I Became the Villainess in an Anticlimactic Novel - Chapter 24

Although it was already night, it wasn’t dark at all thanks to the full moon in the sky. 

I probably would’ve enjoyed the night’s walk more, had it not been for this ambiguous situation where neither of us were fighting or had yet to fully reconcile with each other, but my nerves were completely focused on what he wanted to show me.

The place where he took me to was a garden located deep within the Grand Duchy. 

I couldn’t even remember how many guards I had met along the way to the place surrounded by tall and thorny vines. Not only were there guards, but also several demonic creatures standing guard there. 

There were also several protective barriers placed there by mages that had to be lifted. It didn’t even seem like the emperor’s bedroom would be as well protected as this.

The place that we finally arrived at was a rose garden.

“Wow, there are so many roses…”

Even though this was the season for roses to wilt, all the roses here were still fresh. Although it wasn’t completely blocked off from the outside air, a warm energy that kept the temperature seemed to keep it from dying.

The colored roses each showed off their own beauty in their own individual circular sections. Red, white, pink, and yellow. Amongst them, the black roses’ section was in the very centre, being protected by all the other colours.

“So black roses are this pretty?”

Although I had seen many roses in my life before, this was my first time seeing a black one. It was so beautiful it seemed as if it had been painted with ink.

“Woah, what’s that?”

My gaze came to a stop at a single rose that was floating in the centre of this space. I walked past Lecht who had stopped in his tracks and headed toward the rose.

Had he cast a spell on it? It was both larger and fresher than the other roses, and had a different radiance to it.

The black rose grew brighter as I drew closer to it. A smile spread across my lips since it looked like it was glad to see me, as if it were a greeting.

It wasn’t emitting a blinding light either. Its soft glow was like a mood light, adding to the atmosphere.

“Is this a rose too? Or was it made through magic?”

I looked back at Lecht and asked. And then my eyes widened upon seeing his expression.

He had this expression after suddenly pulling me into a hug at the temple too. As if he was also in pain. As if he was also happy. 

A look of complicated emotions that were all intertwined into one big mass.

“Lecht?”

As I took a step toward him to ask him, he let out a sigh mixed with a small groan and opened his mouth.

“Yeah. Since it’s shining so brightly like that.”

Lecht’s low voice flowed in the breeze.

I looked back at the rose doubtfully at his words. Hey, hasn’t it been shining ever since I approached it…?

“Since it shines by your side, I can’t let go of you.”

“What does that mean?”

What do I have to do with a rose shining? As I was thinking about it, a phrase suddenly flashed through my mind.

{Because the rose has withered.}

The flower in that scene was definitely a black rose. Dark and beautiful, just like that child floating in the air right now.

I felt like I had just been hit in the head with a frying pan. 

Lecht took a step closer to me as I stared blankly at the rose, my thoughts complicated as those two points came together in my head. He slowly reached out a large hand and covered my face, turning me toward him. 

His gaze toward me, who was wide-eyed, was filled with infinitely deep emotions. I felt as if my whole body were about to melt away softly despite the cool night breeze.

“100 years.”

A deep voice tickled my ears.

“I’ve waited for 100 years. Just to meet you.”

The weighty information conveyed in his blunt tone was enough to make my heart rate soar.

You’ve waited 100 years? And that’s all just to meet me?

Although it still hadn’t completely sunk into my head yet, the affection that filled his voice and eyes continued to stir up a storm in my heart.

Holding onto my heart that seemed as if were about to melt from affection and flutter away, I asked.

“Were you waiting for the saintess of the moon god?”

Lydia had told me that the moon god’s saintess hadn’t appeared in the last few hundreds of years. So, from the standpoint of the Demon King, who worships the moon god, he must’ve been waiting for the saintess.

However, Lecht shook his head slightly at my question.

“Whether or not they’re the moon god’s saintess isn’t important.”

“…”

“Of course, although I knew that you were going to appear as the saintess of the moon god, what I was waiting for wasn’t you as the moon god’s saintess, but just you as yourself.”

I had no choice but to continue asking questions in response to the words that were beyond my comprehension.

“But why… me?”

“We first met 100 years ago.”

“Maybe you’ve mistaken me for someone else? The human life span isn’t that long.”

“I’m not sure if the time I met you had been during your previous life, or even the life before that. But what I’m sure of is that I definitely haven’t mistaken you for someone else.”

He was resolute in his opinion. It wasn’t a tone of speculation, but a voice that only those who had complete confidence could make.

“How do you know? The person you’re thinking of might be a different person to me.”

I’m not Meliara. I was just another person who had taken over Meliara’s body. So if he had been waiting for Meliara, then she wasn’t here.

Because of this, the thought that those huge expectations and emotions were directed towards Meliara and not me, made me extremely uncomfortable.

“It’s you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Although it wasn’t my fault that I took over Meliara’s body, his deep emotions made me feel like I had sinned, so I had no choice but to ask in a curt voice.

“I’m not sure about you, Lecht, but I…!”

He spoke softly in a calm voice just as I was about to have an outburst.

“I told you. It’s because that shines.”

The black rose next to us glistened, as if replying to his words.

“That is a rose made from a fragment of your soul that you left 100 years ago.”

“…?”

“This admirable guy has endured all kinds of bad weather without withering, only looking forward to the day it would finally meet its master again.”

I had a strong feeling that he was actually talking about himself instead of the flower.

Enduring for 100 years. 

I had the illusion that he was whining for praise, having gone through such a difficult time just in order to meet me again. To the point where his voice was quietly earnest.

“It shines powerfully just because you, its master and main soul, has returned to its side again and given it more strength.”

“…”

“So don’t tell me that I’m mistaken.”

Lecht said, as if making the final court ruling.

“The soul that I’ve waited 100 years for, that’s you.”

My heart throbbed. If it was a soul, and not a body, then that was me. It wasn’t that I had stolen the affection that was supposed to be given to Meliara, but it was that they belonged to me in the first place.

“Ah.”

An unbearable sigh escaped from between my teeth. 

He had waited 100 years. For my soul. But for what reason?

There wasn’t much variety in the answers that I could come up with to that question. And all of them were based on melodrama as well. 

To get revenge for a great resentment. To seek forgiveness for an infinite sorrow. To repay the favour due to endless gratitude. Or, he had done a terrible thing in the name of love.

As I was at a loss for this or that, he whispered in a voice that was full of ardent emotions.

“You said it back then. That we’d definitely meet each other again.”

He moved his hand which had been on my cheek and brushed it through my hair. I felt a tingling sensation from my hair, as if there were nerves there too.

“And that at that time, you wouldn’t leave me alone.”

He drew my hand towards him as he reminisced about a promise I couldn’t remember. He put my hand on his chest to cover his heart, as if doing so could keep it from running away.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart rate that vibrated from underneath the palm of my hand was far beyond normal levels. It was fascinating that the heart of Lecht, who always looked calm and unperturbed, could beat so fast. And be so fluttery.

Since there was no way I could be unaware that this heartbeat was completely because of me.

“With that promise as my motivation, I’ve endured an unbearable 100 years.”

His heart raced even faster, as if in agreement. To the point where I was worried it might combust like this.

“That’s why I can’t let you go.”

Although I still felt like he was trying to justify himself, and still felt like he was trying to convince me to stay too. The only thing that was certain was knowing that his heart was for me..

“Because this heart, for as long as it beats, will only beat for you for the rest of its life.”

“…”

“So… I guess I can’t let you go.”

It was a confession that was covered with an obsession so terrible, the weight of it was difficult to bear. But when I heard it, although my heart sensed the danger it was in, instead of fleeing, it began to roll down toward him.

Thump. Thump.

t/n: this thump refers to something dropping. think like a rock or smth lmao

My heart was accelerating with his confession, just like how his heart had been motivated by my words in the past. 

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I was overwhelmed with emotions that were hard for me to extricate myself from.

Th-Th-Thump.

Helplessly. 

Fast.

artist said white in his eyes? nah.

* * * 

Coming back to the room that day, I didn’t know what sort of mood I had returned with.

With blood rushing to my head, I couldn’t even give him a vague answer since I couldn’t even think properly.

Instead of rushing me for an answer, Lecht just quietly led me to my room. 

I wasn’t in my right mind when I got back to my room.

“Because this heart, for as long as it beats, will only beat for you for the rest of its life.”

It was the first time in my life receiving such a deep confession. My face flared crimson red every time it came up randomly.

“…Kyaaa!”

I wonder how many times I had screamed under the blankets already. The heart that had been racing so fast seemed as if it were about to go on strike soon.

After staying up all night with a fluttering heart, I finally calmed down a little. I could finally reflect on what he had said.

‘But what I’m sure of is that I definitely haven’t mistaken you for someone else.’

He said he had met my soul 100 years ago. 

So when is that? In my previous life…? Then in my previous life, had I lived in this world? 

So was I a demon back then? Maybe that’s how I met Lecht, the Demon King.

I wonder what I looked like? Was my personality similar to my one now?

‘It’s inevitable that I don’t have any memories of that time, but…’

It was also inevitable for me to have complicated feelings. 

A characteristic of humans was that every person, even twins, were different, depending on their background. No matter how much of the same soul we share, our personalities could be different due to the different lives we had lived, so if I had different beliefs and principles 100 years ago from the ones I had today, then I could be seen as a completely different person.

‘Although my heart is racing at the fact that he waited 100 years for my soul… I would be lying if I said it wasn’t burdensome.’

It was just like my concerns on whether or not I would be able to meet the expectations of the Lunar religion as a saintess who finally appeared after a few hundred years. 

No, it felt even worse than that.

What if he was disappointed? Wouldn’t he feel betrayed if I suddenly changed after he waited for 100 years? Wouldn’t you be upset that I had no memory of it?

Shaking my head wildly, complicated emotions filled my heart, even as it fluttered in excitement.

‘Nothing will be solved if you continue digging your own grave like this!’

First, let’s find out what I was like 100 years ago! 

I jumped up from my seat.