I Don’t Want to be a Villainess – Chapter 168

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: Wojo

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Again, there was a long silence.

“But, still.”

Sara spoke with a voice that remained weak.

“It doesn’t change the fact that I ruined everything.”

“……Why do you think that?”

It couldn’t have been a mistake.

How many people could imagine a mother harboring such feelings toward her daughter?

Especially Sara, who was directly involved.

She had simply followed that person, thinking of her as her mother since childhood, so it was impossible for her to have those thoughts.

“I put you in danger.”

However, as I tried to comfort Sara somehow, I found myself at a loss for words when I heard what she said.

“I believed everything I did was for you. That’s what I thought. Everything you couldn’t solve, I would take care of it and hand it back to you.”

“…….”

“So I dealt with the people who wronged me, and with Mother too…….”

“…….”

All for me.

Sara had acted solely for my sake.

I had thought she was merely trying to find a reason to live.

“I’m sorry.”

Sara apologized to me like that.

“I’m sorry. In the end, I dumped everything on you again.”

“…….”

Hearing Sara’s words, a flood of emotions swirled within my chest.

The first emotion I felt was shame.

Because Sara’s actions were so warm, and I was ashamed of myself for not noticing her heart at all.

Then came sorrow.

Because it seemed that, even now, Sara couldn’t hold onto any lingering attachment to her life.

It felt like something I couldn’t fix no matter how hard I tried.

And finally, the emotion I felt was anger.

Anger at the world for making Sara this way.

And anger at myself, for thinking I fully understood Sara just because I had read a bit of her memories.

That anger was directed at myself.

“…….”

But I couldn’t let those feelings explode in front of Sara.

Since they were feelings born from my own mistakes, I thought I shouldn’t show them to Sara.

“……No.”

Suppressing my feelings, I spoke.

“It’s not because of you. You don’t need to apologize.”

“But…….”

“No.”

No matter how much I tried to hide my feelings, they inevitably seeped into my tone.

“It’s not your fault.”

“…….”

“The one who’s at fault is that person.”

I thought of Choi Na-kyung.

“Was it your fault that you were kidnapped? No, it wasn’t. The blame lies with the person who kidnapped you. The idea that you were wrong because you couldn’t protect yourself is nonsense. You should blame the person at fault, not the victim.”

“…….”

Sara just listened to what I was saying.

“And, even though you were in such a situation, I knew nothing. I didn’t even know what kind of person Choi Na-kyung was, yet I left you alone with her. I could’ve helped, but I didn’t. So the one at fault is me.”

“No.”

Sara refuted my words.

While I was talking, Sara lifted her head from her knees.

Her eyes were damp, as if she had been crying until just a moment ago.

Her eyes were red and bloodshot.

But Sara, as if those traces of tears were a lie, glared at me intensely.

“You were asleep inside me at that time. I didn’t call you out. If it had been you, you would’ve properly warned me after seeing her. You wouldn’t have acted recklessly with overconfidence like I did.”

“That’s something we’ll never know because I wasn’t there. I could’ve been kidnapped just like you. In fact, when I saw Choi Na-kyung, I was so scared that I couldn’t do anything.”

“No.”

Sara’s brows furrowed, as if she was frustrated.

“That’s all because I blocked information from reaching you. If I had kept you informed, you would’ve been able to grasp the situation properly.”

“…….”

“I, I…….”

Sara lowered her head briefly, then, as if making up her mind, took a deep breath and lifted her head.

Turning her body slightly toward me, she looked directly into my eyes and spoke.

“I have a lot of things I’ve kept hidden from you. Especially recently, when I was in control of this body, I only told you the good things—”

“I know.”

“—So……huh?”

When I interrupted Sara mid-sentence, she momentarily looked dazed.

“The reason you took charge of the body was to sort out personal matters. Even though you didn’t talk about the students or the teachers at school, surely there were some changes in the relationship I was worrying about with Yang Hye-in.”

“Oh, oh…….”

At my words, Sara nodded her head.

“But you didn’t mention anything about that. So of course, I figured you only told me the happy things.”

Of course, I wasn’t certain.

It was just a vague guess, something I thought might be the case.

But I didn’t want to blame Sara.

Children usually don’t talk about difficult things in front of their parents, whether it’s out of embarrassment or simply not wanting to worry them.

Perhaps they want to handle things on their own, driven by pride.

Whatever the reason, it’s only natural that the fault lies with the listener for not picking up on those signals.

“…….”

It seemed, though, that Sara didn’t think the same way.

Sara buried her face in her knees once again.

“…….”

Once again, there was silence.

“So, it’s okay.”

“…….”

“In the end, everything turned out fine. You were rescued, and Choi Na-kyung fled. No one knows what will happen next, but the bad part has already passed.”

“…….”

“Sara.”

I raised myself slightly.

Then, I moved from beside her to sit directly in front of her.

Now, we were face to face.

Sara was hugging her knees, and I knelt in front of her, resting my hand on the bed.

If she looked up, our faces would be quite close, but I didn’t care.

There was something I needed to tell her.

“You’ve been feeling anxious, haven’t you?”

“…….”

“Even though I told you we’d be together, you always had that expression.”

In truth, I had thought that I couldn’t stay with Sara forever, that I would eventually have to return her life to her completely.

……But my thoughts had changed.

To Sara, I was an incredibly important person.

Not just a friend, someone who would naturally drift apart over time until even seeing each other became difficult—but as family.

Not a lost parent.

Not the ‘Mother’ who saw her with lustful eyes instead of as a daughter—

Hmm, how should I put this?

An older brother?

An older sister?

It didn’t matter.

Whatever relationship Sara thought of us as, it didn’t matter.

Now that I had lost my original body, what importance did gender hold anymore?

What mattered was Sara.

Without realizing it, I had dug so deeply into her that I had become an incredibly important part of Sara’s life.

Recalling those memories, I remembered how Sara had begged me not to leave her, time and time again.

Those days I couldn’t even fully remember had become so precious to her.

So.

So……well, I should take responsibility now.

Running away had gone on long enough.

“Sara.”

I softly called out to Sara.

“From now on, I won’t make that expression anymore.”

At my words, Sara’s shoulders trembled.

“I’ll stay with you forever.”

“……Huh?”

At my words, Sara shot her head up in surprise.

She looked utterly shocked, as if the tears she had just shed moments ago didn’t matter anymore.

At least that was a relief.

Seeing her surprised expression seemed to wipe away the sadness.

“Just like you wished, I’ll stay with you for the rest of your life.”

Now, even if she told me to leave, I wouldn’t.

I would stubbornly stick around and constantly ask if she really didn’t need me anymore.

Because, of course, Sara had said so herself.

Family is something that, even when you think you’ve seen enough of them and want them to leave, you feel sad once they’re gone.

“Just like you asked, I’ll stay by your side forever.”

“Uh, uh……?”

Sara was left gaping.

I gently placed my hand on Sara’s head and softly patted her.

“So, how’s my expression right now? Do I still look anxious?”

I smiled brightly at Sara as I spoke.

Now, I was certain.

There wouldn’t be a single shadow on my face.

I decided to brush all my worries aside.

I didn’t know why I ended up in this body.

I didn’t even understand how.

But, if by chance—if there was a reason for it,

It must have been for this.

“So from now on, don’t blame yourself. Don’t try to handle everything on your own. Let’s move forward together.”

“……That’s unfair.”

Sara spoke as if she were sulking.

“If you say it like that, there’s no way I can refuse.”

Hearing that, I kept smiling, which seemed to irritate Sara as she,

Slap!

Grabbed both my cheeks hard enough to make a sound.

“Huh?”

At Sara’s sudden action, I let out a weird sound.

“……You said it yourself, so I’m really not going to let go now. Even if you beg me to let you go, I won’t. If you leave, I’ll follow and drag you back.”

Sara said, glaring at me with burning eyes.

“Wa-wait, Sara.”

Sara’s grip tightened.

While she wasn’t squeezing hard enough to crush my face, my cheeks were pressed from both sides, probably making me look like a fish.

Moreover, Sara was pulling her hands toward herself.

Naturally, the face she was holding, mine, was also getting closer.

Uh, wait, isn’t this way too close……?

“I told you.”

Sara said, right in front of my face.

“I’ll never let you go.”

And then, she,

Pressed her lips against mine.

“…….”

Time froze.

……At least, that’s what it felt like to me at that moment.

And at the end of that eternal moment, Sara pulled her soft lips away from mine and spoke.

“If you came to save me, save me completely.”

“…….”

As I stared blankly at her,

“My vampire.”

……

……To be honest, it was a bit of a cringeworthy thing to say.