The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 115
Back then.
It was part of the most hellish time in Erica’s short life.
A moment when she couldn’t trust others, when love was beyond her grasp.
It was the day just a few days after Laila, Erica’s long-time attendant and motherly figure, had been murdered by Vargan.
Erica was trembling violently.
She was huddled in bed, covering herself and her stuffed dolls with a blanket.
Thirteen-year-old Erica, shivering as if stricken with a severe cold.
Her black eyes were lifeless, rejecting everything the world had to offer.
Far off on the bed lay a cat doll that Vargan had gifted her, tossed aside.
Her mind replayed, as if on its own, the nightmare of that day.
“Laila… Laila…!”
Over and over.
Again, and again.
“No, no, no, no…”
No matter how much she cried and tried to forget.
The imprint only grew stronger, suffocating her.
“No, no! Please, stop, Vargan…!”
Laila.
Please don’t kill Laila!
In her hallucinations, she screamed endlessly.
Caught in the endless repetition of purgatory, Laila was killed by Vargan.
Again, and again.
Over and over.
“Ahhhhh⎯⎯!”
…….
⎯Knock, knock.
Erica was still frozen in terror, all the lights in her room extinguished.
Someone knocked at her door.
Even without hearing the voice behind the door, Erica knew who it was.
“Erica. May I come in?”
Carefully, the doorknob turned, and a woman entered.
It was Lilians, Erica’s mother.
She had come to check on Erica, as she did every day, to comfort her.
Upon entering, Lilians noticed the discarded cat doll in the corner and the cold, untouched food.
Erica had skipped her meal once again.
Her appearance had grown visibly thinner as the days went by.
“……”
Lilians sighed in concern and approached the bed.
It wasn’t until Lilians came right to the edge of the bed that Erica finally lifted her face, as if barely aware of her presence, only to drop it back down again.
Lilians felt a pang of sorrow seeing Erica like this.
“How are you feeling today?”
“……”
“The weather outside is lovely. Why don’t we go for a walk, even if just a short one?”
“……”
Lilians’ words didn’t move Erica.
She had become part of the mass of dolls surrounding her.
Like there was nothing inside but stuffing.
She couldn’t connect with the world outside.
Lilians didn’t force her out or drag her along.
She simply sat beside her, sometimes chatting softly, sometimes simply staying quiet.
Recently, Lilians’ days had been devoted to Erica.
That day was no different.
Checking on Erica’s condition, she spoke to her, washed her, changed her clothes.
Then she would sit in the nearby chair, reading aloud from the fairy tales and books Erica had loved as a child.
Whenever Erica let out terrified screams or repeated the same phrases in panic, Lilians would hold her close, letting Erica listen to her heartbeat to soothe her.
The calming scent of aromatherapy oils, known for their relaxing effects, emanated from Lilians’ embrace, helping Erica calm down enough to fall asleep.
… Lilians put endless effort into helping Erica.
No attendants were allowed near Erica.
Anything that could remind her of Laila had been removed.
Lilians did everything on her own without relying on anyone else’s help.
Despite that, she never once expressed that she was tired or showed any signs of exhaustion.
She always smiled, always gentle.
She took care of Erica with unwavering devotion.
Perhaps because of that devotion, Erica gradually began to recover.
She no longer screamed or had fits of hysteria.
There were even days when she managed to move her body and go for a walk, and she was able to eat small amounts of food.
At one point, Erica even started a conversation first, which moved Lilians to tears.
It wasn’t surprising that watching Erica’s recovery became the sole purpose of Lilians’ life.
…….
Then, one day, something incomprehensible happened.
“Vargan has come to see you. How about meeting with him?”
Amazingly, it was Lilians who said this to Erica.
As easily as if suggesting a walk on a nice day, she said those words, and Erica could only stare at her mother with wide eyes.
Everything that had happened to Erica was because Vargan had mercilessly killed Laila.
The blade from that day was still lodged deep in Erica’s heart.
Erica knew her mother had removed every trace of Laila, so it was hard to believe what she had just heard.
“He’s remorseful. He hasn’t said it in words, but I’m sure he wants to apologize to our Erica.”
Hearing this much, the thought that surfaced in Erica’s mind was <the family and money>.”
Could it be, even after everything that happened?
Even knowing what she had become?
Was her mother trying to maintain this engagement?
“How, how… how could…”
“My sweet little fairy. Don’t worry.”
Lilians embraced Erica, who had begun trembling, gently stroking her head, just as always, transferring her warmth.
Erica inhaled her mother’s familiar scent.
It helped her strained mind stay afloat.
For the sake of the family’s interests?
No.
That couldn’t be it.
Her mother would never do that.
Her mother’s eyes held no deceit.
Her mother’s words carried only sincerity for her, not for the family.
But… but still.
What was this situation?
It couldn’t be for personal gain. Erica knew too well the sincerity and affection her mother had shown her up until now.
This was different from being betrayed by Vargan.
Vargan had turned cruel, openly rejecting her, exuding malice.
But her mother remained unchanged.
With love in her eyes, Lilians spoke to Erica.
“This is all for you, my dear.”
As if hypnotized, her words sounded almost like faith.
“Everything will be resolved perfectly.”
Amidst the incomprehensible situation and overwhelming warmth, Erica felt an unsettling chill toward her mother for the first time.
“My lovely little fairy. Erica.”
***
After reading Vargan’s letter, Erica deliberated for about an hour before going to meet him.
He was still by the lakeside.
It seemed he had stood there for hours, staring at the lake, which reflected the blue moonlight.
It wasn’t like him waiting or wasting time.
“You came.”
“……”
Without replying, Erica approached him.
She had to tilt her head up because of their height difference, but she walked close enough to reach out and touch him.
Vargan, watching her, asked.
“Does you coming here mean I can take it that you’ve accepted my proposal?”
Erica answered with a grumble.
She seemed slightly better; her complexion having improved somewhat after a bit of rest. Her emotions, which had been muted, were beginning to show color again.
“Proposal? Oh, that strange letter? What was that all about?”
“You left without hearing me out, so I wrote it down to make my intentions clear.”
“……”
“Ah, or were you asking about the letter itself?”
Vargan shrugged his shoulders with a sly expression.
The letterhead he had sent to Erica was quite similar to the one Erica had kept.
It was meticulously pieced together from shredded fragments, even down to the crinkled texture.
“I thought the usual format would be boring. I recreated it as an apology for tearing up our old letters. You seem to like it more than I expected.”
“… like it, huh.”
Erica had been quite surprised, thinking there was no way Vargan could have known that she still kept the letter from back then.
Looking at this man’s sly reaction, it was hard to judge if he knew or not and left her wondering.
That, however, was a matter for later.
“You claim you can cure my mother’s condition?”
The letter Vargan sent detailed a method for alleviating her anxiety symptoms.
It also explained the structure of the <voice> and how it could influence people.
However, the letter left out what exactly the voice was or why it had occurred.
The more she read, the more questions arose, and many parts felt incomplete.
Erica, who had initially left, returned to hear more about it in detail.
Even a sliver of hope seemed better than doing nothing.
Vargan nodded and responded.
“Yes. When you understand the structure of the <voice>, it’s not difficult to solve.”
His proposal was as follows:
Currently, Lillians was overly dependent on the voice, and the sudden disappearance of it caused the problem.
So, instead of taking it away all at once, it needed to be gradually reduced.
Let her hear a <fake voice> and slowly decrease its frequency.
Over time, Lillians would adapt to the new rhythm, and if she followed through until the end, she could improve to the point where she wouldn’t feel anxious without hearing the fake voice.
After hearing this, Erica spoke with a dubious expression.
“To make her hear this fake voice, you have to use your curse magic, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be me using the curse magic but considering the reputation of the Portlet family and the difficulty of finding a skilled curse magician, I’m the best option.”
To be honest, Erica didn’t care much about the reputation of the Portlet family.
To her, her mother’s health was far more important than the family name.
What concerned Erica was the use of Vargan’s curse magic.
If not Vargan, she would have to find another magician, but…
It would take considerable time to find a magician proficient in curse magic, and during that time, her mother might act unpredictably.
On the other hand, Vargan, standing here, had an unsettling amount of information and was a skilled curse magician.
Logically, it made sense to ask Vargan.
… however, the thought of entrusting a matter directly related to her mother to Vargan was a significant source of anxiety.
After a moment of thought, Erica spoke calmly.
She needed some information to help her make a decision.
“I need to ask you a few things.”
“Go ahead.”
What Erica wanted to address was the parts of Vargan’s explanation that were either omitted intentionally or not.
“What exactly is the voice? And how were you so sure my mother was hearing it?”
If the voice was trying to control her mother’s actions, there must have been a reason.
Who was behind it, and for what purpose?
Additionally, how did Schugenhartz know more about her mother’s condition than even she did, when he should have only heard about her illness?
Erica, who had been suspicious of Vargan’s recent behavior, momentarily recalled Alicia’s incident and the events of the final exam, but she pushed the thoughts aside.
Right now, she wanted to focus on her mother’s situation.
… and one last question.
“What’s in it for you?”
Schugenhartz only acted when there was something in it for him.
If the gain wasn’t significant, he wouldn’t bother going to such lengths or showing this much interest.
If Schugenhartz stood to benefit, then the situation must be to his advantage.
In a way, it was better for him to have clear gains. At least that way, there could be room for negotiation.
But the answer she received was.
“First, as for the answers to your first two questions, I cannot tell you.”
… what?
The reason that followed was equally unconvincing.
“Because it’s not something you should know right now. I can only answer your last question.”
He then gave his answer.
“There’s no benefit to me.”
Vargan added that if Erica was referring to material gains, there were none.
For Erica, his additional explanation was unnecessary.
She spoke.
“Are you messing with me?”
Erica’s gaze, which had begun to soften, sharpened and bore into Vargan.
It was absurd enough that he wouldn’t explain the reasons, but now he was saying it was something she shouldn’t know yet?
And no benefit?
Ridiculous!
“Of all people, you expect me to believe that?”
Even if he hadn’t answered the first two questions properly, if she knew what he stood to gain, the conversation could have moved forward.
There could have been room for negotiation.
But Vargan chose not to pursue that.
He didn’t use his usual cunning words to sway others with his logic.
Nor did he provide solid reasons or evidence.
“… Erica.”
Vargan, observing Erica’s visible thoughts and emotions, quietly opened his mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you from the beginning?”
“….”
“How much do you trust me?”
Vargan declared that even if he saved Lillians, he would never use it to extort something later.
He also promised that this matter would remain solely between him and Erica.
… strange.
It was all too strange.
Right now, he seemed illogical. Or was he deliberately presenting himself that way?
But why? Revealing the truth would give him a clearer advantage, so why go to such lengths?
……
Regardless, he was surely hiding something.
He must be trying to gain something behind the scenes. He had to be.
He wasn’t revealing his true intentions…!
Lost in thought, Erica raised her head and shouted, fully expressing her view of Vargan.
“Schugenhartz! Don’t try to fool me. What’s your real goal here? If you want to negotiate, at least try to convince me. That’s what you’re good at!”
“… a goal. A goal, huh.”
Their eyes met.
Vargan’s eyes were as calm as ever. Under the moonlight, they reflected like the surface of a gentle, shimmering lake.
Soon, his lips parted.
There was no sneer, no arrogant expression.
His voice was clear, and as Erica’s eyes widened in shock, ripples formed on the smooth surface of her emotions.
What he said was an emotional statement, far from logical, and a truth Erica found hard to accept.
“I want to help you.”
It was a fragment of an emotion he had held onto for a long time but had never revealed.
“That’s all there is.”
It was the genuine will of the original owner of his body, one of the two souls inhabiting him.
And, simultaneously, it was the regret of the one fading away.