I'm a Villainess, Can I Die?-Chapter 114

I saw Aiden and Sir Alogen off with my brother, then returned to my room and lay down for a quick nap.

Sleepless nights had become the norm, and as a result, frequent naps during the day had turned into a habit.

Since I’d fallen asleep before lunch, Jane would probably be along soon to wake me up for the meal.

But it wasn’t Jane who woke me.

It was the cold air—and the noise.

“Mmm...”

Rubbing my cold arm, I forced my heavy eyelids open.

The ceiling above me... was unfamiliar. No, not completely. It looked familiar somehow—but it wasn’t my ceiling. Mine was cream-colored, with gilded designs.

Not... gray bricks.

I sat up with a jolt, too fast. My head rang from the sudden movement.

Ugh. Damn orthostatic hypotension. I pressed my fingers into my temple, willing the pounding to stop, and slowly looked around.

“This is...”

“Awake, are you?”

A voice called out behind me before I could finish the thought. It was coarse—like metal scraping against metal. Unpleasant. And unfamiliar.

But I recognized the speaker immediately.

“The High Priest.”

I turned to face him.

Just as I expected—it was him.

“Hmm? So we’ve dropped the ‘honorifics’ now? What a shame.”

He chuckled, that rasping laugh echoing off the stone. His ceremonial robes fluttered grotesquely with the sound.

Wait... were those even priest’s robes anymore? They were supposed to be white, weren’t they?

That was closer to... dried blood. A rust-colored brown.

I didn’t want to know whose blood it was. His? Someone else’s?

Honestly, at this point, I couldn’t tell if the novel’s title was The Crown of Dawn or Detective Selina.

Whatever. That was definitely blood.

He leaned back against the wall, laughing to himself—then suddenly clutched his ears in agony, as if plagued by hallucinations.

Please, let it be a good kind of hallucination. Let him be repenting, suddenly, even if it doesn’t make any damn sense. I’ll take peace over logic right now.

I scanned the area, wondering if there was a way to escape during this window.

But first... where was I?

It wasn’t a familiar place, not exactly. But the gray bricks, the cold air, and... that bell over there...

A bell tower.

This was the bell tower on the estate.

The same one I’d once climbed on my own and then left in Lukas’s arms.

Not a great place to escape from.

There were two ways out: running down the endless stairs, or jumping out the window.

Neither was remotely viable.

“You... disgusting little rats! I’ll kill you! You’ll all rot in hell!”

The High Priest, still clutching his ears, suddenly stomped the floor, yelling furiously.

He wasn’t holding back at all—like a derailed train, he was pouring every ounce of rage out of his body.

So... I guess those voices weren’t telling him nice things after all.

“Hurry... Sel... must help...”

I heard voices outside—muffled shouting. They were probably looking for me. Sounded like someone had noticed I was missing.

Or maybe this lunatic had made a grand show of kidnapping me while I was asleep.

The High Priest suddenly stopped shouting. The corner of his lips curled upward into a slow, grotesque smile.

I guess he was pleased with how this all turned out.

Madmen—there’s no keeping up with their emotions. Up and down, down and up... I used to think he was a kind, benevolent man. What a joke.

“Your people are looking for you.”

He looked out the open window, voice laced with smug satisfaction.

“What do you want from me?”

I didn’t care how he’d gotten in. I didn’t care how I’d been taken.

The water had already spilled—what difference did it make where the cup tipped?

“Hmm... what do you think?”

And suddenly, he was being casual. His words were shorter. Less formal.

A little flicker of annoyance bubbled up.

Weren’t you the one going on about honorifics earlier?

Still, I knew my place. Hostages only act cocky in movies.

“You planning to use me as leverage to escape?”

“I did think about that, once.”

He turned his head slowly from side to side, like some grotesque puppet dancing on strings.

“But I’ve changed my mind.

I brought you here because I want to see you die before I’m captured.

Sure, the flower will bloom and you’ll die anyway... but I don’t want to wait that long.”

...Yeah. He’s completely unhinged.

Wait—flower?

What the hell does that mean?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I’d think about it later. For now, I had a bigger problem: escaping from the man who just told me he wanted to kill me.

I rose to my feet, swaying.

Still groggy from the nap, my legs barely held me up. But I moved anyway. Like a person in front of a wild beast—slow, deliberate motions.

The High Priest watched me with a lazy grin.

I swallowed hard.

Gulp.

The sound echoed unnaturally loud in the silence.

“Trying to run?”

I took one cautious step back.

About five more steps, and I’d reach the stairs. Run down those and I’d be out in the courtyard.

Odds of being caught before that? Ninety-nine percent. But the man was going to kill me anyway.

So really... what did I have to lose?

I edged back again.

He didn’t move.

“I won’t stop you.”

He smiled—that same twisted, gentle smile. Only now, with his bloodshot eyes, it was far more terrifying than kind.

“But if you run... I’ll release a monster into the duchy.”

“......What?”

“I planted one beneath the estate. If it comes out... your home will be in ruins. Should be quite the sight.”

He took a step forward.

Step. Step. Step.

Each footfall made it harder to breathe. He stopped at the edge of the window and looked down.

From this angle, no one below would be able to see us.

“Ah. There’s your dear brother. And your mother. Shall I release the beast right there? Even if the knights respond, those two should die.”

I couldn’t move.

From below, I thought I heard their voices—faint, muffled.

He cackled again when I didn’t budge.

“Well? Still going to run?”

His shoulders trembled—not from fear, but from excitement.

I stared at him for a moment... then closed my eyes.

In the darkness, I saw smiling faces.

My loved ones—standing by the lake, waving at me.

“Selina! Come on!”

The memory alone warmed my heart.

What a life.

In my last one, I gave up everything.

My life wasn’t my own. I didn’t keep any happiness, sorrow, or anger for myself. I simply jumped.

I thought that wouldn’t change.

Even though I became Selina... even though Eunji wanted me to be happy... I still thought, I’ll always be like this.

But I was wrong.

Into the dullness of my life came rain, came sunlight—came people who made me smile for real.

This life was already lost once.

If it meant protecting them, I’d live a thousand more years in hell without complaint.

Because I longed for love, and they gave it to me.

That was enough.

I opened my eyes.

No tears.

This wasn’t something to cry over. I was doing the right thing.

I took one step forward.

The High Priest grinned.

Fine. Let him grin. I’d face my end with a smile, too.

Let’s end this story with a smile, together.

“I’ll take this one!”

Lukas glanced at the young knight who spoke with such confidence and gave a nod, then turned away.

He headed for the wolf monster—the one that had pinned several knights down.

Its paw was bigger than a man’s head, and it was slashing wildly with its claws.

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Clang.

He blocked the attack with his wide shield and jammed his sword between its toes. The beast howled and thrashed.

“Damn.”

His left arm trembled ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) under the strain.

Ever since the snake venom incident, he couldn’t use that arm the way he used to. He’d neutralized the poison, so his life wasn’t in danger—but for a knight, losing function in one arm wasn’t something to laugh off.

I want to get back to the manor.

Ian would fix it. Somehow.

Twisting his shield, Lukas made the wolf’s claw slip.

It lost balance—just a moment—but that was enough.

He slid under its chest and plunged his sword into its heart.

Thud. The beast collapsed.

He ordered a subordinate to retrieve and destroy the marble, then wiped sweat from his brow and assessed the situation.

“We just dealt with a horde ten days ago... and now they’re back again in force.”

It was true. The last battle had lasted all night, with many casualties.

But the monsters had disappeared for days afterward, as if they’d suffered heavy losses too.

Now they were back.

“Still... they’re weak.”

That was the only relief. There were many, but they lacked power. Maybe the last attack had drained them.

“Seven left! They’re weak—let’s take them down fast!”

The Duke’s voice rang out, rallying the knights. A thunderous “Yes, sir!” followed from all directions.

Lukas smiled and readied his sword again.

Let’s finish this quickly.

But the moment he lifted his blade—crack.

A thin fracture ran along the edge of his shield.

One of the sturdiest shields they had—and it cracked.

Lukas frowned.

“...What?”

The line was small, but clear. Not enough to warrant changing shields... yet it unsettled him.

Shaking his head, he plunged back into the fray.

The monsters were snarling, fangs bared.

But deep down, something didn’t feel right.

A strange, gnawing unease sat heavy in his chest.