Chapter 14: Chasing After the Villainess

Neo woke up the next morning feeling like he hadn’t slept at all. His mind had been stuck in an endless loop the entire night, replaying the exact moment Nora nodded her head without a single change in her expression.

’Why did she agree so easily? What is she thinking? Does she actually hold a grudge against me from yesterday? Is she planning something? Ughh, I can’t stop thinking about this.’

He sat up in bed, rubbing his tired eyes, his silver hair sticking out in every direction. The morning sun spilled through the curtains, but even the warm light couldn’t shake off the restless feeling sitting heavy in his chest.

’Alright, that’s it. I need answers. I can’t just sit around guessing all day.’

Neo hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed, ignoring the maid who tried to fix his messy hair properly. He had one goal this morning, and it wasn’t eating breakfast or playing with his toys.

He needed to find Nora.

The Valentina family was staying at the Draven estate for a few more days before heading back home, which meant Nora had to be somewhere in this massive mansion. Neo wandered through the long hallways, peeking into random rooms, ignoring the confused looks from the passing servants.

’Where could she be? A garden? A library? Knowing her personality, she’s probably somewhere quiet, away from everyone.’

After a good ten minutes of wandering around, he finally spotted a small figure sitting alone near the pond in the back garden. Her violet hair was unmistakable, catching the morning sunlight as she sat quietly on a bench, staring blankly at the fish swimming beneath the water’s surface.

Neo let out a breath of relief and made his way toward her, his small footsteps crunching softly against the gravel path.

As he got closer, Nora didn’t turn to look at him. She probably hadn’t even noticed his presence yet, considering she couldn’t hear his footsteps approaching. Neo walked around the bench until he was standing directly in her line of sight, then sat down beside her, leaving a small, respectful gap between them.

Nora’s eyes flicked toward him the moment he entered her vision. Her expression remained just as blank as always, giving him absolutely no clue about what was going on inside her head.

Neo took a deep breath, gathering his courage.

"Hey, Nora," he said, keeping his voice gentle. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but somehow, talking out loud still felt more natural than just staring at her in silence. "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

She didn’t respond. Her eyes just stared at him, unreadable as ever, before drifting back toward the pond.

Neo felt the familiar sting of being ignored, but he pushed through it this time. He had come here with a purpose, and he wasn’t going to back down just because she wasn’t answering.

"I know you probably can’t understand a single word I’m saying," he continued, scooting a little closer. "But I still want to say it anyway. About the other day, when we were in the playroom... I pushed you. I shouldn’t have done that. I got frustrated because you weren’t talking to me, and I let my temper get the better of me. That wasn’t fair to you, and I’m sorry."

Nora’s gaze remained fixed on the water, her expression unchanging. Neo couldn’t tell if she was even paying attention to him at all, or if she was simply looking in his general direction out of boredom.

’This is useless. She probably doesn’t even care that I’m talking. She can’t hear me anyway.’

But even knowing that, Neo didn’t stop.

"I also wanted to ask..." He hesitated for a moment, picking at the hem of his sleeve. "Are you angry at me? Do you hate me now? I know I wasn’t being very nice yesterday, and I don’t want you to think badly of me because of it."

He watched her closely, searching for any tiny reaction. A twitch of her lips, a narrowing of her eyes, anything that could give him a hint about what she was feeling. But there was nothing. She simply continued watching the fish glide lazily beneath the surface of the pond, completely unbothered by his presence.

Neo let out a small sigh, leaning back against the bench.

’Great. I basically just spilled my heart out to someone who can’t even hear a single word of it. This is pointless.’

He sat there in silence for a while, watching the fish alongside her. It was strange, but even without any conversation happening, the quiet atmosphere wasn’t as uncomfortable as he expected. There was something oddly peaceful about sitting beside her like this, without the pressure of needing to fill the silence with words.

After a few minutes, Neo glanced back at her again.

"You know, even if you can’t hear me, I still want you to know that I don’t hate you," he said softly. "I was just scared yesterday. You’re supposed to be really strong when you grow up, and I didn’t want to make an enemy out of you by accident."

Nora’s eyes shifted away from the pond for the briefest moment, landing on him again. For just a split second, Neo thought he caught something flicker behind those lavender eyes, but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared, and her expression returned to its usual blankness.

’Was that... something? Or am I just imagining things because I want there to be a reaction?’

He couldn’t be sure. Nora tilted her head slightly, studying him with the same detached curiosity someone might use to observe an unfamiliar insect. Then, without any warning, she reached out and poked his cheek with her small finger.

Neo blinked, completely caught off guard by the sudden action.

"Uh... what was that for?"

Nora didn’t answer, obviously, but she poked his cheek again, this time slightly harder, before pulling her hand back and returning her attention to the pond as if nothing had happened.

Neo sat there rubbing his cheek, utterly baffled.

’Was that supposed to be a payback for me squeezing her cheeks yesterday? Is this her version of getting even? Or is she just messing with me for fun? I genuinely can’t tell with this girl.’

Despite his confusion, a small, unexpected smile tugged at the corner of his lips. At the very least, she didn’t seem outright hostile toward him. If she really held a deep grudge, she probably wouldn’t have bothered poking his cheek. She would have just ignored him completely, or worse.

’Maybe... maybe she doesn’t hate me after all. That’s at least something.’

Neo scooted a tiny bit closer, feeling slightly more at ease than before.

"Since we’re going to be, well... you know, engaged eventually," he said, feeling a little awkward saying the word out loud, "I guess we should try to actually get along, right? I don’t really know how to be friends with someone who can’t hear me, but I’ll figure it out. I promise."

Nora, of course, gave no indication that she understood a single word. She simply continued watching the fish, occasionally reaching down to trail her fingers along the surface of the water, sending small ripples across the pond.

Neo watched her quietly for a while longer, an odd sense of determination settling in his chest.

’Alright. If talking doesn’t work, then I’ll just have to find another way to communicate with her. I refuse to just sit around waiting for her to awaken into some terrifying disaster. If I can actually become her friend now, maybe I can change things. Maybe I can stop whatever future waits for her too.’

He didn’t fully understand why he felt so strongly about it. Maybe it was pity, or maybe it was simply the quiet company they now shared on this bench that made him want to try harder. Either way, one thing was clear in his mind.

’I’m not giving up on this. Villainess or not, I’m going to figure out how to actually talk to you, Nora Valentina.’

Beside him, completely unaware of the silent resolve forming in the boy next to her, Nora continued watching the fish swim lazily beneath the morning sun, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever.