Saving You, Villain - Side Story Part 9

“Liv, push harder!”

A high-pitched voice cut through the wide field. I barely had time to wipe the sweat dripping down my chin as I used all my strength to push Sherry’s back again. Whoosh! The wooden swing traced a high arc through the air, and Sherry’s loud, carefree laughter filled my ears.

As the swing came back towards me, I braced myself. If I slacked off even a little, Sherry would somehow notice and scold me. With a grunt, I gave her back another strong push. As she kicked her short legs in the air, she suddenly leaned forward and jumped off with a great leap.

She had launched herself from an alarming height, and my eyes widened in shock.

“Sherry! Hey—!”

But this was no time to worry about Sherry. The empty swing swung back and struck me hard in the forehead. My vision flashed white, and a sharp pain reverberated through my skull.

“Hahaha! Liv, are you dumb? You got hit by a swing!” Sherry teased.

“Ouch… Sherry, are you okay?”

“Me? Why wouldn’t I be? You think I’m as clumsy as you? Stop whining and hurry up! It’s time to draw now!”

“…Yeah, I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Tears welled up in my eyes from the pain. As I hunched over, clutching my forehead, I couldn’t help but reflect on how I ended up in this situation.

Three days ago, Sherry’s parents, the Nells, came to visit, laden with homemade food. I quickly realized they had something to ask, as they kept glancing at me, unsure how to start. Not wanting to prolong their discomfort, I spoke first.

“Are you here because of Sherry?”

I remembered Debra once telling me that the Nells had managed to get tickets to an opera they’d been longing to see for years. The story was famous in town: before they were married, after watching the same performance, Mr. Nells had proposed to Mrs. Nells by awkwardly singing an aria from the opera.

The opera had not been performed for nearly 30 years after a poor initial reception, but this year, a new director was staging a fresh version of the production.

“Oh… you caught on. Sherry’s a bit of a handful, so we were embarrassed to ask, but she’s not a bad girl.”

“I know, don’t worry. You should go enjoy the performance.”

“Are you sure? Thank you, Liv. Sherry listens to Camian well, so that helps… but where is Camian, by the way?”

Mrs. Nells glanced around the house. I scratched my cheek, fumbling for the excuse I had prepared.

“I, uh, started coughing again last night, so he went to the neighboring village to get some new medicine. He’ll be gone for a few days.”

Their faces filled with sympathy, and they exchanged a look as though they regretted asking me.

“Oh dear. We shouldn’t have asked. We’ll see if we can find someone else to help. You should rest.”

“No, it’s fine! After a full night’s sleep, I feel much better. I can watch Sherry.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, we’ll only be gone for two days. After that, Leo will come to take care of her.”

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

I smiled at them and glanced out the window beside them. The bright summer day outside should have been pleasant, but I couldn’t enjoy it. My mind was filled with thoughts of Camian walking across the green grass, returning to our home.

It had been a week since Camian left to resolve the time distortion. Without him, I felt restless, as if time itself had slowed to a crawl, stretching every hour into what felt like years. Even after exercising in the morning, meticulously cleaning the house, and wandering around the farm looking for things to do, the days dragged on endlessly.

If it weren’t for the promise I made—no reckless actions—I would have chased after him. But that promise held me back, making me feel like I had lost him all over again. Damn it.

What’s the use in regretting it now? He’s already gone.

Rather than sitting around, waiting for Camian in this house, it was probably better to spend my time keeping up with Sherry, exhausting as it might be.

So, I agreed to help the Nells. But there was one thing I hadn’t considered: Sherry’s passionate love for Camian.

The innocent love of a young girl burns hotter than fire, and her resolve is stronger than a general on the battlefield. A single word from the boy she likes can make her laugh for days or cry for nights. Love, for a girl like her, was everything.

And I was in a relationship with Camian, the object of her affection. Though we hadn’t kept our relationship a secret from the villagers, Sherry had picked up on the shift between us as well.

“Yellow paint!! There’s no yellow paint! Waaah! Go get it, now!”

Sherry flailed on the floor, kicking with all her might. The palette flew from her hands, the water container spilled over, and the room turned into chaos in an instant.

Sigh… Just the thought of calming Sherry down and then cleaning up this mess drained me. I had to keep my cool.

From the first day, Sherry had been glaring at me like I was her worst enemy, deliberately doing things to frustrate and exhaust me. She was the lawless ruler of this house.

I knelt beside her, sitting on my heels.

“We’re out of yellow paint, Sherry. When Leo gets here, we can ask him to buy some.”

Of course, we’re out of yellow, the one color I can’t mix myself. Swallowing the sigh that wanted to escape, I set the spilled water container upright.

“Nothing goes right because of you, Liv! I don’t want to play with you anymore!”

Sherry jumped up, stomping loudly as she stormed out of the room. I called after her, shouting at her retreating figure.

“Sherry, where are you going?! Your clothes are soaked; you need to change!”

But she didn’t even acknowledge my words. Staring at the door she had disappeared through, I tugged at my hair in frustration. If Camian were here, this wouldn’t be so difficult. I had thought taking care of Sherry would help distract me from missing him, but instead, every minute and second made me miss him even more.

“I should’ve ignored my promise and just followed him.”

Whatever this time distortion issue is, why couldn’t I go with him? Why did he insist I stay behind? When Camian had sternly told me “no,” I couldn’t help but feel hurt. Actually… I was really hurt.

“Just wait until you get back,” I muttered to myself as I grabbed a set of dry clothes for Sherry.

“Sniff… waaah.”

Sherry was sitting on the couch, hugging her knees, her face buried in her arms. Seeing her small body curled up like that, sobbing, the annoyance I’d felt melted into sympathy.

How do I console such a fragile heart? I quietly approached and sat beside her.

“Don’t sit! Don’t come near me!”

Her sharp voice exploded like thunder, and I quickly stood back up.

“Oh, s-sorry.”

I didn’t even know why I was apologizing, but when she screamed at me with her tear-streaked face, I instinctively became submissive.

“I hate you, Liv! You can’t even push a swing properly, you can’t make yellow paint, and you took Camian away from me! Waaah!”

“No, Sherry, I didn’t take Camian away….”

He’s the one who came after me! I thought, but saying that would just add fuel to the fire. I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to calm her down.

“Remember when you told me to take care of Camian until you’re grown up?”

“Sniff, yeah…”

“That’s what I’m doing. I’m just making sure no one else takes him until you’re ready.”

Sherry sniffled again, looking up at me. She was still tearful, but the sharp hostility in her eyes had softened.

“R-really?”

I smiled and nodded exaggeratedly. Sherry’s face brightened like a spring flower blooming in the sunlight.

“So, you need to eat well and grow up fast, Sherry.”

“You won’t change your mind and keep Camian for yourself, will you?”

…Well, now and in the future, Camian is staying firmly by my side, but for the sake of peace with Sherry, I had no choice but to agree. I’ll just have to make sure Camian does something silly in front of her later to shatter her fantasies about him.

Sherry stopped crying, her face lighting up with a mischievous smile as if she were imagining something exciting. Then, out of nowhere, she threw herself into my arms.

“I love you, Liv!”

Though I felt guilty for lying, I decided to deal with the consequences later. I wrapped my arms around Sherry and hugged her back.

“Sherry! Liv!”

The door suddenly burst open, and a booming voice echoed through the house. Leo entered, proudly carrying a massive backpack that was almost as big as he was. Sherry darted toward him like a bird, flinging herself into his arms.

“Whoa, Sherry. You’ve grown since last year!”

“Yup! I’m going to be an adult soon!”

“How do you expect to grow up when you won’t even eat broccoli?!”

Tom, who had been hiding behind Leo, jumped out and teased Sherry with his mischievous voice. Sherry narrowed her eyes and stepped out of Leo’s arms. With a calm demeanor, she grabbed the broom that was leaning against the door. The way she gripped it with her small hands suggested she had done this more than once.

“Ahh! Witch!”

Without a word, Sherry chased after Tom, determined to show him with action rather than words. As the kids noisily ran around the house, Leo suddenly came up to me and pulled me into a quick hug.

“I missed you, Liv.”

“Yeah, it must’ve been tiring coming all this way. Go ahead and unpack first.”

It was just a brief hug in greeting, but I couldn’t help glancing around, as if Camian might suddenly appear. If he had seen this, there’s a good chance Leo would’ve faced Camian’s burning glare.

After the whirlwind of greetings, we all gathered around the sofa for a little tea time. Sherry and Tom both managed to spill their milk at least once, so we had to change the tablecloth and eat soggy cookies.

“I heard from Mr. Corner on the way here. Camian’s in the neighboring village?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“When’s he coming back? I’d like to say goodbye before I head back to the capital.”

“Not sure…”

I wish I knew. When is that guy coming back? Normally, he’d return within a day, but now he’s been gone nearly ten days. I’m dying to see him again.

“Did he run away because he doesn’t like you?”

Tom asked innocently.

“That’s not it.”

“Yes, it is! My dad said he’d like to get away from Mom for ten days, too!”

“I’m sure your mom feels the same way. But no, Camian’s not like that at all.”

Who is Camian? He’s the kind of guy who can’t stand being away from me for even a moment. Even if I toss and turn in bed because I need to use the bathroom at night, he insists on coming with me.

“Hmph! You just don’t know. If you told him you wanted to live apart for a month, he’d be thrilled! Right, Leo?”

Tom looked at Leo with wide, sparkling eyes. I turned to Leo, who scratched the back of his head as if deep in thought.

“Some of my friends who married early do complain about similar things…”

“See! I told you I was right! Liv doesn’t know anything!”