Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 66.

 

“Let’s go now.”

“The noble seems to have something to say.”

“I have nothing to say.”

In response to Killian’s cold words, Sophia looked towards Estelle.

Estelle happened to be looking at her too.

Estelle clenched her fist tightly as if she had some sort of dissatisfaction, her lips pressing together.

The atmosphere didn’t seem good.

‘Could it be… they’re going for the original villainess route?’

A chilly intuition brushed through Sophia’s mind.

When a book transmigrates into a character who is not the original heroine, the original heroine’s development usually splits into two main paths.

First, they become a close friend and ally of the transmigrator.

Second, they become the antagonist who stands opposite to the transmigrator. (T/L: Sometimes she is smart.)

Sophia wished that Estelle would be the former, if possible.

Isn’t it better to make friends than enemies?

Besides, she wanted to get close to someone so pretty.

‘Besides, it’s disadvantageous for me if we fight.’

Estelle is stronger than Sophia.

While Sophia’s physical durability is barely above that of a fragile piece of paper, Estelle is highly durable and well-constructed titanium.

If Sophia were to fight against someone as skilled in combat as Estelle, her flimsy hardware wouldn’t hold up.

“Sophia.”

At that moment, Killian noticed Sophia’s attention on Estelle.

He nodded his head as if signalling for her to come along.

“Oops, yes.”

Killian took the first step, followed by Sophia and Mikhail.

However, even after parting with Estelle, Sophia’s mind was still preoccupied with her.

‘Yeah, that’s right! It’s probably for the best! Who would have thought I’d end up marrying a murderer? I wanted to avoid that, really!’

She had made up her mind not long ago, so she couldn’t understand why it bothered her that Killian and Estelle had met.

Sophia couldn’t comprehend the tumultuous emotions within her, like ripples on a calm lake.

Soon, the three of them reached the park.

It seemed that everyone had come out for the festival, as there were many people in the park as well.

People were scattered around the fountain, stairs, and flower beds, enjoying the festive atmosphere.

“Oh my, Your Excellency, Grand Duke Rivelon?”

At that moment, a familiar voice called out in a surprised tone to Killian.

It was a voice familiar to Sophia as well.

“Lady Barbara, Your Grace.”

It seems like a proper festival.

Despite Sophia’s limited connections, it was surprising to see so many familiar faces.

“Oh my, who’s this? Isn’t it Lady Sophia Fraus? Phew…! But what’s with that appearance? You are not a child anymore.”

Barbara, who was beside Killian, discovered Sophia a beat later and burst into laughter.

It was only then that Sophia realized she had been wearing the rabbit hat all along.

“Since it’s a festival, I thought it’d be fun to wear it.”

Sophia confidently removed the rabbit hat while trying to appear nonchalant.

Realizing it belatedly was a bit embarrassing.

No wonder people seemed to be staring at me…

“And what’s in your hand? Are you eating such unsanitary, cheap skewers?”

“It seems to me that it’s none of the lady’s concern what I eat.”

Sophia quietly retorted while putting the rabbit hat away, mumbling her response.

The character Barbara seemed to be born to pick at something or other from Sophia, as if she had been destined to do so.

“Eating street food like a commoner. And being greedy like someone who can’t afford to eat.”

Barbara looked disdainfully at the skewers with a scornful gaze.

At that moment, Mikhail, who had been wearing his hat pulled down, stepped forward with a bright smile.

“What should I do? I was the one who suggested we buy and eat those unsanitary cheap skewers.”

As he raised his head, revealing his face, Barbara’s expression stiffened, and her lips trembled.

“Prin… Prince Mikhail?!”

She exclaimed in astonishment, covering her mouth with a fan.

“How can Your Highness be here…?!”

“Young lady, please lower your voice.”

Although Mikhail had advised Barbara to lower her astonished voice, the attention of those around them had already shifted to them due to her exclamation.

“His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Where? Where?”

With the sound of Barbara’s voice, people’s focus gradually converged.

Not anticipating Barbara’s voice to be so loud, Mikhail once again pulled his hat down deeply.

‘Oh no, did I impulsively react too quickly?

There was no need to make a fuss in front of Barbara, but upon hearing her thoughtless remarks addressed to Sophia, he couldn’t help himself…

However, it was already too late to regret his impulsive actions.

“Oh, there, Your Grace!”

“Isn’t the person next to her, His Highness, the Crown Prince?”

“I’ve seen you before during last year’s New Year’s address!”

People were gathering around them.

“I think it might be best to leave this place.”

Mikhail pulled his hat down again, but the crowd’s gaze didn’t waver.

“I think so too.”

Sophia agreed, and Killian nodded silently.

The three of them turned and walked away, avoiding the onlookers’ eyes.

However, their actions only fueled the public’s interest even more.

“It seems to be His Highness the Crown Prince!”

“There, His Highness the Crown Prince and Your Grace the Grand Duke are present!”

In an instant, voices spread across the entire park.

“I’m sorry, Lady Sophia, but I think I should head back now.”

Mikhail spoke as he observed people gathering around.

‘Up until now, people haven’t paid much attention!’

In the empire, it was a bit distressing for both handsome Killian and Mikhail to be together.

Both of them were like famous idols in this world.

People pretending not to notice them so far have been appreciated to some extent.

But now, not only Mikhail but also Killian began to attract people’s attention.

“Lady Sophia, I’ll see you tomorrow at the royal ball. And Killian, take care of the lady.”

“She’s my fiancée, I will act appropriately.”

“Then I’ll see you next time. It was a pleasure, Lady Sophia.”

As Mikhail bid farewell, Killian grabbed Sophia’s wrist and nodded his head.

And then the two of them started running in different directions.

“Uh, uh?!”

Sophia, with her wrist held by Killian, ran in the opposite direction of Mikhail.

As a result, people began to hustle and bustle, splitting into two groups and chasing after the two of them.

More people were gathering around Mikhail, but there were also quite a few following Killian.

Sophia sensed that Killian was trying to match her running pace.

Though she wanted to keep up with Killian’s speed in her heart, the problem was Sophia’s poor stamina.

‘I thought I had improved a lot during dance practice…!’

Sophia’s progress seemed to be just from an acorn to a sprout level.

Her stamina was draining rapidly; even the hand holding the skewer gradually lost its strength, and she eventually dropped it.

‘My skewer!’

Although it was a pity to see the skewers fall to the ground, she couldn’t afford to pick them up again.

She continued to run after Killian.

However, Sophia’s running speed was slower compared to most people, and she was gradually getting closer to the crowd.

Due to her weak lung capacity, she was out of breath in no time.

Killian also noticed that Sophia’s breathing had become laboured.

“Y-Your Grace…! Just leave me…! Leave me behind!”

Sophia gasped for breath between her words.

After all, those people were probably following Killian. Did Sophia really need to run like this as well?

However, Killian didn’t let go of Sophia.

Instead, he found another solution.

“This way.”

Killian turned and led them into a narrow alley.

Sophia swayed as she followed him into the alley.

And the moment they entered the alley, Killian pulled her close, spun her around, and held her tightly in his arms.

Sophia felt her body lift off the ground as she was held by him.

And then, with a flutter, a white cloth flew in the wind.

The two of them hid behind a long bedsheet hanging in the alley.

The scent of freshly laundered white clothes wafted by, and Killian led them deeper into hiding to ensure their bodies were not visible.

On one side, a pile of laundry baskets and coiled ropes perfectly concealed them.

Soon, the sound of people chattering could be heard.

Sophia suppressed her heavy breathing, clinging tightly to Killian as if they were playing hide-and-seek, her heart pounding like a racing child.

Her chest felt like it would burst, her stomach churned, and her dry throat ached from harsh breathing.

Nestled in Killian’s embrace, Sophia regulated her breathing, calming her racing heart.

As if aiding her in controlling her breath, Killian gently patted her back.

It was only then that Sophia realized how closely she was pressing against him.

When she tried to pull away from his embrace, Killian held her even closer.

“Hush.”

With his quiet warning, they heard the restless sounds of people outside.

“They vanished like ghosts!”

People were looking around.

Sophia’s heart started to race again.

Was it due to running too hard, the tension of hiding, or being embraced by Killian? It was difficult to discern.

Her heart pounded like it might burst, as if the pumping was so intense that Killian could feel the rhythm too.

Though it hadn’t been a long time, in Sophia’s perception, the time spent in Killian’s embrace felt like several minutes.

“It seems like we’ve managed to shake them off for now.”

As the sounds of the people faded, Killian, who had been observing outside, released Sophia.

As his arms loosened, Sophia quickly distanced herself from him.

At that moment, Sophia felt her rapidly beating heart calm down a bit.

“Are you alright? Should we rest here for a moment?”

“No. Let’s go.”

 

T/L: Guys I’m alive, I’m back.