Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 104
âHis Highness being away for a couple of days isnât a big deal.â
I said it firmly, to reassure Jamie and myself.
Physically, I felt fine. But for some reason, I couldnât shake the anxiety.
Is emotional instability a side effect of the imprinting?
I tried to calm my nerves by sipping the tea Jamie brought me.
Maybe because Helios wasnât around to constantly check on me like usual, the afternoon seemed to crawl by.
Still, I tried to spend the time without him as productively as possible.
A walk with Demyr, a check-up with Benz, reorganizing the medicine drawerâI got it all done.
Demyr mentioned arranging a dinner with the Emperor soon.
Benz was steadily improving day by day. And a new bookshelf was delivered to Heliosâs room.
Jamie had organized the medicine cabinet so perfectly that there was nothing left for me to fix, so I ended up just opening and closing the drawers pointlessly.
Even after that, there was still time left.
So I sat down in the rocking chair to pass the time, when a message arrived from Nick.
âA friend of Kama Jin has come to see you. He says he has something to tell you about the death.â
A friend showing up out of nowhere⌠can I really trust that?
Iâll know once I meet him.
I tucked Nickâs note into the nightstand drawer.
And then, the night I thought would never come finally arrived.
Yawning long and wide, I slowly crawled into bed.
Strange, how even after taking a nap during the day, I could still get sleepy once it was night.
âIf anything happens, call me right away,â Jamie said, her face tense.
Sheâd been acting all brave throughout the afternoon, but I guess she was still worried.
âIf I can get through tonight and tomorrow morning, His Highness will be back. You know that. So get some good sleep too.â
What could possibly happen before then, right?
It was less than a day until Helios would return.
I fell asleep quickly.
And I had a pleasant dream.
I was standing in front of the small house I had looked at before throwing in my resignation.
In the living room of the red brick house, where a cozy garden and sturdy fruit trees had grown up to the second floor, I was rocking in a rocking chair.
The soft breeze and sunlight made it clearly spring.
But why did it feel so cold?
No, the cold wasnât the problem.
In the living room, there was a large fireplace and logs stacked up like a mountain.
I thought to myself, I should light a fire. As soon as I thought that, the fire in the fireplace flared up.
How nice it was, a dream where everything happened just as I thought. I picked up a log.
But the texture of the log felt strange. It was thinner than expected, cold, and… wriggling?
The moment I thought something was off, I threw the log forcefully into the fireplace.
And then, as if startled, I woke up with a jolt. At that moment, a sharp pain stung at the back of my neck.
âOw!â
My eyes flung open. It hurt more than any injection.
I felt something crawl up my arm. Even through the darkness, I had a vague idea of what it could be: something cold and wet, similar to the firewood I had handled in my dream.
But something like that shouldnât have been in my bedroom. There was no way something like that could have gotten in here.
Praying that it wasnât that, I slowly turned my head.
â…!â
Something unbelievable met my gaze.
It was a vibrantly colored snake, a mix of neon green and yellow, was slithering up my arm and down my thigh.
I hoped this was all still a dream.
The snake was thin and long, its scales glistening in the light of the lantern. Others might call me crazy, but it was a beautiful snake.
As soon as I thought about it, the bite tingled.
And the pain brought me back to reality.
âArgh!â
I screamed and jumped out of bed.
As if provoked by my actions, the snake raised its head and stared at me.
I had heard that some snakes could fly and bite people, and I wondered if this one had that ability.
“Iâm not as tasty as I seem. Youâve already tasted me.”
I tried to calm the snake and stepped back. At that moment, drops of blood started to trickle down my neck.
Then, my vision blurred, and I collapsed right there.
I didnât need to look to know where I had been bitten â my neck burned intensely.
The sensation of poison spreading through my body was vivid.
The heat, starting from my neck, spread to my chest and stomach, and my insides started to churn. My breath grew shallow, and I began to cough.
Then, with a final cough, blood burst out.
The bright red color stained the floor!
I covered my mouth and banged on the door.
“Jamie! Jamie!”
Even so, the coughing continued, and my body grew hotter. I felt like I was the firewood in the fireplace.
“Lady Rienna! Whatâs happened?”
The door burst open, and Jamie rushed in.
“Snake, snake, snake!”
“Jamie… I need a favor, please…”
“Ahhh! Itâs a snake! Were you bitten? Where?”
Jamie turned pale as she took in my condition and the snake on the bed.
There was something I needed to say to her, but I grabbed Jamieâs arm tightly.
Finally, our gazes met. I barely managed to move my lips.
Jamie nodded.
That was the last thing I saw. And for just a bit longer, I heard Jamieâs sobs.
