Chapter 70: Those Who Can Never Be Forgiven (21)

It’s best to forget about the past.

Bringing up embarrassing or painful memories and asking yourself, “Why did I do that?” is pointless.

Maybe everyone else has already forgotten, and I’m the only one still holding onto it.

And the best way to forget something is to not think about it at all.

So why do I keep thinking about what happened last night?

When I woke up in the morning, my bed suddenly felt smaller.

Was it a double size? A queen size?

I never had the chance to buy a bed myself, so I wasn’t familiar with the specifics.

But I was certain that the bed I slept in was usually quite spacious.

At the very least, I could stretch out both arms freely in the center.

But now?

It was hot.

I could feel someone’s body heat next to me.

Looking outside at the snow-covered world, this warmth should have been a good thing.

The problem was that no matter how many times I checked, the person beside me was the Hero.

“…Huh?”

Jet-black hair, a color that didn’t exist in this world.

He used to have noticeable dark circles under his eyes from stress, but lately, his face had been looking brighter.

It made me feel good.

At first, I thought he was just plain-looking, but… was he always this good-looking?

I glanced downward, catching a glimpse of the muscles visible beneath his clothes.

Was this what people called lean muscle?

Curious, I poked him, feeling the firm resistance beneath my fingertip.

His messy hair, the scent of him lingering on the bed and pillow…

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why this guy was sleeping next to me.

“Hey, wake up. Hey!”

“Mm… Just a little longer…”

As if my voice was an unwelcome disturbance, the Hero pulled the blanket over his head.

What the hell?

Why was this supposedly straight-laced guy suddenly acting spoiled?

Now that I thought about it, yesterday had been way too strange.

No, not just yesterday.

Ever since the prayer at the Flower Garden, I had been feeling the urge to look at the Hero more often, to talk to him more.

I wasn’t even cursing at him as much as I usually did.

And except when I was acting the part of the Saintess, I had even started laughing with a “Fufu…” kind of tone.

To make things worse, yesterday I had even felt my heart race just looking at him.

And why the hell did I tell him my home address?

“Hey! This isn’t the time to be sleeping—”

Wait.

The Hero was asleep, so why… why did my head suddenly feel so dizzy?

It was the same feeling I had when I was first caught in his Charm Eyes.

A burning nausea, thoughts spiraling out of control.

Why… why was I trying to defeat the Demon King again?

This was wrong.

It was definitely wrong, but… I wanted to be with the Hero a little longer.

My heart was pounding, my breathing unsteady.

But I wanted to forget everything else and just stay by his side.

Right now, I could do it, couldn’t I?

I could have all of Kim Suhyeon—make everything about him mine.

As my mind filled with that overwhelming desire, my body moved on its own, climbing on top of the Hero.

From above, I could see his face even more clearly.

His eyes, nose, lips—each and every feature.

I wanted to claim them all as mine.

Breathing heavily, my heated body leaned downward.

The distance between our lips grew smaller and smaller.

Just a little more…

Just a little more, and he would truly be mine…

“…Se… Sera?”

“Huh…?”

Just before our lips met, I finally realized that someone else had entered the room.

I turned my head slightly.

Golden blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

Shaking blue eyes.

A tall figure pointing at me, her entire body trembling.

I hadn’t heard a knock…?

No, more importantly—

Natalia Nighthart.

Why the hell was this damn knight witnessing this scene?

“…Did you knock?”

“…I did, but… you weren’t coming out, so I—”

“…I see…”

The Hero was still asleep.

The bed was a mess.

And I was sitting right on top of him, my lower body pressed directly against his.

The air in the room felt… oddly thick and humid.

Even to me, it looked like I was trying to take advantage of the Hero while he slept.

How did it look from Natalia’s perspective?

“…I-I’m sorry for interrupting… B-But the prayer… you have to prepare soon… N-No, I’m sure there’s a reason for this.

Yes… there has to be a reason…”

“Fufu, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.

I wasn’t trying to—”

“Yes… a reason…

The Hero loves Sera, after all…”

Mumbling incomprehensible words, Natalia lowered her head.

Oh, f*ck.

This was 100% leading to the Baby Ending.

The thought completely dominated my mind.

Honestly, Laura just glared at me, but she never barged into my room like this.

Was Natalia the real threat all along?

Not Laura, but Natalia—the one who was going to cut open my stomach?

Panic surged through me.

I had to fix this somehow.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of a single excuse.

Why the hell had I climbed on top of the Hero?

And while he was asleep, no less?

There was no way to talk my way out of this.

The thought of getting arrested for sexual assault crossed my mind.

That, and the terrifying idea of Natalia forcibly checking my womb.

Without even thinking, words started spilling out of my mouth.

“T-Then, I’ll come back later… Enjoy yourselves…”

“Wait!!”

“…Why, Sera…?”

“W-Would you like to… join us?”

You idiot.

Did you seriously just say that as an excuse?

“…Join…?”

“No, uh… Not join, exactly…

I mean… I’d like to watch and learn…

B-Because I don’t really know much about this stuff…

And isn’t satisfying the Hero something that requires skill…?

Y-Yeah, that’s it!”

One of the conditions for the Baby Ending was that the Hero didn’t satisfy the other heroines.

So, if their needs were met, there would be no reason for them to kill me.

That’s why I suggested Natalia should sleep with the Hero.

It was an extremely vulgar idea, but I even added a compliment about her experienced skills to encourage her.

“A-And you can even have his baby if you want!”

Please.

Please, just get pregnant and save me from the Baby Ending.

I’m begging you…

“…Wait, you’re already pregnant?”

Natalia’s eyes widened in suspicion.

This was it.

The line “See? There was no baby after all.” was coming next.

I had always thought Laura would be the one to stab me, but that damn knight—

“…Mmm… Sera, what’s going on…?”

“W-Wait, Hero?”

At least Natalia was a knight.

She had training with a sword, so maybe it wouldn’t hurt too much when she killed me.

Hopefully, she’d make it quick and clean.

Just as I was accepting my fate, the Hero finally woke up beneath me.

I never thought I’d be so happy to see his damn face.

No matter how much of a yandere Natalia had become, she wouldn’t kill me in front of him.

Right now, he was my best—and only—lifeline.

“Su-hyeon!! You’re finally awake!!”

“…Sera?

What the hell…?

Natalia?”

“I-I saw nothing.

Nothing at all.”

In my desperation, I accidentally called out the Hero’s real name.

Still groggy, he looked back and forth between me and Natalia, utterly confused.

But the good news was that Natalia had stopped making any sudden moves.

The Hero knew about the Baby Ending.

He would do everything he could to keep me from dying, right?

“…What the hell is going on…?

Natalia, sorry, but could you leave for now?”

“…I understand.

Take your time resolving… whatever this is.”

Hearing the door open and close, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

…That was way too close.