I Accidentally Kidnapped The Ultimate Villain – Chapter 48

Ch 48

Aria, opening her eyes, was bewildered. When she woke up, the cloth that had been tying her legs, which she had clearly checked before going to sleep, was cut and lying on the floor. What was even more surprising was that Lionell was sleeping face down near her bed.

“Hup.”

She held her breath and got up very carefully so as not to be caught by him. And to move the blanket, she very gently grabbed the sheet with her thumb and forefinger and moved it.

Just as she was about to move slowly.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Eek!”

She screamed, startled. Lionell, amused by it, chuckled and stroked her hair.

“It’s still early morning, so sleep a little more.”

“Your Highness.”

“Lionell.”

His voice was very hoarse, like someone who hadn’t slept well.

“Lionell, why are you in my room?”

“You shouldn’t sleep with your legs tied. If you get bruised like last time, it takes a long time to heal.”

Aria felt embarrassed by his words as if he knew everything. It felt like a hidden flaw that she didn’t know about had been exposed.

“Since when…….”

“Actually, since a long time ago. But I was just guessing until I heard it from Duke Dolorein.”

“…….”

“Should I have pretended not to know?”

“I don’t know.”

“Me neither.”

He said that and pulled Aria’s arm, making her sit down again.

“Sleep a little more. Your eyes are still bloodshot.”

“……Yes.”

Aria, feeling flustered, lay down again as he told her. And she closed her eyes, avoiding his gentle gaze.

◈◈◈

Because of the terrorist attack at the temple, Lionell had to return from his vacation. So, during his vacation, he had to go to the Imperial Palace in the morning, and instead, he decided to stay at the Dolorein Estate in the evening.

So, Aria was going to the Imperial Palace with him.

“Why am I going with you?”

“Because you are now my fiancée. There will be things you need to do as the future Crown Princess.”

“Are you perhaps holding a charity party for the reconstruction of the temple?”

“You’re quick-witted as always.”

Aria felt uneasy for some reason. That was something Melina did in the original story.

In the original story, Melina held a charity party for Lionell. Around that time, Killian, intending to bring Lionell down, used Melina, threatening her to stick by his side. Because her family owed a huge debt to the Loenbert Duke’s Family.

Then, as Killian’s scheme intended, the two really fell in love. In fact, from the time Melina rescued Lionell, they confirmed their feelings for each other and fell in love.

However, this time, since Aria didn’t kidnap Lionell, wouldn’t that middle process be skipped? Aria thought, sweating and racking her brain.

“Are you nervous?”

“Yes…….”

“If the Empress makes you angry, act according to your personality.”

“Pardon?”

“You know, what you’re good at.”

“Ah…….”

The Aria of the original story was a woman with a strong personality.

She knew that the Emperor cherished her very much. Because Duke Dolorein was at the forefront of the Imperial Faction, and whatever the Emperor did, Duke Dolorein took care of everything.

Because Aria loved Lionell.

Duke Dolorein was a person who would do anything for his daughter even in the original story, and the Emperor trusted such Duke Dolorein without limit.

So, even though Aria Dolorein died as a kidnapper, he would have made it look like an accident and even held a funeral for her.

The Aria of that original story knew how deep the trust she received from the Emperor was and how great the power of her father’s wealth was.

The Emperor and Empress were not on good terms. Originally, the current Empress, who was an Imperial Concubine, had a close relationship with the Emperor during her time as an Imperial Concubine. However, after she had several miscarriages and made efforts to make her son the Emperor, she grew distant from the Emperor.

That might have been a natural course of events.

After becoming Empress, unlike her time as an Imperial Concubine, she tried to divide the Emperor’s power for herself, unfairly placed her incompetent Saga in high positions, and, having told the Emperor that she would help Lionell become the Crown Prince so he could become Emperor, she tried to poison him several times.

Aria Dolorein loved Lionell very much. She was not a person who would hesitate in matters related to him.

She was also the woman who set fire to the Empress’s Saga when she found out that the current Empress had tried to poison Lionell.

Of course, it was covered up as an accident by the Emperor and Duke Dolorein, but there were many suspicious circumstances, and considering that Aria Dolorein had provoked the Empress, it was highly likely that she had done it.

No, there was no culprit other than Aria Dolorein.

The Emperor was pleased with it, so he covered it up in an arrogant manner.

Lionell also knew about that, so he thought that the Empress wouldn’t be able to harass Aria. Even so, he was worried that she might be crying because things had become lax again lately.

“Just don’t do bad things openly.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll take care of the bad things done behind the scenes.”

“How will Your Highness do that? Isn’t my father doing it anyway?”

“……That’s true.”

Lionell smiled wryly as Aria said that without realizing it.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Aria hoped that the only thing that would change from the original story was related to her life. So, she thought that she shouldn’t be a hindrance to Lionell, who would become Emperor. That was too big of a variable. However, even so, she was hoping that Killian would also survive in the future where she would survive.

She said that without realizing it.

“I’ll try my best too.”

“Yes, please do your best.”

As Aria answered with a smile, he also smiled and stroked her cheek with his hand.

“Give me a kiss to cheer me up.”

“Don’t try to cheer up!”

She tried to get up from her seat, forgetting that the carriage was rattling. At that moment,

―Squeak!

The carriage, which was turning a corner, tilted to one side.

“Ah……!”

“Hahaha.”

Lionell laughed because Aria, who was grabbing his shoulder, was cute. And he grabbed her waist and made her sit next to him.

“I can handle anything dangerous for you, so don’t worry.”

“……Yes.”

Aria decided to just give up because she felt like she would lose if she talked to him more.

◈◈◈

When they arrived at the Imperial Palace and were walking to the audience chamber, Lionell was walking so close to her that she couldn’t walk properly. Because of Lionell sticking to her, she gradually moved to the side, and he, without paying any attention to her, walked so close that their shoulders were touching, so the two were gradually walking diagonally.

Feeling like she had become a crab, Aria felt a little sorry for her situation.

“Aria.”

“Yes?”

“This.”

What he was pointing at was the rose garden on the way to the audience chamber. The roses that had bloomed there were beautifully in full bloom.

“I told them to pay special attention to this place.”

“Isn’t Your Highness’s palace not here?”

“There are more in my palace. Let’s visit my palace later too.”

“Aren’t you busy, Your Highness?”

“I am busy. But I’ll continue to be busy in the future. So, isn’t it natural to make time for you?”

Aria closed her mouth.

‘This is also a line that was said to Melina in the original story.’

Aria felt burdened that he kept saying things to her that he had said to Melina. Even so, she also felt strange because it seemed to show the gentle side of the original Lionell that she had liked.

“Wait a moment.”

“…….”

Aria watched him go to the rose bushes and bring back a flower he had plucked.

“Here.”

He put the flower he had plucked on top of Aria’s head.

“A bug!”

Aria screamed because of something wriggling near her ear. A buzzing bug was sitting on the tip of Aria’s ear.

“Kyaaak!”

“Wait, just a moment!”

Lionell was about to swing his sword aura to cut the bug, but he stopped because he thought that Aria’s ear would be cut off if he did that. And he grabbed the small bug with his hand and flicked it away.

“Are you okay?”

“……Yes.”

Aria felt like she had used up all her energy as soon as she entered the Imperial Palace.

“Were you also afraid of bugs?”

“You’ve forgotten about what happened last time.”

“Ah. That ba◈◈◈?”

“Kyaaaaak! Don’t even mention it! It reminds me of it!”

Lionell found it amusing that Aria was screaming in horror. It seemed like the wariness she had shown him had completely disappeared now.

“Aria.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll catch all the bugs for you. So don’t worry.”

“The one who put the bug on me?”

“Hahaha. I don’t remember.”

He smiled brightly and was about to put the rose back on Aria’s ear, but he checked the flower. After confirming that there were no bugs at all this time, he put it on her ear.

Aria was going to resist, but she couldn’t ignore the sincerity of him carefully looking at the flower, so she stayed still.

“It’s pretty.”

“It won’t show well because my hair is red.”

“It wouldn’t have shown well even if your hair was white. Because you’re too pretty.”

Aria didn’t feel embarrassed by those words for some reason. Because the Aria Dolorein she was seeing was also a peerless beauty.

A perfect beauty without a single flaw, even her voice.

If you only looked at her appearance, she was a beauty of the century.

She was quite proud of Aria’s beauty, so she took Lionell’s words for granted.

“Let’s go in holding hands.”

Aria looked at him, dumbfounded, because he said that to her and grabbed her hand before she could even agree. Then, Lionell avoided her gaze and walked on.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

“Has Your Highness always been this shameless?”

“I’m being confident. That’s why you fell for me, right?”

“Ah…….”

Aria couldn’t say no, so she just swallowed her words.

They were walking while holding hands like that.

When they arrived at the audience chamber, a man with a familiar appearance and perfect attire was coming out.

“Duke Loenbert, it’s been a while.”

Killian was looking at Aria and Lionell’s hands with a cold expression.