The Reason The Villain Covets Me

⁦⁠♡⁩ TL: Khadija SK

 

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Annette was suddenly pulled into the world of this book without knowing the reason.

 

In an unfamiliar world, even her movements were awkward…

 

She felt like a parasite.

 

Annette couldn’t move freely because every time she did, she felt like the limbs she felt belonged to someone else.

 

Every movement was terrifying, as if she were animating a lifeless body.

 

So it was impossible for her to get used to this body; and to this world as well.

 

She didn’t think she wanted to adapt to them and live a difficult life as the antagonist of the novel.

 

It was unfortunate to live a life tied to another person’s life, so she preferred death.

 

But for better or for worse, after Annette opened her eyes directly, she found herself facing imminent danger.

 

Since she was living someone else’s life, Annette couldn’t end it, so she decided to endure the situation for a short while.

 

And at the moment she let go of everything…

 

This man came.

 

When he whispered a chance of salvation in her ear, Annette thought it was deliverance.

 

The words whispered to her were so sweet that she never missed the opportunity.

 

She blindly followed Theodore, unsure if she was headed for heaven or hell.

 

In fact, Annette didn’t expect the place she was going to be heaven, but she didn’t know that the person she was following would guide her to the depths of hell.

 

How could Theodore, who is just a fictional character in a book, bring Annette into his world?

 

Unanswered questions gathered in her mind as anger surged within her.

 

“Tell me. How on earth did you summon me here?”

 

Annette’s words didn’t include the slightest hint of flattery.

 

She abandoned the calm she struggled to maintain and crushed it on the path the carriage passed through.

 

Now, Annette’s mind was filled only with determination to find out how to return to her world.

 

“How did you bring me here?”

 

“There is a way to bring you here, but I can’t tell you about it.”

 

In the end, Annette couldn’t restrain her anger, and she grabbed Theodore’s collar tightly and pulled him towards her.

 

Her anger was boundless.

 

It was the most violent emotion she had felt since entering this world.

 

“Don’t beat around the bush.”

 

“A few months ago, Annette Cheringen talked nonsense about a spirit from another world entering the body she would leave behind, and that the person who would come would know the secret and future of this world.”

 

When Theodore opened his mouth, Annette slowly lost her grip on his collar.

 

“Anette Cheringen said she would be like a goddess who never errs, so if I received help from her, my fate would change, and I would become an emperor. All her words were ridiculous, but do you know what’s more ridiculous?”

 

“……”

 

“In order to summon a spirit from that world, a certain price must be paid. She had already provided part of it, so she asked me to provide the other part.”

 

“Did you pay the price she asked of you then?”

 

“I got tired of dealing with her at that time. And I wasn’t ready to pay for anything, so I told her to leave immediately. After that, Annette Cheringen disappeared and there was an article on every newspaper saying that Marquis Cheringen had died.”

 

Theodore took Annette’s hand, which was holding his collar, and gently placed it on her lap.

 

“I don’t know who you are.”

 

Then he wiped his collar and straightened it.

 

“But I will tell you how to return to your original world. In exchange, make me an emperor.”

 

Annette looked into Theodore’s eyes and sighed.

 

His eyes were filled with madness.

 

If he was sane in the first place, he wouldn’t even believe in something like transmigration.

 

A resolute obsession to achieve his goal even if his means weren’t from this world, not even from his own reality, and his willingness to use a mad, angry woman as his tool.

 

That’s what those eyes she saw said.

 

Until Theodore achieves what he wants, she will never escape his grip.

 

Annette was caught in the trap of this man and trapped in this world indefinitely.

 

“So, be my own goddess. If you are like the grace that woman spoke of, I will send you back to your own world.”

 

There was no sanctity on his lips.

 

Away from the reverence of being from outside this world, there was only arrogance in his words.

 

At that moment, the coachmen cracked the whip, and the horses hastened, so the carriage shook, but Annette’s heart shook even more.

 

The carriage continued its journey until late at night.

 

* * *

 

‘I thought I was just dizzy from seeing sunlight for the first time in a while.’

 

The sunlight had disappeared for a long time, but her head was still throbbing with pain.

 

And complex thoughts grew wings and began to fly actively in her mind to torment her.

 

Vineyards were visible from the carriage.

 

Everywhere Annette looked, they appeared green and fresh, so she had nowhere to look except for the ripe grapes.

 

This was a place seldom visited by anyone except the workers, and no one would accidentally approach it either.

 

The sound of crickets at night and the sight of stars in the nightsky were the most prominent features in the breathtaking scene.

 

The carriage carrying Annette and Theodore stopped at this place.

 

When Annette got out of the carriage, she saw an isolated villa surrounded by vineyards.

 

The exterior of the villa, with tree trunks stacked around it, was not attractive enough to be considered a noble villa, but it was a place where Theodore could relax when he wanted to take a break from everything.

 

The building was intentionally built as a dilapidated structure for the purpose of secret residence, and the property was also owned by someone unrelated to Theodore.

 

“We will stay here for some time.”

 

The place of Theodore’s retreat was Annette’s hiding place for the time being.

 

The villa’s intriguing appearance might pique the curiosity of ordinary people, but Annette didn’t ask Theodore anything.

 

After that outburst of anger in the carriage, her expression reverted to an unreadable state.

 

She didn’t even respond to the conversation Theodore tried to start.

 

“While hiding here for some time, I intend to deal with the trial and the annoying things hanging over you. Once things are settled, I will transport you to my palace.”

 

“I am tired.”

 

Annette turned her back, ignoring Theodore’s explanation.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“I will stay here, just tell me where the bed is. It has been a long time since I walked more than ten steps, so I am extremely weak.”

 

There was no strength in her voice, but there was no emotion either.

 

In the face of the evident boredom she felt, Theodore frowned.

 

“I won’t go so far as to tell you that I want you to happily accept the situation you’re in right now, but I also have no intention of seeing you behave in such an uncooperative manner.”

 

Theodore had many things to ask her about and to arrange with her, but Annette’s tightly sealed mouth remained closed.

 

“I said I am tired.”

 

Annette’s response wasn’t loud or low, nor was her speech an expression of anger, but rather a way to explain her current state.

 

It wasn’t even a weak rebellion on her part.

 

At that moment, Theodore realized she was truly struggling.

 

Eat, drink, sleep.

 

A month had passed since Annette couldn’t even maintain the three basics for survival.

 

Annette’s body was so thin to the point where all her bones protruded.

 

And her body was exhausted after riding a carriage for hours with a body that had lost all its muscles.

 

“Tell me which room I can use.”

 

When Annette asked in a hoarse and feeble voice, the maid came running.

 

The rushing maid saw the woman next to Theodore and stopped halfway in astonishment.

 

It was Emma; a deaf maid who lost her hearing in her childhood.

 

Instead of hearing with her ears, she read people’s mouths and was quick-witted.

 

That’s why Theodore chose Emma as a maid for the villa.

 

Because people who listen too much aren’t good for relaxation.

 

“Take her to her room.”

 

Emma nodded and took Annette to the bedroom.

 

Annette’s appearance was terrible even for the maid to see, and she needed urgent care, so Emma was puzzled about what she should do first.

 

Firstly, she wanted to prepare a bath and offer food, but Annette lay down as soon as she saw the bed and fell asleep immediately.

 

Emma didn’t know what she should do, so she ended her service by pulling the blanket over Annette, who hadn’t even changed her dirty clothes.

 

And the next day…

 

Theodore called Annette to have breakfast together, but she didn’t move from the bed.

 

Emma feared that the suspicious young lady might upset Lord Theodore, so she hurried to wake her up, but Annette remained unresponsive

 

Emma thought something was wrong, so she touched Annette’s forehead and jumped in place startled.

 

Annette was burning with fever.

 

Emma immediately informed Theodore about Annette’s condition and began to take care of her.

 

She wiped her body with a wet towel, but her temperature didn’t drop.

 

The fever didn’t subside, and Annette couldn’t even open her eyes and was teetering between death and death.

 

(T.N: It means that if Annette remains like this, she will surely die… So there is no hope for survival, either she’ll die or die.)

 

The accumulated exhaustion and mental fatigue she had endured over the past few months overwhelmed her all at once, compounded by the pills she had been forced to swallow, leaving her unable to even rise from her spot.

 

According to Theodore’s original plan, he was supposed to leave the villa after having a late breakfast with Annette and having a conversation with her.

 

However, due to Annette’s illness, his schedule was disrupted, and he was annoyed by the unexpected circumstances.

 

He believed that if he found her after her disappearance, he could immediately use her for his benefit, but he ended up wasting money and time to treat her.

 

Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of her now?

 

Initially, the entire situation seemed nonsensical, so why did he find himself in such an irrational predicament?

 

But since he had already started down this path, he had to see it through to the end.

 

Even when he was hunting, he always watched for the moment when the animal hit by the bullet stopped breathing.

 

So, his actions toward Annette had nothing to do with human conscience.

 

“We… we need to g- get a doctor h- here quickly.”

 

The anxious maid managed to utter a word in front of her master.

 

But her inconsistent tone made Theodore feel more concerned than necessary.

 

The maid, who was frightened just by approaching Theodore, gathered her courage.

 

This meant that the situation was indeed serious.

 

“I’m already looking for one.”

 

As soon as the maid read Theodore’s lips, she ran back to Annette.

 

Emma’s expressions were filled with fear, and it conveys that she didn’t want to be in the same place with Theodore for a moment.

 

But Theodore was used to that because most people looked at him like that.

 

His mother Maria isolated him excessively from everyone, and his father the emperor never scolded him no matter how many mistakes he made, because of his father’s guilt about him being an illegitimate son.

 

There was also no one to withstand his harsh nerves, so Theodore grew up alone.

 

People naturally feared and avoided him, he who was uncontrollable, so he lived ten years like this.

 

But Annette was the first to look into his eyes and say something insolent.

 

It was a very enjoyable experience, to the point that he felt he had to save her.

 

But the reason the doctor didn’t arrive yet was that he had to bring someone who could keep her mouth shut.

 

A trustworthy female doctor who would hide the fact that Annette is living here and keep her health status a secret.

 

“Wait for just one more day. I don’t know if you’re a real goddess or just a fraud, but in either case, I’m sure you won’t die as long as I’m alive.”

 

Theodore looked at Annette’s room and turned away.

 

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Kh: Thank you so much Emmanuel for your kind words 💕 I really appreciate it a lot 🌸