Seduced the Doomed Villain (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5

Just by being close to Rodric, my mood lifted so much I couldn’t stop the corners of my lips from curling up uncontrollably.

No, seriously—there’s no need to stare at me like I’m some kind of lunatic.

“Excuse me, my lord.”

“…….”

Ignoring Diana completely, Rodric turned away and began scanning his surroundings for an exit.

“My lord, how did you get in here? Did you perhaps follow the raven?”

“…….”

Rodric remained utterly indifferent to her, focusing solely on his own task. Diana watched him silently for a moment before shrugging and slowly stepping closer.

I still knew very little about him.

The elder brother of the sub-male lead. Cursed with manic madness. Died by self-destruction on the battlefield.

With only that much information, I couldn’t properly grasp who this man truly was. I’d have to proceed carefully.

If I accidentally offended him, he might shut me out completely. But if I acted too hastily—well, he might pounce on me the moment I seemed desperate.

My eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, spotted a staircase.

“There—the stairs…!”

Rodric, having noticed the stairs before Diana even shouted, strode past her with long, determined strides.

“My lord, let’s go together!”

Deals required caution. I tried striking up conversation—maybe build a little rapport before proposing a deal about the curse—but he offered no reply.

I was worried about Noel’s disappearance, yet I still believed he’d be safe; after all, he could use magic.

Given that Rodric and I had swapped locations, it was highly likely he was outside the castle.

He surely didn’t fall into some monster-infested place like this, did he? I’d nearly had a heart attack when that boy charged straight at the werewolf.

“Wait—a moment, Princess.”

“Yes?”

Lost in thought, Diana walked straight into Rodric’s broad back as he suddenly halted.

“Ah—”

Before he could say anything, another magic circle activated beneath their feet. Oh, for heaven’s sake—enough already! These traps really have no sense of timing.

‘♬~♩~♪’

The sound of a music box echoed through the air.

The magic circle transported them to a familiar place—the western corridor where she’d walked alongside Noel.

Through the dense fog, she saw Rodric standing ahead. Diana sighed inwardly.

Here we go again. We didn’t even need to find any more cursed dolls. All we had to do now was escape.

We needed to get out of the castle first before attempting anything else. I’d just been pondering how to coax this man into cooperation.

Squelch—something damp and cold suddenly grabbed her hand.

Diana’s face instantly paled. No… surely not. It couldn’t be.

“U-um… my lord? Or—Young Master? Captain?”

Rodric’s eyebrow arched slightly at Diana’s indecisive address.

“Is there… something beside me?”

He glanced indifferently at her tearful eyes and replied curtly,

“Yes. Some child—who knows when they appeared?”

“Huh?”

She lowered her head with a creaking motion and saw a pale child clutching her hand.

[Mommy?]

“Kyaaah!”

She shrieked involuntarily and immediately clung to Rodric. He frowned in clear displeasure.

“Let go. Princess.”

“No, just a moment! It’s not like I’ll wear you out!”

[You’re not my mommy?]

The child, staring up blankly, began to whimper—then suddenly narrowed her eyes fiercely in anger. Her dilated black pupils were terrifying enough to rival any horror.

An ominous chill, as if needles were pricking her entire body, filled the air unnervingly.

As the child grew angrier, magic circles began forming everywhere around them.

The circles flared out densely and threateningly in all directions, clearly reflecting the child’s mood. It was impossible to tell where they might be taken—or what kind of monster might spring out next.

“Y-yes! I *am* your mommy!”

[Huh?]

The child tilted her head in confusion—and one of the magic circles vanished.

“Oh my—Mommy was just startled, so her reply was late. I’m sorry.”

Sweating profusely, Diana clung tighter to Rodric’s arm. The child stared intently at that arm, then looked up at Rodric.

[Daddy?]

“Y-yes. Daddy. Haha… My husband really is handsome.”

She forced an awkward smile under his chilling gaze, inwardly berating herself for this ridiculous act.

This man was silently cursing at me with his eyes right now. Swallowing hard, Diana whispered urgently,

“Please play along! That child seems to be controlling the magic circles.”

Just as she’d said, as the child’s mood calmed, all the magic circles around them disappeared.

[Daddy and Mommy don’t get along well?]

“Nonsense! We get along perfectly, don’t we, dear?”

She pressed herself tightly against his solid forearm. Indeed, this man was definitely her cure—she could feel strength returning just by staying close to him.

While subtly indulging her selfish desire, she noticed his hand moving toward his sword.

“Ah—wait!”

Before she could stop him, Rodric’s blade cleanly sliced through the child’s neck. His precise diagonal strike left her utterly speechless.

She’d heard he was obsessed with slaughter—but to be this ruthless even toward a child?

Yet the child didn’t vanish. Instead, she dangled from his sword, still giggling.

Her dangling posture, as if swinging from a bar, turned Diana’s face pale once more.

She’d never realized a child’s cackling laughter could be so utterly spine-chilling.

Tsk. Rodric clicked his tongue and lowered his sword.

“You too—get down.”

No—I’m too scared to let go.

“My lord, please—just pretend to be a real married couple for a moment, okay?”

Diana clung to him desperately. Any normal man might have relented at this point, but he was different.

“You’ll help me out, won’t you… dear?”

She winked, asking him to play along—but his expression only hardened further.

“Are you insane?”

“I’m perfectly sane.”

“Or planning to go insane.”

Rodric pressed a finger firmly against Diana’s forehead.

“Get off.”

This man was growing increasingly rude. Such behavior was utterly unbecoming toward a noble lady—though admittedly, her own actions had hardly been proper either.

Fine. Go ahead and push me away. I’ll just cling closer. His refreshing aura made all her actions forgivable.

[Mommy, Daddy—they really do get along well?]

“Huh?”

[Do you want to leave here?]

The child, who had been giggling eerily, abruptly wiped all expression from her face and stepped forward. Had she given up pretending to be human?

She floated closer, pressing her face right up to Diana’s.

[Wanna play hide-and-seek?]

All of a sudden?

[If you find us, we’ll let you out.]

“Really?”

Her eyes lit up at the promise of escape.

[Yeah! We never lie.]

It didn’t matter whether the child was a real ghost or not. This might be the clue she and Noel had been searching for all along—the key to finally escaping this place.

She could finally get out of this miserable castle!

[Then I’ll hide! One… twoo…]

The child’s voice faded into the fog. Once she finished counting to ten and the voice disappeared entirely, Diana grabbed Rodric’s sleeve.

“Let’s go.”

She opted for his sleeve instead of his body, sensing he disliked being touched—but simply staying near him already made her happy.

“What are you planning?”

“We need to play hide-and-seek.”

“Why?”

“Because we have to get out!”

Exchanging these pointless questions and answers, they walked down the foggy corridor. He wasn’t particularly kind, but as conversation partners went, he wasn’t bad.

At least it was better than walking this desolate hallway alone.

Despite the poor visibility, Rodric strode confidently forward as if he could see perfectly.

Traps still existed, but whenever magic activated, no transport circles or monsters appeared.

Weapons like arrows and maces did rain down, but Rodric brushed them all aside as if they were trivial.

The deeper they pushed through the fog, the more Diana had to admit it: he was the perfect shield—and her perfect remedy.

‘Not that I’d say this aloud—but this man is really useful.’

Now I just need to prove my own usefulness to him.

Keeping pace with Rodric, Diana rolled her pink eyes thoughtfully.

Thanks to him, her strength had returned, and her vision widened enough that she could now sense the child’s magical presence even through the fog.

Ghosts with no real existence were frightening—but now that this one clearly emitted magic, there was no longer any reason to fear her.

She had to find the child quickly and escape this castle by any means necessary. Then—go home! Clenching her fists, Diana steeled her resolve.

And while she was at it, she intended to win over this man. Cliché as it was—maybe even propose a contract marriage?

That *would* be the standard way to enjoy unlimited physical contact…

Now, let’s think from his perspective.

If a strange man suddenly hugged you out of nowhere, begging for your help? Hmm… creepy.

“…….”

Yeah, he’d probably hate it.

Haha… I guess I really messed up. Diana glanced sideways at Rodric, reflecting on her actions.

His sculpted face betrayed no emotion whatsoever.

Still—if she talked to him gently and persistently, maybe he’d eventually agree.

How on earth was she supposed to break through this man’s icy, impenetrable walls? Rodric walked ahead without sparing her even a glance, and their conversation never lasted long.

Establishing intimacy was a top priority—but neither of them had time to spare.

Her life as an extra was like a candle in the wind—could extinguish at any moment. Who had time to overthink things when such a perfect remedy stood right before her? Should she just tackle him already?

“Careful.”

While walking blindly through the fog, the ground suddenly gave way beneath her feet.

Held in Rodric’s arm, she peered downward—she’d nearly tumbled down the stairs.

“Th-thank you.”

Rodric glanced down at her indifferently, then carried her dangling at his side as he descended the stairs.

“No! Wait—my lord! Please put me down!”

Ignoring her protests, Rodric continued steadily down flight after flight of stairs.

“Princess, since you’ve caught my attention, I’ll escort you safely out of the Black Forest.”

Diana stopped struggling in surprise, looking up at him with clear astonishment.

Though her sparkling pink eyes—full of expectations—annoyed him, he spoke calmly,

“So stay quiet. If you get injured and the Beatus family demands compensation, it’ll be a headache.”

“Um… my lord? Young Master?”

His brow twitched slightly at her inconsistent address.

“You may call me Rodric.”

“Then… please call me Diana too.”

“That’s up to me, Princess.”

Tch. Pouting, Diana obediently let him carry her as she stared into the hazy fog.

“Say, Rodric… since we met like this, it must be fate. Can’t we go together all the way to the capital?”

“I have duties to fulfill in the Black Forest. I won’t leave until my mission is complete. My subordinate will guide you afterward. If you wish, I can order him to escort you to the capital.”

But what good would it do to go with his subordinate? At this rate, I’d probably die before even reaching home. How could she stay with this man?

“What’s your mission, exactly?”

“It’s a family secret. I can’t disclose it.”

“Oh… okay.”

Stubborn as a brick wall. After finishing the stairs and setting her down, Rodric’s eyes landed on the hatchet hanging at her waist.

“Do you need that?”

“Just borrowing it for a moment.”

When had they reached the entrance hall? She looked up at the massive doors behind him. Smashing them would be useless—they were sealed.

Clang!

Just as she expected, the hatchet bounced off the barrier. Rodric assessed the invisible entrance hall through the fog, then swung his arm through the air.

“Rodric, where are you going?”

Without a word, he vanished—then reappeared carrying a massive axe as tall as his body. Where on earth did he get such a weapon? He lifted it effortlessly.

“Step back, Princess.”

“What?”

“Either dodge on your own—or don’t.”

With that brief warning, Rodric swung the axe down with full force onto the entrance doors.

Boom!

“No—it’s sealed! That won’t work!”

Boom!

“I already tried! I told you, I tried it myself!”

Boom!

“Rodric!”

We were supposed to find the child first! What on earth was he doing during hide-and-seek?!

She tried to stop him, worried he might get hurt—but the loud banging gradually shifted into something strange.

Whoosh—

A gale erupted from his swing, clearing away the fog,

Kraaang!

Where the doors once stood, a stone wall collapsed inward, revealing the outside world clearly.

“Huh?”

“Captain?”

Who was the most shocked here?

The knights gathered around a campfire just outside, about to tear into roasted meat? Or Diana, whose mouth hung open in utter astonishment?