I’m a Villainess, Can I Die?

"Sir Lukas."
At my call, the silver hair that had been swirling in the air settled quietly. With a neat motion, Lukas sheathed his sword and turned around with a slightly surprised expression.

"Selina? How did you know to come here…?"
"Instinct."
Well, it wasn’t just instinct. Our first meeting had been intense enough that I wouldn’t forget the location… Lukas curled his lips slightly at my response.

"Well, it was the place where your hair got caught in the bushes, so I suppose your instincts had a reason."
That man. Right… that did happen. And then I asked Lukas to be friends, got rejected, and climbed the bell tower.
It was a bit annoying that he pointed out the part about my hair getting caught, so I almost started telling the whole story but decided against it.

It’s easier to just keep unnecessary words to myself.
"You’ve been practicing for a long time, haven’t you?"
"Yes, somehow."

Even as he answered, a bead of sweat, precariously hanging from his jaw, dropped to the ground. Lukas was drenched in sweat.
Not just that—his breathing was a little rough.
His chest was rising and falling without pause.

If a man who could take on numerous warriors without tiring had been reduced to this state, just how long had he been swinging his sword alone?
As I took a step closer, Lukas shook his head.
"I’m sweating too much. Let’s talk from there."

"…It doesn’t really bother me."
But Lukas kept shaking his head. Well, if that’s what he wanted. I shrugged and stayed in my place.
"Do you have a handkerchief?"

"It’s already soaked."
Well, considering how drenched he was, it made sense that a handkerchief wouldn’t be much help.
But still, what a pity for that handkerchief that so many people coveted—now ruined by sweat.
The faces of seven people who had shot up from their seats at the greenhouse party flashed through my mind.

If they knew about this, how heartbroken would they be?
Or maybe… they’d actually be even happier? I wasn’t sure. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my own handkerchief. Since I was wearing casual clothes today, it was easy to find.
As soon as I took out the handkerchief, Lukas, who had been smiling, suddenly looked a little awkward.

I checked if something was on it, but the handkerchief was perfectly clean. Of course, it was.
Now, how should I give it to him?
Judging the distance between us by eye, it seemed like about four big steps—or maybe three.

It felt a little off to approach someone who clearly didn’t want me to come closer… I glanced around. Lukas just stood there, watching me, waiting to see what I would do.
Finding nothing helpful nearby, I looked at myself instead and suddenly remembered my hair tie.
Today’s hair tie had a large decorative bauble attached to it. Definitely not my taste—Jane’s taste.

I pulled my hair free and held the tie in my hand. Looking at the absurdly large bauble, I realized I had worn this all day? Really?
Yeah. Let’s not follow Jane’s preferences from tomorrow. This isn’t it.
With that small resolution, I threaded my handkerchief through the hair tie. Now it looked like a makeshift shuttlecock. Satisfied, I—

Whoosh!
—threw it hard at Lukas.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

With a smooth motion, he caught it. As if by reflex, he stared at the handkerchief and hair tie in his hand before suddenly bursting into laughter.
Just as I was about to question whether laughing at someone’s goodwill was appropriate, he straightened his back and looked at me.
"You threw it so you wouldn’t have to come over?"

"And even gave it a little weight?"
"Yes."
As soon as I gave my firm reply, Lukas laughed again. Fine, whatever. Laugh all you want. He finally stopped, then pulled the handkerchief from the hair tie and wiped his sweat.

I stood still, watching him.
As expected of a male lead—even something as simple as wiping sweat looked effortless and refined. The sunlight glinted off his long silver hair.
Even drenched in sweat, he looked like someone who had just walked out of a bath.

As he pressed the handkerchief against his face, our eyes met. ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Lukas paused.
The moment stretched in silence, as if time had stopped.
…What is this? Should I say something? Just as I was about to open my mouth, a cool breeze blew past.

With it came the scent of summer grass and flowers, wrapping around me.
Ah, refreshing.
The summers here were hot, but at least the breeze was cool. No electric fans, no air conditioning, but at least there was this… A gust of wind lifted my hair, briefly obscuring my vision. When it settled, I saw—

Lukas, standing right in front of me.
So he had moved while my vision was blocked.
Wow, he’s fast. And quiet.

But seriously, he told me not to come near, yet he could approach me just fine?
Despite his concern about sweat, he didn’t smell bad at all. If anything, he had a crisp, fresh scent, like the summer breeze itself.
Sweaty but still looking clean, no bad odor, even smells nice… Male lead perks really are something.

With that pointless thought, I looked up at Lukas. He was smiling. Faintly.
But his eyes weren’t.
The bright sunlight poured down on him, yet because he was tilting his head slightly, a shadow fell across his face.

The contrast between his shadowed expression and his unamused eyes made me unconsciously hold my breath.
Slowly, Lukas raised a hand. Carefully, he tucked back a few stray strands of my hair. Maybe because his own hair was long, his touch was oddly natural.
"Excuse me for a moment."

He spoke casually, then stepped behind me. I let out a small breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and stared at the empty space where he had just stood.
Soon, I felt his hands in my hair again.
Judging by the weight and movement, he was braiding it.

The male lead, a genius knight, the vice-commander of a ducal knight order… was braiding my hair.
The thought was so ridiculous I almost laughed.
"So, why did you come looking for me?"

His movements were so comfortable that I nearly dozed off. My eyelids, which had been getting heavy, snapped open at his question.
Oh, right. I had come here with a purpose.
"I wanted to discuss something regarding Priest Ian."

"Priest Ian?"
"Yes."
Lukas remained silent for a moment. Judging by the speed of his hands, he was almost done braiding my hair. I decided to give him a moment to focus and kept my mouth shut.

I felt his hands leave my hair, and then he patted my shoulder. That meant he was finished.
"What’s the issue?"
Lukas spoke from behind me.

Talking with our backs to each other… It felt like we were playing some kind of train game. Well, whatever. As long as we could talk, it didn’t matter.
I shrugged lightly and continued.
"The High Priest sent a letter telling Priest Ian to return. But Priest Ian wants to stay here… It seems he’s struggling with the idea of going against the High Priest, who is basically his benefactor."

"That is a problem."
"Yes. That’s why I want to call the High Priest here and convince him."
Lukas’s hand on my shoulder tilted slightly. At the same time, he leaned forward, his face peeking over my shoulder.

"Call him?"
His tone was calm, but his expression had shifted into something more villainous again, as if he had found something amusing. I didn’t mind and simply nodded.
"Yes. Call him."

The title "High Priest" sounded fancy, but in reality, he was just a step above the other priests. He wasn’t someone with overwhelming influence.
It couldn’t be helped. In this world, the temple seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
For that reason, it was possible to send the High Priest a letter—an invitation that was actually a request to visit.

"It is an honor to be invited, Lady Selina."
"The honor is mine. Thank you for accepting."
With brief pleasantries exchanged, the High Priest and I walked together toward the reception room. The ones hosting him were Ian and me.

My parents, Aaron, or even Lukas could have handled this meeting, but I was the one who had decided to call the High Priest, and everyone else was busy preparing for the upcoming founding festival in two weeks. So, I took it upon myself.
Ian, sitting beside me, looked slightly tense. Considering how much he respected the High Priest, it was understandable.
"Ian, you look well."

"I’m glad to see that you are well, too, High Priest."
The High Priest’s voice was as gentle as could be while exchanging greetings with Ian. His face matched his voice—at first glance, he seemed like an incredibly kind and warm person.
"Haha, I’ve always been healthy. More importantly, have you considered my letter?"

As he spoke, he glanced at me briefly before quietly picking up his teacup. His throat must have been dry. Ian, on the other hand, stiffened slightly and looked at me.
I gave him a small nod.
Of course, I could have spoken on Ian’s behalf and argued that he should stay here, but it was better for him to say it himself.

Ian nodded back and turned to face the High Priest again. Though his lips were tense with nerves, there was determination in his eyes.
"Yes, High Priest. I want to stay here."
The High Priest looked at Ian with slight surprise.

"You don’t want to return with me…?"
"…No."
It seemed he hadn’t expected this response at all. Did he assume he could just come here and take Ian back with him?

The High Priest looked too startled, while Ian gazed down at his teacup with guilt. Seeing this, I decided to step in.
"High Priest, Priest Ian is an essential presence in the ducal house."
"Pardon?"

At my sudden statement, both of them turned their eyes to me.
Well, I was used to countless eyes being on me. The gaze of just two people was nothing. I nonchalantly shrugged and continued.
"To start with, I am rather frail.

So, I spend a lot of time bedridden. For someone like me, Priest Ian is like medicinal herbs. If I want to leave my bed, I need him."
It was an exaggerated claim, but not entirely false. Walking four steps would leave me winded, and climbing the spiral staircase to my room would have me gasping for breath.
My terrible stamina made itself known to me every single day, but… I didn’t bother exercising. Exercise required determination, and I used up all my willpower just waking up in the morning.

In that sense, Ian was truly indispensable in my life.
"…Like medicinal herbs?"
"Yes. Like medicinal herbs."

"Oh. Medicinal herbs."
That was the order in which the three of us spoke—first the High Priest, then me, then Ian.