I'm a Villainess, Can I Die?-Chapter 67

As Aiden exchanged greetings with Aaron, his eyes kept flickering toward the staircase.

For the past month, he had longed to see that face—so much that he could hardly wait a moment longer.

“This is perfect timing. With the Founding Festival ball coming up, we can formally announce that our household now has an official mage.”

“...What? Excuse me?”

Caught sneaking glances behind him, Aiden jolted in surprise, snapping his gaze back to Aaron.

Seeing his startled expression, Aaron chuckled and patted his shoulder once more.

Aiden had only decided to become a mage so he could stand by his lady’s side.

But now, it seemed that the title came with far more weight than he had anticipated.

Just as Aiden was beginning to feel the weight of his newfound position, Selina descended the stairs, her hand still resting in Lukas’s grasp.

Lukas glanced at the small hand ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) in his before curling his lips into a deep smile.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the central staircase, drawing Aiden’s attention upward.

The owner of the footsteps was... Jane.

She glanced around at the hall, which had gone eerily silent after all the previous commotion.

It felt as if she had entered at precisely the wrong moment.

Like someone serving macarons as a side dish to a spicy chicken meal.

All eyes were on her.

‘What the hell is this?’

Jane hesitated briefly before rushing down the stairs with quick, hurried steps, eager to escape the scrutiny.

Once she reached the bottom, she discreetly blended into the group of servants standing behind Aaron and Aiden.

She bowed toward them.

“Where’s Selina?”

Aaron asked, recognizing Jane as Selina’s personal maid.

“My lady will be down shortly.”

“I see.”

The moment Aaron referred to her as my lady, Aiden’s heart skipped a beat.

He swallowed hard, silently praying that his face wouldn’t flush red.

Just as Jane had said, the sound of footsteps echoed once more, descending the stairs.

Aiden turned his gaze toward them.

And there she was.

The face he had longed for.

The same indifferent face, the same detached expression.

A face that always seemed exhausted by the burdens of the world.

The moment his eyes met hers, Aiden’s heart pounded wildly, incomparable to before.

The pounding was so intense that his head spun.

My lady.

Aiden parted his lips, wanting to call out to her.

But his lips slowly stiffened.

Because standing beside Selina was Lukas.

Aaron, who had also turned toward the stairs at the sound of approaching footsteps, called her name.

“Selina!”

His voice was bright, but the moment his eyes landed on the unfamiliar man holding his sister’s hand, his expression soured.

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Selina had been descending absentmindedly, but when Aaron called her name, she shifted her gaze toward the group waiting below.

She glanced at Aaron, noting the way he frowned and shook his head in disapproval.

Then, her eyes landed on the familiar platinum blonde standing behind him.

“Lukas, why are you holding my sister’s hand?”

Aaron whispered sharply as he took swift strides toward them.

As if in response, Lukas casually lifted their joined hands and gave them a small shake.

But his attempt at showing off was rendered meaningless a second later.

Selina’s hand effortlessly slipped out of his grasp.

She withdrew her hand naturally, continuing down the stairs alone.

Lukas clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling the warmth of her touch fade away.

Behind her, her long hair rippled like a dark wave.

Selina passed by Aaron, whose eyes blinked in confusion, and finally came to a stop in front of Aiden.

“Aiden.”

At the sound of his name in her steady, unhurried voice, Aiden inhaled sharply.

“My lady.”

He barely managed to force the words out.

His tongue tingled.

He had only spoken, yet his tongue stung with an unbearable sweetness.

“I see.”

Selina responded simply.

Then, she added another phrase.

Upon hearing her next words, Aiden couldn’t help but smile.

“Welcome back.”

His green eyes curved into crescent moons as he gazed at her.

“I have returned.”

For now, Aiden greeted the Duke and Duchess before heading to his prepared quarters.

Since his journey had undoubtedly been exhausting, any discussions regarding the Founding Festival were postponed until the following day.

Aiden’s new room was located on the first floor of the duchy’s main estate.

It had been prepared in advance for his return as an official mage.

His room was right next to the one where Doctor and Ian resided.

Surveying his new space, Aiden set his belongings on the large desk.

It was twice the size of the one in his previous room.

‘I could probably lie down on this thing...’

The ridiculous thought made him chuckle to himself.

His lips curled into a faint arc, but his green eyes shimmered with moisture.

Aiden had always been attached to his personal space.

It was a remnant of his past—a childhood of wandering with no place to call home.

From a cold, empty house, to a violent orphanage, to sleeping on the streets—

And now, here he was, in a grand room prepared just for him.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he bit his lip and stared at the ceiling.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

“It’s me, Aiden.”

“My lady?”

Aiden strode across the room in an instant and flung the door open.

The door swung wide, revealing the entire room in one glance.

Aiden stared at me, momentarily dumbfounded.

He clearly hadn’t expected me to visit him so suddenly.

Well, I hadn’t exactly planned this either.

I had just happened to see that in my room and decided on impulse to come down.

“How’s the room?”

I leaned to the side, peering past Aiden to take a better look inside his room.

Not that I couldn’t already see it perfectly well, but entering someone’s space without permission was impolite, wasn’t it?

This was my way of wordlessly asking if I could look around.

As expected, Aiden quickly stepped aside.

His ability to read the room was always impressive.

Satisfied, I nodded and slowly walked into his room.

The overall atmosphere was bright.

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Cream-colored walls blended well with the wooden furniture, making it feel exactly like the kind of space a young mage would have.

Compared to his previous room, this one was easily three times larger.

So this is why people chase promotions... Makes sense.

“It’s nice.”

After glancing around at everything, including the trees outside the window, I plopped down onto the sofa.

Even though this was his room, Aiden remained standing awkwardly near the doorway.

In the silence, I looked at him.

He looked at me.

But he didn’t move.

Was this his way of silently asking me to leave?

...No, that didn’t seem to be the case.

After a long pause, Aiden finally took slow, hesitant steps and sat across from me.

“...This feels strange.”

“What does?”

“That I’m no longer your servant.”

Well, now that I thought about it, he was right.

I had only known Aiden as a servant for about five months, but he had spent nearly ten years working for Selina.

As I nodded in agreement, I suddenly froze.

Nine years and seven months of enduring Selina’s whims like a dog...

A mix of guilt and suspicion crept in, making me lift my gaze toward Aiden.

“...Yeah, I suppose it does. Just think of it as a completely new life from now on.”

Forget the past.

And, Aiden, please don’t get any ideas about putting a hole in the back of my head.

Keeping those final words to myself, I simply encouraged him instead.

“Yes, my lady. That’s exactly why I became a mage.”

Aiden smiled as he spoke.

That gentle curve of his lips brought back a memory—

The day he first declared his intention to become a mage.

"Do I dare to desire this?"

He had asked me that, his eyes filled with determination.

“Desire...”

I murmured the word under my breath.

My gaze dropped to the small paper box in my hands.

Noticing my whisper, Aiden hesitated slightly, then followed my gaze.

I extended the box toward him.

The tiny package wobbled slightly in my grip.

“This is...”

“A housewarming gift.”

Or maybe a room-warming gift?

That sounded a little weird.

I set the box down on the table, but before I could pull my hand away, Aiden’s fingers gently supported the bottom of the box.

His large hands easily concealed half of it.

I placed the package fully in his grasp and stood up.

I had no intention of lingering around and exhausting someone who had just returned.

Aiden also rose, still holding the box, and instinctively moved to escort me.

It was barely a few steps from the sofa to the door, but...

I decided to pretend I didn’t notice—old habits die hard, after all.

“I’ll escort you.”

“No need. It’s just upstairs.”

I pushed Aiden back into his room and walked off on my own.

After taking only two steps, I turned back—

And sure enough, Aiden was already standing at his doorway, staring at me.

“...See you tomorrow.”

With just that parting remark, I turned away without hesitation.

I had a feeling that if I looked back again, he’d still be standing there, watching me.

“...My lady.”

I halted.

I didn’t turn around.

If I made eye contact, he’d probably insist on walking me all the way to my room.

Instead, I stayed still, waiting for him to continue.

“Have sweet dreams.”

...How dull.

I simply nodded without looking back and resumed walking.

Not once did I turn around on my way to my room.

Only after I was completely out of sight did Aiden finally step back inside.

His heart pounded as he stood in the same space where his lady had just been.

To think something so trivial could make his chest tighten like this...

The future seemed worrisome.

He regretted how awkward he had been earlier.

He had returned as a mage to stand beside her, yet all he had done was fumble around like a fool.

With a flick of his hand, Aiden opened all the windows in his room.

He needed some fresh air.

But, frustratingly, there wasn’t a single breeze.

The only sound was the chirping of insects outside.

Annoyed, Aiden quickly shut the windows again.

Then, as he turned toward his bed, his gaze landed on the box in his hands.

A small, white paper box.

He could already guess what was inside just from the scent.

“...Ha.”

Chuckling softly, Aiden carefully opened it.

As expected, the contents didn’t surprise him.

A glistening chocolate cake sat proudly inside.

Unfolding the box completely revealed the cake in its entirety.

There was a small scoop taken out, as if someone had already tasted it.

But far from being displeased, Aiden felt nothing but amusement.

Because he knew exactly who the culprit was.

The one who wouldn’t let even leftover cake go to waste.

His lady.

Aiden picked up the fork that had been included and took a bite.

The sponge was a little dry, but the sweetness of the cream masked it quickly.

It was unbearably sweet.