The Tale of the Redeeming Villain

She was silenced by a man forcibly. Under normal circumstances she would have blasted him away instantly...but when her eyes fell on the person who had pressed his hand against her lips, she was pulled into a daze.

She has experienced several things since the morning. Betrayal, regret, loss, grief. And every emotion was somehow connected to the person who had silenced her in a drunken state.

His eyes were half open and his body seemed sluggish. He swayed left to right a little and there was a delightful smile on his face like he was the happiest man alive.

Catherine frowned at his state and after parting his hand from her mouth she sniffed his breath.

'Doesn't smell like alcohol...' She has been to public eateries where alcohol sells so she knows that he wasn't drunk. Then...how come he was acting so strangely?

"Catherine....? Is that you?"

She raised her brows hearing that. So he held her without even realizing who it was? Somehow that unsettled her heart.

"Yes, it's me. But why are you like this? Have you eaten anything strange?" She looked around a bit; trying to find his ration storage or if there was any cooking pot she could assess.

However, his following words stole her from her vigor and rendered her motionless,

"Look at you...being a mother again."

Her lips parted in shock as she looked at him with wide eyes. M-mother? Was she acting like an elderly lady? Has she always been like that in his eyes?

Suddenly she was having an internal debate and because of her conflicted mind, she completely forgot what Carlson had told her.

With that grin never leaving his face, Blake held her hand between their faces and told her in a whisper, "But y'know what....I actually loved it when you made food for me. It warmed up my heart."

"---!" This was bad. He was playing with her emotions now. Just now she was forced to reassess her behavior around him and now after hearing his following words, she was feeling shy and elated in her heart.

Seriously, what kind of alcohol did he take that it was making her face hot as well?

"D-Did you really like my food?" She hesitantly asked without showing any reluctance toward the intimacy they shared.

Overwhelmed by discovering him here and also the conversation they had in a short time, she didn't think too deeply about how closely she was standing before him.

Suddenly his eyes sparkled as he gestured for her to come closer.

Now...she was conscious of how close they were and how hot her face had become. However, she fought the urge to hide her face and complied with his request.

Once their faces were inches apart, Blake leaned closer, and that urged her to close her eyes for some reason (what was she even expecting?!)

After a moment of silence, she suddenly felt his hot lips brushing against her ear—sending a jolt down her spine—before his steamy whisper echoed intimately,

"I...loved it."

With a chuckle, he separated himself from her and walked towards the campfire before sitting down.

Catherine remained frozen at her place. Her face was redder than the evening sun and her mind was failing to register anything apart from the whisper she was assaulted with.

It took her a minute but she somehow regained her composure and followed his suit to sit across him near the campfire.

"Are you living here now?"

"Yeeeep~I am being chased down by people so can't risk living anywhere else." His answer was straightforward this time, however, his tone lacked the stress that a normal person should have been feeling in this situation.

Catherine grew tense and asked again, "This place is dangerous...is there any way for you to leave the continent? I have some gold coins which I have saved....."She began to take out the pouch she was carrying when suddenly a hand stopped her.

She instantly raised her head and saw Blake was crouching beside her and his smile was no longer there. She never sensed him moving but that wasn't at the center of her focus for now.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to overwhelm me with favors?"

She instantly shook her head and said, "No! I would never-"

Blake pressed his index finger against her lips and said, "I know...but if I take your money I won't be able to look at myself in the mirror." With his gaze softening he asked, "You are saving that money for a specific purpose right?"

Hearing his words, her eyes trembled. She indeed has been saving money to build a home for those orphans with whom she used to live. However, she never told him that. Wait....is it that, he already knew about her past and guessed her ambition?

"But Blake...your life is on the line."

His smile returned when she said that.

He made himself comfortable beside her and conveyed, "I know but don't worry; no one would come here to search for me." He glanced at her teasingly before uttering, "Unless they are infatuated by me."

A cloud of smoke erupted above her head and her face was even redder than before.

S-she...i-infatuated?

"There is nothing like that!" She curled her legs and hid her face in her knees.

Her reaction brought a hearty laugh from him as he softly rubbed her head.

Catherine grumbled and glared at him—but to no avail. Her reaction was intensifying his amusement.

Slowly the laugh died down and the duo was just sitting there in silence. The soft sound of crackling arriving from the flames and the hooting of nocturnals provided a very pleasant atmosphere.

Amidst the tranquility, suddenly Blake nudged her softly with his shoulder and asked, "Hey...did you miss me?"

She was surprised by the sudden question. She wasn't able to answer that instantly which allowed Blake to follow up,

"I missed you, by the way. A lot."

Catherine's heart became a puddle hearing that. She didn't know why it made her feel so warm that she wasn't the only one who was thinking about the other.

Leaning close to him, she also confessed, "I...too. Missed you."

"Glad to hear it." Blake suddenly stood up and extended his hand to her.

Catherine, with her eyes rounded, held his hand and got up.

He held her hand fondly before conveying, "Catherine...can you do something for me?"

"Yes...anything." Her answer didn't take a moment of delay to arrive

He frowned and warned her, "However, this is risky. You might get labeled as a traitor if you get caught."

"Doesn't matter. I will do anything to help you." There was determination in her eyes when she said that. Blake had suffered a lot in the past and now, she was his only ally.

She was expecting him to say something serious, but suddenly he dropped his head on her shoulder and whispered in a helpless tone,

"Seriously....if you say things like

 that, I might fall for you again."

" ⁠⁄⁠•⁠⁄⁠-⁠⁄⁠•⁠⁄⁠ " (Catherine)

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A/N:- He smooth fr.