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Chapter 12
I’m the Villainess, but I Was Imprinted with the Male Lead
“Now that your mana has been properly recognized, keep in mind that no one except you will be able to use it.”
He continued explaining other precautions, but only one phrase echoed in Luciana’s ears.
“Wait a moment. Did you say… your bedroom? I must have heard wrong, right?”
“No. I meant exactly what I said.”
“…!”
His voice was firm, as though delivering a sentence.
Even in the cold winter air, she felt cold sweat running down her back.
She didn’t need to ask what would happen in that bed afterward. Given the word rutting season, the implication was obvious enough.
‘Still… does this really mean I have to sleep with him…?’
Technically it wouldn’t be the first time, but that alone wasn’t enough for her to willingly agree to spend another long night with him.
‘What if he acts like a beast or something?’
The concept of rutting wasn’t unfamiliar to her. In romance novels with male leads carrying werewolf blood like Rihit, it was practically an unavoidable cliché.
But the word itself carried an uncomfortable and unsettling weight.
Fear suddenly gripped Luciana at the thought that Rihit might lose himself to instinct and recklessly pounce on her.
And unlike last night, when alcohol had clouded everything, she would be completely sober when facing the duke that day.
‘Why does it have to be winter of all seasons…’
Her mind filled with silent lamentation, but she had no time to sit around complaining comfortably.
One night with the male lead. The imprint. And now the rutting that came with it.
How many shocks had slammed into her already just today?
Unable to accept any of it, Luciana looked at him with disbelief and asked:
“What if I refuse?”
“…I wouldn’t recommend that.”
“Ah!”
Without another word, Rihit reached out and gently toyed with the pale strands of hair swaying in the faint breeze.
His lukewarm touch slid down her cheek before lightly gripping her chin.
“Whether you like it or not, those going through rutting season must spend the night with their mate.”
“…!”
“You might endure for a day or two somehow. But after that… I may lose my reason and storm into your bedroom.”
At that point, I really would be no different from a beast. You’d be better off accepting it willingly.
“Ah…”
So there truly was no other way.
Listening to the slow, suffocating voice invading her thoughts, Luciana clutched the magical artifact Rihit had given her with pale fingers.
Even realizing she had become the villainess of the original story had never made her feel this hopeless.
* * *
Leaving behind the still-chaotic imperial palace in the aftermath of the ball, Rihit boarded the carriage his attendant had prepared in advance.
After taking his seat and tapping the ceiling, the coachman heard the signal and skillfully drove the carriage forward.
“What if I refuse?”
As the rhythmic sound of hoofbeats echoed outside and he briefly closed his eyes, Luciana’s trembling voice surfaced in his mind once more.
Her stiff lips. The trembling fingertips. Even her fear-filled eyes.
Everything about her had been twisted with horror at the thought of what awaited them soon.
“Ha…”
He understood why she found it cruel. He himself wanted to tear apart the entire situation just as much.
Rihit, too, was collapsing under the reality that he had to spend nights with a woman who meant nothing to him.
But what choice did he have? The werewolf blood flowing through his family made him destructive.
That was why he had practically forced Luciana to comply.
Even if it was torture either way, enduring something manageable would be better for both of them.
“……”
With a cold expression devoid of humor, Rihit recalled what had happened on the balcony.
Though his cooled mind had regained composure, the instincts already seeped into his mate had not.
At some point, a fragment hidden deep within his heart began writhing in pain, as though Luciana’s rejection had wounded him deeply.
For now, it was only a tiny piece he could suppress with reason—but with time, it would grow uncontrollably, eventually swallowing everything he was and dragging him into a swamp.
Just earlier, hadn’t he stupidly lost his composure merely from seeing her dressed beautifully for the ball?
Regardless of how he felt, the curse-like imprint had already rooted itself deeply into his subconscious.
* * *
“Your Grace. You’ve returned.”
Godwin guided Rihit, who had just returned from the imperial palace, into his bedroom.
Perhaps things hadn’t gone well with Lady Leslie. His master’s expression remained dark.
“I no longer require assistance. You may leave.”
“Yes. Please rest well.”
Back in his room, Rihit loosened his cravat and pulled out the badge he had tucked inside his coat.
Even now, it was an unpleasant design for a lady’s accessory, but Rihit intended to return it to Luciana, believing it belonged to her.
‘But she clearly said it wasn’t hers.’
Right before leaving the balcony, he had held it out to her—only to receive an unexpected answer.
“This is… the first time I’ve seen it.”
“Are you certain? It was lying beside the bed.”
“Well, for one thing, I hate snakes… Maybe I picked it up at the palace? I was drunk throughout the ball, so I don’t really remember…”
Listening to Luciana uncertainly recall that night, Rihit sensed the scent of a clue he had been searching for all this time.
‘It’s not hers, and she says she found it at the palace? The origin is unclear, but this may be the lead.’
Ever since the incident first occurred, he had suspected someone had targeted him and orchestrated some kind of scheme.
And Luciana herself had unfortunately been dragged into the incident as well. It was possible she had unknowingly obtained a clue left behind by the culprit.
There was still no solid evidence, so it remained only a hypothesis—but the sharpened instincts he had honed as a ruler warned him not to ignore it.
‘It doesn’t resemble the crest of any noble family either.’
Rihit could not recall a single aristocratic house that used a sinister snake as its symbol.
‘Then it must belong to some suspicious organization.’
As he slowly narrowed the net around his enemies, Rihit smiled coldly.
Whoever dared attempt something like this against him, he had no intention of sitting back passively after they had drawn the first blade.
‘At dawn, I’ll order Logan to investigate immediately.’
Staring at the white snakes intertwined deceitfully on the badge, Rihit’s eyes gleamed like a predator about to hunt.
* * *
“Lorraine, when will you leave for the territory?”
“If possible this week. If not, then by next week at the latest.”
The family breakfast was peaceful as always.
“Good. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to inspect the estate personally while you’re there. I’ll notify the steward beforehand.”
“Yes, Mother.”
At present, Lorraine was learning the practical duties necessary to lead the family in the future. At Crevian’s suggestion, she planned to head south for an extended stay to observe the political situation and check on the estate residents herself.
“You’ll do well.”
Encouraging the maturely grown Lorraine, Crevian turned to Luciana sitting across from them.
“Lucy, it’s already been nearly two months since you graduated, isn’t it? Do you have any concrete plans for the future?”
“Ah… well…”
Has it already been that long?
Luciana stopped picking peas out of her plate and awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“Originally, I wanted to open a potion shop…”
“A business, hm? Not a bad idea.”
One of the graduation requirements at the academy was passing the manufacturer qualification exam, so Luciana could open a shop whenever she wanted without issue.
‘Now’s the time.’
Sensing an opportunity, Luciana brought up the explanation she had rehearsed the night before.
“But I still think my skills are lacking… so for now, I’d like to continue personal research and studying.”
“Could you explain in more detail?”
“W-well, to truly succeed in business, I’d need something competitive, right? Like developing new products…”
“Hm.”
Although her explanation sounded convincing, the real reason she postponed opening a business was largely because of the imprint.
If she wanted to devote herself fully to research, she needed an environment that would allow it.
