The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 129

Mental preparation—is that even possible? Until death, I would never be prepared for the moment Luwen would leave.

“…Am I the most important to you?”

“Of course. So don’t worry and have your breakfast first. I prepared a light menu for you to eat comfortably.”

Luwen led me. Now that I think about it, since reuniting with adult Luwen, he had been leading me most of the time.

“How important am I?”

I asked as I followed his steps.

“More than my life—would you believe me if I said that?”

I feel the same. You’re the most important to me.

If I had to choose just one between the two of us, I would choose Luwen without any hesitation. But as much as my heart swelled, my uneasiness grew equally.

‘I wish Luwen would prioritize himself…’

The current me was living essentially to prevent his death. Luwen staying healthy and well was the way to keep my heart whole.

“I believe you. So don’t overdo it. You said you’d protect me, right? Then you need to stay by my side.”

Luwen, who had gone down the stairs first, stopped and turned around. With a lovely smile, he reached out his hand to me unfailingly today as well. It seemed like a substitute for an answer, so I took his hand while inwardly muttering nonsensical excuses like “a fake illness is still an illness.”

On the first-floor dining table was a salad I loved and soup that had been simmered until the ingredients were soft.

“There’s bread too, but since you don’t usually eat it in the morning, this much should be fine, right?”

“Yes. Looks delicious.”

I picked up a spoon and scooped some soup. I also used a fork to stab some vegetables mixed with sauce. It was a familiar taste.

“Luwen.”

“Yes?”

“If, later, you find someone else important besides me—”

“That won’t happen.”

Luwen cut me off. He casually makes my heart flutter, then scoops a bit more salad onto my plate.

“Eat plenty.”

“Aren’t you curious about what I was going to say?”

“When the premise is something that won’t happen, why should I be curious?”

The future is unknowable. Someone might suddenly appear and firmly plant themselves in Luwen’s heart. So firmly that no matter how hard I try to uproot them, I couldn’t.

“A person’s heart is something you can’t be certain about. No one knows when or how it might change.”

I was an excellent example of this. So I just wished he would agree. That maybe someday his feelings might change.

Why does he keep acting in ways that make me misunderstand? What if I get greedy—how will he handle it?

“I agree with that statement.”

…I heard what I wanted, yet my heart ached.

“But no one can become more important to me than you, Young Master. Because I only have one life.”

I couldn’t help but put down my fork at his words accompanied by a refreshing smile. I just learned that Luwen also has the talent to make me feel full without eating.

‘He keeps lifting me up and dropping me…’

The fact that even this kind of emotional rollercoaster is enjoyable suggests I’m already too far gone. Afraid my expression might loosen into a silly grin, I tensed my cheeks.

“Don’t go around saying things like that. People might misunderstand.”

I joked playfully to ensure that even if my expression loosened, it wouldn’t look strange. It was just a simple joke, but…

“I don’t mind being misunderstood. I don’t feel the need to hide the truth because of others’ views.”

…This is driving me crazy. Why does he keep doing this?

No, come to think of it, he’s always been like this. In the past, I didn’t care what others thought either, so I poured out affection whether there were watching eyes or not.

‘Could he have learned this from me?’

There were too many conjectures. All seeds that I had sown. If I had known this would happen, I should have maintained some dignity in the past.

But even if I could go back, I would probably do the same. It was because I raised him with abundant affection that he became the Luwen he is today. In fact, if the light in his eyes looking at me were to disappear because I maintained dignity, I would be much more upset and sad.

‘What am I seriously thinking about here?’

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, I changed the subject to something I’d been curious about.

“By the way, how did you prepare breakfast? It doesn’t look like patient food.”

From my few experiences, I knew that patient meals at the academy consisted of a single bowl of soup with a strange fishy smell that was an ordeal to eat even one spoonful. I vividly remembered nearly throwing up after taking a sip of soup when I was sick and groaning.

‘It says enough that I suspected it was poisoned.’

Sure enough, there was a lone bowl delivered beside the front door. Seeing the thin soup made me feel queasy, so I turned my attention back to the delicious salad.

“Officially, you’re isolated in the special room, so I asked Drabis to package food from the dormitory dining hall, but you won’t need to worry about that going forward.”

“Hm? Why?”

Did he arrange to get meals from the dining hall for every meal? While I was pondering this, Luwen delayed his answer and just smiled quietly. He seemed to have some kind of plan.

“Won’t you tell me?”

“You’ll find out shortly.”

It was a meaningful response. I was very curious about what he was planning, but even this waiting felt enjoyable, so I didn’t press for details.

Morning examination time approached. Luwen handed me crushed Eliuna juice, watched me apply it, and then snuck out of the dormitory. Even at this point, I had no idea what Luwen was planning.

Soon it would be time for the professors to arrive, so I was peacefully lying in bed enjoying the gentle breeze when suddenly there was a commotion outside. Since the weather was quite warm, the windows and doors were wide open, so I could clearly hear conversations from the first floor.

But the content was alarming.

“How are the other students doing?”

“They’re fine. But of all people, Luwen…”

Luwen? What about Luwen? Did something happen?

Anxiously, I perked up my ears and focused on what the professors were saying.

“Didn’t you say there was no contagion!”

One person raised their voice.

“It would be best to tell the Young Master the truth… He’s even at the nearby mansion. If this gets out…”

“What did the Academy President say?”

“For now, let’s monitor the situation—aack!”

As voices gradually rose, someone screamed. I was dying of curiosity about what was happening on the first floor. Since Luwen was the subject of the conversation, I couldn’t dismiss it.

After contemplating briefly, I quietly got up and stuck myself to the wall next to the door for effective eavesdropping. If there were signs of someone coming upstairs, I could return to bed in time.

“Luwen! Why are you here! Didn’t we tell you to rest in the special room!”

Luwen came? Unlike the astonished professor, I breathed a sigh of relief. If he was walking around, it meant nothing serious had happened.

‘Come to think of it, he seemed to have some plan.’

I belatedly remembered Luwen’s meaningful smile from this morning.

‘He boasted that I wouldn’t need to worry about meals, so perhaps this commotion is something Luwen deliberately orchestrated.’

As my mind calmed, my frozen thoughts began to flow. Going over the professors’ conversation, I could guess Luwen’s plan—or more precisely, what he had done.

It seemed Luwen had taken the Eliuna juice and applied it to himself.

“Do you look like you can be calm right now!”

I was frowning at the distasteful method when I was startled by a sudden shout. The voice was so loud that I thought someone was shouting right next to me.

“If something happens to you, how will we face the Young Master? Absolutely not—we cannot allow you to stay here.”

Luwen persuaded the professors in a calm voice. The point was that since he already showed symptoms and proven contagion was possible, and since there was someone who needed nursing, he would do it.

“Professors, you interact with many students. It would be better if you tell me the diagnostic methods needed, and I’ll implement them and report back to you.”

“But, Young Master…”

“I will write to the Young Master directly. He has a deep interest in medicine; he will support my choice.”

“Then we’ll consider it after receiving the Young Master’s reply. Go back today.”

Perhaps conscious of the Duke’s household, the professors were quite stubborn. They probably had also heard news that I had recently come to see Luwen. They must have thought, how cherished must he be for Fei Vinter, who rarely leaves the mansion, to come all the way here?

“We can receive a reply quickly. Since symptoms have already appeared, I’ll wait on the first floor until then. Norman is on the second floor anyway.”

“If that’s the case…”

“For today, we’ll check Norman’s condition. You absolutely must not come to the second floor.”

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

The conversation was wrapping up. I tiptoed back to bed and slipped in.

I heard the wooden stairs creaking, and shortly after, professors with their faces covered in white cloth entered the room. They observed my condition and discussed it for a while. They seemed confused because while the original rash appeared to be improving, they couldn’t be sure if yesterday’s treatment was working due to the newly formed rash.

They had brought various treatments, and since they didn’t know which would be effective, they began applying them to different parts of my body with gloved hands. Both arms, both hands, cheeks, etc. Different treatments were applied to different body parts.

Since time was needed to check the effectiveness, the professors left, saying they would return in the evening.

After a few minutes passed, Luwen, who was supposed to stay quietly on the first floor, stealthily entered my room.

“Why the face, of all places?”

Luwen’s left cheek was covered in bumpy, red rashes. He approached me with his usual smile.

“Does it look bad?”

“Not really…”

Wait. Don’t tell me you deliberately applied it to your face because I was careful to apply it there?