The Villainess Who Has Been Killed 108 Times - Chapter 40.1

Chapter 40 Part 1 – The thing that tumbled into my hands was a ruby that is a testament to the hegemony of the continent. When I became frightened by the shadows of the evil princes, Seraphy pointed out a fantastic solution

I coughed violently as Seraphy helped me out of the muddy water and onto the boat.
I had swallowed a lot of water while being swept away, and it got into my windpipe.
The muddy smell, taste, and chalky texture filled the back of my mouth, but I didn’t have time to worry about it. With the tiny lung capacity of a newborn, I couldn’t spit out the foreign substance as I wanted to.
I couldn’t breathe, the agony of lack of oxygen clutched at my chest, and the core of my head felt like it was burning.
I was about to lose my consciousness once again and the scene in front of my eyes started to go darker.
「·····Not good····!!」

Seraphy shouted, and a warm touch covered my mouth.
The water and mucus that had been obstructing my breathing were sucked out of the back of my nose and throat.
My windpipe was unblocked and I gobbled up the air desperately.

Still, I wonder what touched me just now.
It was awfully soft, but……

As my flickering field of vision started to recover, I saw Seraphy spitting out some liquid.

W-was that, possibly, the feeling of this guy’s lips!!
This guy… Did he suck out the foreign object directly from my nose and mouth!?
Y-you…..!! I’m grateful for your help, but to think that my first kiss has been robbed in less than a month since I was born…. Let go of me right now!! I’ll punish you as soon as I get better!!

「Scarlet!!」

「Young lady!!」

Bradd and Mary looked into my face after I was pulled out from the water with such force that their foreheads had bumped against each other and the punishment I was about to give to Seraphy was interrupted.
Even though there was a loud crashing sound, neither of them said anything about being in pain as they were so focused on me.
Because they suddenly ran over here, the balance of the small boat was lost, and it tilted to the point of capsizing, but then Seraphy hurriedly thrusted the paddle to balance the boat.

「…What a relief!! I’m so happy that you survived!!」

Bradd grabbed my hand with both hands, then he bent his head and pressed his forehead against me as if he didn’t want me to see him cry.
The warmth is transmitted to my cold body.

「Young lady…..!!」

Mary sobbed and hugged me.
The sweet smell of her body enveloped us.
Bradd and I were pressed against her breasts, which were too plump for her petite, girlish body, and Seraphy was flustered.
Bradd’s eyes were red and Mary’s face was messy with tears and a runny nose.

What are you two crying about?
I’m not going to die so easily.
I’m a veteran who’s been killed「108 times」.
I’m used to this kind of crisis.
You guys are such worrywarts
Come on, look up already.
Seraphy watched over us with a smile on his face.
I’m so embarrassed!! My heart is…. so full of….!

「…You were just born, but you are loved by so many people. I’m sure the reason you were saved was because God wanted you to live for the sake of everyone…..」

Hey…. are you trying to comfort me with that?
Don’t look down on me.
You are just a kid.
Even if I look like this, I have「108 criminal records」….. I’ll correct that, I have「108 life experiences」.

But Seraphy didn’t speak to me with a tone of trying to comfort a baby, but rather he looked straight into my eyes and talked to me seriously.

「….I can tell that you understand language by the way your eyes move and the way your limbs respond to words. You can’t fool my eyes. …..You’re a child prodigy, the daughter of the Lingard family with red hair and red eyes. This might cause quite a lot of turbulence.」

This guy has a strange sense of intuition that’s different from Bradd’s.
And he’s saying something so ominous…..!

「You’re pretty good at figuring out that this kid could understand words. Moreover, you’re accepting this fact as if it’s something normal.」

Bradd was impressed.

「Lots of strange things happen in the sea. If I get surprised by something like this, I won’t be able to hold out there.」

Seraphy replied without hesitation.
This guy, is he planning to use this convenient excuse for everything…..

「And not only are you smart, you are also a very brave girl. I’m amazed that you were able to pull through against the demon dog all by yourself. Even now, you stubbornly refuse to cry. But you know, when it’s hard, you don’t have to hold back your tears, it’s okay for you to just cry. You are still so small, and there are so many people who care about you, including those people there.」

While smiling at me, Seraphy pointed toward everyone on the shore.

M-muuu…. In spite of him being Seraphy, he actually said something pretty good….

「…..Scarlet …..I’m so relieved…..!」

On the shore, mother was choking on her words, covering her face with both hands and crying.
I felt my chest tighten.

Mother, I’m sorry for making you worried…..!

Celebrating my safety, the members of the Imperial Guards and the Orange Privateers clapped each other’s shoulders fiercely and cheered as they hugged each other. It was as if their favorite team had won the championship.
After throwing Seraphy, Matzo, who was about to swim through the muddy stream toward us, blew water out of his mouth just like a whale and gave Seraphy a big thumbs-up. I watched as Seraphy gave him an embarrassed thumbs-up in return.

「Hahaha!! Seraphy Orange!! You’ve shown that you’re a man!! It was worth the terror I experienced as I threw you over!!」

He laughed out loud as he turned back, pulling the waves with him.
His boulder-like back is reliable.

He even risked his life to jump into the middle of a flood to save me, a baby stranger. He is still such a good-natured person. ….What a fool….!
Nevertheless, I can’t believe that they are so worried about me.
I can’t believe that they are happy to see me alive.
I rarely had people concerned about me in the past 「108 times」.
Unlike the crowds’ resentful cries and the voices of the rebel army as they stormed into the castle, their responses are so warm…..

I became fraught with emotion. Unconsciously, my nose started to sniffle.

D-damn this weak baby body.
I can’t just cry so easily because I became a newborn baby.
…. N-now then, I wonder where that「Foolish Duke」father of mine is～. Anyway, I’m sure he’s just worried about mother’s crying face while neglecting me. I’m sure of that.

I snorted and looked for my disappointing father in order to switch off my sentimental mode.

「… No, unexpectedly, your father cares a lot about you.」

Bradd looked at the shore and chuckled as he said that to me.
As I followed his gaze, I got a glimpse of the color of a white horse flickering in the middle of the slope that was created by the landslide, far behind everyone else on the shore.

No way….!?

When I raised my face, Bradd and Seraphy nodded to me at the same time.

Why are you guys getting along so well when it’s your first time meeting each other!! You guys!!

The white horse was about to run, but father calmed him down and brought him to a halt.

「…Look at them. He was going to use the difference in elevation of the cliff to make a run-up. He was going to take as big a leap as he could and jump into the pond to save you. In this flood, even though he is the Crimson Duke, there is no guarantee that his life would be spared. My father was the same way. Everyone said he was a coldhearted man, but he lost his life protecting me from the demon dog….」

Seraphy reminisced and muttered sadly.

No way, that father who doesn’t see anything other than my mother?

However, as if to confirm Seraphy’s words, I saw the pale and anxious expression on father’s face and how he clutched his chest with one hand, that scene was etched in my memory.

What’s with that expression? You look like a father who is worried about his daughter…..
A-anyway, it’s probably just because mother asked him to rescue me or he’s just pretending to try to save me to look good.