To Love A Villain Chapter 210: His Sweetness

>>Enya

If soone had told a month ago that I’d start trusting a man other than Einar, I would’ve laughed and walked away. As if sothing like that was possible

Then Ahin ca along

He was too quiet. Too guarded. And honestly, I thought he only followed around because of the job — not because he wanted to.

But over ti, the silence between us beca sothing else. Not the heavy, awkward kind. Just... quiet. Comfortable. Like we didn’t need to fill the space.

Most days were uneventful. I’d tend to my errands in the isolated part of the mansion, and he’d trail behind without a word — his footsteps always light, always distant enough to give space, yet close enough to reach if needed.

I noticed it first when I tripped over the uneven stones in the east garden. I didn’t even fall — just lost my balance for a second — and he was already there. One hand steady on my back, the other catching my wrist. I don’t even know how he moved so fast.

"You’re okay," he said softly, steadying before stepping back like nothing had happened.

It should’ve been nothing. A reflex. But the way he looked at — like he was relieved I didn’t get hurt — it stayed with .

Then there was the ti he offered a cloak when it started snowing. I didn’t even realize I was shivering until he draped it over my shoulders.

"You’re used to heat," he said, not judging. Just stating a fact. "This place is colder."

I stared at him for a beat. "Are you always this thoughtful?"

His ears tinted slightly red. He looked away. "Not really. Just... with people who get cold easily."

I started paying more attention after that.

He would always open the door just slightly ahead of — not enough to make it dramatic, just enough so I never had to reach for it.

He’d adjust his pace to match mine, even when I rushed or slowed.

He would greet the staff when no one else noticed them. Ask if they had eaten. Help the stable boy lift heavy crates without a second thought.

He’d cut Rika’s food into little pieces when she wasn’t looking, just so she wouldn’t choke again.

And he’d always wait until everyone else had eaten before serving himself, like he didn’t even think about his own hunger.

It wasn’t so heroic act. There was no show, no need for praise. Just small, quiet monts. The kind no one ever noticed — unless you looked closely.

And I was looking closely now.

There was comfort in knowing he was another half-breed, yes.

But more than that, there was comfort in knowing that soone like him existed in this place — soone who hadn’t let cruelty shape him into sothing bitter or sharp.

I thought he might try to take revenge on so of the guards who tortured him while he was in the dungeon and fed him like he was so guinea pig. I thought he might use the chance where he was guarding and the passerby guards threw comnts at him to extract revenge.

But he rely ignored them.

No doubt I didn’t let it slide though...

Because maybe... I liked having him here with . But I liked how it looked like he never had any intention of revenge.

He just wanted peace.

And I wanted him with ... It was a feeling that was creeping into my heart more and more as the days kept passing.

***

The mansion was asleep.

The kind of stillness that only ca deep into the night had settled into the halls, where even the candles seed to flicker more softly, as if afraid to wake anyone. I couldn’t sleep. Again.

There had been too much to think about lately — Emrys, Einar, Rika, and... Ahin.

Especially Ahin.

Sothing about him lingered in my thoughts more often than I’d like to admit. The quiet way he moved, the way he always stood just close enough to guard , but far enough not to invade. The way he listened. The way he didn’t expect anything.

I passed by one of the long windows and froze when I saw a figure outside in the garden.

Standing alone in the cold.

It was him.

Ahin stood still, half-silhouetted by moonlight, his coat missing and breath fogging faintly in the chilled air. He hadn’t noticed .

I hesitated. Then made my way to my wardrobe.

There was sothing I had been saving — a winter jacket I’d enchanted myself. Not with my magic, but with magic tools. I’d stitched the lining with a faint warming charm, just enough to keep soone comfortable even in snow. It was a rich charcoal color, soft and sturdy, with a high collar and clean lines

I picked it up and left the mansion without saying a word.

Ahin didn’t hear until I was just behind him. Or so I thought.

"It’s cold," I said softly.

He turned to look at . There was no look or expression of being startled on his face. He probably knew soone was coming.

"My lady?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

I held the jacket out toward him.

He looked at it, then at . His expression unreadable.

"You’ll freeze," I said simply. "Here." I felt shy now that I was giving it to him, "I made it..."

Slowly, like he wasn’t sure if he should accept, he took it from my hands. His fingers brushed mine, just for a mont, and it was warm — unexpectedly so — even though his hands had been in the cold.

He unfolded it, eyes scanning the seams.

"You made this?" he asked.

I nodded. "It’s enchanted. Won’t feel the wind."

He stared at it for another second, then slowly slipped it on. The fit was snug, perfect, like it had always been his.

"I don’t know what to say," he murmured.

"You don’t have to say anything."

But then I added, quieter, "You’re mostly standing outside. I know you take patrols outside the part where we live.... Just... take care of yourself too, alright?"

He looked at again. There was sothing unspoken in his gaze. Sothing gentler than I’d ever seen before.

"You’re kind," he said softly. Making sothing inside of stir.

"I’m not," I replied, looking away.

"Yes," he insisted. "You are."

There was a pause between us — quiet and full — and when I looked up again, he was still watching , eyes searching mine like he was trying to figure sothing out.

Then, gently, carefully, he lifted his hand and touched a lock of my hair that had fallen over my shoulder.

"You always look strong," he murmured. "But you’re soft too."

I froze, breath caught in my throat.

He wasn’t teasing. He wasn’t even trying to flirt. It was an observation. Quiet, sincere, and... intimate.

Too intimate.

I looked up at him, heart pounding a little harder than I wanted it to.

"You should get inside," I said eventually, trying to find my voice, "It’s very late."

He nodded. But then, before he turned to go, he paused and added, "I’ll treasure it."

"The jacket?"

"No," he said, smiling faintly. "The kindness."

And then he walked away.

And I stood there, wrapped in silence, wondering when sothing so simple had started to an so much.

***

The warmth of the jacket still lingered in my hands, even though Ahin had long since walked back inside wearing it. I remained outside alone, letting the silence settle around .

My heart felt... uneasy.

Not in the way it did when I was anxious or afraid — this was different. This was the kind of ache that ca when sothing warm slips away too soon.

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to will it still.

It hurt, knowing that I was growing used to his presence. That there was comfort now in the quiet way he stood beside , the way he never demanded anything.

This was supposed to be nothing. He was supposed to be rely a guard.

I wasn’t supposed to get attached. I had made him a promise — one I intended to keep. When the ti was right, I would get him and Rika out of here. I would get them sowhere far away from the ss of this house, from all these toxic humans, away from my father... away from .

And yet, I knew — selfishly — that I’d miss him.

He didn’t even know what he was giving .

Security. Stability. Sothing calm. Sothing solid. And he was doing all that by solely being there with every day.

By his subtle actions which showed was concerned about .

And maybe what drew to him wasn’t just the calmness, or the kindness.

Maybe it was that he was like .

A half.

Neither here nor there. Not human enough. Not demon enough. Never fully accepted in any world, never allowed to belong. He carried that weight without bitterness. Quietly. With patience. Maybe because of Rika. Maybe because that was just who he was.

And I found myself wanting to stand beside him.

Perhaps I craved the sweetness he showed to his little sister.

I don’t an the love of a brother. I have a very loving brother. I ant that I wanted a man.

I turned to leave the garden, footsteps silent on the snow-damp stone. That was when I heard it.

A distant crack. Not from the mansion. From the periter.

I froze.

A second later — a roar. Low, guttural, and inhuman.

Not just a monster. A breach.

I turned, eyes narrowing, as magic pulsed around . Emrys’s wards — which had covered the estate like a net — shivered in the air, rippling unnaturally.

Sothing had broken through.

I started to run. Toward the break.

But I didn’t make it far.

A blur of shadows burst through the hedges, the earth cracking beneath the force of its landing. Twisted limbs. Exposed ribs. A mouth too wide, filled with rows of yellowed teeth. Its skin was rotted, scaled, like it had been sothing else once — human, maybe — but long lost to darkness.

Its head snapped toward .

And it charged.

I raised my hand instinctively but its claws ca down, sharp as blades to kill .