BXBX NOVEL Chapter 14
Yuri did not ask for specific reasons either. Of course, it wasn’t out of consideration for Lakis but because she already had a rough idea about his situation and didn’t see the need.
“No problem. Neighbors should help each other out.”
Of course, the reason Yuri even helped was because of the heroine, not for the villain, Lakis’ sake.
Lakis grimaced from time to time, possibly because of a headache, then he wrote on the paper again. This had been on her mind since she first saw him write, but he surprising had really good handwriting.
[I’m sorry but can you tell me exactly where we are right now?]
Right. He was definitely wondering how safe this place was and whether he was a sufficient distance from Carnot.
“We’re at Grey Ferret. It’s located southeast.”
Hearing that, his blue eyes moved away from Yuri, like he had remembered something. However, something was strange.
‘…Why is he so polite?’
This was the guy who treated Anne-Marie almost like his dog at first in the novel.[1]
Lakis recognized Anne-Marie’s good-naturedness at a glance and initially made light of her. So he would call her with one finger, and the saint-like heroine would attend to him, doing everything he said like an actual dog, because he wore the mask of a ‘patient’.
Because of this, Yuri was curious whether he would dare to act like that with her too, but to think he would be so polite…
It was quite unexpected. Maybe he sensed that Yuri’s personality was not as good as Anne-Marie’s.
Somehow, Lakis seemed to be agonizing over something for a while. The signs of worry on his innocent face made him look handsome all over again, and Yuri felt amazed once again. Then soon enough, Lakis began to move the pen in his hand, writing slowly.
[I know it’s brazen of me to ask but I don’t think it’s possible for me to move right now as I am yet to recover.]
Yuri watched the words on the paper increase.
[May I owe you for a few more days?]
Following that, his clear blue eyes fixed themselves on Yuri’s frame. The melancholy on his face made her want to nod her head immediately and do whatever he asked. Intentionally or not, Lakis was using his handsomeness right now.
Yuri immediately replied.
“Sure, go ahead. That’s fine with me.”
The reply came more readily than expected, causing Lakis to pause. As a matter of fact, Yuri had answered almost on impulse.
‘…Hey, did you use your power again?’
Lakis snuck a glance at Yuri with a grim air of suspicion.
—I didn’t do anything!
The downcast voice that was heaping curses on him just a second ago angrily denied.
Well, true. Lakis hadn’t sensed anything strange a little while ago. Nevertheless, he still had his doubts.
Yuri didn’t have the slightest intention of giving such a reply onlya few hours ago. If Lakis had made this request yesterday, her answer would have been very different. However, now, the odd phenomenon that occurred when she held his hand was clearly imprinted in her mind. Her hand twitched with a desire to grab his hand once again and reconfirm that feeling right away.
Lakis carefully scrutinized Yuri’s face then he wrote a note of thanks this time.
[Thank you very much. I will definitely repay you for your kindness.]
Yuri didn’t really have much expectation for this so-called repayment from the villain. And when she saw the words Lakis added right after, she went ‘Ah’.
[And I would like to know the name of my benefactor.]
Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t even exchanged names yet. Yuri was a little worried about it. She wasn’t sure if she should give him her real name or not. But on a second thought, since he was going to be staying with her for a while, hiding her name was kind of useless. So she just told him honestly.
“I go by Yuri.”
Yuri.
Lakis repeated the name inwardly. Then his lips curved in a smile. His handsome face exuded a decadent air due to his sickly appearance, and when a lazy smile was added onto that, the impact was devastating. His entire being seemed to glow with twinkling light.
‘Wow. If I didn’t know he was the sub-villain, I’d be completely deceived.’
Yuri inwardly clicked her tongue as she thought to herself. Even more so when she saw what Lakis followed up with on the paper.
[The name suits you well.]
…Was this guy seriously using a honey trap right now?
“Uh…thank you?”
Somehow, her statement turned into a question at the end. Lakis had an oddly satisfied expression on his face, reminiscent of a satisfied beast but she couldn’t figure out the reason at all.
—Hey, Lakis, you…
‘Shut up.’
The voice in his head struck up a conversation again like its mouth was itchy but Lakis ruthlessly shut it down. And when Yuri saw the follow-up writing on the paper, she paused once again.
[My name is Lakis.]
Wait…
Why did he give me his name when I haven’t even asked?
In the novel, he definitely…
「I’m Anne-Marie. What’s your name? What should I call you?」
At Anne-Marie’s question, the face of the man lying on the bed crumpled. He looked at the naïve face of the woman in front of him with momentary bafflement.
「My name?」
Their eyes were clearly on the same level, but his gaze was as if he was looking at her from above, causing Anne-Marie to flinch. Then a low, rough voice filled with ridicule arrived at her ears.
「What use is it to the likes of you?」
「Eh…?」
「I hope you don’t think you’ve done me some great favor just by wrapping me in these tiny bandages. Certainly, you aren’t mistaking yourself to be some savior of my life, are you?」
Anne-Marie blankly stared at the frosty smile on the man’s face. It was as sharp as a knife’s edge.
「Listen here, lady. Don’t try to climb the ladder. I might look like this, but, trust me when I say it will cost me nothing to erase someone like you from this world.」
…that’s how it went, no?
That scene was very memorable. Of course, not in a good way. Furthermore, Anne-Marie had even apologized to Lakis who was repaying her kindness with ingratitude, saying ‘I’m sorry for asking a sensitive question’, and it had frustrated her beyond words when she read it.
Still slightly confused, Yuri nodded her head.
“I see, Mr. Lakis…”
Maybe it was just Yuri’s imagination, but the moment his name left her mouth, Lakis flinched.
“Hmm, it’s a cool name.”
When she said that, his expression changed slightly. From the scattered strands of his hair, Yuri could see that Lakis’ ears were red again. Now that she thought about it, his face seemed somewhat stiff as he looked at her.
Ah, maybe he was fine with telling her his name, but couldn’t stand it being called? But that aside, to think he was upset when she had even complimented him, what a bad personality.
Anyway, like that, her short cohabitation with the sub-villain began.
Part 4: Should I wreck the original story-line? [2]
「Ah, how interesting.」
Heavy rain was pouring from the dark skies.
Squelch.
His black shoes sank into puddle of blood.
Wet from the rain, his golden drooped over his face, irritating his eyes and he swept it back with a bloody hand. As he looked at the man collapsed at his feet, Lakis laughed as if it was really interesting.
Lakis’ body was also covered in blood and injures but he could still stand upright on the ground.
「Indeed, I’ll acknowledge it this time. You’re pretty good for a bug, Genos Sheldon.」
When he added, ‘to think I made you remember my name’, Lakis’ lips curled upwards, in a very gentle manner. But his light blue eyes gazing at Genos were terrifyingly cold and he didn’t even hesitate to kick the man squirming on the floor.
Thwack!
「But you know, it’s best when a bug acts like what it is. An insect.」
Genos didn’t let out a single groan, his teeth still tightly clenched. His sight was distorted from the flowing blood but the flame in his purple eyes was still not extinguished.
The sight irritated Lakis even more.
Just when he was finally about to have what he desired in his grasp, he was obstructed by a trash that came out of nowhere.
Genos Sheldon was an annoying bastard that had been sticking around Anne-Marie for some time. Of course, he wasn’t as annoying as the runt that was Crawford but at this moment, the ranking of the two flipped in Lakis’ mind.
But even though Xenos was in such a state, he reached out to grab Lakis’ ankles with trembling arms.
Only
「Anne-…Marie and Hestia…don’t touch them」
「Are you stupid for f*ck’s sake…」
Lakis gazed down at Genos, like he was looking at an insignificant creature.
Right now, Anne-Marie, and her younger sister, Hestia, were in a temporary residence arranged by Lakis.
Translator’s Corner:
[1] The literally translation here is actually ‘foot mat’ or ‘door mat’, but the word here is usually used to mean something like ‘I’ll let you step on me’ or ‘I’ll follow you forever’. You’ll find it used by fans a lot. In this context though, it means a loyal dog.
[2] I am not 100% sure of this title. It might change in the future.
T/N: I wonder if I should use Korean honorifics as they are, instead of translating them into English like ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ By the way, 「 * 」 is for events in the novel, not reality. I hope that was obvious but just clarifying.