The Villainous Family is Against Independence - i_

‘What in the world.’

Leon stared into Elodie’s innocent light pink eyes. In them, he could see his own flustered reflection.

He couldn’t help it.

‘This position…’

Elodie was straddling him as he lay on the sofa, her hands placed on his chest.

The skin on his upper body where Elodie’s palms touched felt as if it was on fire.

Unaware of what she was doing, she unhesitatingly caressed his chest.

Her pale blonde hair flowed down, tickling Leon’s cheeks as she concentrated on exerting her power.

His heart was beating wildly. His face felt like it was about to burst.

No, it felt like everything – his heart, his face, everything – was about to explode.

For Leon, who had become a duke at a young age and had been preoccupied with finding his younger sibling, barely even holding a woman’s hand before, this was too much stimulation.

They were close, too close.

Close enough to faintly feel each other’s breath.

Feeling as if his throat was constricting, Leon parted his lips.

“…Miss Elodie.”

“It seems to be fading little by little.”

“Miss Elodie…”

“Oh? It has faded!”

Oblivious to his feelings, she focused solely on Leon’s body.

Elodie was unaware of how intimately close they were, or that she was casually touching a man’s bare chest.

Leon Kreundel was the only one conscious of the situation.

How unsightly it was to be tense alone in this situation that the other party wasn’t even aware of.

“Haa…”

Leon sighed and gently removed Elodie’s hands, holding them.

“That’s enough now.”

“Pardon?”

“There are limits to purification power as well. If you pour it out recklessly, you might put yourself in danger, Miss Elodie. We should stop here for today.”

“Is that so?”

Elodie had only recently learned that she possessed purification power and was still inexperienced in handling it.

So she readily accepted Leon’s hastily made-up explanation and stopped using her power.

However, as Elodie still showed no signs of getting off his upper body while staring at it, Leon hesitantly spoke to her.

“More importantly, Miss Elodie. …You’re too close.”

“Ah, I’m sorry!”

Only then realizing the embarrassing position, Elodie hurriedly tried to get off but lost her balance for a moment.

“…!”

Startled, Leon pulled Elodie close. Instead of moving away, Elodie ended up burying her face in Leon’s chest.

It was also Elodie’s first time being embraced against a man’s bare chest, making the atmosphere strange.

“Leon. You have a really nice body!”

Hahaha.

She made a joke, but there was no response.

Wondering if he was uncomfortable from too much contact, Elodie quickly got off him.

“Thank you for your help.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Leon sat up and began buttoning his shirt one by one, avoiding her gaze.

The man’s sculptured body was hidden, wrapped in expensive fabric.

Inwardly feeling disappointed, Elodie brought up the topic of purification.

“I think it will heal completely if we keep purifying steadily. What do you think?”

“…Yes.”

“How about we meet once a week for purification?”

“…Yes.”

“Leon?”

“…Yes.”

As he answered habitually to the clear voice coming through his daze, a small hand suddenly covered his forehead.

“You seem to have a high fever…”

Again.

Again, so casually.

What was even more absurd was that he didn’t find it unpleasant.

Elodie asked worriedly.

“Leon. Are you in a lot of pain?”

“No. I’m fine.”

As if he had the leisure to feel pain.

Although he felt dizzy from the blood rushing to his head, he no longer felt the pain from the consequences of his sins.

Leon called Elodie’s name, trying to calm his heart.

“Miss Elodie.”

“Yes.”

“Then, may I ask for your help with purification in the future?”

“Of course!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Elodie answered with a bright smile.

Leon gazed at her for a long time, taking in that image.

Such a kind person.

That’s why he found himself relying on this kindness.

He vaguely realized that his feelings towards Elodie were not simply those towards a savior.

***

“Huh?”

[Death Ravine, A Hero’s Exploits. His Name is ‘Raeyan Vietan?’]

“Hmm?”

[Mercenary King Ian, Who Is He?]

The front page of the newspaper was plastered with a man’s portrait.

It was a face I knew well.

Raeyan.

My eyes widened as I scanned through the articles.

[The man who saved the trade caravan trapped in Death Ravine…]

[The mercenary who single-handedly defeated a horde of monsters…]

[A mysterious hero who appeared out of nowhere…]

Various articles praised Raeyan’s heroic deeds.

‘What… what is this?’

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Raeyan, who had disappeared without a trace, was now being hailed as a hero in the newspaper.

Moreover, he wasn’t using an alias.

‘Ian… Raeyan…’

It was an anagram of his name. A simple trick, but effective enough to hide his identity from most people.

But why? Why did he suddenly appear as a hero? And why wasn’t he using an alias?

As these questions swirled in my mind, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of relief and confusion.

Relief that he was alive and well. Confusion about his sudden behavior change.

“Raeyan, what are you doing there…?”

I muttered to myself, staring at his portrait on the newspaper.

The Raeyan in the picture looked different from how I remembered him. His eyes seemed sharper, more determined. There was a hardness to his features that wasn’t there before.

What had happened to him during his disappearance? What had changed him so much?

I had a feeling that finding the answers to these questions would lead me to an even bigger truth.

One thing was certain though – Raeyan was alive, and he was making waves.

I folded the newspaper, my mind racing with new possibilities and concerns.

It seemed that the game had changed once again, and I needed to adjust my strategies accordingly.

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