As a Villain I Really Don’t Want To Be Pursued by the Heroine

66

The two returned on the griffin, laden with spoils. By the time Leisa and the others had prepared the ingredients, dusk had already quietly fallen.

Everyone moved the table outside, dining under the house in the open air, accompanied by the night colors of the wilderness.

The roasted Sichuan pepper chicken, golden and crispy, the thick soup made with wild vegetables, radishes, and mountain mushrooms, and most irresistible of all, the stewed, fragrant, and tender lightning matsutake rabbit.

Roy and Charlotte, having eaten only dry rations all day, could not fend off hunger, even as transcendent beings. They cast aside unnecessary formalities and ate heartily.

After all, compared to Robert, who devoured half a chicken in one bite, their manner of eating seemed quite elegant.

The taste of the Sichuan pepper chicken was like the pepper oil-marinated roasted chicken Roy had in his previous life, only crisper and more tender.

The taste of the lightning matsutake rabbit was refreshingly new, the meaty aroma overflowing, somewhat like stewed pork, but upon tasting, it was rich without being greasy, carrying the elegant, intense fragrance of matsutake.

Amidst eating and drinking, everyone chatted about everything under the sun, with no distinction between sovereign and subject, in a pleasant and leisurely manner.

The conversation of the elders naturally turned to Roy and Charlotte, and the two simply began to recount the day’s hunt for them.

Especially upon hearing that the two had hunted together, even Carl and Robert, high-ranking transcendent beings, couldn’t help but show their astonishment.

Carl looked at Robert with a smile and teased, “This is the first time I’ve heard of transcendent beings releasing a combined strike without training. Perhaps these two kids get along quite well.”

“Hmph, just luck,” Robert grumbled, downing a mug of fresh beer larger than Roy’s head, with a muffled humph.

“By the standards of a brat, he did indeed do well. After all, those who usually hunt for matsutake rabbits are five-person teams.”

Listening to the king’s drunken, feigned nonchalance in his praise, Roy finally understood from whom Charlotte had inherited her character.

The girl opposite Roy covered her mouth and whispered a laugh to him, “Don’t mind him! He’s just jealous of us! Father tried several times to lead a team to hunt matsutake rabbits in his youth and never succeeded!”

The affectionate interaction between the young boy and girl did not escape the watchful eyes of the old mother, Leisa.

Leisa glanced at them meaningfully, her lips curling into a smile, “In just one short day, your relationship has improved a lot, hasn’t it?”

“Surely you’re very happy with Roy’s company, right?”

The playfulness in Leisa’s eyes was almost spilling over.

Charlotte, who had just swallowed a piece of chicken, nearly choked. After struggling to swallow it down with the help of the vegetable soup, she lifted her head and forced an explanation, “What, what?!”

“It’s not that happy, just ordinary!” Charlotte wiped the corner of her mouth and straightened up, appearing elegant and reserved.

What’s this about being happy or not, as if she really had… those kinds of feelings…

Of course, if Roy really had those intentions, it wouldn’t be unacceptable, but what did he think?

Despite what she said, her half-closed eyes kept drifting towards Roy.

Little did she know, Roy let out a sigh of regret, “Ah, so being with me isn’t that fun after all?”

He suddenly felt playful and wanted to tease the stubborn princess.

Roy looked up at a 45-degree angle to the sky, his voice melodramatically melancholic, “Am I being too sensitive? Isn’t our relationship good?”

The girl was momentarily startled, slightly panicked.

“No, it’s not that, I didn’t mean…” Charlotte straightened her delicate frame, her slender legs under her skirt twisting awkwardly, but she was at a loss for words, so anxious she twisted her hair tips upwards.

“It’s just, it’s just…”

Her fiery red eyes were already misting over.

The more anxious and aggrieved the girl became, the cuter she appeared, making Roy want to tease her even more.

But with her parents right there, he shouldn’t go too far.

Roy waved his hand dismissively, immediately switching to a smile, “Just kidding, don’t take it seriously.”

“I’m grateful to Charlotte for her company; at least I had a good time today.”

Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief, a flicker of relief and joy passing through her, but she quickly realized he was teasing and pouted.

Under the table, her black silk-clad feet in boots stepped on Roy’s foot, but the force was neither too light nor too heavy, more like a small animal bumping into him.

Leysa’s smile was even wider than before, and Karl, watching his son’s smooth progress, was even hungrier for a feast of meat. Both indicated they were enjoying the moment.

The only one displeased was a certain king, who after several large beers, watched his daughter and Roy chatting and laughing, feeling annoyed.

If it had been some other rascal, even old Raymond’s boy, Robert would have broken his legs by now.

However, upon closer observation, Robert couldn’t find any significant fault with Roy.

This only irritated him more.

Emotionally, he didn’t want his daughter to date, but rationally, he knew that Roy might be the only boy Charlotte truly liked.

“Hey, Roy, lad!”

A thunderous shout nearly startled Roy.

“What’s wrong?!”

“You may pursue my daughter, but the Lainhart family doesn’t take the incompetent! You must prove yourself stronger than Karl! You must break through before you turn twenty…”

Such was the awkward father, always bringing up some ‘test’ or ‘trial’ to trouble others, to get over the hurdle in his heart.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t finished speaking when Leysa, as if she had done it countless times before, stepped on Robert’s toes with her high-heeled shoe.

Compared to Charlotte, Leysa really stepped hard.

The iron-hearted Lion King donned a mask of pain and shut his mouth on the spot, showing how excruciating it was.

Leysa smiled kindly at Roy, “Don’t mind him, men talk nonsense when they’re drunk.”

Roy, clueless about what had happened, nodded repeatedly, feeling an inexplicable chill.

He was suddenly reminded of his own maid.

How to put it, the women of this world are exceptionally fierce. Karl was one thing, but how did the “Dancing Flame on the Dragon’s Back,” the mighty Lion King, end up henpecked?

“What nonsense? This is a man’s test…” Robert glared, seemingly trying to salvage his dignity, but Leysa stepped on him again, his body trembling, he turned his head away, displaying his final stubbornness: “…but the test is not just for now, you two get along well first.”

The first time Roy saw a scene like this, he wanted to laugh but couldn’t, he was really awkward.

It was Carl who had seen it all before, taking old friend’s embarrassing side as a side dish.

“Bob, you’re still so scared of your wife!”

Then he was scolded by Roy, who was angry and humiliated, and came up with a strong guy’s lock.

Actually, compared to those formal and hypocritical gatherings, Roy still liked this relaxed and carefree atmosphere.

After dinner, the three elders stayed outside, performing the second round of wine and song, while Roy and Charlotte were prompted to go to bed early.

The small cottage in the distance had a small bathhouse built using a mountain spring, where they could take a bath.

Of course, this was always a priority for the ladies.

Roy and Charlotte agreed to go half an hour later, and when the time came, he followed the path he had recognized earlier to the bathhouse.

From noble mtl dot come

It was actually a pool built using stone and a wooden shed with no roof, with a small wooden house to block the view.

At first glance, it looked like a rustic outdoor hot spring from a certain island nation.

Roy was about to enter the house when he saw a faint, misty image of a girl reflected in the window.

What kind of clichéd development is this?!

Roy’s first reaction was to run.

However, he soon discovered that the image he saw was not as provocative as he had imagined.