Becoming the Villain’s Family - Chapter 305
Chapter 305
“The body… definitely feels different now.”
Grand Duke Valentine had just recognized the state of his own body.
God’s malice no longer scorched his mind, whispered endless evils, or summoned uncontrollable madness. Thanks to a proper balance between God’s malice and goodwill, he could now harness God’s full power.
‘So this was possible.’
He was finally free from the malice that had been consuming his life and essence. The Grand Duke closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and enjoyed the gravely silence for a moment.
“I wonder what happened to Lloyd.”
At that moment, he heard Aria’s voice nearby and moved towards the sound without hesitation. In a small room, he could hear Aria and Vincent talking.
“He must have gone to the ruined world, right?”
“It seems highly likely.”
“….”
Aria’s expression was unclear, but Vincent spoke anxiously.
“You don’t need to worry too much. If it’s Brother, he’ll survive even if he falls into hell.”
“….”
“Sorry, I got carried away.”
“Should, should I kneel, Sister-in-law?”
Aria began to sob quietly, and Vincent quickly apologized while trying to comfort her.
The Grand Duke listened to their conversation, while leaning against the wall.
‘I saved the Siren.’
The Siren, in turn, had saved Valentine and this world. Then, shouldn’t this world, this peace, and this happiness rightfully be his to enjoy?
He clenched his eyes shut, thinking of Aria crying on the other side of the room.
As night fell, Aria remembered one important fact. She and Lloyd were married.
Aside from the time of her pregnancy, they had never slept separately. But this time, it felt different.
‘Um, I guess I’ll have to sleep separately.’
Despite the Grand Duke being Lloyd and Lloyd being the Grand Duke….essentially the same yet unsettlingly different.
‘It’s as if I’m cheating.’
With determination, she entered their bedroom.
“I’m going to sleep in my own room tonight.”
“Your room?”
“When I was young, I had my own separate room.”
“Come here before I burn that room down.”
Aria doubted her ears.
‘Lloyd never talked like that, he was never so forceful.’
“….No, I don’t want to.”
She had already experienced teasing from Grand Duke Valentine, and there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.
“Lloyd isn’t forceful like that.”
“I guess I’m just not as well-mannered as your Lloyd.”
The same childhood, yet how could they be so different?
“……”
Was it because Sabina wasn’t around? Or because he grew up only under Tristan’s influence?
That….made some sense.
‘And, Tristan on his side probably went mad after passing on his malice.’
Lloyd had Sabina, a relatively stable Tristan, and Aria herself.
There’s Vincent, whose presence was uncertain in helping or not. He grew up surrounded by many who loved and cared for him, who would have died in the other world.
But the Grand Duke on the other side had no one.
Aria sighed.
“I don’t like being coerced.”
“Alright, I was wrong. Come here.”
“……”
What exactly had changed?
When she glared at him, Grand Duke Valentine lazily smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Just come over here and let’s cuddle.”
She sighed and hesitantly sat at the edge of the bed.
When had she ever won against Lloyd?
And after all…
‘I’ve seen too much.’
It was a peaceful era.
It was happiness painstakingly sown from spring onwards with the help of many, a happiness that Aria and others had struggled to cultivate.
To Valentine, all these everyday joys were now ordinary, though unimaginable in his previous life.
Even his rough manner, seemingly without consideration, was a trace of the hardships he had endured.
‘The Grand Duke never really enjoyed anything properly.’
The expression he had while looking up at the flowering trees was vividly etched in her mind.
The Grand Duke muttering while barely enduring it while observing Sabina and Tristan.. Seeing him clutch to new hopes in Sabina’s embrace, his eyes gleaming with greed.
‘Yes, that would be tempting.’
Who wouldn’t feel that way?
The peace they enjoyed could be seen as stemming from himself…
‘He’d want to seize it all.’
So, he was being patient in his own way.
‘If it’s just cuddling, well…’
Lloyd would understand.
Or wait, would he really….understand?
Hugging someone who looks exactly like him but carries different memories, thoughts, and will?
‘Lloyd would probably be jealous even of himself.’
In fact, he had said so. He could never surpass his past self who had saved Aria from the bottom so he harbored petty feelings because of it.
‘But this time, it’s Grand Duke Valentine.’
Aria looked up at the Grand Duke with wavering eyes.
“Do married couples avoid each other?”
“…”
“To have a child at this age, it seems unlikely…”
Just then, the Grand Duke’s fingers grazed the nape of her neck.
Exactly where Lloyd had left his mark before their souls had swapped, as if tracing it anew.
Caught off guard by the unexpected touch, Aria shivered.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m showing restraint.”
As Aria looked at him with wide eyes, he twisted his lips into a smirk.
“Just like you said, I haven’t touched a cigarette, haven’t even thought about alcohol or drugs. Like a well-behaved dog.”
“…”
“So, Siren, you should show restraint too.”
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