I Accidentally Kidnapped The Ultimate Villain – Chapter 31

Ch 31

As Lionell left, he turned back dozens of times. Only after he had completely disappeared and Aria heard the bell hanging on the cafe door jingle, was she able to let go of Killian, whom she had been holding in her arms.

“Aria.”

Her breathing was still ragged, not yet calmed. Killian took off his hood and stroked her flushed cheeks. But despite his efforts, she couldn’t stop the tears from continuing to fall.

“Puhuh…”

“Why, why are you laughing!”

“Because you look like something when you cry.”

Killian stroked her cheeks, then grabbed both her cheeks and stretched them out as he looked at her. Then, feeling resentful of his actions, Aria finally stopped crying and looked at Killian as if she was bearing a grudge.

“Woah, what is that face!”

“You look like a squirrel with a mouth full of acorns.”

“Ah-yah!”

“No, is it a cat?”

When Aria grabbed his wrist to signal him to stop, he was smiling with a pure face, as if it was very funny. However, the problem was that the sight of him felt threateningly alluring to Aria.

“Hahaha.”

He let go of Aria’s cheeks, who had stopped crying, and tidied her hair. The pigtails she had tied were a bit droopy because Lionell had messed them up.

“By the way, am I your lover?”

“That’s! If I didn’t say that, Killian would be in danger…!”

“I see. Then I guess I’m your lover today.”

“Huh?”

“Then I must act like a lover today.”

Aria thought that something was wrong with his words, but she was momentarily troubled about how to refute him as he was smiling as if it was fun. After all, both Lionell and Killian were so different from the original work she had seen the day before she died.

If he was originally this kind of person and became twisted in the original work…

She felt a little sorry for him.

The Killian she saw in the book was an ambitious and capable mastermind, but he wasn’t someone who laughed like this. He was just someone who was always anxious, regretful, and desperately trying to make up for losing Melina.

“Your fiancée will hate it.”

“Well, you never know.”

“Perhaps your memories are…”

“No.”

Killian smiled brightly, but for some reason, Aria felt like it was a lie because of that smile.

Even so, she was erasing the doubts that arose in her mind, telling herself that she shouldn’t doubt someone who had hurt his head because of her. Before she could think any further, Killian opened his mouth, making eye contact with her.

“Is there anything you would like to do?”

“Uh… Actually, I don’t know the way around here very well. As you saw when we came earlier, I don’t know what’s here.”

“Then how about we go play in the Underground City?”

There was an Underground City below the capital. In general, many dangerous transactions took place underground. So it was Killian’s main stage.

“So you do remember something…!”

“Not at all. But I want to go.”

Aria thought that he might have become addicted to teasing her for some reason. If his playfully twisted lips hadn’t been so red and alluringly beautiful, she would have been angry. She lost her words again because his lips were pretty.

“Hmm…”

Aria thought that if Killian went there, there was a high chance that he would remember something, even a little bit. First of all, that place was under his control, so he might remember something.

Memories are like tree branches, if one part comes to mind, other connected parts will naturally come to mind as well.

“Instead, you have to keep your hood on. You absolutely can’t take it off like you did just now because you feel stuffy.”

“I will, if Aria doesn’t let go of my hand.”

She looked at Killian, who was smiling brightly as he held her hand, and then moved her feet as if she had made up her mind. Killian, who was pleased with her determined steps, was genuinely smiling without even realizing it.

◈◈◈

Unlike its name, the Underground City was just an ordinary village that happened to be located below ground level. However, it was named the Underground City because it was shabbier than the upper areas and the people’s attire was different.

“It’s called the Underground City, but it’s not underground.”

“It’s a way of indicating status.”

“Huh?”

“The people who live here are not nobles. Although nobles often come here. The Imperial Family is the sun. The place where people who are not reached by that sun live is called the underground.”

“Ah…”

What was strange was that most of the shops seemed to be related to entertainment, and were closed since it was daytime. So, there were many places that only opened in the afternoon, and many places were preparing to open at the time they came.

Aria, who was looking at the strangely shaped signs, felt a little eerie. So, she tightened her grip on Killian’s hand. He gripped her hand even tighter as if to reassure her, and Aria felt a little relieved.

“Most of the places here are closed. It seems like there’s nowhere that works at this time.”

“If you go over there, there will be street vendors.”

Killian frowned as he looked at the shops nearby as if they were trash, and then realized that Aria was looking at him. Then, he looked at Aria with a smile on his face, as if he had never frowned.

She was confused. The expression he had just shown was very cold, but now he was smiling like sunshine.

Then, she thought that maybe he had frowned without realizing it because he had remembered something after coming here. Then, his frowning action began to feel hopeful, and she felt better.

“Let’s go!”

Killian was led by Aria’s hand as she smiled at him. A large road stretched out, and there were rows of street vendors where even children could play.

“I want to try that!”

When she pointed at the dart throwing game, he laughed as if it was funny.

Aria felt awkward making eye contact with his violet eyes, so she unconsciously avoided his gaze and went over there. Then, she saw a dartboard and darts that were very similar to what she had seen in her previous life.

When she saw the darts, she began to feel a surge of courage. Darts was a sport she was very good at. It was something she had honed through strenuous practice in her previous life.

“Shall we bet on this?”

“It seems that Aria is at risk of gambling addiction.”

“Suddenly?”

“Looking at how she likes to bet since last time, it seems like it.”

“Ah…”

But wasn’t it the Duke who first suggested writing on each other’s backs, not me?

To be able to ask that, I’d have to get a lot closer in the future, right?

She was staring at him blankly, lost in thought for a moment. Then, she unconsciously shrank back again.

“Ah…”

She had decided not to be afraid, but she was afraid when Killian looked at her.

Every time that happened, she had to think to stay sane.

None of what she had read in the book had happened. Even Lionell and Killian, whom she knew, were clearly different from the original work.

Moreover, the biggest change was Killian. He didn’t act like a madman as he did in the original work.

So, there was no need to be afraid. Above all, Killian relied on her, and even though he was mean when he was anxious, he didn’t do bad things.

“Let’s decide on the prizes beforehand this time.”

Aria handed money to the merchant. Then, they each received five darts. Killian received ones with navy blue tails, and Aria received ones with green tails.

“What would Aria like to receive?”

“If I win, you have to piggyback me home. I don’t want to walk anymore.”

Then, he quickly erased his smile, pretending not to laugh. But Aria already knew that he was trying not to laugh at her.

That’s why she felt very good. Like the feeling of a winner who was about to win.

She smiled like a child, feeling happy at the thought of being piggybacked by Killian back to the Duke’s Estate. Killian, who saw her smile so purely, was also smiling with the same expression.

“What do you want if Killian wins?”

“I want to receive this.”

Aria couldn’t understand for a moment when Killian tapped his lips.

“What is this? Ah!”

Then she realized. Just like she had been looking at Killian’s red lips with curiosity, he might be doing the same.

Come to think of it, he had also been watching her closely when she applied makeup on her lips before going to the tea party last time.

Then it was clear that he wanted to try putting makeup on his lips.

She would have granted his wish even if he hadn’t asked like this, but Aria felt a little less tense because she thought he was shy.

“Are you okay with that?”

“Yes! I like it!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

She was thinking of giving him all of the colorful lipsticks she had. Among them were gold, purple, and black.

Suddenly, she imagined Killian winning and putting makeup on his lips. Strangely, it didn’t feel awkward because his lips were already red and beautiful enough without anything on them.

“If you achieve a total of 50 points, you can win a prize, customers!”

“The center is 20 points, and the rest are the points written on them, right?”

“Yes.”

The first prize was a potion that changed hair color.

Aria wasn’t interested in such things. Her only interest was in seeing Killian, who had been making her heart race, perform the penalty. Like a cornered mouse wanting to take revenge on a panther.

“I’ll go first.”

“Yes.”

She said confidently and tried to throw the dart. In her previous life, she was someone who could hit the center even with her eyes closed.

She smiled ambitiously and threw the dart using her wrist flick.