I'm a Villainess, Can I Die?-Chapter 57

The figure walking in front of Jacob was a child and the child’s mother. The child, about five years old, was tightly holding onto her mother's hand, walking briskly with short legs. She didn’t whine about her aching legs and walked with great determination.

The mother smiled gently at her child. But as the mother glanced back to check if her child was walking well, something quickly flew toward them from behind.

A large object, about the size of an adult woman’s fist... Thud.

The woman turned her head to see what it was, but couldn’t make out what it was. All she saw was a large hand, right in front of her face, and she blinked in confusion.

She held her child's hand tightly and slowly turned her head to see who the hand belonged to.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes..."

The woman answered with a slight delay, still stunned after seeing the man's face. But that moment was brief. She was torn between looking at his handsome face and glancing at his hand, which had caught the object.

The man was holding a large rock, about the same size as the one she had just seen.

"Goodness."

The woman gasped and immediately scooped her child up. The child, who had been walking with great effort, now began to whimper in protest as she was suddenly lifted.

The woman stared at the rock hidden in her hand and then thanked the man.

It would have been impossible for someone to throw the stone from a distance and reach this point so quickly. It seemed that this handsome man had saved her and her child from the dangerous rock.

The woman kept bowing her head in gratitude while wondering, "How did he manage to catch that rock with just one hand?"

The man, still smiling warmly, assured her that everything was fine. His gaze softened as he looked at the confused child. The woman, still holding her curiosity inside, kept thanking him and moved away from him.

"Ah, where did they go so quickly?"

Lukas muttered as he waved at the child, who was looking toward him from her mother’s arms. Then, with a relaxed motion, he threw and caught the stone repeatedly, glancing around. He could feel the people in the street whispering and glancing at him.

After all, if someone were receiving thanks on the street, people would definitely want to see what was going on.

Lukas maintained a friendly face as he watched Jacob stare at the rock he had kicked, then turned toward the carriage storage.

Jacob hurried toward the carriage storage. I saw the stone fly toward his hat, but honestly, I didn’t care. Even if something happened, I could simply slip him some money to resolve the issue.

Could a commoner dare to sue a noble?

I only thought to myself, "Well, this is just a day of bad luck." But when someone caught the rock he had kicked, and then smiled at me, I realized that today would not end with just "bad luck."

Jacob, while the child's mother was still thanking Lukas, quickly left the scene.

"Why...?"

Jacob muttered in frustration, biting his lip as he walked.

Why on earth is that man here?

It seemed like he had come alone, since neither the crazy princess nor her servant was around.

"She said to forget about it, but it looks like it's all been blown up now."

He needed to get home quickly. If he went home and thought for a bit, maybe a solution would come to him.

In the distance, he saw the carriage storage. A little bit of relief appeared on his frustrated face. He wondered if Lukas was going to follow him to his house by carriage. Sure, Lukas could come later, but it would be much easier to deal with things once he had a better excuse.

However, Jacob didn’t know one thing—once the day started poorly, it usually stayed bad until the end.

Stomp.

Jacob stopped in his tracks and swallowed hard. He could hear his own throat moving as he gulped.

"What a coincidence, Jacob."

He had started walking first, so how had Lukas gotten there before him?

Despite Jacob’s confusion, Lukas greeted him as if nothing unusual was happening.

To anyone watching, it would seem like they had just run into each other by chance.

"...Lukas?"

"Where are you in such a hurry to go? Since we ran into each other by chance, why not stop and talk for a bit?"

Jacob shot a glance at the carriage storage, which was now very close.

"Well, I’ve got some urgent business to attend to..."

Jacob tried to make an excuse, subtly trying to move away. But as soon as he took a step, Lukas tossed a stone at him.

The stone flew in an arc just like the one Jacob had kicked earlier, and dropped right in front of Jacob’s feet.

If Jacob had taken one more step, it would have certainly hit him in the head.

Jacob froze in shock.

His eyes were the only part of him that moved. He stared down at the stone, which had fallen to the ground, then turned his gaze to Lukas.

Lukas' face still held the same friendly smile. It seemed as though nothing had happened—he had just tried to knock Jacob's head off with a rock!

Jacob was seething with anger, but he couldn’t act. He felt like a mouse in front of a cat, no, a mouse in front of a lion.

Lukas walked leisurely toward Jacob, his hands behind his back, as though he were just out for a stroll.

"Well, I guess you’ll need to cancel your plans. It seems like you don’t have time for them anymore."

A flash of violet light gleamed from between Lukas’s slightly narrowed eyes.

The two of them moved to a different location. Not to a nice café where nobles could speak comfortably, but to a desolate area on the outskirts of the square.

Jacob, who had been forced to follow Lukas, nervously swallowed and faced Lukas.

"Why are we talking here?"

"Oh, I’m just a nature-loving person."

Lukas smiled nonchalantly, brushing his long hair as he spoke.

Lukas kept smiling, not to make Jacob feel at ease, but because he knew that if he stopped smiling, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

The contract with Selina was certainly satisfying, but if anyone else found out about it, it would cause trouble. After all, Lukas had been working # Nоvеlight # to erase past rumors and clean up the public image. He had no choice but to follow Jacob to stop him from speaking about today.

However, as Lukas followed closely behind Jacob, he overheard an interesting comment.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Damn it! I was told it wouldn’t be that hard... but what the hell... I almost got myself into real trouble with that crazy woman. Didn’t even get paid, what is this?"

Lukas couldn’t hold back his anger after hearing Jacob’s frustrated muttering. The anger surged inside him, and for a moment, he even considered twisting Jacob’s neck.

The anger was boiling inside him, and he didn’t quite understand why it was so strong.

He raised his hand slowly toward Jacob’s neck, but then stopped himself. He knew that if he acted recklessly, it would only cause more trouble for the Duke’s family. If he were going to act, it needed to be in secret, leaving no trace behind.

Remembering the earlier events, Lukas shrugged and said, as Selina often did,

"What’s important is not the place, but the content of the conversation."

As Lukas took a step forward, Jacob took a step back.

The two of them continued in this strange dance, Lukas slowly moving closer and Jacob backing away. The smile on Lukas's face gradually faded, and it became clear that he wasn’t enjoying this.

Seeing the smile fade from the face of the man who had always appeared gentle was not an enjoyable experience. No, it was more than just unpleasant; it felt terrifying.

"I... I have nothing to say!"

Jacob trembled, stepping back frantically, and then he turned and started to run. It was an instinctive attempt to escape.

Unlike the fear he had felt earlier with the princess, now he truly feared for his life.

Looking at the retreating back, Lukas’s face grew as cold as a winter night.

"If you want to escape, you’ll have to leave the Empire."

Lukas murmured softly and began walking toward Jacob. His steps didn’t look like someone chasing after someone in a panic. Instead, they were leisurely, almost mocking.

But the speed at which he was walking was anything but leisurely.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Jacob, realizing Lukas was gaining on him, let out a scream and stumbled, falling over his own feet.

Or rather, he nearly fell. Lukas, who had arrived beside him, grabbed the back of his neck just before his face hit the ground.

Jacob, who had been panting in front of the dirt, turned his eyes toward Lukas, then looked back down at the dirt, unable to face him in fear.

"Be careful."

Lukas, still smiling, helped Jacob back to his feet. He even brushed the dust off of Jacob's disheveled hair with delicate movements. It was such a careful gesture that anyone else would have blushed.

However, Jacob flinched with every touch, trembling like a frightened puppy.

"I’ve heard of people who end up cracking their skulls by tripping."

Lukas sneered at Jacob, who couldn’t even meet his gaze. It was laughable that someone so pathetic had tried to do something so daring.

"If that happens, wouldn't it be a pathetic death?"

The word "death" that slipped from Lukas's smooth voice made Jacob stiffen. He wasn’t foolish enough to miss the threat in Lukas’s tone.

The smile on Lukas’s face felt more like a devil’s grin, and Jacob squeezed his eyes shut, fearing what was to come.