“Why weren’t you sleeping?”

What kind of situation is this?

I stared blankly for a moment at the man addressing me in a rather affectionate tone.

Was I acquainted with this man?

Tilting my head in confusion, I silently opened and closed my mouth before finally managing to speak.

“Um… Who are you?”

For a split second, about 1 second, I wondered if he might be the owner of this room.

But in my imagination, the owner had the image of a sickly, withered water strider.

The complete opposite of the man before me.

“You’re asking who I am?”

As if displeased by the question, the man firmly pressed his lips together and slowly ran his hand through his hair.

The moonlight settled beautifully on his flawless, smooth forehead.

But only for a moment, as his soft hair fell back down, neatly covering his forehead, and I swallowed hard.

“You don’t know me?”

I nodded. I don’t.

“Ha.”

With a bitter laugh, as if dumbfounded, the man’s handsome brow furrowed slightly.

I know it’s not the right time to say this, but his face is seriously gorgeous.

A masculine yet slender jawline, smooth skin, and even eyelashes. Eyes like red diamonds set in slightly upturned corners.

His clear, well-balanced features were breathtakingly beautiful, and his tall stature with a muscular build exuded a strong masculine aura.

His flawless appearance had a clean image that anyone would like, without room for personal preference.

How contradictory that he could seem clean while covered in blood.

But why? I keep feeling like I’ve seen that face somewhere before.

Are we really acquainted? But there’s no way I could have seen such a handsome face. If I had, I couldn’t have forgotten it… Right? How could you forget a man with such looks? He’s so handsome you’d remember him for a lifetime after just one glance.

As I tilted my head, observing the man’s face, he casually dropped the sword he was holding to the floor.

Clang!

“…!”

Startled by the sharp sound, I flinched, closing my eyes tightly before opening them again.

And in that brief moment, a memory flashed through my mind, making me take a step back.

‘No, no way. It can’t be, right?’

I had forgotten, living such a peaceful daily life, but this is inside the novel “Run Away, Holy Maiden!”

And that blonde hair, those red eyes, that incredibly handsome face even when covered in blood…

There was only one person I could think of.

‘No. It’s not.’

My heart started pounding, about to burst with anxiety.

Meanwhile, the man, seeming to have gathered his thoughts, tilted his head slightly to the side and lifted his chin arrogantly. Like a cocky delinquent.

“That’s right. You’ve never seen me before.”

He slowly moved his feet, approaching me.

Step by step, leisurely and haughty footsteps. Even the sound of this madman’s steps was arrogant.

I squeezed my eyes shut and briefly prayed to the entire universe.

‘Please give me teleportation powers! Make me disappear from here right now!’

Of course, it wasn’t possible.

‘Then at least a status window!’

Of course, that didn’t work either.

While I was internally crying and begging, the man came right up to me, just one step away.

He reached out one arm to lean against the wall behind me and slowly bent down to meet my gaze.

The moment I met those red eyes, my suspicion became an undeniable reality that stirred my heart.

If my guess was correct, this man before me was the worst villain who would go mad over the female lead in the near future and commit bloody massacres.

And his name was…

“Hello, I’m Edan Dietrich. Your master.”

Along with his mockingly smoothly curved lips, my peace crumbled.

Male lead candidate number 4. The insane villain.

Edan Dietrich was truly handsome beyond any description.

The day the illustrations, which the author claimed to have commissioned personally, were revealed, the popularity rankings of the male leads in the novel were turned upside down.

Male lead candidates 1, 2, and 3. The crown prince, the knight commander, and the duke of the south.

As in most romance fantasy novels, they were all incredibly handsome.

With their depressing auras and overwhelmingly sexy vibes, their popularity votes were neck and neck.

But as soon as Edan’s illustration was revealed, all the existing rankings were overturned.

“Can I be imprisoned and die instead of Ivy?”

“That face, those abilities, and he’s a villain? I’m dedicating my life to this.”

“Edan, please, couldn’t you be just a little less handsome? This old lady’s about to die.”

“Edan, take my healing power. Take it all. Take me too! Please take me!”

He was truly a psycho, but his face was plausibility itself. No matter what he did, he was crazier than imagination.

Edan, the emperor’s illegitimate son, had an extreme obsession with the female lead Ivy’s healing power. The problem was that Ivy belonged to the Great Holy Temple as a Great Saint. Everyone wanted her, but no one could monopolize her alone. However, Edan broke the law, kidnapped her, and smuggled her out of the temple. He then killed all the imperial soldiers who came looking for her and turned the other three male leads into enemies, all while obsessing over Ivy.

But when Ivy, a pacifist, left his side of her own will, he completely lost his sanity after that and even turned to black magic. After that, it was a total mess. He became a madman who committed murder indiscriminately, sparing no one.

Despite all this, I had thought it would be nice to meet him in person just once, even if only once, because he was so handsome.

But to actually see that blonde hair right before my eyes. To meet those eyes in person.

‘He’s handsome alright, but the real thing is scary! His aura is too terrifying!’

I wanted to turn around and run away. But no one could escape from Edan.

This man’s abilities were as unfair as his looks.

How could anyone escape from the man who single-handedly commanded and managed the northern region, where the most powerful monsters appeared?

The thought alone made my whole body break out in goosebumps, but I forced myself to smile at him casually.

“Ah, hello? Master Edan Dietrich.”

Trembling, trembling. My awkward smile must have looked grotesque.

But this was the best I could do right now.

I deserved praise just for holding back tears in front of a man who could cut down anyone in an instant if he wanted to.

Edan, who had been quietly looking down at me, slightly opened his lips with a faint smile, then lightly traced his blood-stained thumb over his own lips.

Red blood roughly colored along the lines of his lips, and the acrid scent brushed my nose.

Edan’s red eyes, which had been staring at his fingertips, slowly lowered and then rose again to meet my gaze.

Damn, how can he be so sexy?

I couldn’t tell if my heart was pounding because of his pretty face or out of fear.

“Do you remember now?”

I quickly nodded.

“Y-yes. This is our first meeting.”

“It’s the first time you’ve seen me.”

“…Pardon?”

“But I’ve been watching you all along.”

What are you saying so scarily? You’ve been monitoring me? When?

As my pupils shook rapidly, Edan took another step closer to me.

The smell of blood aside, I felt like I was about to be crushed by his broad shoulders and enormous build.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you afraid of me?”

“No?”

I am scared! Of course I’m scared! Putting aside the fact that you’re a madman, how can I not be scared when there’s a person covered in blood holding a sword right in front of me!

But I put on a brave front. I can’t lose this battle of nerves. It might look stranger if I act scared when nothing has happened yet. This man is just the reclusive owner I’ve finally met today. That’s all. I hypnotized myself.

Edan slowly scanned my body up and down.

“Your whole body is trembling like a cicada’s cry.”

“You misunderstand. I have a condition where my body trembles at night.”

“There’s such a condition? I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s a r-rare disease.”

“I don’t think so.”

“It is…!”

I wanted to insist more, but Edan’s expression turned murderous as he dropped his smile, so I ended up shutting my mouth.

At Edan’s gaze, which looked like blades could shoot out of his eyes at any moment, I felt my hair stand on end this time for real.

While I tried not to lose my mind, thinking he might snap my neck right here, fortunately, Edan slowly stepped back.

“Food?”

“What?”

“My breakfast. Did you clean it up?”

“Ah, no. It’s still there.”

Whisk. Edan turned around, showing his broad shoulders, and picked up the sword he had dropped on the floor.

Blood was still dripping from the well-sharpened blade.

‘Good heavens. So that blood was this blood.’

The biggest reason I had assumed the reclusive owner was sickly was because of that blood.

Every morning, there would be a drop or two of blood on the floor.

I wiped up that blood first thing every morning when I woke up, and it was the cleaning I paid the most attention to in this leisurely castle.

I thought he had frequent nosebleeds because he was so sickly, but that wasn’t it!

“Sleep well.”

Huh? Edan, who had carelessly tossed those words, passed by me and entered the room, pulling the tray in front of the door.

“Uh…”

I stood blankly in the hallway for a long time even after Edan’s door closed.

How should I put it, his handsome appearance and the precarious atmosphere he exudes are just as described in the novel, but something is different.

– I will kill, and kill, and kill anyone who interferes, to keep you by my side.

He used to speak in such a stiff manner.

Isn’t Edan’s speech now subtly softer?

“Aaaaah!”

I screamed, sitting up abruptly with disheveled hair.

“Huff, huff.”

I thought I had finally fallen asleep, but I had a terrible nightmare.

In the dream, I was enjoying my usual healing life, sweeping the garden with a broom, when suddenly the sky darkened.

When I turned my head, a massive dark smoke was approaching, and I tried to run away, but blood began to pool on the ground.

I ran like crazy, but my body started sinking into the bloody puddle, and eventually, the massive dark smoke swallowed me up.

It was an annoyingly vivid dream.

As I struggled to catch my breath, warm sunlight poured over my face.

Finally regaining my senses and blinking my eyes, I frowned at the weather that was brighter than usual.

“…What time is it?”

“11:57.”

“Aah!”

Whip! I quickly turned my head to see Edan sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, hands clasped together, staring at me.