The Villain's Sister - Chapter 40

“You are a good person.”

In this city steeped in sin, she hadn’t lost her conscience, which was probably why she felt original guilt over Raphael.

How heavy must the weight of the guilt she bears be?

She was on his mind. No, she wasn’t.

It was just a slight bother.

That’s the accurate way to put it.

“…Ugh…”

Giselle began to groan.

Seeing her in such pain, he reflexively reached out his hand, then flinched and stopped himself.

He grabbed his own hand with the other.

The sensation piercing through him was unpleasant.

This woman was Raphael Kapuzen’s sister and Anti-Venom’s mistress.

“Pumpkin carriage and tuxedo…”

The suspicion that she might be with ‘White Hands’ was just that—a suspicion.

He felt a weight piling up on his chest. Not heavy, but not light either.

He didn’t know if it was sympathy, pity, or something else entirely.

The moment the emotion unknowingly piling up inside him leaked into action, he felt like he would cross a line he shouldn’t.

He could still look away. By looking away, he could make it as if it never existed.

So now was the time to withdraw this hand.

Putting force into lowering his hand, Johan closed his eyes tightly, his nerves on edge.

It wasn’t this woman that irritated him, but those damn villains. That had to be it.

***

Before breakfast, I contacted Raphael for the first time since leaving home.

I knew Raphael was getting reports about me through Johan, but hearing his voice was a whole different matter.

More than anything, after going through what happened yesterday, I missed Raphael.

“Maybe he’s sleeping.”

Judging by his usual habits, he probably fell asleep at dawn, so the chance he wouldn’t hear the phone was high.

But he picked up before the phone even rang three times.

― Deva?

“Were you sleeping? Your voice sounds hoarse.”

― I was just about to sleep. Are you eating well? No matter how angry you are, how can you not call at all? Aren’t you being too harsh?

Whether he had just woken up or not, Raphael grumbled with a drowsy voice.

Thanks to Johan informing him, he seemed unaware of the department store incident. So I replied smugly.

“Living in a hotel away from home is so much fun. Going from private pool to restaurant every day puts me in a great mood.”

― Yeah. Better to have fun than suffer away from home.

“Normally, this would make you grumble. You’re seriously sick.”

― Maria’s mad because you haven’t contacted her. Give her a call. She seems really upset, so I’ve been avoiding her too. She might grab me by the collar at this rate.

“Oh no. I’d better call her right away. You should get some sleep now.”

― Alright. Don’t go anywhere dangerous and have fun somewhere safe.

Raphael kept nagging like a mom until he hung up.

‘How long do I have to live like this?’

A dull throb pulsed in my head.

A heavier emotion than annoyance or irritation thumped out from my chest.

Even so, I diligently made the call. If I couldn’t see her face, at least I wanted to hear her voice…

Especially since it was obvious she’d be worried after the department store incident.

“Maria?”

― Deva, is that you?

“Yeah, it’s me. I’m―”

― How could you?! With the attack yesterday, I feared the worst, but there was no word from you and I couldn’t reach Raphael because he was working!

Maria screamed without even taking a breath.

Startled, I pulled the receiver away from my ear, but it didn’t help.

Johan, who had just come out of the shower, even looked surprised.

After a call that lasted over thirty minutes, Johan and I had a simple breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

I heard his voice after I had eaten about half.

“This afternoon, I plan to report the department store incident to Mr. Raphael.”

Unlike me, who had paused mid-bite, he sipped his coffee nonchalantly.

“Are you crazy?”

“He’s family. He should know what happened.”

“Do you have any idea what Raphael might do?”

“They’re terrorists. They deserve to be punished.”

“So you’re saying Raphael’s revenge is a justified punishment?”

“No. I’m saying they’re not worth worrying about.”

I couldn’t reason with him. How twisted does someone have to be to think like that?

Is he holding a grudge because they messed up his face?

“Raphael has connections even in prison. No matter how much of a terrorist someone is, I don’t want them dead. They should be punished by the law, according to procedure. So don’t say anything.”

Johan shrugged.

It was a gesture meaning it didn’t matter what I said—his employer was Raphael.

I wasn’t thinking about forgiving the terrorists or not.

Who am I to forgive them anyway?

To someone, Raphael is the terrorist.

What I wanted more than anything wasn’t private revenge or some pursuit of justice—it was for them to be judged by the law, as they should be.

“What do you want?”

“It’s not that I want something from you. You’re involved, so I’m giving you a heads-up.”

“I meant, what do you want to gain from telling Raphael?”

Thunk.

When I set down my fork, a dull sound followed.

Johan, who had been staring out the window the whole time, finally turned his head toward me.

The morning sun lit up Johan’s face.

His clear, reflective skin and sharp but delicate features were striking.

His cool gaze sized me up. It wasn’t entirely gentle, but not as fierce as when we first met.

Thanks to that, I didn’t have to avoid his eyes—I could look him straight in the face.

My chest ached with tension, and it was almost hard to breathe, so I slightly regretted asking.

“I know you approached me on purpose. What for? I’ll listen.”

“Well now…”

He let out a short laugh with his head slightly lowered, seemingly caught off guard by how blunt I was.

He meant it was ridiculous. But he also looked very intrigued by the situation.

“Then how about you?”

“Me, what?”

“Why did you pretend not to know me?”

What does he mean?

Pretending not to know he had a purpose?

Or pretending not to know he was Red Shadow?

I’d never outright said I knew his identity, so depending on my answer, I’d be revealing how much I knew.

I tried to think it through, but quickly concluded it didn’t matter.

Whatever I said, what mattered to Red Shadow or Johan was whether I was useful.

I wasn’t someone as formidable as Tristan or Raphael—I couldn’t win against him in a fight.

If I had a winning card against this man, there was only one.

‘Win his heart.’

Be it debt or love. And for that, I had to show sincerity.

“I had to pretend. I couldn’t just walk away from someone who was dying, so I saved you. But you threatened me the moment you woke up.”

“……”

“You’re not as scary as you were back then. I guess that means we’ve gotten closer.”

I smiled gently, and Johan slowly reached out and touched my wrist with his fingers.

He pressed my wrist lightly with his index and middle fingers to check my pulse.

It wasn’t especially cold or hot, but I instinctively took a breath.

My wrist tickled.

My skin felt hyper-aware of the sensation of his fingers.

How must my pulsing heartbeat feel through that hand?

“I didn’t think you were this eager to know how I really felt. Are we friends now, starting today?”

Johan’s expression wavered.

Just as he flinched and tried to pull his hand back, I quickly laced our fingers together.

For a man, his fingers were long and slender, but the thick joints and firm grip clearly marked them as male.

Johan clenched his jaw. In contrast, I smiled softly.

“Do you want to be friends with me?”

He didn’t answer.

It felt like the hand I was holding trembled ever so slightly.

Before I could confirm, he pulled his hand away forcefully.

Johan abruptly stood up from his seat.

“Finish your meal and go to the hotel room. I’ll be meeting with Mr. Raphael.”

Ah. So this is the kind of strategy I needed.