Chapter 12

I gently patted Elena on the head, who was sniffling in my arms.

Perhaps my hug activated her internal switch. Her tears, which seemed like it would never end, gradually stopped and her icy body had regained its warmth as well.

As a young master of a noble family, it was customary to carry a handkerchief around, which was why I had no difficulty in wiping her tears. The soft silky handkerchief was of high-quality. However, I couldn’t help but to be cautious since I didn’t want to hurt her beautiful face while I wiped them away.

Do teenage girls have this many mood swings?

I don’t get it. Shouldn’t they be past that stage by the age of 16? 

It’s not like I could read minds either, so how could I know what a person was actually feeling?

What shocked me was the sight of Elena Edelweiss crying. It was odd to dismiss it as a young lady’s puberty stage. Even though Elena was an introvert in the novel, her heart was as hard as steel. I could count on my hands how many times she shed tears throughout the novel. 

It seemed a lot had changed. The girl in my arms had met me for less than a day, yet she had been bright and lively to me. I became flustered when the same girl burst into tears just because our topic changed.

I questioned if she was acting, but there was genuine remorse, sadness, and bitterness in her eyes. Those emotions were directed at me, Damian. She wouldn’t have acted this way towards the Damian that I knew.

She would have glared at me in resentment if I was the original Damian, not embracing me so meekly. So that meant she was acting like this because it was me. She acted the same yesterday. Did she do anything that made her owe me a favor?

I decided not to think about it any more since any more worries would cause unnecessary headaches.

I brooded over it yesterday and eventually gave up without finding an answer. Even if I came to a conclusion, I would’ve been wrong anyway.

I didn’t think to ask her directly as I didn’t want to make her cry again. Damian would’ve desired it, but I don’t have such hobbies.

She looks more beautiful when she’s smiling than when she’s crying, why can’t you see that? 

That was why Damian was a third-rate villain, and had been eliminated at the very start. The bastard was too clueless.

I really don’t know anymore.

There was always a reason for someone’s good will. I’m well aware of that fact. Whatever her reason, it was clear that her heart would change and she’d leave for the other Male Lead candidates when the original plot kicks in.

So let’s not muse on it since I’m always going to be the villain of this novel.

The villain’s role was to hurt the main character and be hated by her, not receive her love. No matter what I did, it didn’t change the fact that I was given the role of a villain named Damian Kraus.

It might’ve been pointless for me to break off our engagement so early in the stage out of my safety. The result was granted regardless.

It was possible that even after the original plot began, I’d remain her fiancé for quite some time. That said, it was guaranteed that Damian Kraus and Elena Edelweiss were going to break up. There was no way that someone like me, who couldn’t change a person’s fate, could twist a huge event that would become a turning point for this world.

I’d end up hurting her in some way and then she’d leave. I just hope it’d end with a simple parting. The actions I took now were nothing more than to erase my debts for events to come.

“How long do you want to stay like this? Didn’t we agree to browse the manor together?” I murmured to Elena.

I tapped her lightly, who was still leaning on me. I wiped away all the tears that she had shed.

Her eyes were slightly reddish and didn’t appear to be very swollen. They looked beautiful as always.

I had also noticed she was breathing normally again since we were so close to each other.

“The weather is nice today. You can see the garden vividly from here, still, it’ll be better to see it in person. The breeze carries the scent of the fragrant flowers. Of course, that’s not all there is to see in the Isilia Pavillion.”

She slowly started to lean away from my chest.

Elena’s skin was very white, so it was particularly noticeable when she blushed. She also knew of her trait as she lowered her head to conceal her face.

It seemed like I eased her worries a bit, she had cheered up a little.

I chuckled at the sight.  She curled up more after hearing me laugh, which I found adorable.

She was covering her face with both hands.

I extended my hand towards her.

“So would you grant me the honor of showing you the view of the Isilia Pavilion?”

Elena stayed silent, so I added a few more words.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t explain the origin for Isilia Pavillion’s name. Isilia was said to be the name of the first Count Kraus’ wife. The first count had built this annex naming it after her. Since then, this place has been established as a space for the wives of House Kraus.”

Flinch–

“Elena, since you are the bride-to-be to the next count of the household, wouldn’t it be better if you learned the path here ahead of time?”

A small hand clasped my hand tightly.

One of the hands on her face had disappeared, revealing half of it. Although her face was still red, I could see the corner of her lips curling up as well as those smiling violet eyes.

The moment I saw her expression, I had a feeling in the corner of my heart that she might not be the only one who would be disheartened when that day arrived.