I tried to tell Luka about what I had seen, but my mouth felt blocked as if by something and I couldn’t speak.

When I stopped mid-sentence, Luka looked at me.

“Ti-“

It was the same when I tried to speak again.

‘It seems I can’t freely talk about the contents written on the stone slab, as it’s the will of a transcendent being.’

“I don’t remember the contents well. I’ll tell you if I recall later. More importantly, we succeeded, Luka. Look, not a single creak from this bed.”

I changed the subject.

At that moment, I felt a warm hand touch my hand that had been cold all along.

Luka was clinging close to me.

“But… why are we so close together on such a wide bed?”

“…The memories are flooding back. It reminds me of the orphanage bed.”

“I feel the same, but you know this is only tolerated when we’re young, right?”

Now it’s fine because we’re young, but as time passes, it would look strange for us to sleep together like this.

“I wonder. Couldn’t Ria tolerate it even when we grow up? Ria is kind, so I’d like you to be lenient with me.”

“…You’re getting cheeky.”

This surprise attack was powerful.

To speak like that while flaunting his world-class beauty so defenseless.

“But I don’t want to be apart from Ria even for a moment. That will be the same even when we grow up.”

“That’s…”

Me too, you fool.

I swallowed the rest of my words.

On this night with a bluish moonlight, lying next to the now-sleeping Luka, I thought about what happened at the clock tower.

It wasn’t an illusion.

Maybe, just maybe…

‘Could that message have been for me?’

If so, it means I have a time I’ve forgotten, but if they’re going to tell me about mediators and such, they should do it properly…

Although I can’t be certain that I’m the target, if it’s true.

‘I’ll know according to fate. As written on the stone slab.’

At that moment, a firefly flew into the quiet bedroom.

Watching the glowing firefly, I slowly closed my eyes.

As if swallowed by deep sleep, I fell into a very deep slumber.

* * *

“Mmm…”

The bright sunlight made me frown.

But soon something blocked the sunlight.

When I carefully opened my eyes, which had become comfortable again, Luka was holding up one hand to block the sunlight shining on me.

“Are you awake?”

The shadow of the hand blocking the sunlight settled on my face.

I blinked and answered.

“Yes.”

My heart couldn’t take it from the morning because of Luka, who was so attentive even to such small things.

We looked at each other silently for a while like that.

The attendant who came from the imperial palace and Garnett helped us prepare respectively.

We met again in light attire, had breakfast together, walked along the beach, and talked about the fireworks we saw yesterday.

If we had been a bit older, anyone would have thought we were a young couple spending a peaceful morning.

A life no different from Damon and Sarah’s that I had envied.

“I liked this kind of life.”

Drehan and Miller, who had arrived by then, each holding my hat and bag in one hand, turned around.

“What did you say, Ria?”

“Nothing. Let’s go!”

* * *

Four days passed after returning to the Marquisate from the villa.

I was chugging down the enhanced potion next to Garnett, who was busily packing luggage.

“Ugh, blegh!”

“Oh my, miss! Quick, the chocolate, here!”

Garnett stopped packing and hurriedly ran over to put chocolate in my mouth.

It was chocolate from a famous confectionery that Luka had gifted by the box.

Thanks to the chocolate quickly alleviating the bitter taste of the potion, I was able to stop the almost convulsive spasms.

“Phew, barely survived. By the way, why does it feel like the luggage has doubled compared to when we came?”

We’re returning to the capital tomorrow.

That’s why we’re packing in advance, but there were definitely three or four more huge bags than when we came.

“You often went to the city with Lady Lechel for the past few days. These are things the lady ordered for you.”

No wonder she brought dresses that might suit me, telling me to try this and that, and when I came out wearing them, she had an ecstatic expression…

When I opened the bag, it was full of the dresses and accessories I had worn then, as well as quill pens, ink, and magical tools I had been eyeing.

Sarah, perhaps because she was an only child, cherished me like her own little sister.

I also grew fond of Sarah, who had many similarities to me, having only two older brothers, and with whom I could communicate well.

She said she would marry Damon towards the end of autumn, so she would become family with me too.

Somehow, she seemed to be looking forward to being connected as family with me more than becoming the mistress of the Einhasil Marquisate.

I tied the bag strap again and moved my feet.

“Where are you going, miss?”

“It’s the last day. I’m going to look at the sea from the mansion’s backyard.”

“Then I’ll go with you…”

“No, you’re busy, there’s no need. It’s just inside the Marquisate, what could happen-“

I smiled and left the room like that.

‘To think there’s such a coast right in front of the mansion. It must be really nice to live here.’

The Marquisate’s backyard was open.

There was a path leading directly to the coast owned by Einhasil, and I was walking there.

Perhaps because it was the last day of our stay in the west, people wanted to meet the Rayes family and Luka everywhere.

They said they would return to the mansion around evening, which made the Marquisate feel quiet.

Sarah seemed very sad about parting with me, lacking energy since this morning.

‘Should I ask her to walk along the coast together?’

With this good idea, I turned around to head back to the mansion.

At that moment, I felt a strong grip on my wrist.

“Wh-what?!”

As I turned around, screaming, in front of my eyes was Marquis Zeld, giggling with a chilling face.