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T/N: Today I’d like to thank Joaquina, Mabel, Karima, Sarah, Grace, Agnete, and Olivia all one more time since I have finally updated my Cookie Donors page. Thank you for your patience and thanks again for the sweets ❤
When I get to Grandpa Will’s house I see Gilles standing in the corner of the room.
Relief flutters through me as I notice that he doesn’t seem to be in pain anymore.
“What are you doing over there?” I call out and Gilles slowly turns to look my way.
He has unkempt, dark brown hair and gray eyes. Even though the gray color is deep and lovely, their beauty is dulled by the hollow look in them. He looks like someone who is sinking into the depths of despair.
“I’m Alicia,” I announce, though he shows no reaction. He just stares at me blankly.
I wonder what’s wrong? Is he going through a rebellious phase?
Do six year olds even have rebellious phases?
“He’s completely closed off his heart.”
“Even to you, Grandpa Will?”
“No, he’s not like this when it’s just me…..”
Alright then. Whatever it takes, I’ll make him open up to me. A villainess cannot let herself fall behind after all.
“Gilles is afraid of people,” Grandpa Will explains to me.
Well, that makes sense. On the contrary, it would have been weird for him to have experienced that and come out without being afraid.
Even though there were so many people around while he was being beaten, they all pretended not to see it….. Because they’re weak and scared themselves.
And only people who lack confidence in themselves bully the weak.
A true villainess won’t stoop to something as vile as that.
“If it’s you, Alicia, you should be able to have him open his heart to you.”
Even though there’s no factual foundation for what Grandpa Will just said, his words still give me confidence.
However, I’m not some saintess. I don’t know how to preach about hope and the goodness of humanity, and I detest that sort of hypocritical lip service anyway. So I find this whole situation rather troubling.
If it was Liz-san, I’m sure she’d have Gilles chatting happily with her in a matter of minutes.
……Wait, if that is something that Liz-san can do, then I also need to be able to do it! In order to be able to bully Liz-san, I cannot let myself be inferior to her in any aspect!
I smack my cheeks, pumping myself up and focusing my mind.
I’ll throw all of my villainous ambition into the task at hand.
“Listen, Gilles. You think people are scary? Don’t make me laugh. Then, why aren’t you dead?”
Gilles continues to stare at me blankly.
“So people are scary. You don’t want anything to do with them. Then wouldn’t you have been better off dying? This world that you’re living in is teeming with people. Just crawling with them. But what are you going to do about it? Live the rest of your life in this room, huddled up in that tiny corner?”
Now. Get angry at me. Don’t keep looking at me with those dead-fish eyes.
“You could have had it so easy. You were already dying. Your fever was so high and blood was flowing from your head…. You wouldn’t have survived if you didn’t want to. You had to want it. Need it. Sure, I may have provided you with some medication. But I was just trying to attain some self-satisfaction. You were the one that chose to swallow it. You were the one that took it and struggled to keep breathing.”
A little bit of emotion creeps into his eyes, just enough for him to muster up a tiny glare.
I truly might be a genius at enraging people.
“You struggled and struggled until you came back from the brink of death, but now you’re just going to run away from everything? Even though you chose to survive?”
“No……” Gilles mumbles quietly.
I did it! He talked! I wish Liz-san was here. I’d rub my victory in her face.
“No? Could have fooled me.”
“What do you know? You’re a noble….” Gilles spits out, glaring with the full brunt of his emotions and desire to live.
“Nothing. Not a thing~ Since the worlds we live in are completely different~” I mock in a sing-song voice, purposely belittling his pain.
And with that, Gilles looks livid enough to want to kill me.
“But, I did save your life. That means I’m also responsible for you now.”
“What?”
“Though, maybe I made a mistake. Maybe you really did want to die…. If that’s the case and I saved you against your will, then just say the word. I’ll be happily kill you now if you’d like,” I declare, staring at Gilles with wide, menacing eyes.
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T/N: *sniff sniff* My little baby is all grown up and saving China bullying a little kid into wanting to live!
