The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind

Desian’s magic was somewhat unstable and he was openly hated by the duke. Not to mention Citrina’s reputation in the mansion was not very good.
‘I don’t know why the duke is suddenly pushing for a meeting between Citrina and Desian but…’
This sort of trivial event didn’t appear in the original work. Citrina nodded.
“Really? Should I go to the drawing room?”
Citrina put a bookmark in the book she was reading.

<Beginner’s Sword Training Method>

It was a book she would show to Aaron later.
Harold, who was looking at the title of the book she was reading, answered slowly.
“…No, you will meet in the garden. Young Lord Desian does not like being indoors.”
Citrina slowly got up and took a quick look at her clothes.
“Yes. Then let’s go now.”
The butler opened the door for her. Citrina went straight to the garden. Thanks to the clear skies and cool wind, it was nice to walk outside even on a summer day.
‘Soon I’ll be meeting the original work’s villain, Desian Pietro.’
He was waiting to meet her in the garden. She wasn’t feeling very nervous even though she was meeting a man who could influence her life.
‘Right, I just need to get along with him a bit. We have a lot of time to get to know each other, and I can help him learn about emotions. If I’m too involved, I’m bound to die in any case and it would be uncomfortable…’
Citrina organized her thoughts logically.
Citrina was not this world’s god. She knew what would happen in the future, but she could not change the entire world.
Anyway, as long as the incident where she died didn’t happen, that was all. Citrina bit her lip.

“Citrina-nim, I will escort you.”
“Thank you, Harold.”
With the butler’s escort, Citrina headed to the garden attached to the annex. There was a subtle scent of summer in the air It was the time of year when it was slightly hot and slightly refreshing with only a little sweat on her forehead.
This was the season that she was meeting the boy villain.
“You can go into this garden.”
Harold bowed his head. He seemed unable to enter with her.
Citrina took a step into the beautifully designed garden. The moment Citrina entered the garden, she could see his back.
To her surprise, he was near a beautiful rose bush. According to the book she read a while ago, roses in this world do not wither easily and are loved by many people.
Therefore it was natural that the duke would have roses in his garden.
Citrina cut off her admiration for the garden and looked instead at the back of the tall man in front of her.
His shoulders were wider than she imagined and he was tall. But he was still a boy, so she could still talk with him and get close.
“That’s Desian Pietro, right?”
Citrina spoke quietly to herself. Perhaps because it was summer, the garden plants were all lively shades of green.
Citrina didn’t know how long she had been staring.
At this point, Desian must have noticed her presence. However, he did not turn around.
Citrina took a few steps forward and recalled some of the topics she had prepared in her head. Soon Desian’s backside was two arm’s lengths away.
Citrina called to him with a gentle knock on the door.
“Desian Pietro-nim, am I right?”
Her voice was as sweet as possible. Would he respond to her voice?
“Yes…”
Replied the boy who was much taller than her as he slowly turned around. He had a beautiful, low-pitched voice.
Was it because of the shadows of the tree falling on his face, or did he have a scar on his cheek?
Despite being handsome, he looked a little melancholy. In addition, Citrina thought his voice was chilling.
‘Of course, I thought you would speak informally, like any other aristocrat…’
Citrina fumbled with her thoughts. Come to think of it, the wizard Toloji tried to cultivate Desian into the most perfect and elegant secret weapon. That’s why he taught him elegant social manners.
‘Inside the original work, Desian spoke most formally to women.’
She wasn’t too shocked as nothing had changed from the original work yet.
Citrina took a deep breath and stared at him.
She didn’t think anything had changed, but there was definitely something different about him. Nevertheless, Citrina did not know if it was a positive or a negative change for her.
‘Somewhat different.’
On the one hand, Desian Pietro was a weapon tamed by the wizard Toloji. However with Toloji away, Damian was gradually coming out of the brain-washing, as if coming out of deep water.
It meant that everything he came across now seemed distinct.
Desian’s first impression of Citrina was a little different. The impression from her voice was cheerful and friendly.
It felt like a person who grew up with a lot of love. That was the sort of thing Desian despised, so he turned towards her a little cynically.
But when he saw her, Desian realized his first impression was an illusion.
Her eyes were plain green.
But there was no light or darkness in her eyes. Even if Desian were to die in front of her right now, he had the feeling she would not even blink. It was an attitude that was withdrawn from everyone.
This distant attitude reminded Desian of himself.
‘I thought you would sympathize with me.’
Everyone in the duchy knew of his situation. Most either took a stance of contempt or sympathy with him. Those tactics didn’t really interest Desian.
However, this woman was different. She looked at him as if he were nothing but an inanimate object.
‘It’s strange.’
She looked at him with no disgust, sympathy, or attachment in her gaze. Her eyes were devoid of emotions.
However, there was a sense of vitality inside them. It was the will to live. This was odd for him, who had been able to read people for quite a while.
Until now, he had never been curious about other people. But those eyes sparkled like jewels, he…kind of wanted them.
Was it only because Desian was moving away from Toloji’s influence, or…
“Your eyes are pretty.”
Desian said in a low voice as he stared at Citrina. No one knew it, but these were the first words he had deliberately spoken to another person.
“That’s kind of you to say. Thank you.”
With her withdrawn eyes, she gave a reasonable answer.
“Nice to meet you, Desian-nim. I am Citrina Foluin of the Foluin Barony.”
“… Citrina.”
He tried to pronounce her name softly in his mouth. What came out was a sharp pronunciation with no slurred syllables.
“Please call me Citrina. Ah, isn’t it hot?”
She started some small talk about the weather. It was a friendly attitude in contrast with the indifferent expression.
Desian’s fingertips tingled with a thrilling sense.
He wasn’t immune to this kind of feeling. She didn’t look at him as disgusting, or dirty, or pitiful. The existence of this woman who looked only at him caused a rush of feelings.
“It’s hot.”
He replied. She could certainly feel a little heat in his words, which had been insensitive before.
“Even if it’s a bit hot, I like summer because it’s the season when roses bloom. Roses have thorns, but they are beautiful.”
Listening to Citrina’s gentle language, he smiled for a moment. Citrina’s eyes, which caught his smile, became a little more tenacious.
“Desian-nim, is there anything that you like? Do you like summer or summer roses?”
He still didn’t know what it was to like something. However, if he had to find an answer…
“… Perhaps..”
He swept his hair back from his languid face.
“I hope you’ll find something you like.”
“That…why?”
“It’s a pleasure to have at least one thing you treasure.”
Citrina smiled as brightly as the sun. Desian thought slowly about her words.
“I see.”
It’s fun to have at least one thing you like.
Those words burned into his memory like an afterimage.
From the time Citrina became aware of her past life, all of this may have been inevitable. As Desian Pietro’s senses were reawakened, he became more aware of Citrina.
“I’m curious.”
Now, the clock of fate was slowly shifting.
“What is the thing that you like most of all?”
Their first meeting was intense.
Citrina was the first person to wake Desian from his sleep, and Desian was stirring Citrina’s hidden emotions.
“What I like the most?”
“Yes.”
She was at a loss for words. No one had asked that of her. Not even Elaina was curious about what she liked, since her sister only thought of herself. Citrina and Desian’s eyes intertwined in the air. Citrina saw a tiny bit of emotion stirring in his dull eyes.