I Slept with the Villain Holding My Hand

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 Ring~ 

‘I thought I was right behind you.’

 

Contrary to her expectations, Shannon had already disappeared as if she was a clock rabbit. 

 

‘Why did you come to this place?’

 

Lexie, who was looking around, asked with a quizzical expression. The place where the two entered was a poorly furnished dressing room.

 

‘No? Rather than a dressing room…’

 

The clunky wardrobe contained dresses that would have been fashionable a few years ago.

 

Merria, who was scanning the unknown shop, tilted her head.

 

A young boy who appeared to be an employee approached Merria, who was snooping around without entering and asked.

 

“Excuse me, guest? Are you here to sell your clothes?”

 

That meant someone was supplying clothes to this dressing room.

 

Wasn’t the dressing room usually the place to buy clothes? Merria looked at him as if she didn’t understand the situation.

 

So the boy began to explain kindly, “Oh, is it your first time coming to our store? First of all, if you put the items you want to sell here, we will set the price. It’s up to us to deal once, so if you try to get it back later…”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“So even if the owner asks me to return it, we can’t give it back.”

 

Regardless of her reaction, this employee who speaks in detail was very mature for his age.

 

Merria recounted what the staff said and looked around again.  Obviously, the goods here were not very high-quality, but they were definitely clothes that an aristocrat would wear.

 

Based on his words, it seemed that clothes that seemed to have been carefully managed were for rent rather than for sale.

 

Just in time, the staff added a detailed explanation.

 

Last year, it became fashionable for a maid to fix a dress thrown away by a kind noble lady and wear it at a festival.

 

The nobility had an abundance of clothes, and it was common for them to be worn once or twice or thrown away even though they were brand new.

 

I didn’t know it would be used like this. However, most nobles would not like their clothes to be used in such a place.

 

If an aristocrat was in tight circumstances, it’s possible to have their servant sell them, but even if it’s at a price paid by a place targeting commoners, it would not be much.

 

So, most of them may have flowed into this place without their master’s permission.

 

‘If they get caught by a high-ranking master, they’ll be in big trouble someday…’

 

Merria gazed at the scene of a different creative economy with worries. The staff, who checked Merria’s hand, clapped his small hands.

 

“Do you want to rent it, not sell it? Then please wait a moment.”

 

The boy who introduced himself as the store staff went inside to call the owner of the shop.

 

“Excuse me. Why would my lady wear a cloth from a place like thisㅡ?”

 

It was when Lexie tried to answer as if she was displeased at the boy’s words.

 Clank~ 

Even before Lexie’s words were finished, a sharp rupture was heard.

The staff, who had been blocking Merria before, looked inside and ran into.

 

“Miss, let’s just leave.”

 

Lexie said harshly at the attitude of the staff who left without answering.

 

Merria pondered whether to stay or not.

 

‘If it’s not today, I don’t know when I’ll see Shannon again…’

 

But the ensuing voice hastened her decision.

 

“I told you to wear this!”

 

That sharp voice sounded familiar from somewhere. Merria furrowed her brows and walked inside following the voice she heard.

 

Lexie, who was not at all pleased that they didn’t leave the shop, followed suit.

 

When Merria pulled the curtains, the inside she saw was a real mess.

 

The woman, who seems like the owner of this place, was in a state of shock and was pale trying to avoid trouble, and the staff who ran in earlier was silently picking up the broken teacup.

 

The most spectacular of them was the presence of two people with silver hair with slightly different brightness.

 

Riley raised the corners of her mouth, trying to grimace.

 

“Didn’t you ask father directly to have me do this? Right? That’s why you have to listen to your sister.”

 

When I followed Riley’s gaze, there was Shannon with her head down. Shannon’s small shoulders trembled as if she were holding back something.

 

“Wear this for this outing.”

 

Shannon bowed her head so much that I didn’t even know what expression she was making, and Riley smiled broadly.

 

“Wrap this up.”

 

At Riley’s clear command, the owner blurted out the end of her words.

 

“Yes? But we umm… it’s a rental place…”

 

“I can buy it for three times the price. What are you doing? Hurry up and pack it.”

 

Merria, who could no longer watch them, made her presence known as she stepped inside.

 Tap, tap— 

As the sound of the heel rang on the floor, everyone who was busy with their respective chores turned to look at Merria.

 

There were only four of them except Lexie and Merria.

 

Merria, who walked in front of Riley, stared at her without a word.

 

Riley’s eyes widened in surprise seeing Merria. Riley glanced at Shannon, then bowed her head lightly to Merria.

 

“Why is the princess here…?”

 

Merria glanced at Riley with an expressionless face.

 

I wondered if I should accept her greeting like this, but I had something else to do. Riley forced Shannon to go out in that dress.

 

It was a used dress that was worn by someone else. Even Shannon knows how insulting it was to wear those clothes.

 

Merria was terrified of Riley’s harassment she had witnessed firsthand.

 

Shannon wasn’t on par with Riley, even if she didn’t have to put up with these childish moves.

 

An illegitimate child of a Count who had been treated as a maid until recently

 

Merria knew what life would be like with that modifier. So Shannon was living a hard enough life now, if not because of Riley.

 

But because of me…

 

Because of Merria, who intercepted all those who would be her shield. So it was harder to see her more and bear it.

 

‘I wanted to take Shannon out of here at any moment.’

 

“It’s been a while.”

 

Riley greeted it while gritting her teeth inside.

 

Merria replied with a slight nod to Riley, “Young Lady Magner. How have you been?”

 

Then, before hearing Riley’s answer, she turned her gaze to Shannon.

 

Suddenly, Shannon raised her head, and her pink eyes were looking straight at Merria.

 

‘I thought you’d be crying.’

 

Shannon seemed to have a pretty strong will, apart from her good-natured personality.

 

Merria spoke to the owner, checking the corners of Shannon’s eyes, and said, “That thing.”

 

The owner looked at the dress she was holding and Merria alternately. She glanced at Merria’s attire and Lexie standing behind her and took a low stance at once.

 

The owner of this store was the aunt of the staff at the entrance, but she did not have the same eye level as her nephew.

 

She had the skill to judge a person’s status just by their attire. Therefore, when Merria first came in, she thought that Merria came with Riley.

 

But watching them, when Riley saw Merria and bowed her head to greet her.

 

The words that came out of Riley’s mouth were astonishing.

 

‘What do you mean ‘princess’?’

 

Already tired of Riley’s fuss, she couldn’t carry on talking properly.

 

Merria said to Lexie with her gaze fixed on the owner. “What do you think, Lexie, isn’t that dress very familiar? It looks very similar to what I told Tereffi to clean up the other day.”

 

It was a natural virtuous attitude, like a person who asked out of curiosity.

 

Of course, there was no maid named Tereffi in Rackester’s Mansion.

 

However, Lexie has been a long-time attendant of Merria, who often speaks absurdly out of nowhere.

 

As long as she had been with Merria with her innate sense of humor, it meant that Lexie could fully understand Meria’s words perfectly.

 

Lexie, who was already in a bad mood, responded with a sincere performance.

 

“Tereffi! The girl stole your dress!”

 

Lexie stamped her feet, shaking her fists in a real rage.

 

Tereffi, a fictional being, was so arrogant that Lexie couldn’t stand it. After setting the mood with Lexie, the inside of the store became utterly silent.

 

Merria raised a corner of her lips and spoke, “It looks like my maid bought some clothes here… Are you going to sell it now?”

 

Merria’s coy gaze looked very cold just by squinting a little.

 

The owner, who almost lost her composure, shook her head and said, “Oh, miss, that’sㅡ We thought it was thrown away.”

 

Of course, the dress in the owner’s hand was not Merria’s.

 

Lexie and other employees of the Duke’s house weren’t bad enough to secretly bring and sell the clothes of the lady they serve.

 

But no one here knows the real owner of the dress. If so, I was going to pretend to be the owner of the dress for a while.

 

“Oh, I didn’t expect my dress to be used for this kind of thing.”

 

The owner jumped up as Merria tilted her head and muttered.

 

“I— I’m really… really sorry. So that this would never happen again…”

 

The image of the owner who became contemplative and asked for forgiveness pierced Merria’s conscience.

 

Merria shook her head bitterly, “Take care of the dress. I’ll overlook it this time.”

 

If the existence of such a store became known among the nobles, the owner would have to close the store immediately and leave the capital.

 

Merria did not intend to deprive others of their means of survival.

 

‘Actually, that dress isn’t mine either.’

 

The owner nodded violently, rolled up the dress, and stepped to the back door.

 

Riley glared at Shannon annoyingly. This store was introduced by Riley’s maid. 

 

The maid secretly delivered Riley’s dresses to these rental shops. However, the maid had introduced Riley to another store that did similar work instead.

 

It was a business with two benefits: gaining the trust of a bad-tempered girl and trampling on the cheeky Shannon.

 

Riley, who thought this wretchedness was perfect for Shannon, immediately took Shannon out.

 

‘Since there’d be no parents to pay attention to us, it was an opportunity to relieve my stress of the past.

‘ Riley thought.

 

From then on until now, Riley continued to spit out abusive language and criticism toward Shannon without hesitation.

 

The owner couldn’t stop me and could only watch us, and Shannon, who was bowing like a doll.

 

‘I was very satisfied with this situation and I liked it.’

 

It was just right before that… Until a totally unexpected guest appears.

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