To Love A Villain

Propaganda

***

I used a towel to clean the gravy on him. It wasn't going to go away till the time he took a bath but I cleaned it enough so that I could take care of his injury.

I sat besides Hael on the bed, my hands trembling as I assessed the extent of his injury. Blood trickled down his temple, staining his pale skin in a stark contrast that filled me with a mixture of dread and determination.

Gently, I reached out, my fingers hovering over the wound as I searched for any signs of deeper damage. Hael winced at my touch, his jaw clenched in silent agony, but he made no move to pull away, trusting me to tend to him in his time of need.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I retrieved a clean cloth from a nearby shelf, soaking it in water to cleanse the blood from his skin. With delicate movements, I began to dab at the wound, careful not to exacerbate his pain.

As the cloth touched his skin, Hael didn't let out any more sounds, rather he remained stoic, his gaze fixed on some distant point as if lost in thought. I worked methodically, my focus unwavering as I cleaned away the blood, revealing the true extent of the injury beneath.

With the wound now exposed, I reached for a roll of bandages, tearing off a strip and carefully wrapping it around his head to staunch the flow of blood. Hael remained still throughout.

I wondered what he was thinking about. But at the same time, I didn't want to know.

Once the bandage was secure, I stepped back, my gaze lingering on Hael's pale features as I assessed his condition. Despite the pain etched into his expression, there was a sense of resilience in his eyes.

With a gentle touch, I brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead, offering a silent gesture of comfort and support.

"It's going to leave a scar,"

He turned his face to look at me with a soft sly smile, "There's a tiny scar on your forehead," He said as he brought his hand to my head and removed my bangs to reveal the scar left on my skin, "Maybe we'll match,"

It ended up making me smile for some strange reason.

It would be romantic in any other meaning. I might have even loved the idea of matching scars if I was still the past me.

But, not now,

Now, it just feels sad. Everything here in this mansion is sad

"You still don't want to leave?" I asked him, "Even after that?"

"Leave?" He removed his hand from my hand and grabbed my hand that was on his skin, "And go where?"

"Anywhere," I replied

"The count will send people to find me." He answered, "I am, but a mere slave," There was an eerie silence in my room, one that made the mood even more sorrowful.

"Not if I tell him not to." I answered

"But nobody listens to you" He replied with a snarky remark,

...

I yanked my hand away from his as I looked away because I felt pissed off but I also knew he wasn't wrong.

"My Lady," His voice seemed more lively than before.

"What?" I was thinking of leaving when he called.

"You looked beautiful in your engagement dress."

I paused as my heart seemed to jump at his words, and looked back at him. I stared at him and he looked back at me.

"Really?"

He nodded, "It made me happy that the dress I chose looked so stunning on you." My heart ached at his words.

"Hael," And now that he had mentioned it, I couldn't help but ask, "If I looked so beautiful in that dress, why did you leave?" I turned my body toward him, "Where did you go when I was at the altar?"

"I left," He replied without hesitation.

"Why?" I asked

"Because I didn't like it," His answer made my heart skip a beat.

"You didn't like what?" An anticipation, a hope grew in my heart which made my heart beat rise.

...

His eyes wandered around as he thought about what to say while I felt my heart pound. My stupid little heart started thinking that maybe he left because he didn't like me getting engaged to someone else.

That, maybe he felt something for me too.

And maybe, it wasn't just me. It wasn't my delusions. There was something between us.

I gulped

The anticipation started eating me up. Each second that passed felt like an eternity and yet I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

"You didn't like what, Hael?" I repeated my question and his gaze finally landed on me.

"It was boring," My heart fell, "The ceremony was boring. I didn't like it. So, I left,"

A tidal wave of emotions surged through me as his words washed over me, each one a dagger piercing the fragile facade I had constructed around my heart.

I can't believe I had dared to hope, to believe that something changed between us, and now the sting of rejection burned like a brand on my soul,

Beneath the pain, there lingered a bitter sense of resignation – a recognition that I had been the fool all along.

Oh...

When will I stop doing this to myself?