Is It So Wrong that I Like Seeing the Villain Suffer? - Chapter 14

“Sure! Go ahead.”

“…It’s dangerous.”

“Pardon?”

Wondering what he meant, I looked at him, and suddenly the desk I was sitting on wobbled, and my body leaned forward.

“Oh—”

Thinking I was going to fall to the floor, I squeezed my eyes shut, but a strong arm caught me.

Before I knew it, my head was resting against a broad chest.

“The leg of the desk broke.”

Arkle’s voice whispered softly in my ear.

His low breath tickled my ear.

“Oh… thank you.”

“……”

I found myself unexpectedly nestled in Arkle’s arms.

“So, what is it you want to say to me?”

“Lize.”

“Yes?”

“I’m just calling your name.”

Arkle’s red eyes quietly gazed at me.

Oh….

“That’s not bad either.”

My eyes brightened and I stood up.

Leaning against the wall, I clasped my hands together in anticipation.

The sunlight streaming through the window bathed my whole body warmly.

Right now, I must look like the most holy saintess.

But a smile full of mischief appeared on my lips.

“Then, kneel and beg.”

I commanded with a pure, clear voice and a gentle smile.

“……”

Arkle looked at me for a moment, then approached.

I looked at him with eyes full of anticipation.

“I don’t know why you want this, but… fine. A deal is a deal.”

I couldn’t help but grin.

His face, flushed red, while muttering to be touched, was still vivid in my mind.

Recalling his low, murmuring voice made my heart ache.

‘Show me a more desperate look than before…! Be embarrassed! Feel awkward! Suffer! Suffer more!’

I felt like I was about to snort excitedly.

Arkle slowly bent his body.

‘It’s happening…!’

Kneeling before me, Arkle looked up and spoke.

“…Lize.”

It was an utterly soulless voice.

“Is this enough?”

He looked up at me with indifferent, dead eyes.

‘That’s not it!’

Who begs with a face like that?

And before kneeling, at least show a little embarrassment…! Aren’t you supposed to be the strongest in this world? Don’t you have any pride?

Just kneeling doesn’t make it begging, you villain.

‘You need to speak with a much more tender face, earnestly…!’

This wasn’t at all what I wanted.

As I looked at Arkle with a deflated expression, he asked, clearly not understanding.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t I do what you wanted? I knelt and called your name.”

“Well… yes, but no.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

He genuinely seemed clueless.

I opened my mouth, trying to help him understand.

“Have you never had a moment in your life? When you were desperately earnest and anxious….”

“No.”

Arkle answered without a moment’s hesitation, looking as hard as a tin man who had lost his heart.

“Sigh… alright.”

I sighed and loosened my shoulders.

“I’ll demonstrate it myself.”

“……”

Arkle stood up, still with an expressionless face.

“Watch closely and capture this feeling, okay?”

“I’ll try, but I don’t know if it’ll change anything.”

“Just watch closely.”

I said solemnly and knelt before him.

Slowly clasping my hands, I looked up at him.

Arkle looked down at me with a blank expression.

‘Sad thoughts, sad thoughts….’

I let my mood sink with sad thoughts, drooped my shoulders, and made my eyes look teary.

“Arkle….”

I murmured softly, gazing up at Arkle’s red eyes.

It was the most pitiful voice I could muster.

“……”

“……”

Arkle didn’t move at all.

‘……’

It was quite embarrassing.

But I decided to be shameless.

I stood up abruptly and smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.

“Now, try it.”

“……”

“Come on, I even did this much—”

I tried to pull Arkle’s arm to make him kneel, but he didn’t budge.

He just stared at me with a peculiar expression.

‘At this rate, it looks like I’m the one begging Arkle!’

Feeling wronged, I shouted.

“Just think of yourself as a dog—do as I say! You’re my pet now. Got it?”

At that moment, the office door swung open.

“Here are the documents you requested. I knocked, but there was no answer—”

It was Juan.

His mouth dropped open, hearing what I said as he entered.

He looked at me with trembling eyes.

“…What did you just say…?”

“Don’t worry, Juan. It’s a mutual agreement. We’re just—”

“No, I won’t listen. I don’t want to hear it.”

Juan said firmly and backed out of the room.

“—Please don’t mind me and continue your business. Then.”

‘I was going to say we’re just executing a deal….’

It’s too much to leave without giving me a chance to explain.

‘I wanted to make him one of my people, but it feels like the opportunity keeps slipping away….’

My excitement quickly died down after facing Juan’s resolute face.

I even dealt with that annoying Gillian Moril… and now this….

“I was looking forward to it….”

Muttering with disappointment, Arkle looked at me closely.

I met his gaze without avoiding it.

Even though I looked at him so pitifully, Arkle’s face remained expressionless, without a hint of emotion.

“You really are like a tin man….”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a term for someone like you. Heartless….”

Arkle, who had been gazing at me, spoke.

“I don’t know what that is, but I seem to have disappointed you. I’m sorry.”

“……”

“I’m aware I’m not good at reading others’ feelings. I was terrible at it since I was young. Please forgive me.”

I suddenly felt like an incredibly bad person.

“…It’s okay. I’m not good at it either. So I know how it feels.”

“……”

“We’re both strange people.”

I gave him a slight smile and turned away.

“Then I’ll be going. The deal is done.”

Arkle seemed like he wanted to say something, but he soon closed his mouth.

I gave him a small nod and left the room.

I felt his gaze following me as I walked away.

‘Now, should I return to my room?’

I didn’t see what I was hoping for, but it wasn’t a complete loss.

I looked down at the check with countless zeros.

I didn’t plan to save money since I intended to return to Allenheim someday, but having it is certainly better than not.

My steps were light as I descended the stairs.

❖ ❖ ❖

In Arkle’s office after Lize had left…

Arkle Cayenne stood silently, staring at the spot where Lize Allenheim had been.

“We’re both strange people.”

Her clear voice seemed to echo in his ears.

“It’s a term for someone like you. Heartless….”

Heartless….

He had often heard the term ‘heartless monster,’ but Lize’s words seemed to carry a different meaning.

Arkle raised a hand and placed it on his left chest.

He could distinctly feel the steady beating of his heart.

Despite being called heartless, his heart was pounding quite fiercely now.

Even when fighting on the front lines of battle or standing before the emperor, he had never felt his heart beat like this.

At some point, he had forgotten that he even had a heart.

And just now, he became aware of that heartbeat again.

“Lize….”

Lize’s face, calling his name, flickered in his mind.

Her light pink eyes shining, her eyebrows drooping gently, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush….

Recalling Lize’s expression made his heart sink.

‘What is this…?’

It was a sensation he had never felt before.

It was clearly different from the pain of magical resonance.

‘Could it be fatigue?’

Should he take a short rest?

However, Arkle stood there, unmoving.

No, he couldn’t move.

“……”

Slowly, Arkle raised a hand to cover his mouth.

His face had turned red.

‘This feels strange….’

It was an incredibly strange situation.

It wasn’t magical resonance acting up, nor was he cut by a sword, yet just thinking of someone was this distressing.

“This is serious…. One curse is enough.”

It was at this moment that the tin man’s heart began to beat again.

❖ ❖ ❖

I arrived in front of my room while humming a tune, only to find an unexpected person waiting.

“Naran?”

“Lize. It’s been a while.”

Naran, who had been leaning against the door with a bored expression, brightened up with a smile when she saw me.

“I heard from Juan. You met some trashy guy? Are you alright?”

She must be talking about Gillian Moril.

‘Is this… concern?’

Cute, isn’t he?

Feeling fond, I patted Naran’s glossy black hair.

“I’m fine, it was nothing.”

I even managed to squeeze some money out of that trash.

Naran flinched slightly in surprise but didn’t avoid my touch.

On the contrary, he smiled faintly and gently rubbed his head against my hand, as if asking for more.

‘Like a cat….’

It was truly an angelically adorable sight.

Though his next words were far from angelic.

“Did that guy bother you? Should I XXX his XX and make him XXX?”

Naran, still with an angelically beautiful face, said without a change in expression.

‘Right, that’s his true nature.’

I just smiled wryly.

“It’s okay. I gave him a good scolding. If I’d known you were waiting, I would’ve come sooner. I could’ve sent Arkle away earlier….”

The moment I muttered Arkle’s name, Naran, who had been like a tame cat, suddenly transformed.

“Arkle?”