I Reject the villain’s ending.

Chapter 57.

The crown prince left Sierra clutching her chest and shaking with tears and turned coldly and left the parlor.

‘Don’t you hear me, let go of her! I can’t leave her alone with someone like that.’

‘…My lord is that sort of man, but I’m afraid I can’t let him in.’

‘Then I’ll beat him into submission, and if he still hasn’t come out after the promised half hour, I’m sure there’s something wrong……!’

Iros and the crown prince’s knights were shouting at the top of their lungs.

To be precise, from far away, knights were clinging to Iros’ body and dragging him along, sweating profusely.

Dozens of them were crying and clinging to Iros as hard as they could with mustard, for the temple was too small to bind or restrain the guardian with magic.

The crown prince looked at the laughable situation and spoke up.

‘My business is done. I’m going home.’

‘Crown Prince……!’

‘Don’t be so wary, Lord Iros, I’m fond of you. It hurts.’

‘Ugh. So, goosebumps……. Psychic magic?’

‘…….’

The crown prince shook his head, at a loss for words as Iros backed away in disgust.

‘I thought only the saint had changed, but the sir has changed more, where did he get it from?’

The answer was obvious, so the crown prince brushed past Iros without answering.

‘Let’s go back.’

‘Chong!’

The knights followed the crown prince in unison.

* * *

The crown prince returned to the Crown Prince. palace and flopped down in the chair in his office.

As he set down the stack of papers in front of him, Risen lowered his brown eyes.

‘If you’re going to make such a face, why did you bother going to see the saint?’

‘…….’

At the crown prince’s shadowed expression, his childhood friend and lieutenant sighed.

‘Your Majesty. No, Freehi.’

‘You’re wrong, the saint is not as rumored, she’s a different person altogether, a little foolish, tearful, and… young.’

He turned his head, his eyes sunk like the depths of the ocean.

‘Was she always so vulnerable?’

The crown prince’s silent words seemed somewhat lonely.

Lysen clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, leaning back against the desk.

‘This is your second encounter with a saint, how do you not know that? If you’re going to make such a face, don’t see her.’

‘Haha. Lysen, I envy you when you give answers so clearly. I could never do that.’

‘What the hell is a saint, anyway?’

‘…….’

The crown prince smiled wordlessly. Seeing that smile, Lysen’s face turned rotten.

‘You can’t tell me, is that it, then don’t. Suffer and die alone.’

‘Lysen, do you want to be taken away for blasphemy?’

‘Try me in jail; I’ll go and get some rest; you’ve got plenty of work to do, and you can die without me, buried under papers.’

‘I’ll tell him.’

The crown prince nodded, pressing his temples together in pain.

‘In any case, don’t see him now, if you’re going to come back with a face like that.’

‘I won’t.’

‘Good for you.’

‘Because I invited him over here this time. I don’t know if you’ll come or not.’

‘…This guy?’

‘Hahaha.’

‘Do as you please. When will he ever listen to me? Hmph!’

Risen, who had been sulking, threw the words out in passing as he looked at the Crown Prince, who was grimly clenching his jaw, before leaving the room.

‘He’s a damned boss, but his Highness looks so much better with a smirk on his face, turning people inside out.’

Click. The door slammed shut, and the crown prince narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

‘Anyway. I saved you a lieutenant.’

Now all that remained was to wait.

Would she accept his invitation, or would she never see him again?

The crown prince’s eyes sank like the depths of the ocean.

* * *

After the crown prince left, Iros burst through the door.

His usual calm poker face was shattered, and he looked serious and urgent.

One would think the sky had fallen.

‘Why… why are you crying, Sierra.’

‘Iros……. Ah.’

As soon as I saw my side of the story, the one that was intact no matter what, my tense muscles relaxed and I burst into tears.

As I relaxed, I wiped the tears away, but they kept coming.

I couldn’t stop wiping my tears even though my sleeve was soaked and there was nothing left to wet.

As I wiped away my tears, Iros approached me and pulled me into his arms.

‘Don’t cry alone, lean on me and cry.’

‘Hmph.’

‘You can cry out loud. I’ll take it all in, again and again.’

‘Hmph, hmph.’

‘Cry when the tears come, and don’t hide your feelings, because you can cry all you want and then laugh again.’

He cried until his shirt was soaked through by Iros’s slow strokes.

Iros didn’t ask him what had happened with the crown prince, or why he was crying for the world to end.

He only said.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay.’

I just hugged her and kissed her forehead, telling her over and over that it was okay, that it would be okay.

Mei came in, fidgeted, then quietly closed the door and left.

I was left in Iros’s arms, sobbing for an hour, and then in a daze.

I was so frightened that Iros would go to the crown prince and scold him.

‘No, no,’ he said, ’the crown prince must have done something to the saint. I’m going to go and find out what happened.’

‘I’m coming with you. How dare the crown prince make such a fool of our saint. I will never forgive him!’

‘Mei, please don’t turn around and say that the saint is a fool.’

‘Even the Guardian said it’s strange that a perverted saint doesn’t do perverted things!’

‘That’s true, isn’t it?’

Iros and Mei argued, which made my already complicated head even more complicated.

‘Hah…….’

‘…….’

‘…….’

I let out a long sigh and gazed wistfully out the window, and Iros and Mei’s expressions grew more serious as they noticed me.

‘She’s very he’s very weird, isn’t she?’

‘I know.’

‘Do something about it.’

‘Well, I can’t help it, I wasn’t going to do this.’

Iros hesitated, walked in front of me, grabbed me by the collar of my white shirt, and opened his mouth.

‘Saint.’

‘……?’

‘Ha, this is a one-time thing, so you’ll have to look at it properly.’

‘See what?’

‘…Well.’

Boom! The buttons gave up the grip Iros had on my collar and shot out the side of my face as I yanked it open.

Iros’s broad, muscular chest, covered in kiss and bite marks from the morning, filled my vision.

Iros crossed his arms over his chest and hissed.

‘Yi, are you still not feeling up to this?’

No! No! Nika! Kaaa! Kaaa! Kaaa…….

‘…….’

‘Pfft, Saint, your nose is bleeding!’

‘Kuluk.’

Mei hastily took out a handkerchief and plugged my nose.

Ah, these things. People don’t help me when I’m trying to be serious and contemplative.

‘Pink, you pick up the buttons and put them on, and Mei, you keep an eye on the High Priestess.’

‘Hmph.’

‘Don’t make that little tongue noise. Come on.’

‘Yes, I’ll be there, and you’re in charge of keeping the High Priestess cheerful!’

Mei shouted cheerfully and disappeared.

Iros paced in front of me, picking up the buttons that had fallen to the floor of the main island.

‘Why?’

‘Well, one of the buttons got stuck between the saint’s hair…….’

‘Oh.’

Iros’ face burned with anger as he pulled his shirt up to cover his chest.

He wasn’t sure whether to be ashamed that he’d tugged at his shirt, causing the button to pop off, or apologetic that he’d thought showing his chest so openly would make me feel better.

‘That’s funny on second thought.’

‘……?’

You walked up to me so confidently, ripped off my clothes, and asked me if it didn’t cheer me up.

‘……!!’

‘Where did you get that confidence and swagger from?’

I was genuinely curious.

And it was cute. What was going on in his little fist-sized head that led him to this conclusion?

‘Pooh-pooh.’

‘Now you’re smiling.’

Iros’s face softened.

‘Hahaha, yes, I’m laughing, how could I not?’

I burst out laughing again, remembering the button flying at high speed down the side of my cheek.

Iros sits down next to me and rubs the redness from my eyes.

‘Are you feeling better now?’

‘Yes.’

‘But you’re not going to tell me why you were crying.’

‘…Yes.’

‘I’m surprised you were crying. It’s not like you’re having a nightmare, but you’re crying so hard.’

I know. Whenever I had a nightmare, Iros would stay up all night holding my hand and stroking my hair.

All my nights were peaceful because of it.

When Iros soothes me like a child sometimes like this, it reminds me that he is older than me.

I looked up at Iros with puffy eyes from crying so hard and cradled his head in my arms.

‘I can’t answer your questions, because this is something I don’t know enough about, even for me.’

‘So when you know everything one day, I’ll be the first to know?’

‘Yes. I promise. You’re my one and only, the only one I have.’

I believe him now. That Iros won’t kill me. That he’ll always care about me. I’m not sure, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

‘The future won’t turn out like the Crazy Saint, and I’m not Sierra in The Crazy Saint.

Even if the crown prince is right and I’m not possessed, even if I’m back in the past, I’m not Sierra Elgraton from The Crazy Saint.

‘I will always be me.’

Kim So-won, the Sierra of today is me.

That’s how I define myself. I will never be a villainess, I will never live like my past.

‘Of course. You will always be a saint.’

Iros murmured, his breath tickling my collarbone.

I opened my closed eyes to feel his arm around my waist and his large hand.

My tear-stained eyes no longer fluttered.

‘If the past is twisted, tie it in knots and don’t repeat its mistakes. I’m going to move forward, not dwell on the past.’

Humans get up, walk, and run again and again in the face of adversity.

So do I.

I move forward. I will make mistakes in life, but I will learn from them, reflect on them, untangle them, and move on.

‘That invitation, I’ll take it. This time, I’m going.’

My wavering heart finally found its center.

I decided to become a solid tree, not a shaky, bending reed.