The Villainess Doesn't Want Love (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
Seeing the atmosphere begin to freeze over again, Karina quickly stopped Mikhail.
“It’s fine. You just met them today. It’s completely understandable.”
Turning her head back toward the large man, Karina spoke seriously.
“I understand why you’re worried and said what you did. But that’s not the case at all.”
“No matter what you say, if it can’t be done, it just can’t…”
“Very well.”
At that moment, the purple-haired woman interrupted the man and replied.
“What? What are you saying?”
The large man exclaimed in surprise, turning to look at the woman.
But the woman soothed him and continued speaking.
“We’ll just learn from now on, as they said. But in return, tell us exactly what kind of task you want us to do…”
The woman faced Karina and gave her a meaningful smile.
“We’ll decide after hearing your explanation.”
At Selena’s reply, Karina lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled brightly.
[This is the timeline separator]After Karina and Mikhail left the tavern.
The large man, Hastin, asked the purple-haired woman.
“Selena, why did you suddenly agree to do it? We don’t even know who those people are.”
“Anywhere has to be better than ‘there.’”
“…”
At Selena’s words, Hastin was left speechless, as if his mouth had been stuffed with honey.
“We need to earn money anyway, right? If it doesn’t work out, we can just run away again later.”
“Still… They looked like nobles up close. What good could possibly come from getting involved with them?”
Hastin scowled, making no effort to hide his resentment toward nobles.
At first, they’d helped Karina without realizing she was nobility.
They’d assumed she was just the daughter of a wealthy merchant.
But after exchanging a few words, they immediately realized she was a noble—from her naturally condescending tone and subtle speech patterns.
“Still, I somehow didn’t get a bad feeling from her.”
Selena recalled Karina’s eyes, which had held a certain urgency.
Then, with a faint smile playing on her lips, she added,
“All we have to do is find one person for her. It doesn’t seem particularly dangerous or difficult.”
Seeing this, Hastin gave in with a look of resignation.
“Sigh… If you say so.”
“Your Grace.”
As they walked down the street after leaving the tavern, Mikhail called out to Karina from beside her.
“What is it?”
“Do you know those two people from earlier?”
“No?”
Karina denied it, pretending she had no idea.
“…”
Mikhail stared steadily at her, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction.
“Then do you always try to lure strangers by telling them you’ll hire them right away?”
Mikhail’s voice was unusually subdued.
“What are you talking about?”
“You suddenly asked me to become your bodyguard, and then you said you wanted to hire those people as your subordinates.”
Mikhail pouted and grumbled discontentedly.
“I thought you only treated me specially…”
It felt like watching a child complain that another’s rice cake looked bigger.
‘Honestly, you’re not a child anymore.’
Karina chuckled softly.
“I said I’d hire them because I need them. What luring?”
“You don’t seriously prefer big, lumbering bears like that bulky fellow, do you?”
Mikhail asked with such seriousness that Karina nearly burst out laughing.
“Stop talking nonsense and go quickly to rent a carriage.”
“…Do you really like that bear-like guy?”
Mikhail asked, his voice even more agitated than before.
Somehow, she sensed that if she didn’t answer, he’d persistently keep asking until she did.
Helplessly, Karina finally opened her mouth.
“Of course not. Besides, I prefer people who smile easily and are gentle—like puppies—over those who are dull and gruff like bears.”
“Really?”
Hearing Karina’s answer, Mikhail beamed like a child whose mood had just lightened.
“I’ve been told I resemble a puppy sometimes.”
He said it with a proud little lift of his chin, looking just like a child seeking praise, making it impossible for Karina to hold back her laughter.
Smiling broadly, Karina gently stroked Mikhail’s head.
“You did well today. Since you followed my orders so nicely, I should give you some praise, shouldn’t I?”
“…”
“You really did great.”
Mikhail stared intently at her.
Startled by his gaze, Karina flinched.
‘Ah… Did I treat him too much like a child?’
She’d simply mimicked how her nanny used to stroke her head when she was little.
Embarrassed, Karina slowly lowered her hand.
Mikhail kept his eyes fixed on Karina’s hand as it withdrew from him.
“Ahem. Well then, could you please go and rent a carriage now?”
At Karina’s awkward cough, Mikhail looked up at her.
“I’ll be right back.”
Mikhail curved the corners of his eyes and gave her a gentle smile before heading toward the carriage rental shop.
[This is the timeline separator]Caroline entered the dining hall of the ducal household.
“Oh? Were you having dinner alone?”
Jeremiah was already there, eating his meal.
Caroline sat down in the chair a servant pulled out for her and asked,
“Where’s Karina?”
“She went out into the city and hasn’t returned yet,” Jeremiah answered, holding his water glass.
“I see. I heard she went out with her bodyguard mage, so I suppose she must have some urgent business.”
“…”
“But why did she suddenly go into the city? She hasn’t been here long enough to know the area well.”
Caroline glanced sideways at Jeremiah, gauging his reaction.
When she first heard the news, she’d been utterly dumbfounded.
Had Karina really developed feelings for another man so soon after becoming duchess?
Admittedly, the young mage was undeniably handsome—even she had momentarily lost her composure upon first seeing him.
But the crucial issue now was whether Jeremiah knew about this rumor.
Caroline feigned complete ignorance and continued casually,
“Going out so suddenly with a young man… Could she have left because she was upset about what happened in the garden?”
She subtly emphasized that Karina had gone out alone with her guard, watching Jeremiah’s reaction closely.
“That’s impossible.”
Contrary to her expectations, Jeremiah responded calmly.
“No, she’s clearly hurt. I’d suggested we have dinner together tonight and calmly clear up any misunderstandings.”
Caroline went so far as to invent a promise she’d never made, maligning Karina further.
“To think she’d ignore even that and leave like this… The duchess must be far more upset than I imagined. What should we do?”
“She said she went for an inspection of the city, so she’ll return shortly. You can speak with her then.”
“I hope so…”
Caroline trailed off ambiguously and glanced sideways at Jeremiah.
“Could it be because Karina’s from the capital? Noble ladies from the capital are naturally quite fickle.”
With a troubled sigh, Caroline continued,
“She was the beloved daughter of the Marquis Milainer, who enjoys the Emperor’s full favor—how indulged must she have been in the capital?”
At the mention of the Marquis Milainer, Jeremiah’s brow briefly furrowed.
“If she can’t break those habits even after coming to the North, it’ll cause problems. The ducal house will be in trouble if the duchess throws tantrums whenever she pleases.”
“…”
“She should act like a proper duchess. I worry that Karina’s reckless, willful behavior might damage the prestige of the ducal house.”
Pretending concern, Caroline kept belittling Karina.
“This is also a matter of basic etiquette. It would be better for everyone if she corrected these habits firmly right now.”
“…”
Jeremiah, who had been silently listening without reply, suddenly set down his fork and knife with a sharp clatter.
The sound of a chair scraping the floor followed.
Standing up, he said in a dry tone,
“I’m busy, so I’ll leave first.”
“Already? Even if you’re busy, finish your meal before leaving.”
Caroline tried to stop him, but Jeremiah firmly refused.
“I’ve lost my appetite. Please finish your meal, Sister.”
With a cold, hardened expression, Jeremiah exited the dining hall.
“Sigh…”
Jeremiah let out a long breath and pressed firmly at his temples.
Lately, Karina had been inexplicably occupying his thoughts.
He’d been deliberately trying not to think about her.
Yet Caroline kept bringing her up whenever they met, which was thoroughly grating his nerves.
He felt that if he didn’t release this mounting irritation somehow, he’d explode.
“I’ll head to the training grounds. Prepare everything.”
Jeremiah gave the order to Jansen, who was following beside him.
Glancing out the window, he saw the afternoon had already slipped far away.
‘I thought she’d return soon, but she’s taking longer than expected.’
Realizing he was thinking of Karina again, Jeremiah frowned.
He shook his head, trying hard to clear his mind of such thoughts.
[This is the timeline separator]At that moment, Karina stood outside the city road, waiting for Mikhail.
Some time passed—
Thud.
Suddenly, a figure burst around the corner of the opposite alley and collided with Karina.
“Ah!”
Startled, Karina turned around.
She’d been pushed back a few steps, but the other person had fallen flat on their back.
‘What… a little child?’
The other was a young child, looking no older than ten years old.
“Are you alright, little one?”
Karina stepped closer to check on the child.
“Ah… Ugh…”
The child seemed dazed, likely having hit their head when falling backward.
As Karina debated whether to take the child to a physician, something at her feet glinted.
“…What’s this?”
“Ah…!”
Just as Karina looked down to inspect it, the child suddenly gasped.
Then, the child frantically began gathering something from the ground.
On closer inspection, Karina saw a fine cloth coin purse and several shiny silver coins scattered on the street.
‘Silver coins?’
At that moment, a shout came from behind.
“Stop right there!”
A man with a rough beard charged toward them with a fearsome expression.
Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a guard knight from some noble house.
“Eep!”
Spotting the approaching man, the child gasped sharply, shoulders trembling.
In their panic, the child fumbled and dropped the few coins they’d just picked up.
As the man drew near, the child abandoned the fallen coins and hurriedly snatched only the coin purse, trying to flee.
But the difference in stride between a child and an adult was vast.
The child hadn’t gotten far before being caught immediately.
“You little rat! Thought you could get away from me?”
The bearded man grabbed the child by the collar and yanked them up.
“Finally caught you.”
“Ghk… ghk!”
The child choked, making painful sounds as they struggled to breathe.
“Hmph.”
The bearded man snorted disdainfully and threw the child to the ground.
“Ugh!”
The child hit the ground hard, groaned, curled up, and couldn’t get back up.
“You’re in big trouble today!”
“Did you catch them?”
A man who looked like a noble appeared in the alleyway, his voice low.
Emerging from the shadow of a wall, he carried an air of nonchalance.
Yet his relaxed gait and easy expression clearly marked him as nobility.
He flicked his fingers, gesturing for the man to bring the captured child before him.
“Yes. Here’s the culprit.”
The bearded man roughly pulled the child upright.
“What should I do with them?”
The noble glanced at the child as if looking at something filthy and replied carelessly,
“What do you think? Give them a good thrashing first—they’ll come to their senses then.”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Chapter Comments (10)
Inline Comments (158)
“I can help you—with the Duchess’s divorce.”
And then get with him.Even though he’s hiding things, he still seems more honest and trustworthy than the duke at this point.
“I can help you—with the Duchess’s divorce.”
Let him see we need a fallback plan.
"You should consider yourself honored just because I came all the way here to me
“The lady doth protests too much, methinks.” What else do they say, “pride cometh before the fall?”
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I love when it’s just them
i’m really hoping for divorce next chapter
why did I unlock all the chapters? I wish I didn’t do that because he’s irritating me.