Seduced the Doomed Villain (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7

Hide-and-seek is over.

[I’ll let you out!]

She moved forward, passing through the child blocking her path.

[I’m not lying! I’ll let you out!]

Diana stopped abruptly at the child’s words, desperate as they sounded.

At her reaction, the child smirked. Of course. She thought Diana would be tempted by the promise of being let out. People were, after all, naturally selfish creatures. But Diana’s reply caught her completely off guard.

“You. You touched my man, didn’t you?”

She didn’t know when exactly Rodric had become “her man,” but the child’s expression turned uneasy.

“Now that my body’s recovered, I can not only see magic power—but feel it very clearly too.”

Her body had become especially sensitive to Rodric’s magic power, which she’d once absorbed.

For the past few hours, his magic power had been running wild, unstable for some unknown reason.

[That—that grumpy old man scared me! It’s his fault!]

“Are you done playing house with Mommy and Daddy?”

The child puffed out their cheeks petulantly and sharply turned their head away.

Not cute at all—not unless it were Noel.

“Bring Rodric here right now.”

[Hmph! I don’t know anyone by that name~]

“Naughty children need a scolding to come to their senses.”

[Don’t make me laugh! There’s no adult who can scold me!]

“This is exactly why parental guidance matters.”

[There isn’t any! There isn’t! Where on earth are you going?!]

Ignoring the child, she started walking again.

The first time she searched this mansion, there was a ghost that chased her—hair disheveled, skin melting away.

At first, she’d fled in terror as it wildly pursued her, but looking back, she realized that ghost had been searching for something.

The closer she got to the place where the ghost appeared, the more certain she became of this.

Faint traces of magic power emanating from the children’s belongings all connected to a single point.

The ghost couldn’t cross beyond a certain spot—specifically, it couldn’t enter the western corridor where the children were. Why someone had done this, she didn’t know.

Diana stepped onto the magic circle blatantly glowing in the gloomy hallway.

With a woman’s scream came a series of dull, bone-cracking sounds—*thud, crack*—and a horrifyingly distorted figure appeared.

Diana gulped. That wasn’t a ghost. Not a ghost at all. She took a deep breath, shut her eyes tightly, then opened them again.

The bloodshot eyes staring down at her sent a chilling shiver down her spine.

Before the woman could harm her, Diana quickly held out the children’s belongings.

“I brought the children back!”

The woman froze mid-motion. Even her wailing, scream-like cries ceased.

In the suffocating silence, Diana carefully placed the items she’d been holding close to her chest onto the magic circle.

May they be reunited, so they can all leave this place together. Children need an adult to guide them.

The children who’d been following Diana seemed to recognize the woman—and despite her grotesque appearance, they leapt into her arms without hesitation.

[[[Wahhh! I was so scared!]]]

As the children burst into tears, the woman’s form transformed into her once-beautiful self. Dressed in a maid’s uniform, she embraced them tightly with both arms.

The once-chilling space no longer felt cold. Watching this reunion, Diana spoke.

“Why aren’t you leaving? Are you scared of getting scolded?”

[I… I didn’t…]

“So you do know what you did wrong?”

She probably wasn’t the first person to enter this mansion. Had the child repeatedly tricked others by luring them with promises of escape? The child, now sulky, opened their mouth to shout in anger.

[Hey!]

The maid-clad woman reached out her hand toward the child—beckoning them closer.

After hesitating a moment, the child took one step, then another, before leaping into the woman’s arms.

Whining and clinging, the child was unmistakably just that—a child. Frightening as they’d been when enraged like a demon, they were now utterly innocent.

Diana watched the heartwarming scene with quiet satisfaction—until her eyes met the woman’s directly.

[Thank you for finding our children.]

The woman rose and bowed deeply, pressing the naughtiest child’s head down firmly with her hand.

“What happens now?”

Diana’s question was layered—it meant both “What will become of you all?” and “Can I escape from here?”

The woman’s expression darkened. As she furrowed her brows, a sense of unease swept over Diana.

[Unfortunately, we are not the masters of this mansion.]

Ah, that was right. One needed the master’s permission to leave—because the barrier was so strong.

[But I can open a path for you!]

The child clung tightly to the woman’s skirt as they spoke. But their expression instantly hardened.

[Uh… that man is dangerous.]

“What?”

[The master… has appeared.]

The master of this mansion had appeared? Diana’s face twisted in alarm. Whoever had created this bizarre place surely wouldn’t be kind to them.

“Where?!”

[I’ve lost my power, but I can still open the path. Run straight ahead—I’ll open the door at the end of the corridor for you.]

Ignoring the child’s words, Diana sprinted with all her strength.

[That man is trapped in a dream—he’s unconscious right now.]

Hearing that Rodric had lost consciousness, her heart raced even faster.

Contrary to the child’s claim of having lost power, all the magic circles deactivated and cleared a path for her.

[We can leave because we’ve fulfilled the master’s condition.]

The child’s voice followed after Diana as she ran.

[I’m sorry. No one ever came looking for us before, so I acted out.]

At the end of the corridor, she saw a black door. She grasped the golden doorknob.

[Thank you. Please be careful.]

With a final “Goodbye,” the voice faded away like scattered mist. Without hesitation, Diana flung the door open.

And froze in shock.

“Rodric!”

A massive man floated midair, his throat gripped by someone wearing a deep hood.

She wanted to rush forward—but Diana couldn’t move another step.

Beyond the doorway lay a sheer cliff. Below, water filled the space, its surface shining an intense blue.

It was wide enough to pass for a lake. Suspended above the unfathomable depths, Rodric was held by the hooded figure.

So this was the mansion’s master—was he a great archmage? Floating in midair seemed perfectly natural to him.

What should she do? As her pink eyes darted around, searching desperately for a way to save him, her gaze met the mage’s.

‘Ah.’

She recognized those eyes. The eyes beneath the deep hood glowed crimson.

The crimson eyes curved gently upon seeing her.

And then, the mage simply released Rodric into the air.

“No!”

There was no time to think.

She leapt as far as she could, arms outstretched toward the falling Rodric.

It wasn’t enough—the distance was still too great. Even with water below, the impact of his weight and falling speed would drive him deep under.

Just before hitting the surface, she took a deep breath.

Haah—Splash!

Her whole body ached from the collision, but she had no time to care.

Through the clear water, she saw Rodric sinking rapidly, unmistakably visible.

Cutting through the current, she swam downward, determined to pull him up before he sank any deeper.

Her strength was already exhausted, but gritting her teeth, she clutched Rodric’s body tightly.

Huh—She gasped for air, bubbles rising like a balloon around her.

Just a little more. Just a little further. Grasping Rodric’s neck, she swam upward.

Splash!—Dragging his heavy body, Diana burst through the water’s surface.

“Hah! Hah!”

Gasping for breath, she clung tightly to Rodric and scanned above warily—but the mage had already vanished.

To keep from sinking, Diana kicked her legs vigorously. She needed something to hold onto.

She couldn’t stay afloat in the water forever. She swam toward the wall, cutting through the current—but Rodric remained unconscious.

“Rodric. Rodric! Wake up!”

What on earth had happened? This broad-chested man lay as peacefully unconscious as a fairy-tale princess.

*Sigh.* I just want to pass out too.

Exhaustion washed over her, yet Diana clung to Rodric with her slender arms, gripping the wall with her free hand.

Her strength was draining away. Staring briefly at Rodric’s chiseled face, she swallowed hard. Fine. This was an emergency, after all.

At this point, light physical contact wouldn’t be nearly enough to absorb the curse.

And the only one who might object was unconscious.

“Don’t blame me. It’s my first kiss.”

Hoping it was each other’s first kiss, she pressed her damp lips against his.

As she deeply kissed him to absorb the curse, her energy recovered astonishingly fast.

Feeling life return to her body, she quickly scanned for an exit. They had to get out of here.

There was no flutter of excitement over a first kiss—no mood, no conscious partner, just survival at stake.

Her wet pink eyes scanned upward, sideways, downward—then spotted a glowing exit on the underwater wall.

*Sigh.* Since she couldn’t go up, she’d have to dive back down.

Looking at Rodric, she silently prayed he’d hold on underwater. Neither he nor she was meant to die yet.

She kissed him once more briefly, then took a deep breath and swam downward, pulling Rodric toward the exit.

The glowing exit connected directly to a vast lake outside the mansion. Summoning all her strength, she pulled Rodric through and broke the lake’s surface.

[This is the timeline separator]

Trapped in a repeating illusion, he couldn’t move his body—only follow passively as his past self acted out the scene.

‘Kyaaaah!’

He came to at the woman’s scream. His smaller hands—smaller than now—were completely drenched in red.

He must have grabbed the dagger she was swinging.

As if regaining her senses, the woman screamed and sobbed—apologizing, saying it wasn’t her fault, begging him to spare her life.

That maddening voice tore into his ears.

Blind to the small child cowering behind her, she clung desperately to him.

Hah. Scattered fragments of the past bared their teeth and gnawed at his nerves.

Rodric furrowed his only moving part—his eyelids—and shut them tightly.

He had to wake up, damn it—but there was no way to break free from this illusion.

Then someone called out to him.

‘Rodric!’

Who?

‘Wake up!’

His body responded to the voice—desperate, earnest.

‘Please wake up!’

Miraculously, his motionless hand stirred at the sound of that tearful, fragile voice.

Sensation returned to his chest, his drifting consciousness sharpening instantly.

Thud—His thick fingers closed around a slender wrist.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the face of a woman with sharply upturned eyes.

Water dripped steadily from her delicate features like tears—had she truly been crying?

“I thought you were dead! You awful man! How long are you going to wander in dreams? Huh! Sob.”

Even her reproachful words couldn’t break his stunned gaze. Beneath the clear moonlight, water glistened on her skin, making her glow brilliantly.

“I went through so much just to get out! Hic—you dying would ruin everything! I need you!”

Blinded by that radiance, he gently closed his eyes—then suddenly pulled her close.

It was pure impulse. Did he miss her warmth? Even he didn’t understand his own action—no reason he could name.