The Villain Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 3. Different Dreams (1)

Thanks to the help of the people around me, I was able to finish the coming-of-age ceremony safely.

Depending on the family, there are places where the coming of age ceremony is held on the first day and a long banquet is held for several days, but fortunately our family did not have such a custom.

To think that this heinous event could last for several days… Just thinking about it can be terrifying.

‘Is the problem next?’

After yesterday’s coming-of-age ceremony, today at breakfast, Emilia threw a bombshell in the presence of both family members.

The content is that he wants to stay here for a while and help me practice swordsmanship.

It was very refreshing to see Sir Stefan’s expression change in real time at the words of his daughter, who was like a flower in a greenhouse who had never left the house.

However, the laughter disappeared when I realized that the situation I was in was not very good.

“What do we do…….”

After breakfast this morning, everyone from the Bayemurn family headed back to their home.

Yes. Really leaving only Emilia alone.

To be honest, I never thought I’d get permission until she said it.

However, as if there was a reason not to be the head of the family on both sides, I readily accepted it, and my grandiose hope collapsed.

‘In the end, I couldn’t even meet Georg… … .’

Yesterday’s coming-of-age ceremony, the Rahethofen family was also invited and arrived, but after a separate inquiry, Georg said that he could not come due to a fever. That is why Mrs. Rahethofen was not present.

When I heard the news, I was able to realize that it was going to be distorted a lot from the original.

Of course, I was aware of it through previous cases, but the fact that the main villain Georg and his representative subordinate Ludwig couldn’t even meet meant that the distortion had gotten worse.

I decided to draw a line with a fountain pen on the paper on the desk and write down the things that had happened so far that were not in the original work in chronological order.

First, Emilia and I met at an early stage.

Second, Georg and I could not meet.

Thirdly, the meeting between Emilia and Christian did not happen.

Fourth… … .

‘After writing it down, it’s quite a lot.’

I decided to write down all the trivial things just in case, and the amount was considerable.

I’m going crazy. I can’t guess what will happen next… … .

“Whoa, I can’t do the same thing again.”

I hurriedly shook my head, shaking off the useless worries like the previous day.

As I thought a while ago, since it has already happened anyway, it is absurd to try to handle all of this.

I’d rather leave behind what happened and think about coping with what didn’t happen.

‘Meeting with Georg is second… After all, the most important thing is Christian.’

Emilia would be living in my house for the time being anyway, so it wasn’t impossible to arrange a meeting with him.

The problem was with the method.

Having never met Christian, I couldn’t blindly take Emilia to his home.

But even if I invited him to talk, would it be possible?

Christian in the original work was quite cautious and close to a prudent personality. There’s no way he would recklessly accept my invitation that he has never heard of or heard of.

“ah… I don’t know.”

As it fell on the desk, the paper fluttered and floated into the air.

Nervously he grabbed it, tore it tore, and leaned limply against the back of the chair.

A knock sounded at that moment.

– smart.

【young master. Princess Baiemurn asks to see you.]

“Tell me you’ll be leaving soon.”

【All right.】

It seems that Paula has been waiting in front of the door the whole time.

When I told you to rest, it would be nice to just rest… Well, it won’t be that easy.

He raised his body from his seat, loosening his stiff neck so that it made a loud noise.

I’m especially tired today. When I go home, I should at least sleep to my heart’s content.

* * * * * * *

Emilia was waiting for me in the drawing room.

Seeing her for the second time in the same place as the first time I felt something new.

When I ordered Paula to wait outside, wondering if there would be a person uncomfortable while we were talking, the guy made a strange expression.

What were you imagining?

Sitting on the sofa, Emilia turned her head towards me. As her light golden hair fluttered, the air around her seemed to change.

I’ve seen it several times, but I still can’t get used to this look.

“I’m sorry, Ludwig. I should have been resting… … .”

“no. You can’t just stay in your room with guests.”

“A guest… It seems like Ludwig is trying to distance himself from me.”

As soon as the first rhyme was spoken, Emilia sharply dug in.

I’m not saying it’s wrong, but I don’t intend to blindly widen the distance. It seems that a series of actions came out unconsciously.

When I protested to the slightly pouty woman, saying that it was not my intention, Emilia nodded saying that it was okay.

Still, I didn’t feel completely better.

“Even though I’m not saying… Are we friends? So please don’t try to be too polite.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“see. It is like that again.”

Well. In other words, even though we are friends, I feel that they are too respectful, so I am rather dissatisfied with that.

In fact, even if you’re trying to be friends, at some point you’ll have a self-reflection about whether this is the right thing to do.

Worried about what would happen if I made a mistake and hurriedly tried to close the distance to her.

Moreover, since she is a woman whose fate has already been decided in the story, there was no reason to be even more cautious.

‘It’s difficult.’

Unless I could explain my situation to her, there was no concrete excuse for this.

For Emilia, it must feel like a friend she’d been looking for for a long time would distance herself from her for no reason.

It’s a very embarrassing thing at a time like this that each other’s situation is different.

“It’s just my foolishness, but… I wish I could treat you a little more comfortably. I am not a flower you grow, but a friend.”

As soon as Emilia finished speaking, she felt as if she had been hit in the head with a hammer.

like that. I feel like I can finally realize the mistake I made.

Having lived in this world for 12 years, I realized that this is a world in a book, and at the same time, I treated the characters as if they were people in the original world.

Otherwise, it seemed like my mind would collapse due to the sense of separation from the other world.

However, it was different for Emilia.

I knew that she was a character directly connected to my dead ending, and that she was one of the most important protagonists in the story.

That’s why, implicitly, he treated her as if he were treating her as a ‘character’ rather than a person.

As I thought of inserting her into this twisted story somehow, following the flow of the story, without any major incidents, I implicitly stiffened my words and actions.

It was foolish. Even though she sees me as Ludwig Eifretz as a friend, I see her only as Emilia Bayemurn in the novel.

“Emilia. I have a request.”

“Yeah. Please tell me anything.”

“That… Would you please slap me on the cheek?”

“… Yeah?”

Emilia widened her eyes at my sudden request.

It’s rude to her, but I inadvertently thought it was cute. It’s a serious matter, but I’m not serious in my head.

I don’t have eyes to see, so I just want you to hit me coolly once. I don’t know if her kind heart will allow it.

“Something… Do you have any concerns?”

“Similar. I think I’ll come to my senses if I get hit with just one ball.”

“I can’t just hit you… … .”

Well, even when I think about it, it’s a ridiculous request. Have you been swept away by the atmosphere?

Even so, there was no doubt that his attitude towards her was wrong. Even if it wasn’t done with malice.

After a moment of hesitation, she sighed.

Are you really going to hit me? I asked for it, but you don’t have to listen. Maybe because I have a good heart, I rather accepted it.

“Then Ludwig. Would you like to sit over here for a while?”

“You mean the seat next to you?”

“Yeah.”

How hard do you want me to move to your seat to hit you? I thought so, but decided to follow through.

As I approached the sofa and sat down next to Emilia, I smelled a strange scent that I didn’t know if it was perfume or what.

It’s not good for your mental health. in an idiomatic sense.

Emilia stared blankly at me and then stretched out her hands.

The hand carefully grabbed my hair and pulled it straight into her lap… what?

“Eh, Emilia?”

I hurriedly tried to get up at the soft touch of my hair, but I was caught by her restraint.

How come I’m getting dizzy. Emilia’s scent was stronger than before.

Emilia brushed her hair while staring at me struggling in bewilderment with a kind look.

It was a warm touch that reminded me of what my mother used to do when I was young, but the destructive power was unusual.

“No matter how much you ask, there’s no way I can hit you.”

“What, what does this have to do with that… … .”

“You say you have a problem? I’ll lend you my knee for a day, so just calm down and rest. Although I can only do this much… … .”

Emilia expressed regret as if this was not enough.

I don’t know if you think so, but I was in a completely different situation. It was too much, to the point where I was worried that I might die like this.

Anyway, can I do this?

Perhaps, to Emilia, friendships are deeper and more intimate than I thought.

Otherwise, there would be no way to do something like this to a man outside.

“I got so many things from you… I’m sorry for being a woman with no talent. Ludwig.”

Was it that I did so many things for her?

I looked back at my memory, but nothing came to mind. At most, it was the dish I cooked yesterday.

Perhaps even I could have felt her gentle emotion in an unexpected part. It’s what I did, so it’s obviously not a big deal.

“I… Emilia? How long do you think it will stay like this… … .”

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“It can’t be. but… … .”

Far from being uncomfortable, it felt more comfortable than the bed I used to lie on. However, the only problem was that it was too excessive for me.

Emilia giggled and giggled, wondering what was so fun about it.

I was curious and asked if there was anything fun, and she smiled mischievously, saying it was a secret. It felt like the best expression I had ever seen.

I’m going to fall asleep with my knees bent like this.

Clinging to my drowsy mind, I listened to the story Emilia told me.

His soft voice, as if he were telling an old story to a four-year-old child on his lap. I thought that rhyme was very warm and comfortable.

* * * * * * *

Even though he urged himself not to fall asleep, he was eventually defeated by Suma.

Emilia later said that she slept so soundly that she was sorry to wake her up… … .

It didn’t matter that I didn’t wake him up, but I felt ashamed and wanted to die.

I took her out to a lake near the mansion to get some fresh air, but it was hard to see Emilia walking next to her.

In the meantime, the wind is cool and it feels good. If I was able to enjoy this leisure time normally, I would have enjoyed it more than anything else.

“Paula, would you like some water?”

“Yes. young master.”

In fact, it was like being attached to the mansion, but this time Paula accompanied me as much as I went outside.

Originally, Emilia’s handmaid, Grita, was also going to come, but Emilia said it was okay and declined, so only the three of them came.

I got a canteen from Paula to quench my thirst, and only then did my dry mouth feel clear. Whoa, now I’m going to live a little bit.

On the other hand, Emilia steps forward without taking her eyes off the lake.

With the lake as the background, the landscaping was harmonious, creating a picture of a wide range.

“young master. There was a message from the head of the household today.”

“message?”

While she was about to close the opening of the canteen with a stopper and hold it out to Paula again, she suddenly lost her luck.

Emilia must have heard our conversation as well, so she turned around and came this way. It seemed that he was curious about the contents.

“Yes. It’s nothing else, members of the Este family are coming to visit tomorrow.”

“The Este family… I haven’t heard from you in a long time. But why are you here so suddenly?”

“Since I couldn’t attend the coming-of-age ceremony, it looks like I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I see. It seems that there was an unavoidable circumstance when he said he couldn’t be seen during the coming-of-age ceremony.

Este Baron. It was a family subordinate to the Ipretz family, and one of the few families I had known since childhood.

Emilia asked me if I hadn’t heard of the Este family, so I decided to give a rough explanation.

“Emilia, the Este family is a baron who has been interacting with the Ipretz family for quite some time.”

“Then Ludwig must be quite close.”

“Yes. There is one kid I was close with. I’m looking forward to seeing you after a long time.”

The Este family is a total of three siblings, and there is a brother who is one year older than him, but he is quite old.

And the youngest, Sophia, was the only daughter, a year younger than me.

Since there is a big age difference with the above older brothers, he naturally treated me relatively more friendly… Haven’t seen it in a while.

“You were especially weak to Lady Sophia.”

“He’s a year old, but he’s cute. He also followed my words well.”

When I was little, my mother used to joke about marrying Sophia.

He might have said that to Sofia, who got along well with me, because he was a person who didn’t care much about his family name or anything like that.

Do you want to have a lover? If not, I should introduce you to a decent man… I don’t have any connections.

“Anyone named Sophia… Are you Ludwig’s friend?”

“you’re right. We had a lot of accidents together when we were young… Those are all memories.”

“… is that so.”

Emilia only expressed interest in Sophia.

I used to ask how old he was, what he looked like, and even his personality.

I’ve heard that she doesn’t have much interaction with the children of other aristocratic families, so I wonder if she wants to be friends with my friend Sophia?

Maybe you think you can easily get along with friends of friends. If that’s the case, you should step out and introduce yourself.

“Don’t worry, Emilia. I’ll introduce you tomorrow. I’m sure the two of you will get along well.”

“I see… It’s just a guess, but I’m sure it will fit.”

Fortunately, Emilia and I seem to have overlapped thoughts.

Both of them are perfectly kind, and most of all, since they are the same woman, there must be a lot in common.

I want to introduce you to you soon. Sophia was a child who couldn’t get close to me very well, so it would be good for both of us if we could make good friends on this occasion.

Even if it’s not comfortable because of the age difference.

I came out to the lake to relieve my mood, and I never thought I would hear good news like this. Thanks to that, it seems that the worries that were filled in my head disappeared like snow melting.

Sofia will come after a long time, so I hope tomorrow will be a peaceful day like this.

There were many things to be thankful for to Emilia today, so I just hoped that tomorrow’s meeting would be at least a small reciprocation.