Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Villainess Laura (5)
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Graffiti?
I left Laura behind and dashed to the mirror in a panic.
Fortunately, there was a mirror in the dining hall too, so it didn't take long to check what had happened to my face.
[Rainy Saintess, I like you so much]
[Rainy Saintess, please marry me]
Once I saw the graffiti on my face, I froze in place.
Every single phrase was utterly mortifying.
The strange reactions from people who'd seen me today flashed through my mind.
"Good heavens..."
With a sigh, I hurried to the washroom as best I could.
Hoping desperately that the writing would come off.
I arrived at the washroom and immediately turned on the faucet.
Splash...
Water poured out steadily.
I cupped my hands full of water and scrubbed my face.
"..."
To my despair, the writing on my face wouldn't come off with just water.
It looked like Rainy had used a permanent marker for her prank.
With no other choice, I pulled out the precious soap I saved for special occasions.
If even this soap didn't work, I'd have to walk around with this embarrassing graffiti on my face for a while.
If the lord went about with such scribbles on his face, word would inevitably spread among the territory's people.
'Please come off...'
I prayed fervently as I lathered my face with soap and washed it again.
Thank goodness the soap helped—the graffiti faded somewhat.
But no matter how hard I scrubbed, faint traces remained.
"..."
They'd probably fade in a day or two if I waited, but anger toward Rainy, the suspected culprit, boiled up inside me.
It looked like today called for six straight hours of intense training.
No mercy—I'd drill her thoroughly.
I'd resolved to get revenge on Rainy, but I couldn't completely neglect Laura either, so before heading to my room, I stopped by the dining hall first.
Laura had polished off a whole basket of vegetables, yet she still seemed hungry, scraping every last bit of dressing from the plate.
Seeing the daughter of a high noble duke family reduced to such pitiful straits tugged at my heart a little, but I kept a straight face as I approached her.
"Oh, you're back?"
Even spotting me, Laura didn't stop scraping up the dressing.
She'd thrown dignity to the winds, spoon in mouth as she glanced my way, then sneered.
"A bottom-tier baron and an excommunicated saintess chased out by the Church—what a perfect match. Why not actually get married?"
"...I'm relieved to see you enjoyed your vegetables, my lady."
"Trying to change the subject, baron?"
"Then, as promised, here's some bread and meat."
"Answer me."
Pretending not to hear her, I pulled out the meat and bread I'd set aside separately and stuffed them into her mouth.
The territory wasn't wealthy, so the bread wasn't the highest quality.
Still, Laura seemed satisfied just to have meat and bread—she swallowed the food obediently without complaint.
I watched her for a moment, cheeks bulging like a cute hamster, then gave her my instructions.
"Here—I'll leave some food for your escort too, so call them over and eat together."
Laura nodded vigorously while chewing, and with my duties done, I headed to my room to settle the score.
"Saintess? Saintess?"
"Hic... Hic..."
As I opened the door and stepped inside, I heard choked sobs.
"Oh..."
Only then did I remember shoving Rainy into the wardrobe.
Locked in that dark wardrobe for so long.
Even I would've cried.
All thoughts of revenge vanished as I hurriedly opened the wardrobe door.
"Sniff... Hic... Hic..."
Rainy was curled up with her knees to her chest, face buried, sobbing.
She looked up at the sudden light, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Raden...?"
"Yes... It's Raden."
"Waaah!"
Rainy burst into fresh tears and threw herself into my arms.
My clothes grew damp from her tears, but since it was mostly my fault, I stayed silent and let her cling.
"You... you bastard... I was really scared."
"..."
"Die, die, die."
"I'm sorry."
Rainy seemed to have suffered a massive mental shock.
Feeling guilty, I took her weak punches while apologizing nonstop.
After about ten minutes, she calmed a bit, breathing heavily as she looked up at me with watery eyes.
She looked exhausted from all the crying, her expression pitiful enough to stir sympathy.
Her hair was poking into her eyes, so I gently brushed it aside, and she murmured softly.
"Raden..."
"Yes, Saintess."
"Promise me. You won't ever abandon me like that again."
"...Yes, I promise."
"Never, ever leave me alone."
"Yes, no matter what happens, I'll always take care of you."
"Stake everything on it?"
"I stake my life on it."
Only then did she seem somewhat reassured, resting her head against my chest.
Her warm body heat gently warmed my chest.
As I combed through her tousled hair, feeling her temperature, I decided she'd calmed enough and spoke quietly.
"Shall we go eat now?"
"Mm... Yeah..."
Rainy nodded, but kept her head pressed to my chest.
She indicated agreement with a nod, yet showed no sign of lifting her head.
Feeling awkward, I whispered softly.
"Um, to go eat, you need to come out now?"
"But I'm scared to let go..."
"Hmm..."
As I pondered what to do, I noticed her pale white hand.
I took it gently in mine.
"There, now we're holding hands, so I can't run. Please lift your head."
Rainy stared blankly at our joined hands, shook her head, then laced her fingers through mine.
It seemed just holding hands wasn't enough to reassure her.
Well, if interlocking fingers would ease her mind, it was no big deal.
With our fingers firmly interlocked, we slowly descended the stairs.
Even as we went down, I glanced at her, and seeing she'd calmed a little, I asked cautiously.
"By any chance... did something bad happen in the past?"
Anyone shut in a dark wardrobe for nearly thirty minutes would feel terrified, sure.
But Rainy seemed especially shaken.
I knew it was rude to pry, but I might have to live with her for the rest of my life.
Even if it made her uncomfortable, I felt the need to learn her personal history upfront to avoid repeats of today.
Rainy flinched at my question, then gripped my hand tighter and whispered haltingly.
"When I was little... before I started living in the back alleys, that is. I lived in an ordinary family home..."
It was famous that the saintess had been an orphan gang leader in the slums, but this was the first I'd heard of her life before becoming an orphan.
I adjusted my stride to match her steps and listened closely.
"Then one day, my dad had an accident."
"Oh..."
"So we took out a loan at home for his medical bills. But we couldn't pay it back..."
"..."
"Then one day, the debt collectors came to the house. My mom and dad hid me from them in the wardrobe..."
"..."
"But they got caught and never came back. The wardrobe only opens from the outside, so I couldn't get out. Turns out I'd been trapped inside for three whole days."
Trapped in a pitch-black wardrobe for three days as a child.
No wonder she had trauma.
"Our house went to auction, and I was found by the auctioneer who came to check it out—that's how I survived. But a seven-year-old penniless homeless kid—what could she do?"
"So that's when you started pickpocketing."
"Yeah, three days of starvation makes you desperate. From then on, I fought and stole wallets just to survive."
It was a sad story, but sadly common in this world.
I didn't offer her pitying words.
I knew how much damage a look of pity could inflict.
Instead, I gripped her hand tighter, showing my resolve never to leave her alone.
Feeling it, Rainy gave a small smile and looked back at me.
"Thanks."
"...No problem."
We arrived at the dining hall to find Laura and her escort sitting amiably, sharing bread and meat.
I exchanged a nod with the escort, grabbed the meals the head chef had prepared for Rainy and me, and sat down.
Laura, who had been munching bread heartily, eyed me with a strange expression.
"What, you two won't let go of each other's hands? Are you really dating?"
"Pfft!"
At Laura's words, Rainy spat out her food crudely.
I waved my hands frantically to explain.
"We're friends. Friends!"
"What friends hold hands like that?"
Laura had a point.
I glanced at Rainy, signaling to let go, but...
"I... I don't want to let go."
Rainy still hadn't shaken off her anxiety and shook her head in refusal.
Laura's eyes narrowed, and the escort looked intrigued.
Hmm... Clearing up this misunderstanding would probably take quite a while.