The Villain's Sister - Chapter 56

Can I even dare stand before Linda?

Maybe because of the cold rain, my body trembled slightly.

Tristan recognized me just from my footsteps, even though he hadn’t seen me coming.

“How did you know to come here? I never told you.”

“……”

“What did you and my mother talk about?”

“Just a small favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Later, huh. Later…”

Tristan wiped the rain streaming down the gravestone with his bare hand.

When I didn’t say anything, he spoke again, “Thanks for being good to my mother. Every time she talked about you, she was really happy.”

“I was glad to get to know Linda too.”

“Looking back, I think both my mother and I were really happy to have met you.”

“Even you?”

“That day we went to the wedding. Thanks to you, I felt a bit proud. Seeing Emma and Daniel’s faces twist made me feel pretty good too.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

“I ended up getting drunk and passing out that night… but I didn’t feel that embarrassed. Because it was you.”

“……”

“Even if I acted like a fool, someone like you wouldn’t think strange things or spread bad rumors.”

“Thanks for thinking well of me.”

“I liked you.”

As the umbrella shook, raindrops trailing down its edge splashed onto the tops of my feet.

My hands felt weak, and frustration welled up.

It felt like gravity was twice as strong only for me.

“Whether as a woman or a friend, setting all that aside—I just liked you. You were fun and kind, and the more time I spent with you, the more I laughed. I wanted to stay close for a long time… but was I the only one who felt that way?”

I couldn’t answer carelessly.

No matter what I said, it would surely hurt Tristan.

Accepting that I had disappointed someone as good as him felt terrifying.

“I-I felt the same. Playing board games at the apartment at night was fun, and I liked our evening walks too…”

I picked my words carefully.

“I liked feeling like an ordinary person.”

Tristan had never intended to use me.

Nor did he plan to pretend not to know Raphael.

So I decided to be as honest as I could.

“Ha. The brother selling liquor, the brother keeping watch on you… Looking back, you dropped quite a few hints.”

Tristan turned to face me.

I saw his sharp jaw, his eyes reddened from tears, his bloodshot gaze, and the vein pulsing in his forehead.

At that, my head dropped on its own. My gaze fixed on the tips of my shoes.

“You don’t know how shocked I was to see Raphael Kapuzen standing at my front door.”

“……”

“If not Rodriguez, then what’s your real last name? Is Giselle really your name?”

“Giselle is my name. My last name is…”

“You can’t say it. Look me in the eye.”

Lifting my head felt impossible.

Raindrops fell one by one onto the tips of my shoes, now stained with mud.

“I told you to look me in the eye!”

His voice, as rough as if interrogating a criminal, made my shoulders shrink.

I trembled and forced my head up. His eyes, like storm clouds, were terrifying.

My plan to approach a hero suddenly felt embarrassingly shallow.

Maybe I’d just been foolish.

“You approached me on purpose?”

“……”

“I asked if you did it on purpose.”

I searched every word I knew, every movie I’d ever seen, but nothing fit this moment.

So all I could say was sorry.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…”

“Even if I got promoted earlier than my peers, my access level isn’t that high. What made you think I was worth using? Did I look like the easiest mark in Organized Crime? Did you think you could use me to forge documents or extract information?”

“I never lied to Linda or to you. My motive may have been impure, but my feelings were sincere.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

The sound of rain swallowing the world grew louder.

I wished the rain would swallow me too, so that when I came to, it would all be over.

“It may be hard to believe, but still—”

“How can you prove your sincerity?”

Tristan roughly ran his hand through his hair.

It was so cold that I was shivering, yet no breath escaped my lips.

Even if I kneeled, cried, bowed my head, apologized over and over again, it was all useless.

Once trust is broken, no matter what I do, it all becomes an excuse.

“Why did you even come here?”

“What?”

“If you approached me to use me, then you should be trying something now—whether denying it or saying you have nothing to do with Raphael. Is this part of your strategy too?”

“It’s not. Tristan, please believe me. I came to say a final farewell to Linda, and to apologize to you.”

Tristan frowned and glared at me. His gaze shook wildly.

I wished he could feel the truth in my heart.

If I could take out my heart and show it to him, I’d gladly do so just to apologize.

“Ha. You’re not even asking how I know Raphael’s face.”

“Ah…”

Only then did I realize my mistake.

Raphael’s face had never been revealed to the media.

After escaping prison and forming Death Adder, he tampered with the police records and erased any photos of Raphael Moltke.

Furthermore, to make it look like Anti-Venom had committed all the crimes, he wore a mask during important operations like weapons smuggling overseas.

Because of that, even within the police, only a rare few knew what Raphael looked like.

‘He used another identity when he went to prison for that investment firm case.’

He had entered using the name of a homeless man, James Carter, and then escaped.

The only people who knew Raphael’s face were those deeply rooted in the underworld.

And yet, I didn’t even question Tristan when he acted like he knew Raphael.

As if he already knew everything.

“That…”

In that moment of hesitation, Tristan stepped under my umbrella.

Thud. He gripped my wrist tightly so I couldn’t escape.

“How do you know?”

His eyes, like those of a wild beast whose territory had been invaded, clawed at me.

“K-know what?”

“I’ll ask again. Since when and how did you find out? Who else knows?”

“I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

When Tristan yanked my hand, the umbrella came down with it.

Tap tap tap.

Drip.

Drip.

Drop drop.

I heard the sound of rain falling on my head. My heart beat in time with it.

I had bitten my lip so hard I tasted blood.

“If you’re going to lie, you should’ve made sure your eyes didn’t give you away.”

If you’re going to lie to a cop, you have to hide it perfectly or be ready to run at any moment.

Especially if that cop is Black Pistols, who take down Mist Island’s villains.

At this point, it might be better to act shameless and sever all ties.

“If I explain, will you believe me?”

“Believe you? You think that’s an acceptable answer?”

“I swear on Styx’s brew, I’m the only one who knows. Don’t ask how I found out.”

“Ha. So this is your true face.”

To be brazen, I forced strength into my shoulders and met his gaze.

“You wear a mask too. You’ve used your mask all this time, and I just used mine to use you. I won’t tell Raphael. So don’t worry.”

“Don’t ever show your face in front of me again. Seeing you makes me feel like even my mother’s been insulted. It makes me sick.”

Tristan stepped out from under the umbrella.

The brief brush of his coat convinced me that everything was broken.

As his wet footsteps faded and the only sound left was the rain hitting the umbrella, I regretted approaching Tristan for the first time.

I should’ve thought it through.

Since my life was on the line, I should’ve known my heart would hurt just as badly if I failed.

But I hadn’t realized that yet.