How To Survive As a Villain on the Verge of Death

Chloe seemed to want to hear an answer about Bayan. Well, she was going to explain it to her when this incident was over anyway. Since Chloe was a trustworthy enough person, it would be okay for her to reveal Bayan’s identity. But Chloe asked an unexpected question with a very serious expression.

 

“Bajan is… Was it really a genius cat?”

 

“…what?”

 

What cat? While she was wondering what this meant, Chloe seemed to interpret her silence as an answer and started talking.

 

“I had a guess that it would be so. Bayan acted as if he understood what I was saying.”

 

Chloe had a very serious face, but her eyes were shining with excitement. 

 

“He even scratched in the drawer as if he was asking me to put out a snack. He knew where I hid the snacks like a ghost.”

 

Didn’t even cats know that by smell? She turned to Bayan. Bayan looked bewildered.

 

[This maid seems to be astute, but she is tactless. Even though she sees the sacred and rare creature that the saint carries around, she does not notice its identity.]

 

“…”

 

Bayan grumbled as if it was absurd, but she couldn’t agree with him. First of all, she had lost all of her holy powers and was no longer a ‘saint’, and Bayan’s outward appearance was not that of a holy and rare creature… Because it looked so ordinary and cute. In the first place, when you think of Shinsoo, you tend to think of her as something bigger, cooler, and sparkling. Something like a phoenix, a winged lion, or a unicorn. Bayan, a black and small cat, looked more like a witch’s familiar than a divine beast.

 

She belatedly corrected Chloe’s misunderstanding.

 

“No, Bayan is not a genius, but a divine beast.”

 

When she said it like that, it seemed like it had a dismissive tone. She was sure Shinsoo was better than the genius cat.

 

Chloe opened her eyes wide.

 

“Shinsu… He is Shinsoo?”

 

“Yes. It was a divine beast in the temple.”

 

Bayan, who was listening to them, stretched his body for a long time and then curled up. Then, in an instant, it turned into the small kitten she had seen before. A small cat the size of a palm raised its small chin with great pride. A short, furry tail swayed gently next to it.

 

Honestly, it was very cute, but it still didn’t look like a divine beast.

 

“…Is it okay to waste your holy energy like that?”

 

[It’s okay because it’s just a moment.]

 

It seemed like he’s trying to prove that he’s a god in his own way. She wondered if it would be effective in something like that. However, contrary to her thoughts, Chloe knelt down with a surprised and thrilled face. Then she put her hands together and bowed her head politely. To a baby cat the size of your palm.

 

“Shinsu…!”

 

“…”

 

She read in a book in the temple that northerners were very religious, and that was true. Bayan lifted his round paw and patted Chloe’s head as if she was amazed. It was a sacred and reverent attitude, as if an old priest was giving a blessing to a devout believer, but since one side was a small cat, it was not reverent, but rather very comical. She said while watching the two of them.

 

“Bajan has just woken up and is still weak, so please keep this a secret.”

 

Chloe nodded at him with a solemn look on her face.

 

“Don’t worry. I will risk my life to protect God’s secret.”

 

No, there was no need to risk her life. While she was thinking that, the way Chloe looked at her was a bit strange. Her eyes were usually indifferent and showed no emotion, but now she was strangely emotional.

 

“Why do you look at me like that?”

 

Chloe bowed her head politely to her as well.

 

“Seeing as you give orders to the divine beast, the princess is indeed a holy saint.”

 

Her voice was rippling with emotion, as if she was truly moved.

 

“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve you both.”

 

It was true that she is a saint since she used her holy power, but it was a bit embarrassing to see her being so glorious.

 

“Chloe, were you always a maid?”

 

“No, I was trained as a spy at Lenz Castle. My mother and grandmother were both secret agents working for the Grand Duchy.”

 

Lenz Castle was a townhouse on the Grand Duke’s estate and the main castle, the base of the estate. Had she been a secret agent for the Grand Duchy for generations? She thought she was a trustworthy person at that level, so it was worth sending her to Eve. As long as she didn’t become an enemy of Terence, she guessed she could continue to trust her.

 

Knock, knock.

 

At that time, a knocking sound was heard from behind.

 

“Princess, are you still changing your clothes? Dinner is here.”

 

“Ah, it’s done. I’m going out.”

 

She quickly changed her dress and went out. Simple and gentle meals were prepared, including steaming soup, bread, and creamy stew.

 

“Because you starved all day, I only prepared soft food.”

 

She ate only fruit and cookies all day, and everything tasted delicious. She ate the savory soup and felt warm from the inside out.

 

Diane, who had gone downstairs and returned, opened the door and came in to announce.

 

“Terence will be here in a moment.”

 

“Is it so?”

 

It’s quiet and peaceful here, but she wondered if there were still customers downstairs. 

The groom’s friends and close family members said they would stay until late at night. 

Bayan, who had returned to his original body, walked over and sat down on the chair next to her. Before she knew it, Chloe had come downstairs and was giving him more luxurious food than Eve was eating. Chloe pushed a juicy piece of steak to Bayan with a happy expression.

 

“Bayan, no, Lord Bayan. Come on, eat.”

 

Bayan ate the meat that Chloe had brought with an attitude that it was very natural to be treated like this.

 

‘…Thanks to making his identity known, I gained followers.’

 

“I prepared dinner for Bayan!”

 

Next, Nell prepared meatloaf and chicken along with a warm towel for Bayan. On the other hand, she was already Bayan’s faithful maid without Eve having to reveal his identity.

 

Bayan ate the delicious meat presented by the two with a relaxed expression. It looked so much better than what she ate. She starved and this was all she could barely eat. But even that wasn’t enough to eat. Diane checked her watch and hurried her.

 

“We don’t have much time. Now you have to take a bath and dress up again.”

 

“Get dressed up… Again?”

 

Doing makeup and hair from early in the morning… She was exhausted. Did she really have to dress up again? As she was staring in confusion, Nell pointed out from the side.

 

“You need to get dressed before entering the bridal room. Do not worry. Because it is lightly caring for your skin and hair.”

 

“…I see.”

 

Noble weddings were really difficult.

 

‘Even if it’s a new room, there’s no need to have a real first night.’

 

There’s no need for anyone to come in and check, so she guessed she could just pretend to do something and sleep. 

 

Suddenly, she remembered the kiss they shared at the wedding. The sweet and hot sensation clearly came to mind and her face burned. He only lightly touched her lips, but it was so thrilling that for a moment she lost her senses.

 

Thanks to the Empress and Sorel, she had forgotten about it for a while. When she thought about it again later, she felt embarrassed and shy.

 

‘I don’t know why I was so distracted there.’

 

Was it because it was her first kiss? Terence, as well as the guests who were watching, must have been embarrassed. This was all because Terence was so handsome in his formal attire. As they stood facing each other at the wedding, he was so cool and wonderful that she was captivated.  She was not sure because she had nothing to compare it to, but the kiss was really… Well done.

 

She put down her spoon, shaking off useless thoughts. Nell, who was waiting for her to finish eating next to her, asked with joy.

 

“Have you eaten everything?”

 

“Yes. I want to stop eating. Clean it up.”

 

After finishing her meal, she took a bath and changed into a bedroom dress. Even though it was a bedroom dress, it was an extravagant dressing gown made of white, thin fabric.

 

“You sure I don’t have to wear something like this to sleep every day?”

 

“This is the dress I prepared for our first night as newlyweds.”

 

‘Oh, I’m only wearing it for today.’

 

Although the flowy clothes were quite pretty, she thought it would be a waste to throw them away. After changing clothes, Nell was combing her hair when she heard a knock outside.

 

An older maid opened the door and came in. She announced.

 

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess. His Highness the Grand Duke has arrived.”

 

* * *

 

Terence, dressed in formal attire, came into the room with the butler. Nell and Chloe, who were helping with the dressing, hurriedly bowed.

 

“Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

 

Terence was coming in and he stopped when he saw her. He was still in his formal attire, perhaps having just come from being with his guests.

 

“Thank you for today. Everyone, please leave.”

 

She sent Nell and Chloe out. Nell quickly went outside, holding Bayan, who was rolling around on the cushion, in her arms. Diane also quickly noticed and tried to go outside with the two people.

 

“Then I’ll just leave.”

 

“Oh, Miss Diane.”

 

She quickly grabbed Diane’s hand. Diane looked back at her with startled eyes.

 

“I was really thankful in many ways today. I will never forget the hard work you put into our wedding.”

 

“No. I’m glad it helped.”

 

Diane smiled, clutching her hand with a touched expression.

 

“I hope you like the bridal room.”

 

“He’ll like it.”

 

The butler, along with Diane, greeted the two of them and went out.

 

“Then sleep well, both of you.”

 

Thanks to this, only Terence and she were left in the boudoir. Terence looked the same as he did at the wedding, but he seemed a little more comfortable than before. Perhaps because everything went well today, his expression seemed to have relaxed a little. On the other hand, she became more and more uncomfortable. Since it was just the two of them left, she felt a strange sense of tension and a subtle feeling.

 

‘What should I say in times like this?’

 

Since it’s a limited-time marriage, there’s no need to act like a real couple, right? That sounds strange, even though they haven’t even entered the new room yet. After much thought, she managed to come up with something to say.

 

“…It was a really tiring day.”

 

Come to think of it, even though it was her wedding day, she didn’t even have a chance to talk to Terence alone. All they did was briefly talk about food at the reception. After a whirlwind day, they were alone, so they needed to talk comfortably about today’s work.

It would be.

 

For some reason, the moment she faced Terrence, she felt a strange sense of tension. While she stood there hesitating, Terence silently approached her.

 

“Did you have dinner?”

 

“Yes, roughly.”

 

While they were talking like that, the distance narrowed. Before she knew it, Terence was standing about three steps away.

 

The interior of the inner room was bathed in warm golden light that emanated from the candlesticks. The cozy light cast a profound shadow on his beautiful features. While drawing manly lines, a languid smile appeared on his beautiful face.

 

“I’m glad things went well today. Thanks to the princess, everything ended as planned.”

 

“Ha ha ha. I know, right. It’s because everyone, from the knights of the Grand Duke’s family to the maids and butlers, did their part well.”

 

Even though they were having a peaceful conversation, the subtle tension grew stronger as the distance got closer. She averted her gaze here and there and then changed the subject to look at the bedroom door.

 

“Miss Diane said she decorated it, but I haven’t seen it yet. I have to go in now.”

 

Since it was a bridal room, it was probably decorated with a bouquet of flowers or ribbons. Still, she had been decorating it for quite some time and was curious what it would look like. 

Terence looked at her for a moment and then resumed her walk. Without saying a word, he came up to her and picked her up in his arms.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: