Taming The Villainesses

Seuk-.

Stella covered the right side of the half-fairy’s face with her palm.

When the long scar was hidden, the half-fairy’s impression strangely shifted. His face seemed more gentle, even dignified.

‘I feel like I’ve seen this face before.’

It was on the tip of her tongue, yet just out of reach.

But Stella had lived a long life.

She had encountered countless faces, and it would take time to sift through the warehouse of her memories to pinpoint where she’d seen such a face.

‘I can’t remember where….’

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on this.

“Theo-kun, your fever’s still rising. Let me wet a towel and place it on your forehead.”

Sshhh.

Though the water in her canteen had been saved for drinking, Stella didn’t hesitate to pour a generous amount to soak the towel.

Plop.

As soon as the cold, wet cloth touched his forehead, the deep furrow in the half-fairy’s brow seemed to ease slightly.

“Ugh…”

“You’re burning up so suddenly.”

Stella had a hunch that this fever wasn’t simply from getting in the stream.

Nymphs were naturally attuned to water, so they wouldn’t catch a cold just by falling into the water. The same would go for a half-fairy.

Perhaps all the fatigue and injuries the half-fairy had accumulated were finally catching up to him.

Since the start of this journey, he’d used dangerous magic repeatedly. They’d been through non-stop battles, with barely a moment to relax from the constant threats to their lives.

Now that the tension had finally lifted after their dip in the stream, it seemed like his body was letting go of everything it had been suppressing, releasing it all at once in the form of this burning fever.

‘It’s not surprising, given everything he’s been through.’

He was a strange one.

He volunteered to be the minion of the young Queen whom people feared, making him the target of everyone’s hatred.

He’s constantly challenging the impossible.

And sometimes, sticking his neck out for others, ready to risk his life, as if he had more than one to spare.

Stella had, after all, benefited from his meddling.

When she heard that he had taken the initiative to solve the problems of the Draco family, she thought, ‘Maybe he can help me.’

And indeed, he had solved the troubles of the Bellhawk family. Even when faced with the great hero Opal’s name, he didn’t even flinch and risked himself.

‘Could I have done the same?’

No, probably not.

That’s not courage—it’s recklessness.

‘Then why could this guy be so reckless?’

He fought not only Opal but also the giant centipede Angala. If it really was the immortal Angala, he wouldn’t have had enough lives even if he had several.

‘… Does he like me?’

A story from long ago came to mind.

A knight challenges a dragon to free the captive princess.

To win her love.

Stella began to wonder if this little half-fairy liked her. Was he trying to win her heart with such reckless acts?

‘No, I’ve only been a burden to him. Why would he like me?’

Their first meeting wasn’t good. In fact, Stella had looked down on him then, believing that he was the Demon Monk disrupting Angmar.

That’s why she had been unnecessarily rude.

‘Though it seems I was wrong.’

Having played the role of a disgraced noble herself, Stella understood.

The reason this little guy was acting as fiercely as a porcupine with its quills up was because he had a reason to. In other words, it was acting.

‘He’s actually a kind guy.’

Perhaps Mirna of the Draco family, Elga of the Lioness family, and even the young queen of Angmar, Aira, know that and that’s why they keep this man by their side.

‘They’re all sweet girls.’

She thought about the young ladies from the other three families.

They were all green, and they had a freshness like a bud just starting to bloom. It was heartwarming to see them. Stella had that kind of time too.

Back in the days when the world seemed bright and full of energy.

In such times, both the heart and body bloom like flowers.

Even with all those girls in their prime around him, could this half-fairy also have come to like Stella?

‘… It’s not that strange. It’s definitely possible.’

Though she had lived somewhat recklessly recently, Stella had once been called the ‘Fairy Princess,’ admired and praised by many.

‘I’m still confident about my appearance. In fact, with all my experience, I probably understand a man’s heart better than most. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s fallen for me.’

As she entertained these thoughts, Stella checked on the half-fairy’s condition again. His forehead was hotter than before.

‘He needs fever medicine.’

Gathering the herbs she had found while searching for the tree hollow, Stella skillfully ground them up and tried to feed them to the half-fairy. However, he grimaced deeply and spat them out.

No matter how many times she tried, the result was the same.

“Beugh…”

“Hey, stop spitting it out!”

Maybe it’s because of the nymph’s extreme dislike for bitter taste, but he refused to eat it. As a result, most of the herbs were nearly gone.

There was only one piece of tough Goru tree bark left. If he spat that out as well, they would be out of medicine. With no other options, Stella put the bark in her mouth and began chewing it.

The bark had hallucinogenic and antipyretic properties.

There were other effects too, but right now, lowering his fever was the most important.

Munch, munch.

The bitter taste came up, but it became a little sweeter as it mixed with saliva.

“Theo-kun, consider yourself honored to take my first kiss. Well… not that you’ll remember it.”

After chewing the bark for a while, Stella transferred it into the half-fairy’s mouth.

Just as a mother bird feeds her baby, this was an act imbued with love and care.

‘Of course, it’s just to save him. No deeper emotions involved.’

Still, kissing a man carried a certain thrill. She often struggled to convincingly lie to people when they asked if she had any experience with kissing.