Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Side Story 16

Claude didn’t say anything for a while after hearing what I had said.

His expression was hard to read. I thought he’d be a bit happier, but instead, he looked conflicted. That made me start to feel embarrassed, too.

Maybe I’d rushed things. After all, it had been a while since we’d been intimate beyond just affection, so suggesting imprinting right away might have felt like too much pressure.

“I mean, it’s not like I want to do it right now… We could try slowly… even if we have a high compatibility rate, it might not work on the first try… But if it happens immediately, it’s not like that would be a problem, right?”

“…”

“Or, um, just forget I said anything…”

I was mumbling awkwardly when he suddenly spoke.

“You’re weak and fearful.”

“Huh?”

…Out of nowhere?

I was confused by the sudden comment. As I blinked in bewilderment, Claude gently brushed back a strand of my hair and muttered,

“You’re so lovely… whoever you were with would end up making you their whole world.”

“…What?”

My heart dropped at his words. Claude smiled bitterly as he continued.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently. Maybe… maybe it would have been better if you’d met someone else instead of me. Someone normal, stable… Someone more experienced in protecting what’s precious to them. Then you wouldn’t get hurt because of my clumsiness, wouldn’t have to deal with unfamiliar attention from others, and… you wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.”

Even though our physical connection had lessened, I never felt insecure.

I knew better than anyone how much he worried about me and how careful he’d been since I got injured.

I thought things would go back to normal once I recovered and regained my health.

“Why… why would you say that?”

“Rose, whether I want it or not, my life has never been ordinary. No one can promise that something similar to what happened before won’t happen again. Maybe it’s selfish of me to want to keep you close.”

“I…”

I wanted to respond, but my throat tightened, and I couldn’t get the words out.

I had worried about the same thing before, fearing that it would be easier to avoid getting hurt if I just pushed him away.

For a long time, I had been afraid of him, rejecting him because I didn’t want to get hurt.

But that was no longer the case.

Claude had shown me that the strength to endure difficult and overwhelming situations didn’t come from anywhere else. If I’d faced these events before meeting him, I might have wanted to give up. But instead, I stood strong and overcame them.

The reason was simple: Claude had become the foundation that kept me grounded.

As long as he stayed by my side, I could handle the shattering of peaceful, dull days, no matter how many times it happened.

I was about to pour out all these thoughts when he spoke again.

“But no matter how much I think about it, there’s no scenario where I don’t keep you by my side…”

“Huh?”

“If you give me just one more chance, I’ll promise you this— I’ll make sure you’re never hurt or scared again.”

His gaze was unwavering as he brought my hand to his lips, gently kissing the back of it.

For a moment, I just blinked, unsure of how to process what he’d said.

Then I saw the slight smirk on his lips as he watched my dumbfounded expression, and finally, relief washed over me.

“Oh, you scared me!”

The moment I understood what was going on, tears started streaming down my face.

Why did he have to make a vow of love sound so serious? I knew it wasn’t possible, but for a second, I thought he was about to break up with me.

“What a crybaby…”

Claude rolled his eyes, looking exasperated. He pulled me closer, cupping my tear-streaked cheeks in his hands. Despite his disbelieving click of the tongue, his large hands wiped my face with surprising care.

I felt a bit embarrassed. Just as he said, what was I crying so hard about? Sniffling awkwardly, I wiped my nose, but then a soft chuckle escaped his lips as his red mouth curled into a crooked smile.

Without warning, he leaned in, pressing his lips against mine.

In response, I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in tightly, deepening the kiss.

And so began the long night ahead of us.

T/N: yall…. I dunno anymore, this novel was clearly labeled as r19 on kkp, but the author refuses to give us smut ㅠㅠ