I'm a Villainess, Can I Die?-Chapter 78

Jane curled her lips into an even deeper smile as I continued staring at her in silence.

It was as if she was silently shouting, "I’m really fine!"

"You’re the one who wanted to come to the festival. I’ll stay, so you should go and enjoy yourself."

I meant it. I wasn’t the one excited about the festival—Jane was. So it only made sense that the person looking forward to it should be the one to explore.

But despite my sincerity, Jane reacted as if she had heard something outrageous, shaking her head furiously in refusal.

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"Oh no, my lady, absolutely not! Once Priest Ian finishes treating the injured, I can look around with him. You don’t ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) need to worry about us—just go and enjoy yourself!"

She waved me off with a small hand gesture.

What’s this? Was she asking me to lower my head?

I tilted my head in confusion before stepping closer and slightly bending my knees.

Apparently, I had interpreted it correctly. Jane smiled at me from our newly evened eye level and whispered softly.

"Honestly, my lady, you don’t get many chances to enjoy a festival like this. Since you're here, you should make the most of it."

Ah. You little fox.

She had phrased it nicely, but I understood exactly what she meant.

So, even from an outsider’s perspective, my family’s overprotectiveness was a bit excessive, huh?

Well, that aside, Jane wasn’t wrong.

Regardless of my family’s worries, I was someone who would die in four years.

Even if I attended every single festival until then, the most I could experience was four.

Of course, Jane had no idea about that when she said what she did.

I gazed at her for a moment. Jane met my stare with bright, expectant eyes.

Looking at her, I suddenly wondered if her motivation was similar to mine.

Just as I wanted to make her happy by bringing her here, maybe she also wanted me to enjoy myself.

Ah, well... If that were the case, she sure was very excited for someone prioritizing me.

But regardless of her true intentions, I couldn’t bring myself to reject the request of someone who reminded me so much of Eunji.

Eunji had told me to try and live happily, even when I thought happiness was impossible.

If I could at least try for her, how could I refuse Jane’s simple request to enjoy the festival?

I straightened my back and turned away from Jane. Then, without hesitation, I walked toward Aiden.

"Let’s go, Aiden."

Standing beside him, I glanced back at Ian, Jane, and the injured before turning my back on them.

The last thing I saw was Jane bowing her head slightly with a warm smile.

"Enjoy yourself, my lady," she murmured.

Aiden, seemingly surprised that I had actually left, quickly fell into step beside me.

"You’re really leaving them?"

"She wanted me to. And I’m pretty good at listening."

"Oh... Uh, right."

Aiden hesitated, clearly unconvinced.

Well, I had deceived him before and run away. He probably wouldn’t consider me the most obedient person.

So, I decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed his doubtful response.

"Aiden, have you ever been to a festival before?"

I asked as I watched a small child laughing and dashing past us.

I didn’t receive an immediate answer.

I kept my eyes on the child, following them with my gaze until they disappeared into the crowd.

Only then did I realize the silence had stretched too long.

When I turned to look at Aiden, I saw his expression had changed.

His usually serene face was slightly distorted, his lips twisting in a way that looked unfamiliar—almost unnatural.

"I did... when I was very young."

His voice finally emerged from the awkward curve of his lips.

"When you were young?"

"Yes. Back when I used to beg. Festival days always brought in a lot of people."

Ah... Damn it.

I blinked in silence, unsure of what to say. Then, feeling awkward, I subtly averted my gaze.

"It wasn’t a particularly happy memory, but... for some reason, I think today might turn into a good one."

Noticing my discomfort, Aiden quickly added the words, his expression smoothing out.

Then, he tilted his head slightly, watching me.

It was as if he was waiting for me to turn back and meet his eyes again.

There was no doubt that I had been the one who made a mistake here.

And Aiden, generous as ever, was letting me off the hook gracefully.

Since that was the case, I accepted his unspoken request.

When I turned to meet his gaze, he seemed momentarily surprised.

But the reaction was brief. Soon, the small smile at the corner of his lips deepened.

That smile felt so genuine, so at ease, that I found myself nodding absentmindedly.

Yeah. I hoped today would become a good memory for him.

We had no idea what to do next.

It was my first time at a festival.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

And Aiden... well, he wasn’t much different from me.

So, we simply walked side by side, maintaining a slight distance between us.

As time passed, more people flooded the streets.

The festival was as chaotic as an open market.

Amidst the overwhelming noise, it felt like we were the only ones silent.

Ironically, that very silence made the surrounding clamor sound like background music.

The only sounds that stood out to me were our footsteps.

"Aiden."

Something caught my eye.

At one of the street stalls, there was a decorative fountain spilling deep purple liquid.

I had never seen anything like it before.

Intrigued, I instinctively grabbed Aiden’s sleeve.

"Look at that."

I pointed at the fountain, and Aiden lifted his gaze to follow my direction.

I wasn’t sure if he was genuinely seeing it for the first time or just humoring me, but he let out a small murmur of admiration.

"Is it magic?"

"It probably is."

"Is it a drink or just decoration?"

"Considering there are skewers lined up next to it... I’d say it’s a drink."

Just as Aiden had observed, there was a row of skewers visible near the stall with the fountain.

As we continued our lighthearted speculations, we naturally made our way toward the vendor.

The stall owner, who had been lounging lazily in his seat, immediately stood up as we approached.

"Welcome!"

The stall owner must have smelled potential customers.

He gave us a friendly smile, and after glancing at him briefly, I pointed at the fountain and asked,

"What is this?"

At my question, the vendor's face lit up with pride, like a parent eager to boast about their child.

"This is a wine fountain! A product made by the Magic Tower—very rare, you know! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get my hands on this? Isn’t it fascinating? It’s specially designed as a drinking fountain, so it takes care of hygiene automatically!"

He started going off on a tangent, eagerly sharing details we hadn’t even asked for.

At first, I listened attentively out of courtesy, but soon enough, I felt a yawn creeping up.

To cut the conversation short, I casually pointed at the skewers lined up nearby.

"Are those for sale too?"

"Of course!"

There was quite a variety. Most of them seemed to be dried or grilled meats—mostly chicken—just coated in different sauces.

But they looked glossy and appetizing enough.

At that moment, I realized I was actually starving. I rubbed my stomach absentmindedly.

Yep. Definitely hungry.

"Should we get some?"

"Huh? I'm fine, but..."

Aiden trailed off mid-sentence.

I didn’t need him to finish to know what he was thinking.

He was probably wondering if it was appropriate for a noble lady—a duke’s daughter, no less—to eat street food.

It was the kind of thing that would be considered impolite to bring up in front of the stall owner.

"Are you okay with drinking?"

I deliberately left out the subject of my sentence.

I was about to answer for myself, but before I could, Aiden raised an unexpected issue.

I blinked at him in confusion before shifting my gaze back to the wine fountain we had just passed.

"Is it strong?"

"No, not really. It’s just designed to look like wine. It’s not actually high in alcohol."

"You heard him. One or two sips won’t hurt, so don’t worry."

Despite my reassurance, Aiden still looked unconvinced.

Seriously. Why does he worry so much?

The vendor skillfully opened a glass case, pulled out two skewers, and handed them to us.

Then, using a long ladle, he scooped up the purple liquid from the fountain and poured it into small glasses before handing them over.

It seemed like we were expected to drink here.

"That’ll be 8 copper."

I passed my skewers to Aiden for a moment and pulled out the coin pouch Jane had given me.

After fishing out eight coins, I paid the vendor.

It occurred to me that this was the first time I had actually spent money since becoming Selina.

Wow. I feel like a rich person.

Wait—am I a rich person?

Aiden, seeing me take out my pouch, immediately opened his mouth to protest, saying he would pay.

But with both hands full from holding my food, he was left awkwardly fidgeting.

By the time he could react, I had already finished paying.

The vendor accepted the coins happily and bowed with a loud, cheerful, "Thank you!"

Aiden, visibly deflated, followed with a much smaller, "Thank you, my lady."

He looked utterly defeated.

Come on, what’s the big deal? Most people would love having someone pay for them.

I made a mental note to let him pay for the next thing we bought.

After taking my food back, I held a skewer in one hand and my wine glass in the other, taking small bites and sips.

Now that I thought about it, this was the first time I’d ever eaten street food standing up with someone else.

There sure were a lot of firsts since becoming Selina.

"How is it? Do you like it?"

The vendor grinned and asked as I chewed.

Since my mouth was full, I simply nodded.

"Haha, I knew it! Tasty, right? And how about your boyfriend?"

Aiden, who had been quietly chewing, suddenly choked.

He started coughing violently.

Must’ve gone down the wrong pipe.

Or maybe the spicy sauce caught him off guard.

Either way, he was coughing so hard his eyes watered.

Ah, poor guy.

"Uh... is he okay?"

The vendor clicked his tongue and leaned toward me, frowning as if he could feel Aiden’s struggle himself.

I shot him a glance, then took a sip of the wine.

It was a bit on the cheap side, with a slightly bitter aftertaste, but surprisingly not bad overall.

As I savored the taste, I shrugged and replied nonchalantly,

"Doesn’t look like it, does he?"

Aiden finally managed to stop coughing.

By that time, I had already finished my skewer and drink.

While he was still recovering, I exchanged a few pleasantries with the vendor before scanning the festival for our next destination.

Considering my first experience with street food had gone well, I felt a little more excited about the festival.

If only there weren’t so many people.

"What should we do next?"

"Ahem. Hmm... I’m not sure."

Aiden was still clearing his throat, his voice a little hoarse.

His face was a bit red too.

Guess that choking fit really got him.

Unconsciously, my gaze started scanning for something to drink.

He needed something mild to soothe his throat.

As I searched, my eyes landed on a small tea shop tucked behind the rows of food stalls, its warm glow inviting in the evening light.

"Let’s go there, Aiden."

He wordlessly nodded and followed me without hesitation.