Chapter 2. The Villain is Too Sensual

“What’s your opinion about villains?”

Rudfelix frowned at the unexpected question. As he seemed to wonder what this sudden talk of villains was about, Elena quickly added,

“I mean the villains in plays who appear to torment the protagonist and then die gloriously. What do you think of them?”

“I thought you’d ask something about me, but this is unexpected.”

‘It’s not unexpected, it’s about you.’

Because in the novel set in this world, Grand Duke Rudfelix was the final boss that the protagonists had to defeat.

Anyway, while she stayed silent wanting to hear whatever he had to say, he asked,

“It’s ambiguous. The concept of a villain can change depending on whose perspective it is, right?”

“Generally, can’t we think of them as bad guys?”

Elena was about to shake her head but nodded instead. The perspective that the Grand Duke mentioned was indeed important. The author had made the Crown Prince the male protagonist. And to pave the flower path for him to become Emperor, the Grand Duke was made the sacrificial lamb.

‘It was just to the extent that the Grand Duke, who coveted the Emperor’s position, tried to kill his cousin, the Crown Prince.’

Because the story was so centered on the protagonist, the reason why the Grand Duke did bad things was omitted.

As a result, meeting him in person made her uncomfortable about thinking of him simply as a villain.

For now, she called him a villain and wanted to hear his answer.

Grand Duke Rudfelix rested his elbow on the table and supported his face with the back of his hand, bending his wrist.

He just half-lay sideways, but she couldn’t understand why it was so sensual and captivating.

‘He’s not just handsome. If he approached smiling with that face, really…’

She didn’t even want to think about it.

While Elena closed her eyes tightly and shook off her thoughts, Rudfelix spoke.

“If I were a villain…”

‘Yes. You are the villain.’

Elena looked at the Grand Duke, even stopping her breathing.

With her hair still fallen and not yet tied, she fiddled with her hair tie for no reason.

“I would be faithful to that role. Even if others see me as a villain, if that’s my conviction, I’ll push through with it.”

Elena silently nodded.

Conviction.

Even if others considered him a villain and accused him of being a bad person who’s trying to kill the Crown Prince, he said he moved because he had his own reasons.

‘That’s cool.’

Honestly, that statement just now was cool.

Maybe it resonated more with Elena because she had lived according to her own convictions since opening her eyes as a count’s daughter.

“Thank you for answering sincerely.”

“If you understand, work hard. My conviction comes from those papers, you know.”

“I understand. Then am I an aide now?”

Since it ended up with ‘work hard’ in the end, half of Elena’s emotion flew away.

‘But why did I naturally answer that I understood?’

“Yes. From today, you’re my aide.”

“Thank you.”

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work hard.

Thank you for allowing me to burn for Your Highness for two years.

Thank you for letting me shake off the debt and turn back without regrets afterward.

“I’ll be leaving now.”

Unless the Grand Duke left, the only way to end this situation was for Elena to go home.

“If you leave these documents as they are, I’ll revoke your position as my aide.”

As if Rudfelix had found the first thing he didn’t like, he stroked his chin and his eyes gleamed.

“I’ll organize them before I go.”

Elena reached out and pulled an elegant box that looked like it might contain jewels.

As she brought the box while saying she would organize the documents, the Grand Duke watched quietly.

Elena opened the box, hiding a sigh in her exhale.

“Aren’t those hair ties?”

Seeing her take out numerous hair ties, Rudfelix sent a look asking what she was going to do with them. He was also curious why she had reused a broken tie earlier when there were so many here.

“As you can see, all the hair ties here are broken.”

Having read Grand Duke Rudfelix’s gaze, Elena tilted the box to show the inside. As they weren’t for tying her own hair, she added a kind explanation.

“I’m going to use them to tie the papers together.”

Intending to show rather than just explain, Elena brought a few documents. Then, she made two holes at the top of the paper with the pen she was holding and tied them together by putting a hair tie through the holes.

He thought all the hair ties were broken, but he didn’t expect them to be used to gather documents together. Rudfelix sent a look of surprise.

Her unique method of neatly organizing documents seemed quite good.

“Are the documents… hair?”

“I just used the ties for a different purpose.”

As Elena picked up other documents to gather them together and was about to pierce the paper with her pen:

Her hair fell forward and scattered over the paper, sliding down to where the pen was.

Should she put down the papers for a moment and tie her hair, or should she push through even though ink might get on her hair?

After a brief thought, Elena decided to just pierce it.

‘Let’s finish quickly and go.’

She could just wash her hair when she got home.

Rustle.

‘Huh?’

Rudfelix’s hand came in front of the paper and grabbed Elena’s hair.

As Elena raised her head, Rudfelix’s face filled her entire view.

From his blue eyes that shone like jewels to his gently sloping nose and smooth lips, it was so sudden that Elena froze in place.

She really thought her heart had stopped.

‘This is crazy.’

Elena swallowed dry saliva.

She couldn’t breathe because he was too close.

Even his slightly parted lips were insanely sexy. It seemed like if she opened her mouth, moans would flow out instead of words.

She didn’t want to admit the heated atmosphere that arose just from looking, but she had to.

Rudfelix held Elena’s hair up in the air and said,

“It would be better for an aide to properly tie their hair before these papers.”

She didn’t know that the first moment of being called an aide by the Grand Duke would be such a heart-pounding moment.

“Thank you. You can let my hair down now.”

Elena looked at her own hair. Her hair in his hand felt unfamiliar.

As Rudfelix slowly opened his hand, her hair flowed down softly. Because she had tied it loosely, such a heart-pounding incident occurred.

Though there was no direct contact, Elena felt awkward and brushed back her own hair.

“Are you really 18?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I can’t believe it.”

Rudfelix muttered softly.

“How can it be so thin and soft unless it’s a baby’s?”

Whether it was a compliment or not. Was it right to describe her hair as thin and soft?

Her lips twitched as she tried to hold back the words she wanted to blurt out.

“Why are you moving your lips? Do you have something to say? Or is there something else on your mind?”

“I was wondering whether to say that I can’t believe Your Highness is 25 either.”

In the end, unable to hold back, she retorted. She was a bit provoked after being told repeatedly that she looked younger than her age since meeting him today.

“How do I look to you?”

“Well…”

Elena, who had been debating whether to shout honestly, closed her eyes tightly and yelled.

* * *

“Elena, did you do well?”

The Count, who had been waiting until late at night, welcomed Elena.

“I did well.”

Elena answered honestly. She had been accepted as an aide, and he seemed satisfied with her proposal for Sir Brahms’ temporary team.

“Good. What kind of work did you do?”

“I can’t disclose it because it’s His Highness’s business. May I go up and rest?”

“I’ve been keeping my tired daughter for too long. Go on up.”

“Father.”

The Count, who had been waiting for Elena, must have spent an anxious time, but he prioritized his daughter’s words.

Touched by her father’s love, Elena hugged the Count.

“I won’t be able to tell you what I did from now on.”

She doesn’t know yet how much confidential work the Grand Duke will assign her. Today, she could say she just organized documents, but there was another reason she deliberately kept her mouth shut.

‘Because I’ll have to cut ties with the Grand Duke later.’

To cut ties completely, she shouldn’t tell the Count anything.

“But I’ll do well so that you don’t worry.”

Though it’s only two years, she’ll do her best to make the Count feel that he has fully repaid his debt.

The Count hugged Elena back.

She truly was a daughter he cherished more than his own eyes.

“Alright. I trust my daughter.”

Hearing the Count exhale in relief, Elena closed her eyes.

Her father’s warm embrace was her driving force to live in this world.

The original Elena nearly died in a carriage accident that took her mother’s life.

When Elena, who had possessed her at the time of the carriage accident, arrived, the Count was in a state of shock that he had no time to look after her. How did she enter the original story, and what was the way to go back?