The Villain Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 9. End of story, new beginning (9)

It’s a mystery.

It was the impression that came to Emilia’s head as she climbed the hill with Ludwig standing next to her.

One step, one step.

As I got closer to my destination and stopped counting the steps I took, I suddenly looked up at the sky and saw a sea of stars spread out before I knew it.

Until a little while ago, I couldn’t see anything but the dark night sky.

At most, only the whitish moonlight was shining on them.

Glance.

Emilia looked sideways at Ludwig, who was climbing the hill together.

Come to think of it, whenever I had a chance to walk down the street with this man at night, something like this would happen.

“Is Ludwig the type to drive the stars?”

“Sometimes Emilia says things that don’t make sense.”

Despite the fluttering words, Ludwig was calm.

She had many occasions to throw out incomprehensible words in such a way.

After all, are humans an animal of adaptation?

“I’m just curious. Even when I was alone in the mansion looking at the night sky after parting with Ludwig, and when I was training with Master, I couldn’t see the stars that much.”

“It is a peculiar thing. Maybe it’s a change of heart.”

It was somewhat predictable.

Because he too had gone through something similar to Emilia.

It’s a story when you’re in the middle of a headache because you can’t predict what will happen in the future.

In those days, there were many days when I couldn’t even see the moon rising round, let alone stars in the night sky.

However, as time passed and he got used to this world, and by the time he stopped worrying about setting up his bed every night, stars like a waterfall began to appear in his field of vision.

“Looks like you’re worried about something.”

“Does it look like that?”

Doesn’t look like much of a denial.

Everyone has at least one secret or worry in their heart that they cannot tell others, so Emilia would be no different.

When Ludwig nodded softly, she smiled softly and kicked a stone that had been rolling at her feet.

When the rolling stone hits the tree right next to it and stops, she meets her gaze again.

Despite a series of uncharacteristic actions, Ludwig was able to catch a glimpse of the meaning contained in those actions.

“I have no intention of asking.”

“i know. That Ludwig wouldn’t dig into it unless I told him first.”

As usual, he will stand still and wait for himself.

But for Emilia, it was a kind that was both happy and painful.

When the hell will I be able to tell this man everything openly?

Can I embrace him with such a light mindset?

“Isn’t Ludwig laughing at me like this?”

“Is there anything funny? It’s a secret law because you can’t even tell your friends.”

“You can be sad, though.”

be sad

He shook his head slightly, chewing on the words, and raised one corner of his mouth.

It was because I could guess what her worries were.

“I have no thoughts of being sad. It’s a pity that I can’t.”

“I’m sorry… … ?”

“Because I still feel like I’m not enough for Emilia to rely on.”

Emilia hurriedly shook her head at the sight of him laughing self-deprecatingly.

His head turning left and right was so quick that he wondered if his neck would break.

“It is not so. How much I depend on Ludwig.”

Rather, there was a secret that I couldn’t bring out because I was relying on it.

What should I do if you leave me like this? Because only that thought lingered in my head.

A sword abandoned on the ground without a place to lean on will someday rust.

It is said that a dog that has lost its master will go looking for its owner, but a sword that has lost its owner has no choice but to wait for death on the spot.

“I’m glad. Please rely on me a lot, Emilia.”

“… … .”

I was grateful but hated him for trying to reassure me with a clear smile, whether he knew his feelings or not.

I don’t want to be your burden.

If I only wanted to be a woman who would whine in your arms, I wouldn’t have had the courage to tell you this.

They want to walk side by side forever and maintain the same eye level with each other.

Even the moment when one or the other closes their eyes after ten or twenty years have passed.

Emilia, who couldn’t bear to say more behind her back, was walking along with him.

Soon, the hill I was climbing gradually became flat, and I saw a tall tree standing alone at a fairly close distance.

“Looks like you’ve arrived. Is that tree right?”

“Yes, that is correct. It is still standing tall alone.”

The appearance of a large tree blocking the moon was directing a very mysterious scene.

It feels like looking at an old tree reflected in the lake of the moon.

In particular, looking at the moonlight leaking through the leaves and branches, I had the illusion that it might be a tree that grows not from the sun, but from the moon.

“It looks like a very old tree.”

“I heard that this is a tree that my grandfather has been keeping in place since he was a child.”

“Incredible.”

If so, I wonder if it would have been a hundred years.

If it hadn’t been so gigantic, I wouldn’t have even guessed how long it was.

It looked too upright and green to be called a tree that had withstood the storms of time for a long time.

“It’s just amazing that there are no people in a place like this.”

“I am also curious. My father took me there for the first time when I was young, and it was such a wonderful place that I thought it was a good place even at a young age.”

The biggest advantage was that you could almost see the panoramic view of the city at a glance.

Wouldn’t it be a hill worth visiting at least once, even if it wasn’t for the fireworks?

Ludwig looked down at the village and smiled contentedly.

“Shall we sit down for a while? The fireworks still seem a bit far from starting.”

“I see. Come to think of it, I’ve been around a lot.”

As the two sat down on the grass, it seemed as if a sea of stars would pour down in front of them.

In the middle, there was a guy who showed off his appearance by shining alone.

When Emilia, who was curious about this, asked what it was, Ludwig answered wholeheartedly.

“There were many times when Ludwig and I looked up at the night sky together.”

“That’s right. Even when we first met, we became close while watching the garden and the night sky together.”

“It was.”

It must be the story of the day I called him by his name for the first time.

Now that I think about it, where did that courage come from?

Back then, it wasn’t even a time when we treated each other as openly as we do now, and it was only a short relationship that lasted only about a day.

‘I guess because I felt it intuitively.’

We must go closer here.

It is clear that such thoughts were sleeping in a corner of the unconscious.

If only he hadn’t called him Ludwig that night.

If only he hadn’t called himself Emilia.

Maybe the flow of the story would have flowed in a slightly different direction.

“Weren’t you very taken aback by my sudden visit that day?”

“I’m just saying this now… I thought my stomach was twisting.”

“Whoops, I’m sorry. It was so unconventional at the time.”

If she hadn’t been the eldest daughter of the Bayemurn family, she might have been ordered to celebrate on the spot.

Perhaps it was a kind of aberration that a girl named Emilia committed for the first time in her life with the prestige of her family on her back.

‘I was so brave that day.’

Well, in a way, it had to be.

It is like a girl who has lived in a world of achromatic colors for the first time to see color.

It was the first time I saw light while I was digging up the ground in an underground pit and hoping to go outside.

I couldn’t blame her even if reason and thinking were blown out of my head in an instant.

That’s because the existence of Ludwig was the first hope she found in her desperate life.

‘It’s warm.’

It was like this that day too.

By the time the chilly spring breeze that had been blowing at dawn pierced her skin, at some point she was unable to recognize it.

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Just as the cold air rising through the grass gradually fades and the whole body gradually warms up.

“Emilia, I think we’re about to start.”

These were the words that came out of his mouth as he got up from his seat and surveyed the city spread out beneath his feet.

Emilia stood up from her seat without even realizing it and carefully removed the bits of grass from her body.

A small leaf that had fallen from the tree was also placed on her head disguised as a decoration, and Ludwig, who discovered it, cautiously approached her.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve come to visit you, so I’m giving you a warm welcome.”

“Iknow, right.”

After expressing her gratitude, Emilia stepped up to his side and quietly hugged him.

The clothes they were wearing were made of a fairly thin material for winter, so they were conscious of each other’s body temperature.

Conscious of this, the man and woman stopped breathing for a moment and only looked at each other.

Unlike the two people who were immersed in such a strange silence, the lower part preparing for the fireworks display was quite busy.

The footsteps of the people who seemed to be the organizers of the festival gradually got busier, and the number of people filling the surroundings increased, making it difficult to find an empty place.

“Shall we move aside for a bit? It’s hidden by the trees here, so I don’t think I’ll be able to see it properly.”

“good idea.”

In the ensuing silence, Ludwig happily nodded at Emilia’s invitation to get rid of the rhyme first.

The two exchanged greetings for a while with the tree that greeted them, and took a step to the side to spread the distance.

“Fireworks, unlike shooting stars, won’t grant wishes, right?”

“I wonder if it will come true if I earnestly wish for it. Rather, is it not enough to be empty for Goddess Hypresia?”

“It’s better to have more opportunities.”

Uncharacteristically for Emilia, it was a greedy thought.

I thought that she would overcome anything on her own, but it seems that there are many times when she wants to borrow someone else’s help.

Ludwig laughed silently, feeling that he was seeing a lot of unexpected sides of her today.

“Maybe I should wish Ludwig instead of stars or fireworks.”

“I wish I could lean on you, but unfortunately I don’t have the ability to do that.”

There was no way he would have the ability to fulfill her wishes when he was unable to properly fulfill even his own wishes.

“it’s okay. I will be able to listen to you.”

Seeing him scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Emilia smiled softly.

At times like this, you might say whatever you want as if you were told to just say it, but I don’t know if it’s because I have a personality that doesn’t say empty words or if I don’t have a mood.

But that would be the behavior of this man.

I lowered myself as I watched him shake his head.

A distance that is neither too far nor too close, within two steps.

It felt quite different from the intervals we maintained all day.

But the true distance between you and me must be this much. It’s not the distance you can see with your eyes, but the distance in your heart that allows you to approach each other.

“Ludwig, what am I to you?”

In the past, I might have been satisfied with this distance.

let’s wait a little longer for you

I must have told myself not to rush until you approached.

Like today, when you were close enough to me that I could hold you in my arms, you might have thought that it wouldn’t be too late to hug you as hard as you could.

But not now.

I don’t want to ask you any more questions.

What does your actions mean to me?

The heart you have for me has the same shape and color as the heart I have for you.

His expression changes.

Are you looking for an answer to my question?

But now I won’t wait

Even if you say you consider me a friend, I’ve come too far to stop.

“I like.”

After clearing my mind, I spit out the words I want to convey to him.

At the same time, a large fireworks display was launched and the sky was colored in various colors.

It was so dazzling that even the canal of stars in the sky was completely erased.

Perong. Perong.

Why do the fireworks that explode with a loud sound look so savage?

Ludwig just tilted his head, as if my confession had not been conveyed due to the roar.

‘Is this the end?’

Will the last day that I wanted to tell you go in vain, and after this night, will you and I go back to a mediocre relationship, nominally fiancee?

I don’t like that.

Even if you reject me at least, I wanted these words to be conveyed.

I, Emilia Bayemurn, love Ludwig Eifretz.

I want to walk the rest of my life alone with you.

By the time I reached that point, the fireworks stopped for an instant, and all the sounds I heard around me completely disappeared.

It felt as if only the two of us were placed in this world.

‘You always ran away like that.’

It wasn’t even a day or two.

Unfortunately, however, I can’t afford to have enough time to promise the next time.

It’s been a long time since I’ve abandoned the mercy that would let you go like this.

His gaze reaches me.

It was to the point of illusion that we could hear each other’s eyes and even hear each other’s breathing and heartbeat.

I can’t escape now

Even if God doesn’t allow it, I will only convey this feeling.

Without saying a word, I approached him and took one hand and put the pod on.

If it was this close, there would be no fear of drowning out the sound.

“I won’t let you run away anymore.”

Stop playing hideous chasing.

Playing with you is always fun, but now I want to find another way.

this would be the first step Of course, the result depends on your answer.

“I love you, Ludwig.”

A look of amazement appears on his face.

It was right after that the fireworks, which had been subdued, were set off again.

I guess the bet will end with my victory.

All that remains now is whether the moon that is you will grant my wish.

I don’t remember what happened after that.

What did he answer? How did I tell you there?

It won’t matter anyway.

Anyway, the important thing is that I was delighted to hear your answer.

In your arms that are closer than before, shedding tears of joy.