The Villain Wants to Live Quietly chapter 60

Chapter 7. Good People, Bad People (5)

Following Tanya’s guidance, they arrived at a place that could only be reached after leaving the mansion. It was a place that could only be reached by struggling up to the ladder, and despite the cold weather outside, the inside was quite cozy.

“Aren’t you curious? It’s a place I used to come often with Emilia.”

“Is it like a secret base?”

“Similar. Every time Emilia said she wanted to see the stars, I brought her. I am the one who found it first.”

Ahem. Tanya seemed to shrug her shoulders as she stretched out her chest. It is also very strange that the daughter of the Ansberg family was the first to find the secret place in the Bayemurn family’s mansion.

On the other hand, even if it was a child, it was funny that Emilia was rummaging through the inside of the mansion looking for a place that could be used as a secret base. In that respect, Tanya suits her better.

“Can you speak now?”

“yes. That’s why I came all the way here.”

Turning around in place, Tanya sat down on a small wooden box in the corner. There must be a lot of dust, but there is no hesitation. a little surprised No, maybe it was possible because it was Tanya.

“Where can I tell you… Hmm.”

Tanya was humming a song while waving her legs that did not touch the floor because the box she was sitting on was quite high. Despite his bright appearance, which is no different from usual, for some reason, I felt that his appearance was like acting.

“Tanya.”

“yes?”

“You don’t have to pretend to be strong.”

Before my head could give the order, my mouth moved first and the words came out inadvertently. I don’t know why. If it were the usual me, I would have kept my mouth shut so as not to do things that made scratching and bruising. It might be proof that she looked dangerous.

At my words, Tanya’s pink eyes widened, and she stared at me for a few seconds without saying a word. And that expression of surprise changed to expressionless, and soon after, the expressionless face returned to its normal appearance, and it was just an instant.

Maybe I was looking at it wrong Tanya’s expression, which passed by to such a degree of doubt, was as foreign as if someone else’s face had been covered. As I was about to point it out, she threw up a meaningless rhyme, as if cutting off my words.

“Did you like dinner?”

“uh?”

A puzzled voice came out at the question that was so out of the blue. Tanya frowned as if to reprimand me and continued.

“Oh, by the way, dinner. Weren’t you listening to me?”

Tanya’s grumbled words crumbled into fragments in the cold air. Why? Questions that would normally have been answered insignificantly felt particularly empty today. Tanya’s brusque tone and wobbly legs are all the same as usual.

None of them broke my heart. It feels like watching a puppet show without emotion or joy. Still, I had to answer. If she remained silent and the situation went on just like that, she would be crushed right in front of her eyes. It was because I suddenly had such an unfounded conviction.

“Uh, yes… It was delicious.”

“right? I hate to say this, but to be honest, I think you’re better than my family’s chef. Oh, is this a secret?”

Tanya giggled and moved her gaze somewhere. If you follow the end, there is a soft moonlight leaking through a small hole in the wall. She was looking at it with her mouth wide open in wonder, but I could see that it was an implicit expression that she didn’t want to make eye contact with me.

“Tanya.”

“what’s the matter? Even the face is grim… … .”

When I couldn’t stand it and called her name coldly, she met my gaze. However, the face still had an expression of incomprehension.

“Don’t be afraid, tell me. Even if you did something wrong to Emilia, I’m your friend. If there’s something to kneel with, I’ll help… There is no need to be afraid.”

It was thanks to Tanya that I mustered up the courage to visit Emilia during her training and decided to take even the slightest step forward. If you’ve received that kind of grace, this time it’s my turn to repay it.

As she said, if Emilia is only a one-sided victim, I will kneel with the one-sided perpetrator. It wasn’t that he didn’t value the existence of Emilia. Rather, now she was more precious to me than any other being in this world.

I just didn’t want to ignore the friend who lent me the strength to value her more. Because she is a precious person not only to me but also to Emilia. He didn’t want the relationship between the two to deteriorate like this.

“Put. What if you take my side and start to hate Emilia?”

“That is my case. None of your business.”

“I’m good at meddling with other people’s affairs… Sophistry.”

Sophistry or whatever is good. If it’s to achieve what I want, I can listen to that kind of sound.

Tanya nodded for a moment, as if pondering my words, and then calmly opened her mouth. Her eyes didn’t have the usual vibrancy. It was similar to the eyes that had passed me a while ago, but the turbid expression was slightly paler. Maybe those are Tanya’s original pupils.

“Ludwig, can you wish the person you love happiness?”

“That means… Can we say it’s a story when Emilia connects with someone else?”

“yes. It’s just a metaphor.”

It’s a very nonsensical topic. The topic that suddenly changed is a love story. He would have been angry if he had sensed her playfulness, but Tanya’s mood was serious, as he had never felt before. So, maybe I need to think a little more seriously.

‘Emilia has a lover.’

I don’t even want to imagine Although Christian, the protagonist of the original work, remained, he had no intention of stepping down even if he appeared. However, if Emilia herself wishes to connect with someone… … .

“It will be difficult though.”

“yes?”

“There’s no way that’s possible. The person you love is connected to someone important… I don’t think there’s anything more enjoyable than just hearing about it, but in a sense, I think it’s harder than confessing and being rejected.”

Tanya muttered, ‘I’m surprised,’ at my words, then grabbed the ends of her pink hair with her index finger and began to stroke them. What is it that is surprising?

“I thought you would respect Emilia’s choice.”

“I will respect you. It just doesn’t mean it’s not sad.”

If there is someone who can happily bless the person you really love and be with someone, that would be an idiot. Or the kind of person who thinks he really loved that person.

At least if you truly loved someone, wouldn’t that person feel at least a nasty feeling the moment they bonded with someone? Because that’s what the human heart is like in the first place.

“I see. You and Emilia might look a lot alike.”

“why?”

“Emilia said something similar. I fought for that.”

Does that mean that Tanya is the one who wishes the person she loves happiness? You’re not in a position to say things like surprise to me, Tanya. I also thought you would be on the side of winning no matter what.

“Hee hee, is it? That’s similar to what Emilia said.”

With a mischievous laugh, Tanya hopped down from the box and began walking around the edge of the base. Then, as if to scan the memories contained in this space, she stretched out her slender hand and brushed it across the dusty wall.

As I watched a series of scenes that were nothing special, I inadvertently felt that they were fleeting. Would this be the sight of finely bloomed pink cherry blossoms scattering in the passing spring time? I don’t know what roots are holding her up, but I thought I couldn’t let her go like this.

“To be honest… I didn’t like it either. I’ve never done anything like love. That’s why I didn’t want to let go of the first person I had a crush on.”

“It was your first love.”

“yes. I’ve never waited for a prince on a white horse, but I’ve waited for a slightly fateful encounter, right? But it turned out exactly as I thought.”

It’s a fateful encounter. It definitely suits Tanya quite well. She has a lively personality, but on the outside, she looks like a noble princess who could only come out of a fairy tale. I wouldn’t be too surprised if a prince on a white horse shows up to find her.

“So does that mean he already has someone he likes?”

“yes.”

That’s a pretty convincing answer. Of course, that’s why she was about to give up, but it would be difficult to give such a definite answer. Isn’t it usually just vaguely guessing, ‘Oh, there must be someone I like.’

“Are you sure?”

“I know because I heard it with my own mouth.”

Did you hear it yourself? Are you a very close person? It occurred to him that maybe he knew Emilia from across the street. If that Emilia was even angry, it might have been because she knew how precious the other person was to Tanya.

If that’s true, then why did Tanya try to send that precious person away without opening her mouth?

“Why didn’t you think of confessing? If you were the one I knew, you might think about that much.”

“I told you. I wanted to wish you happiness.”

“… … .”

indeed. So it was.

It wasn’t that he understood Tanya’s thoughts, but that he understood why Emilia was angry with her. Because I am too. Even if there was a real face that Tanya hadn’t shown me, apart from that, her current behavior was utterly uncomfortable.

“Tanya, do you think your confession won’t make him happy?”

“It just makes you uncomfortable. Does the other person already like someone?”

You’re not listening. No, maybe you don’t want to hear it. Because Tanya now was nothing more than a spoiled brat. A child who thinks that if he closes his ears and shakes his head like this, everything in the world will go his way.

“I don’t think so, at least for me.”

“How can you be sure? I’ve never experienced it before.”

There was a sad edge in Tanya’s words. Just like that, even if my words go astray even a little bit, the cold day will cut me off right away. However, I had to say it anyway.

Rather than wanting to meddle in other people’s love affairs, it was because the current situation in which a girl named Tanya Ansberg was suppressing her feelings was so heartbreaking. I know it’s advice that crossed the line, but I still wanted to convey it.

“Tanya. The human mind is not something you can do on your own. Do you think the person you cherish is a fool who doesn’t even know such a basic fact?”

“It’s not… … .”

“The man will be rather grateful. Even though you knew your heart, you confessed your firm heart. I bet you.”

With her waist slightly bent, she continued her conversation while maintaining eye level with Tanya. Tanya looked at me from the side of her eye, drooling as if struggling with my words.

“Then can you help?”

“If I can be of any help.”

I never thought you would ask me for help. I don’t mean to ask that person to go with me. I’m not going to listen to you, but I think it’s just ruining the atmosphere. Since ancient times, the atmosphere is an important law in confession.

“waist… Bow down a little longer.”

“like this?”

What does it mean? At Tanya’s request, I lowered my waist even further and supported my knees with my arms. It is difficult to maintain for a long time, so if there is a request, I want it to be resolved quickly.

Around the time I was thinking about it, Tanya’s face came closer, and it came so close that I almost wanted to kiss her.

And then sizzle. Tanya hugged me with open arms. My head couldn’t keep up with the sudden action.

Tanya’s body, which must have been frozen in the midwinter air, was surprisingly warm. There was a strange deterrent to a series of actions that he would normally have shrugged off. The feeling that invisible chains are binding the whole body.

In that small body holding me one-sidedly while remaining silent, I could feel the determination of a warrior before leaving for the battlefield.

‘Tanya… … .’

I called out my name carefully so that she couldn’t hear me.

It was only then that the pieces of the puzzle that had been chaotically scattered in my head began to fit one by one.

But why? Even though I was looking at the fragments of the puzzle to find the shape of the original painting, I didn’t feel a single piece of joy.

A sense of helplessness and sadness as if every bone in the body were being splattered with sadness.

I had felt this sensation before. Yes, it was Sophia.

A child who first let me know that I was loved by someone. It was very similar to the sensation I felt from that girl.

As it was, for about a few seconds, the arms that were holding her were released, and Tanya, who had separated from me, raised her hands behind her back and looked up at the moon visible through the door.

“Why are you making that face? I just hugged her to gain strength before confessing.”

Faint. A smile that the usual Tanya Ansberg would never have. There was no joy, no joy, no cheerfulness in it. If you ask me what my feelings are… Well. Wouldn’t it be too much to express it in one word? At least that word doesn’t exist in the world. I could have guessed

Tanya spread her arms out like a scarecrow as if it was nothing, and circled around the secret base with precarious steps as if she were performing a trick. Tanya’s expression felt more precarious to me than that awkward step.

“Then, shall we go? Ludwig.”

I turned around and hurriedly grabbed Tanya’s hand as she tried to get out of the secret base.

If I miss it like this, I might not see her face again tomorrow. At least I thought I wouldn’t be able to go back to my old friends.

No, Tanya. I didn’t want that reaction. I didn’t want you to look so sad. I… … .

“Thank you, Tanya.”

“… … !”

I managed to pull out a voice that I was trying hard not to come up through my throat. Tanya’s body trembled and began to struggle as if to let go of her hand.

In the past, he would have let go of Tanya’s hand and sent her away. At that time, I didn’t have the strength to hold on to a woman until the end, nor the courage to sincerely accept someone’s thoughts.

But not anymore. I developed my strength to protect the people I cherish. I changed my mind and tried to get away from myself. Among those important people were not only Emilia but also Tanya.

She may not be able to give you the answer you want. Even so, even if she couldn’t convey all the true feelings she wanted to spit out. As I realized what was contained in it, I had to answer.

“I don’t know what you mean… ? Isn’t this a strange misunderstanding?”

“I know. It may be my misunderstanding.”

A bitter smile formed on her face as she pretended not to know and turned her head away. It may be an illusion. I just passed it over. I want to believe so.

But aside from that, I have something to tell you. Tanya. I don’t know if you’ll listen… I have to tell you like this

“Listen to my nonsense, Tanya. sorry. I can’t give you the answer you want.”

“… Know. you idiot.”

Her voice seemed to have put something down. There was a faint wetness in it.

it must be sad She might be crying like Sophia back then. But the thing that the cry did not reach me was her last pride.

“I don’t know if this will answer… thanks. And I’m sorry.”

“You just heard… It’s such an idiot… … .”

It was true. When I replied naturally, Tanya managed to get out of my grasp, wringing her trembling hands. This time I didn’t stop her behavior either.

Well, right now I can neither give her a handkerchief to wipe her tears nor lend her a breast. The act of giving room would be more heartbreaking than anything for Tanya now.

‘It’s difficult. What is the mind?’

It’s hard. Love is. Especially since no one is bad.

You are weak. i still I can’t even properly comfort my friend’s sadness.

You are strong. My friend is. The way you don’t want to show me your tears. To the point where I can’t even compare.

More than anything, I felt uncomfortable because you seemed to be so sad because of me.

If I had been braver a little earlier, my precious friend wouldn’t have been so heartbroken. Maybe even if I noticed your heart a little bit earlier.

The only thing that repays your heart is that one.

Do not worry about it. The me you loved and the friend you cherished. you will surely be happy No matter how long it takes, I will make it happen.

Thank you forever, Tanya. you are my best friend