The Villain's Sister - Chapter 32

Big Bear leaned back with a crooked posture and sneered at me. “I’m not here to kill or beat you. Not even to kidnap you.”

How was I supposed to believe that? It was Big Bear, of all people.

As if reading my mind, Big Bear continued, “Just wanted to see your face.”

“Are you planning to threaten my brother?”

“I should’ve come myself that day to drag you in, but I trusted my subordinate too much, huh? You have no idea how much your brother’s been costing me lately. I could take apart every organ in your body—eyeballs, hair, veins, skin—and sell them off one by one.”

The calm tone with which she spoke such gruesome words sent chills down my spine.

“So I came myself today. I was dying to know what kind of woman had Anti-Venom and Raphael wrapped around her finger.”

“……”

“Relax your face. I told you, I’m not gonna kill you. There’s nothing to gain from touching you right now. Everything’s too chaotic. If I charge in without a plan, it’ll only make things harder.”

With that, Big Bear shoved a plate in front of me.

She even gestured, asking why I wasn’t eating.

Ha. As if I could focus on food in this situation.

She clearly knew who had the upper hand.

Watching me tremble, she was enjoying the moment.

When I just glared at her without moving, she opened her mouth again.

“Not eating? You should. While you still can.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Once your brother’s neck gets cut, who do you think is next? You, obviously. When that time comes, you won’t be able to eat stuff like this, so better fill up now.”

“……”

“With a face like that, you’d fetch a high price. At least 100 million raphens. Preserved humans are more valuable the prettier they are. The head’s worth 50 million, and since your organs are healthy, all together that’s 300 million. As for your skin… I’ll stop here for your sake.”

“……”

“Your eyes look like that again. If your brother and boyfriend are with Death Adder, you shouldn’t have eyes like that. What, you think your brother’s better than me because he doesn’t sell people? Pu-haha.”

It was a hearty laugh, but there was something bone-chilling about it.

The kind of aura that only came from people used to killing and being killed.

As Big Bear thumped the table and laughed heartily, she suddenly reached out and stroked my head.

The overly affectionate touch gave me goosebumps.

“You’ll find out soon enough whether getting your gut pierced by an illegal firearm or living like a slave is the better fate.”

Reflexively, I slapped her hand away.

The back of her hand turned red.

Rising from her seat, she gave me a deep, smiling gaze.

“Take good care of your face. Got it?”

***

In the end, I practically skipped lunch.

After meeting Big Bear, I doubted it was wise to be out and about, and I seriously considered just going home.

But she said they’d deal with Raphael first and then come for me.

So as long as Death Adder stayed safe, I’d probably be fine.

That’s why I went to the hospital to see Linda as planned.

‘If they’re tailing me, Big Bear probably already knows who I’m meeting and where I’m staying.’

So visiting Linda wouldn’t make things any riskier.

More importantly, they wouldn’t touch a police officer’s family.

Especially not the family of the Organized Crime Division’s ace.

“Giselle. I’m glad you came. I was just thinking about you.”

Linda looked even thinner than last time, and her skin had darkened.

She looked clearly unwell, and it pained me.

I worried I might be interrupting her rest, but then she said, “It gets really lonely being here alone. Watching TV only kills time for a day or two… Thanks for coming.”

The TV in the corner of the hospital room was playing a panel discussion about the 7th anniversary of the war’s end.

― There’s talk that the Duke of Valkenstein will receive a first-class medal. The government should’ve awarded it years ago.

When the war ended, everyone thought the country would regain stability within a few years.

But after the war, this country became a world of villains. Mist Island is a prime example.

Awarding medals is probably an attempt to clean up the chaotic atmosphere by glorifying the achievements of war heroes.

The protagonist chosen for that purpose was none other than the Duke of Valkenstein, with his dramatic backstory.

“Such a pitiful young man.”

“The Duke of Valkenstein?”

“It’s terrible, losing both eyes and becoming paralyzed from the waist down at such a young age because of the war. I heard he managed to rehabilitate enough to walk with a cane, but still, he’s become a recluse. It’s so unfortunate.”

“I agree. That’s why he seems so admirable. Risking your life in the most dangerous places to protect your men isn’t something just anyone can do.”

“Why would such a tragedy befall someone like him?”

Heinrich von Valkenstein, who lost his parents young and inherited the dukedom early, enlisted in the war at the tender age of seventeen.

While fighting on the front lines, around the time the war ended seven years ago, he threw himself into a hail of bullets to save his immobilized men.

He succeeded in rescuing them, but had to pay a harrowing price.

Caught in an explosion, shrapnel pierced his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and blind in both eyes.

A month after his discharge, the war ended.

He was only nineteen at the time.

‘It was truly horrifying.’

The only heir of an old noble family, a young duke, a promising youth—struck by tragedy.

The public cheered his noble act. The media praised him as a hero of the battlefield.

But I thought it was all horrible.

Back then, Raphael was being deployed to all sorts of dangerous places, so it didn’t feel like someone else’s story.

I would’ve preferred Raphael come back alive, even if it meant becoming a despicable man who used his comrades as shields, rather than a hero who lost his sight and became paralyzed.

Even if time turned back, I’d feel the same.

Better a sound-limbed villain than a wounded saint.

“To be stuck at home at the age when he should be out having fun or working, it breaks my heart. He’s the same age as Tristan, right? How hard must it be.”

I didn’t want to talk about the Duke of Valkenstein any longer.

So I changed the subject by asking Linda about her knitting.

“You’ve made a lot. This one’s a cable pattern, right?”

“That’s right. It’s a bit clumsy, but I wanted to add something rather than leave it plain.”

“It’ll look great on Tristan. So are you making two of them?”

“Two?”

“For Tristan and his sibling.”

Linda was silent for a moment.

The mood shifted oddly, and I worried I might have said something wrong.

‘Wasn’t the sibling just away at boarding school?’

If something bad happened and I brought it up by accident…

While I was silently panicking, she carefully said, “They’re twins.”

“I thought there was a big age gap. You always just said Tristan was the younger one.”

“Even if he doesn’t show it, Tristan is very fond of his sibling. He grumbles a lot, but he’s full of affection. So Giselle, please take good care of Tristan and his brother, too.”

Her face looked as if a breeze might blow it away, yet the grip of her hand holding mine and the look in her eyes seemed strong enough to withstand anything.

This is what a mother who loves her children is like.

That thought made me feel a little envious of Tristan.

***

“Huh? Did you throw away all the waste oil soap?”

“Yes. I threw it away because I hated the sight of it. Is the body wash scent okay? I bought the one I like.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It was my first time using something like that, but I liked it.”

“Didn’t Linda buy it for you?”

“I’ve lived on my own since I graduated high school. Before that, I used the same soap as my dad. I don’t really know about my mom.”

Tristan, who had come out shaking the water from his hair, sat down at the table with a slightly puzzled expression.

“What is it?”

“It’s just… it feels unfamiliar to come home after work and find warm food ready.”

“Same here. I ate alone a lot, but eating together like this feels nice.”

We sat facing each other and began our dinner.

Tristan had a good appetite, and I liked watching the dishes empty.

“So, what’s your plan for the weekend?”

“Plan?”

“The wedding. Don’t tell me you’re planning to go without thinking. You’ll be seeing your ex who cheated on you and your friend, right? I didn’t take you for that kind of person…”

He really was a pushover. No wonder he worked unpaid as Black Pistols.

“Didn’t take me for what? Why’d you stop mid-sentence? Your eyes are starting to look a bit suspicious.”

Tristan frowned and stared at me.

I shook my head and swallowed the stir-fried beans.

“It reminded me of when Maria’s ex cheated on her.”

“Maria? The one who always answered the phone for you?”

“Yeah. She’s like a sister to me. Anyway, we spent a month thinking of a way to screw that guy over.”

“What did you do?”

“In the end, the girl who cheated with the ex made a move on me.”

“Pfft!”

Tristan spit out the water he was drinking.

He quickly turned his head, so it didn’t end up on my face.

As I scooped food onto my plate, I continued, “Actually, we gave up after a month of just planning. Maria changed her mind, saying trying to get revenge felt like she still had feelings for him. But by chance, that girl saw me and fell for me at first sight.”

Tristan’s mouth dropped open in a face torn between laughter and disbelief.

“She chased after me for a whole month, saying it was fine just to be friends.”

“You really—”

Just as he tried to continue, a gunshot rang out from outside.

Bang! Bang!

The moment I caught my breath, Tristan sprang to his feet and checked the window.

“That didn’t come from our house. Sounds like it was fired at the alley entrance.”

“Could it be a drug dealer?”

“It’s not a regular pistol. It’s a magic bullet. It’s probably someone from Two Star.”

The stern look and serious eyes he showed weren’t the Tristan Lindbergh who joked around with me.

It hit me anew that he was both a police officer and a hero.

Tristan’s gaze shifted to the coat thrown on the sofa.

He might have been staying home because of me, but he was originally a hero who donned a motorcycle helmet and roamed the city at night.

So, of course he’d be twitchy in this situation.

But…

“Don’t go.”

It’s unpaid work that costs him sleep at night.

Even if he risked his life to become a vigilante, it’s not like the country supports him.

The central government treats heroes like potential terrorists. I can’t understand why he insists on sacrificing himself.

I don’t know why he keeps up his hero work, but just as I want Raphael to live a sensible life, I want this man to stay safe too.

Being a police officer already puts him in danger every day. That’s more than enough.

“It’s dangerous, so stay here. I don’t want you to get hurt.”