Saving You, Villain - Chapter 95

“Do you perhaps have a twin sister?”

“What?”

Camian, who had insisted on washing my face with a damp cloth instead of letting me do it myself, suddenly spoke in an unfamiliar tone. It wasn’t that it didn’t suit him, but the stiffness in his expression made it incredibly awkward. I tilted my head, still sleepy, and Camian, removing strands of hair stuck to my cheek, continued.

“If not, then you must be the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Pfft!”

I couldn’t help it—I burst into laughter. Wow, that woke me up. I doubled over, clutching my stomach as I giggled, while Camian’s face turned as red as a ripe apple. I wiped tears from my eyes and looked up at him.

“I didn’t even answer whether I had a twin sister.”

“Do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then you must be—”

“Stop it! Hahaha!”

He’d been staying up all night reading romance novels by my side, and now he’d picked up some ridiculous lines from them.

“…In the novel, the human woman felt deeply loved after hearing that.”

Camian looked genuinely serious, confused that my reaction wasn’t what he’d expected.

“Oh really?”

I tugged him closer by the collar and planted kisses on his cheeks. I smiled up at him, and finally, Camian smiled back.

“Do you like it?” he asked in a low voice.

“Is this what you meant when you said you’d teach me about romance?”

“Yeah, the books say you should keep saying and doing things that your lover would like, so their affection doesn’t fade.”

“And who said that?”

“Andrea.”

Camian said it as if it were obvious. I remembered Andrea—he was a notorious womanizer in one of the romance novels I had read. Camian was treating this fictional Casanova as if he were a profound philosopher, mimicking his lines and actions faithfully.

I didn’t stop him, though. Why? Because it was entertaining.

One late night, Camian gently shook me awake. Still half-asleep, I squinted at him, probably feeling grumpy. As I tried to roll over, Camian leaned in close, his lips brushing my ear.

“Would you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”

“What are you even talking about?”

I grumbled, pulling the blanket over my head. The persistent whispering stopped abruptly. The silence that followed gradually soothed my drowsy irritation, and curiosity started to creep in. I peeked back over the blanket. Camian was sitting at the edge of the bed, head hung low, looking dejected.

“Camian.”

As soon as I called him, his eyes sparkled as he looked up at me, as if he hadn’t been sulking a moment ago. Then he said,

“The night air isn’t too cold, and the moonlight is bright. We should go outside and dance now.”

His words were so unexpected that I frowned in confusion.

“Dance?”

Camian grabbed the romance novel from the bedside table. When had he even brought that here?

“The lovers in the story danced under the moonlight in secret.”

It was a love story about noble heirs. Unlike them, we had no reason to sneak around, so we could dance in broad daylight without a problem—but Camian didn’t seem to grasp that. Besides, I wasn’t a noble heir.

“I don’t even know how to dance.”

“Leave it to me.”

Camian flashed a confident smile. How could anyone say no to that face? As soon as I agreed, he lifted me into his arms with ease.

A full moon hung high above us, casting its cool light over the quiet street. I looked at the long shadows stretching beneath us, gripping Camian’s collar tightly.

“Are you cold?”

“No.”

He carefully set me down. As my feet touched the ground, reality hit me—What am I doing? I was just asleep a minute ago. But when I saw Camian gazing at me with so much love in his eyes, my heart swelled with excitement.

“Put your hand on my shoulder… Yes, just like that. May I hold your waist?”

“Why are you even asking? And by the way, do you really know how to dance?”

I asked, sounding a little doubtful. Camian closed his mouth and nodded with determination.

“I learned from the book.”

“And you’ve seen it done…?”

“Well… not exactly.”

“Just say no.”

Camian chuckled, his deep laughter echoing in the dim street. “What’s so funny?” I grumbled, but somehow, a smile crept across my face as well. In that moment, I felt a sense of defeat. How could everything Camian did seem so endearing? They say the one who falls deeper in love loses, and I felt like I had completely lost to Camian.

“When I step back, you just need to bring your right foot forward, like this.”

“Are you sure we’re doing this right?”

I moved my feet as Camian instructed, but something felt off. It felt like we were simply holding hands and shuffling back and forth, nothing more. It was awkward and clunky.

Instead of a grand orchestra playing, we danced to the sound of chirping crickets. The thought of how ridiculous we must look crossed my mind, and I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

“Pfft, hahaha!”

I stopped moving and burst into laughter. Camian quickly pulled me into his arms, and I buried my face into his chest, still giggling with delight.

“I followed the book exactly. Was it wrong?”

I looked up at Camian, whose voice, tinged with disappointment, came from above my head.

“Yeah, I think you got it completely wrong.”

“….”

Camian fell silent, his earlier enthusiasm deflating. I felt a bit guilty, so I gently teased him.

“Didn’t the book mention anything else after the dancing?”

Camian looked confused.

“Was it just dancing under the moonlight, hiding from others’ eyes, and then nothing?”

As I asked again, I felt his gaze become more intense. Softly, his fingers brushed my hair behind my ear.

“No.”

“Then what?”

His expression shifted, and the playful look disappeared. His eyes darkened with unmistakable desire as he stared at me. I couldn’t help but chuckle again at his seriousness.

Warm, large hands cupped my cheeks. I slowly closed my eyes, rising up on my toes, expecting him to lean in. Instead, Camian scooped me up into his arms, holding me securely. Then, gently, he pressed his lips to mine.

Everything about that moment was beautiful—the cool, refreshing night air, the full moon casting its light on the quiet street, the soft chirping of the crickets, the warmth of our bodies, and his lips. Camian. I savored the moment with all my senses, utterly content.

But this happiness brought with it a dangerous consequence. For the first time, I began to feel a desire to live. Until now, I had been indifferent to life, but Camian made me want more.

Even the pain that seemed endless eventually came to an end. It felt as though all my nerve cells had died. My senses dulled, and the only thing still fighting for life was my heart. I lay helplessly in bed, quietly aware of the life slowly fading from me.

“Don’t go, Liv. Please don’t leave me. Don’t leave me alone in this world, I beg you….”

Camian pressed his tear-soaked face against my cheek, pleading with me. My heart ached. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face, mixing with his.

Death had never scared me before. I had always been ready for it, prepared to accept it whenever it came. That was true—until I fell in love with Camian.

But now… death terrified me. The thought of leaving him and being trapped in eternal darkness was horrifying beyond words. I was scared. So, so scared.

As I stood on the brink of death, I felt weaker than ever before. And in my fear, I said something I never should have. Something I would soon regret.

“I don’t want to die… I’m so scared, Camian. Promise me you’ll save me. Don’t let me rot in the ground.”

“I promise. I promise, Liv. Whatever you want, I’ll do it. Just stay with me.”

Camian’s words, his desperate promise, were the last thing I heard before I closed my eyes. His sobs lingered in my ears, tearing through the silence. Because of those words I uttered like a final plea, Camian lived in despair for centuries.

While Camian spent hundreds of years in misery, my soul irresponsibly left my body and wandered the universe for a long time. I reincarnated shortly after, but as fate would have it, Camian summoned me back to the past, stripping me of all memories of him.

It wasn’t until after my fourth death that I realized the truth. This story wasn’t about me trying to stop Camian from descending into darkness.

It was the story of how Camian sacrificed everything to keep me alive. And he had failed again. I had ended my own life, just as I had done before.

A painful emptiness spread through my heart, tears falling like raindrops. Just then, an unbearably bright light began pulling at my soul.

The time for reincarnation had come. The frozen cogs of time had started turning again.

I couldn’t resist the pull of the light. But I fought desperately to hold onto my memories, unwilling to let them slip away. I didn’t want to forget Camian. Even if it meant living a life full of pain, it was nothing compared to the agony Camian had endured.

“Camian, Camian…”

The light swallowed me, and everything turned white. I was falling, fast, and before I could catch my breath, thud! I felt a solid impact.

“Haa… Haa…”

As the blinding light faded, my vision returned. I lay still, breathing heavily. The faint orange glow of a nearby lamp illuminated the dark room. I blinked, trying to process my surroundings.

“What… is this?”

As my heart rate slowly calmed, I realized where I was. I had died, I was sure of it. I could still remember the cold blade piercing my neck. I gingerly touched my left side, where the wound had been. But instead of the torn flesh I expected, all I felt was smooth skin.

Cautiously, I sat up. Thud. Something heavy fell onto my lap.

“Oh…”

It was the burgundy-colored book I had read so many times before: The Return of the Savior. But now, the pages were blank, the words vanished as if by magic.

Tuk, tuk.

Tears began to fall onto the empty pages, leaving round stains.

“I’m back. I’ve come back.”

But not to Camian’s world. I had returned to my original world, to my life as Lee Heewon, no longer Liv Klein. A flood of sorrow overwhelmed me, and I sobbed uncontrollably. I had returned to a world without Camian.