It's A Misunderstanding That I'm Dating The Villain

“Oh, they’re faster than I expected. The plan has gone awry….”

The boy muttered and stood up.

“It, it’s dangerous!”

“It’s okay.”

Boom!

A massive flame roared in front of the boy.

The memories that followed are somewhat hazy. The kidnappers screamed and rushed at the boy in anger…

It felt surreal to see such a young boy fighting evenly against several adults.

The boy shouted while dealing with them.

“Run out of the forest! The knights will be coming!”

“But…!”

“You’re just a hindrance! So run away!”

At the boy’s scolding command, I instinctively moved my feet. One of the thugs moved to grab me, but I could see the boy’s magic blocking him.

‘I, I have to tell them.’

If the knights were coming, I had to let them know. The boy said I was a hindrance, but I was sure he said that to try to get me to run away.

I ran and ran without looking back.

However, running barefoot through an unfamiliar forest was bound to take its toll.

I tripped and fell, hitting my head against a rock. With a tremendous pain, my consciousness went dark.

And then, I realized.

I have memories of my past life.

***

‘It was truly a shocking incident.’

Fortunately, the time I lost consciousness was short. With the memories I regained from my past life, I somehow managed to get up and run again despite my confusion.

By a great stroke of luck, I was able to soon encounter the approaching knights.

“I, a boy is dealing with human traffickers. It’s dangerous…. Please save him quickly.”

I gave them the location of the cave as best as I could, tears welling up in my eyes.

“Yes, don’t worry. Everyone, quickly move out!”

“Yes, Captain!”

The boy should be safe now. With that reassurance, I felt my strength drain away.

The problem was what came next.

The Captain supported me as I stumbled, and spoke kindly.

“I’ll take you home, little one.”

A chill ran down my spine.

To that terrible corner of that house?

I firmly declined.

“It’s okay! My home is nearby, so I’ll find my way back!”

“But….”

“It’s okay… It’s really okay…. That, that boy… Please save that boy first! I, I’m okay!”

Leaving a bunch of nonsensical words behind, terrified of being caught and forcibly taken back home, I ran away in a panic.

Yes, the beginning of all this was running away from home.

Just a moment ago, I was just a naive child. If things had gone as they were, it would have been better to be protected, even in that crazy corner of the house.

But that was no longer the case. I had experiences and memories from my past life.

And I had realized another ability.

‘I have Spirit. I can somehow find a way to make a living! I won’t make this mistake again!’

Even in a state of confusion, that proposition was clear.

I will live while maintaining my dignity.

I would not return to that crazy household.

Of course, there was fear. I might not succeed.

Yet, strangely enough, the words of the boy I met for a very brief time gave me strength.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. So… never think of yourself as a bad child.”

“It’s your parents who are at fault.”

“From now on, you must always… value yourself as the most precious than anything else.”

So this decision of mine was absolutely not wrong.

With this resolve, I felt like being reborn as I took my first real step in this new life.

I was relieved to have done so.

The surrounding scenery gradually began to fade. It seemed that I was slowly waking up from my dream.

‘I really wanted to repay him as my benefactor.’

Later, after becoming a knight, I made a painstaking effort to search through the records of that incident, hoping to find a way to thank that boy.

However, according to the records, only the kidnappers were found tied up and lying unconscious in the cave, and the boy was nowhere to be seen.

‘I should have at least asked his name.’

Given his extraordinary magical skills at such a young age, he might be at the Mage Tower by now.

However, as a knight, I had no connection with the Mage Tower, which was a closed organization.

Moreover, even if I had a connection, there was no way to find out someone whose name and appearance was vague in my memory.

In the end, the benefactor from my memories became someone I only met occasionally in dreams, expressing my gratitude.

To be honest, my initial good impression of Gustav was partly because of this incident.

Gustav had the same hair color as that boy.

It was a rather amusing situation, but it couldn’t be helped.

That boy was like my first love.

***

“Ah….”

I felt myself slowly regaining consciousness. However, my body was not in a normal state. My whole body felt heavy, like a wet cotton ball.

“Ugh….”

Still, I tried to somehow hold myself and get up, but a low, sweet voice stopped me from doing anything.

“Just lie there.”

“…?”

Why am I hearing a man’s voice when I wake up first thing in the morning?

Still half-asleep and dazed, I turned my head toward the direction of the voice.

And as soon as I saw the face that filled my vision, I was so shocked that I almost fainted again.

“You, Youn, Young, Young Duke?”

“Yes.”

He reached out his hand and touched my forehead with a neutral expression.

“It seems like your fever has gone down. That’s a relief.”

“A dream…?”

Unable to accept reality, I muttered, and Ludger narrowed his eyes.

“Do I often appear in your dreams? That would be an honor.”

“No… never before… Huh?”

My mind gradually cleared and I recognized the surroundings.

The blanket covering me was not the familiar, dull-colored one but a soft, luxurious quilt.

The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was dazzling, as if it was made of pure crystal.

No, more importantly, how could Ludger Kassen be in my house!

From these clues, a comprehensive conclusion emerged.

“Why am I at the Duke’s house?!”

“It seems you don’t remember collapsing.”

“Ah….”

Only then did the memories of what happened before I collapsed come rushing back. Right, I lost consciousness for a moment due to the internal injuries from releasing the sword spirit to counter Orthros.

“Oh! Was the evacuation of civilians carried out properly? And also, was there any further attack, uh….”

Remembering the urgency of the situation, I found myself unable to stop speaking like a machine gun, but my blabbering was forcefully cut off.

Ludger firmly covered my lips with his palm with a very scary expression, cutting my words off.

“No discussion about work-related matters until I give permission.”

“Mmmph (yes)…?”

“It’s an order.”

I wanted to protest, but my body froze instinctively at the authority of his voice. I nodded my head cautiously, understanding the situation. Only then did Ludger remove his palm.

“……In that case, may I ask you questions that are not related to work?”

“Yes.”

“….”

I realized that Ludger was very angry.

Although he had the arrogance typical of a high-ranking noble, Ludger had never spoken to me so rudely before.

“Um… How did I end up in the Duke’s mansion?”

“The head butler who saw you collapsing advised it wasn’t suitable to treat an injured person in a random hospital. That’s why I brought you to a suitable place.”

“Ehh, even if the Duke had just tossed me onto a random bed, I would have recovered on my own. I’m very strong.”

As soon as I said this, Ludger gave me a sharp, disdainful look. I felt like a mouse in front of a snake and instinctively shrank back.

“Captain, do you know what day it is today?”

“Isn’t it… Sunday?”

Upon hearing my response, Ludger let out a long sigh.

“It’s Tuesday.”

“…!”

I jumped up from the bed in shock.

I had been absent without leave for two whole days?!

“Documents! Contact the knight order…, mmph, mmph!”

“I said it was an order.”

Ludger covered my mouth again and forcibly laid me down on the bed. As soon as I was completely pressed down by his weight, my head spun.

Of course, since the other person wasn’t a Spirit holder, I could have pushed him away with my own strength.

But just the feeling of Ludger’s scent close by made my body lose its strength.

“Don’t bring up work.”

I hesitated and rolled my eyes. No, but…

I’m the person involved in this incident, so I have to get the statement of the situation! I also need to write a report on the demonic creature…. In the meantime, our knights’ work must be piling up….

Seeing me clearly thinking hard, Ludger gave a cold smile.

“Before I order you not to even think about work, let’s stop there.”

“….”

“Just so you know, I dislike giving orders without respecting the other person or overstepping my authority.”

“….”

“Yet, it seems that Captain made me act like this.”

Ludger’s hand that was covering my mouth slowly withdrew. However, before I could feel relieved, his thumb touched my lips. I got goosebumps.

“How are you going to take responsibility?”