****
A window was opened and the curtains billowed inwards. The fire which was lit on the furnace suddenly blew off due to the strong wind coming from outside.
Thunders roared and it started raining loudly.
A storm was currently happening.
Renee rose from the couch and grumbled. The lightning was extremely striking and the loud bang of thunder awoken her from her light slumber.
Tonight, both of them especially decided to sleep in the living room because it was too cold.
She woke up in the middle of the night and felt quite hungry for midnight snacks.
" Ahh?", Where's the kid?
She glanced at the opposite couch and Hawk's figure couldn't be seen. His pillow had fallen and his blanket also laid messily on the floor.
She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.
However, she was shocked when she noticed something on Hawk's blanket. The same thing were also on the floor.
" What in the world of dumplings?! Is that blood?"
BANG!-
Another thunder ranged loudly.
No...
That sound wasn't actually thunder. It was coming from the kitchen!
Renee spranged up and went to the source of the noise.
There, she was met by an assassin pointing a gun at Hawk.
Hawk was holding his left arm and he looked at the man holding the firearm horrifyingly.
It was quite dark, but she could make out these two figures vaguely.
The assassin noticed Renee's presence as he turned around and pointed his gun at her.
Renee did not move.
A beeping noise suddenly ranged from the assassin's pockets and he dropped the gun down.
" You have, again, survived for tonight. Next time, same as always, it's going to get a little harder. ", he said in a tone full of amusememt before dashing out through a window. It was like he was actually congratulating them.
" What in the..."
A small 'thump' sounded from the kitchen as Hawk fell down the floor.
" ugh..", he groaned in pain.
Renee quickly turned on her flashlight and went to Hawk's aid immediately.
Thanfully, the wound on his arm wasn't deep. It was only grazed.
" What happened?", she looked at Hawk's pallid figure. " Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"...no, I'm fine.", he said weakly. " This isn't the first time."
" What?"
" Although he didn't shoot the gun before, he still chased and try to point it at me. Though he would stop once that bleeping sound comes.", he answered.
" What do you mean? What are you saying, 'this isn't the first time'?", Renee was surprised.
" ..I didn't expect him to come tonight. He just came last night."
After hearing this, Renee helped him up and they went back to the living room.
Apparently, the same assassin has beem coming in and out of this place without her knowing. It seemed to have been targetting Hawk especially.
The first time was the night three days after their stay here. The assassin tried to choke him on his sleep.
The second time was two weeks later. The assassin brought a dagger. Then, four days after, last night, and finally this time.
This means that the assassin had tried to kill him five times!
And everytime the time was up, the assassin would 'compliment' him for surviving.
" You-why is he doing this?"
As expected, that old man is really someone shady!
She rubbed Hawk's back and embraced him. " I'm sorry. I was being oblivious. I should've noticed."
If it wasn't for tonight's weather, she still wouldn't have known.
She would've been sleeping clueless inside her room.
How could this horrible thing happen to such a small child?
Right.
Is this perhaps connected to some events in the novel?
Hawk also patted Renee's back in return.
" It's alright. He mentioned that I would just have to endure this for 15 nights. He said that after those 15 nights, I would get a huge reward and any wish of mine would be granted.", he said it ever so gently that it seemed like he was the one consolimg Renee instead.
Although...he was clearly shaking.
" Like those from cool protagonists in the movies, right?", small, subtle sobs sounded from him. " It's like a test. I would survive awesomely and who knows? Maybe we could finally live a blissful life. We could--"
" Shhh..", Renee hushed and embraced him tighter. " This Renee is sorry. I should've known this earlier. You wouldn't have endured this all by yourself. I...I'm extremely disappointed by myself."
Hawk trembled even more. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Tears silently flowed from them.
"...really.", Renee continued.
Her feelings were sincere. She truly was disappointed by herself.
She should'be known earlier.
No...she had already noticed but kept turning a blind eye to them.
Truthfully, she really did not want to believe that this 'Hawk' was the same 'Hawk' she knew and have read from the novel.
Why?
Maybe because she still couldn't move on that she went inside this world, or because she truly did not want to meet him.
She was a bit hesitant.
She didn't want to meet the character she favored the most.
She didn't want to see how he actually looks like.
She didn't want to look at him knowing those terrible events he experienced.
She didn't want to look at him and remember his tragic end.
...because if she ever sees him, she might change her mind and might do more reckless and ridiculous things.
Perhaps like those protagonists from isekai stories.
No one could ever describe those feelings she felt towards this character.
It wasn't infatuation, no. She liked the character but not that kind of like other people would feel upon seeing a handsome character from a novel. This feeling was not that of admiration.
Why would she feel admiration, then? Admiring him for being crazy and greedy?
Looks? Oh please. It was a novel. The description of the main character's looks was written in a much meticulously crafted discription and it was also highlighted how he was the most handsome guy out of all people in this world.
It wasn't because of pity either. She have read far more novels with characters who experienced far more detailed and gruesome psychological traumas.
Arghh! Who cares what this disturbing feeling is. The certain description is that, he was her f.a.v.o.r.i.t.e character.
Now, the obvious clues have slapped themselves accrossed her face.
She decided that she wouldn't turn a blind eye to them any longer.
I must've liked him because he was actually a godly cook. I'm an actual genius. It's as if my inner consiousness has known of his cooking skills!
In the novel, Hawk was supposed to stay at the orphanage for 5 years but was then fetched by that old man right after.
That old man has some relationship to Hawk's mother, but Renee forgot what relationship it was exactly.
She forgot.
It was such a small detail. She had probably skipped the paragraph while reading.
But, she realized now that that old man must be the one in the novel who was mentioned as the current owner and king of the underworld.
He left Hawk in this same place. However, at random nights, an assassin would come to try and kill him just like now.
It was both inorder to test Hawk to entrust him as heir to his throne and to keep himself from hesitating.
He was actually contemplating whether or not he would kill him and decided on this method.
However, the events that was suppose to happen five years later has happened five years earlier instead.
Renee has again changed another important event from the novel.
Should I just try to adapt in this world?
Like those transmigration protagonists from novels, she, too, has also kind of maybe tweaked the plot a little.
Hence, so-called butterfly effect could occur and she might couldn't trust her knowledge on the novel any further by then.
Thinking about the food she ate lately, she became resolute.
For the sake of food, I am willing to act reckless!
Renee rubbed Hawk's back and decided: " I will protect you."
She decided to take the responsibility for the villain.
For if she lets him be, he might truly die.
She was unsure of whether the 'protagonist' or the 'villain' halo would work but she would try to help him to be sure.
I will do my best to keep you cooking for me in the future.
This isn't easy!
She feels like she had already been addicted to those deicious yums lately.
It's like how the saying goes: 'Once you taste what it feels like to be rich for a day, you can never survive to go back to being poor for the rest of your days.'
...well, something like that.
Anyways...
Heavy rainful sounded from the background and both of them slept not long after.
Now, the journey on Renee's path to becoming the Villain's Hero officially begins..
•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~~•~•~•
???: bloody h$ll, what?! Gosh. Does that mean those 21 chapters before are all introduction?!?!?!?!
Screw this you *@$*!!$(beautiful) author. I'mma drop this.