To Love A Villain

Chapter 232: We’ll Meet Again

>>Pen

It was quiet as we all helped Val pack up. None of us could do anything, not against the order of the King.

The witch had seen a big disaster coming and she had seen Val as the hero who was going to end it. I glanced at Val, he looked devastated but wasn’t saying anything.

I pursed my lips

"Val, are you okay?"

"..." He folded his shirt quietly, "Not really..." He didn’t look at me and I could see how stressed he was, "I never thought I’d had to go to the capital... Much less become a hero..." He placed his shirt in the suitcase.

I looked out the door. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen, making food for Val for his journey. I looked back at my fiance.

"Well look at the bright side!!" I decided to be positive, "They choose you as the hero meaning if you win, they’ll grant you whatever you want!"

"There’s nothing that I want specifically..." He folded his pants,

Ah...

He’s really depressed...

I bit my lower lip

"Really? Even though you have anything you want?"

"I already have everything I want." His eyes softened when he looked at me, "My whole world."

!!

Oh,

My cheeks flushed a little

"I just want to spend my time with you." His words made my heart flutter, "I wish no one could split us apart." He placed his pants in the suitcase, then rubbed the corner of his eye as he kept his eyes on the clothes.

"Only a King doesn’t listen to orders," I sighed. Then an idea popped in my head, "Then Val! How about when you become a hero, you can demand that you want to become a king!" I grinned, "Then I can be your Queen!"

He looked at me with a baffled look

"I can’t take the King’s place now."

"Hmm," I frowned, "True," I folded my arms and thought about it, "Hmmmm." I put a lot of pressure on my head.

A thought crossed my mind.

"Then," I looked at him, "We can start our own kingdom." I was merely joking, something to lift up his spirits.

"Our own kingdom?" He looked at me seriously

"Yea! And we’ll name it Aurelia!"

"Aurelia?" He stared at me softly, "Why Aurelia?"

"Because it suits you!" I grinned brightly. It was a name I had recently learned. And I really liked it. Especially because it reminded me of Val.

"Suits me?" He asked, "What does it mean?"

"Hehhmm!" I smirked, "The meaning is the way I see you in my eyes!" There was a slight flush on my face along with a sheepish smile.

He stared at me for a moment, then he smiled as his gaze dropped.

"I would love for you to be my queen." His smile widened. His words made my heart skip a beat.

It was a lovely thought.

But I love the life we have here.

***

The early rays of the sun stretched across the sky, painting the horizon in soft pinks and golds as I stood on the balcony of my room, gripping the cool rail. The air was still, quiet in that way only the countryside could be in the early morning, when the world felt like it was holding its breath.

Below, Val stood by the horses, already saddled and ready to leave. The messenger from the capital was beside him, his face as impassive as it had been the night before. I hated him. I hated the way he’d come into our lives like a storm, tearing everything apart without even saying much. But more than anything, I hated that Val had to go with him.

Val glanced up at me, and our eyes met. For a moment, everything else faded—the messenger, the horses, the rising sun.

It was just us.

The way it had always been. My heart clenched painfully in my chest, and I had to bite down on my lip

Val raised his hand up and waved at me, "Bye Bye, Pen,"

"Bye..." I replied as a frown appeared on my forehead.

No!

I can’t show him this side.

"Be good!" I waved, "I’ll come visit!!"

Val smiled at me, and then nodded, "We’ll meet again soon!" His eyes were full of hope. As if he was binding me to my words. He smiled. That soft, crooked smile he always gave me when he was trying to be brave, even though I could see the worry in his eyes.

They began to move and my fingers trembled as I waved, and I knew he could see it, even from this distance.

"Be safe," I whispered, though I knew he couldn’t hear me.

Val nodded once, as if he understood, then turned to mount his horse. His movements were slow, like he was reluctant to go, I watched as he climbed onto the horse, settling into the saddle. The messenger did the same, looking back at me only once before clicking his tongue and urging his horse forward. Val’s eyes lingered for a heartbeat longer before he turned away as well.

The sound of hooves hitting the dirt road echoed through the still morning as they rode away, and I stood there, my hand still raised, watching them until they disappeared from sight.

The moment they vanished beyond the trees, something inside me cracked.

I lowered my hand slowly, the weight of everything suddenly pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My smile faltered, crumbling away like dust. I turned away from the balcony, stepping back into my room. The warmth of the morning sun did nothing to chase away the cold that had settled deep in my bones.

I shut the window behind me, closing it with a soft thud. And then, as the silence filled the space around me, I felt the tears begin to well in my eyes, hot and heavy. I tried to stop them, tried to hold on to that strength I’d shown Val, but it was useless.

Before I knew it, the sobs came, raw and uncontrollable. I sank to the floor, my back against the wall, my hands covering my face as I cried.

Everything we had promised suddenly felt so far away now, like it was slipping through my fingers, and I was powerless to stop it.

The room was dark, the only light spilling in from the edges of the closed window. And I stayed there, curled up on the floor, letting the grief and fear consume me.