The Villain's Sister - Chapter 36

When Tristan left for work and I went down on time, Johan was already there with the car.

Raphael’s luxury car, which didn’t suit the small apartment, stood out quite a bit.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

“Did you not sleep well yesterday? You look a bit tired.”

“Not at all. What do you need?”

“A topper. I can’t take sleeping on the sofa anymore.”

“Is he making you sleep on the sofa?”

Johan’s unexpectedly serious expression caught me off guard.

He’s not the kind of person who would care how I sleep.

“Didn’t you dislike me? Why are you acting like this over something like that?”

“Regardless, you’re a woman.”

A small laugh slipped out. It was just the sort of thing this man would say.

“Ah. So you’re a gentleman.”

“It’s basic manners.”

“Tristan told me to use the bed, but I insisted on sleeping on the sofa because I felt bad. So we take turns each day. Even days, I take the bed. Odd days, he takes the bed.”

“Sounds like you two are having fun living together. Pretending to be reserved, are we?”

Ah.

I’d never dated before, so I hadn’t thought about those kinds of details.

Johan seems to think Tristan is my lover or something.

“Come to think of it, I think it’d be better to just buy a new bed. The current one is too small even for just me.”

I tried to play it off, but I probably gave myself away as someone who’s never been in a relationship before.

Tristan has dating experience… damn. I lose.

“At the very least, I can see that you’re the one clinging to him. He’s more of a gentleman than I thought.”

“We’re in love.”

Instead of replying, Johan parked the car.

This is driving me crazy. I don’t even know what I’m doing.

Whatever the case, I can’t just replace the bed without permission.

So instead, I decided to buy clothes to wear for the weekend wedding.

“Weren’t you going to buy a bed?”

“Clothes are more urgent. Watch my bag.”

I tossed the bag to Johan, and he frowned slightly.

I didn’t care and went into the fitting room to change.

The store clerk followed me around, fussing about how well the clothes suited me.

Turning around, I asked Johan, who was sitting on the sofa behind me.

“What do you think?”

“Why ask me?”

“Even with your outdated fashion sense, you can tell if something looks good, right?”

“Outdated? Me?”

Seeing him subtly offended made me laugh.

He didn’t seem like someone who’d care about that kind of thing.

“You buttoned your shirt all the way up.”

“That’s called dressing neatly.”

“These days, that’s considered old-fashioned.”

I picked up another outfit and changed again.

This time it was a classic silhouette, a purple flared dress.

As I opened the fitting room door and stepped out, Johan was the first person I saw.

For a brief moment, his gaze lingered on me.

My face, the dress, then my face again.

Then he quickly turned his head away.

He seemed bored of shopping and let out a short sigh.

“Don’t you think this one’s a bit too dark for a wedding?”

“Just buy whatever.”

“You’re being difficult. Still, I’m your superior, so treat me better.”

“My job is to ensure your safety, not participate in pointless shopping.”

“You know full well that you’re not the type people want to go shopping with, right?”

Annoyed, I turned to check myself in the mirror.

It looked like it suited my pearl-toned skin well.

I liked it, but it was a bit expensive…

In the mirror, I could see Johan. Sitting slouched behind me, he was watching my reflection.

Our eyes met through the mirror. His stare had a persistent edge to it.

“Does it look good on me?”

“…Do you like Cinderella?”

What’s he talking about all of a sudden?

Even Tristan wouldn’t ask such a silly question, but Johan looked deadly serious.

“Is it because I mentioned the pumpkin carriage and fairy godmother yesterday? A fairy tale is just a fairy tale.”

“Have you never dreamed of a fairy godmother?”

“Stop with the weird comments. I’m not Cinderella.”

At least Cinderella was a noblewoman. I’m just a bottom-dweller.

A slightly wealthier bottom-dweller.

“I should try on another one.”

This time, it was a bright floral dress.

It was too casual for a wedding, but it lifted my mood.

“I’ll wear this one.”

I’d have to think a bit more about the dress for the wedding.

After paying for the floral dress, I reached back to remove the price tag from the neckline.

“Ah.”

I couldn’t reach it.

Just as the store clerk offered to cut it off with scissors, Johan took them instead.

Before I realized it, he had come up right behind me and swept my hair over one shoulder.

Suddenly, I became aware of the unfamiliar touch of a man’s hand.

As I felt the collar near the nape of my neck shift, it started to feel ticklish.

‘He’s impossible to read.’

He wasn’t the kind of person to show such kindness.

He should have seemed threatening with my throat exposed to him, but the low breathing sounds from just behind me made me highly conscious of him.

Fingers lightly brushing my hair, the firm grip on my clothes, the cold surface of the scissors grazing the back of my neck.

For some reason, my face grew hot. A shiver ran up my spine.

“It may not be suitable for a ball, but the purple dress isn’t bad for a wedding.”

As his low voice echoed in my ear, I flinched involuntarily.

Then, with a light touch, he straightened my shoulders.

“I won’t hurt you.”

With those words, the price tag was torn off with a click.

An inexplicable fear welled up, and I immediately turned to look at him.

He wasn’t as threatening as I imagined.

Though the depth of his gaze did make me tense up.

He took my hand.

His vivid eyes drew my attention so strongly that I had no chance to refuse.

Johan, who handed me the price tag, looked at me as if dissecting me.

His piercing, persistent stare was a bit overwhelming.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Johan seemed to want something from me, and at the same time, he appeared wary, unsure of how to deal with me, seemingly flustered.

After observing me for a long while, he slightly furrowed his brow.

“I can’t figure out what kind of person you are.”

Boom!

Before he could finish speaking, an explosion erupted in the store right next door.

A sharp ringing filled my ears.

A piece of the ceiling fell and brushed my clothes.

I couldn’t see clearly because of the dust.

My head wasn’t working properly, so I couldn’t grasp what was happening.

“…right?”

“…Giselle…right?”

I didn’t even realize I was coughing harshly.

When I came to my senses, Johan was shaking my shoulders, blood running down his head.

At the moment of the explosion, Johan had shielded me from the flying debris and collapsed.

I was unharmed thanks to him.

“Giselle. Are you all right?”

“Y-yes. I’m fine. You’re the one bleeding—”

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire burst endlessly through the air. I grabbed Johan and ducked down.

Even though the man right beside me was Red Shadow, I was more terrified than surprised.

I might die.

The desire to survive and the fear of death coursed from my shoulders to my waist, from my waist to my toes.

“Huuuuh.”

I clenched my eyes shut and swallowed my scream.

A terror attack?

I’d seen them happen at hotels, but I never thought one would occur in a department store.

My body trembled like a leaf. I felt like I was going to suffocate.

Living on Mist Island means it’s normal to get caught up in big or small incidents, but it’s rare to go through so many in such a short time like this year.

“It’s all right. Calm down and breathe.”

“J-Johan…”

His unexpectedly gentle tone nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Before he could say anything more, men in black masks approached.

They herded the customers on our floor, including us, to the center of the building.

“As long as you listen, you won’t die.”

There weren’t just one or two robbers. At a glance, there were more than ten.

Would Johan try to deal with them alone?

Since he wasn’t wearing a mask, he probably wouldn’t want to reveal his identity.

I don’t know.

I might not even make it out alive, but does that even matter?

“Step back.”

Johan pulled me behind him.

His body, twenty centimeters taller than mine, shielded me.

“Everyone, hands above your heads!”

As the hostages all raised their hands, the robbers searched each of them one by one.

They found two pistols and a knife on Johan and struck him with a pistol.

“Ugh!”

Johan took the blow without resisting.

With his skill, he could’ve taken them all down alone…

One of the other robbers searched my body.

Shame burned as I bit my lip hard.

If only I had the strength, I would’ve slammed my fist into that bastard’s solar plexus.

“Nice ring.”

I quickly removed my ring and handed it to the robber.

He took my ring, smirked, and moved on to the next person.

After finishing the body searches, the robbers split into two groups.

One group kept watch over us, and the other checked the external situation and chatted amongst themselves.

While they were focused on their conversation, I pulled Johan over.

His head and lips were split, and his face was covered in blood.

I pulled my dress sleeve and wiped the blood from his face.

I don’t like him, but not enough to ignore his injuries.

“Your forehead is split. It might leave a scar.”

“…It’s fine.”

My sleeve brushed his eyebrow. His eyelids twitched slightly.

His icy blue eyes scanned my face and body.

I could see, just a little, a hint of concern for me in his expression.