Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Joanna was still egging him on. "Come in! What are you waiting for? Someone’s going to see you..."

Someone up ahead seemed to notice the commotion and turned their head to look. The girl, still inside, was relentlessly urging him to hurry in.

Simon Lockwood squeezed his eyes shut. Seizing the moment just before the person up ahead turned back around, he ducked down and scrambled inside. The moment he entered, he was met with the unique, cavernous scent of a library.

He was so tall he had to bend at a near ninety-degree angle, making him look exceptionally "polite." Joanna stifled a laugh and reached out to pull him along.

In the dim, two-meter-long passage of moderate width, Simon Lockwood looked up and saw the girl’s large, sparkling, smiling eyes. His heart felt a gentle knock.

For a moment, he suddenly felt that... ’Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.’

This was a disused emergency exit that led directly to the end of a first-floor corner hallway.

The library was silent. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, spilling onto the books. Joanna accidentally bumped into something, making a faint noise that startled the dozing security guard awake. He shot to his feet, peering suspiciously in their direction.

Joanna’s wrist tightened as Simon pulled her behind a nearby bookshelf.

The guard came over, but finding nothing unusual, he muttered something to himself and returned to his seat to resume his nap.

Joanna let out a sigh of relief. She couldn’t help but look up at Simon and give him a thumbs-up, silently mouthing the word, "Nice!"

Simon Lockwood: "..." He didn’t feel particularly proud.

He couldn’t help but wonder, ’When did Joanna learn to do all this? She used to be so incredibly timid, but now she dares to break the rules.’

Just as he was wondering how he should reasonably guide her behavior after this, the girl’s soft, warm breath tickled his ear. Joanna’s voice was a whisper. "Let’s go to the second floor..."

As she leaned in to speak, loose strands of her hair brushed against his neck. Simon’s throat tightened, and his expression grew a bit tense. "Mm, okay—"

The word was barely out of his mouth before Joanna, with lightning-fast reflexes, clamped a hand firmly over it.

Simon: "?"

Joanna pressed an index finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture, then pointed toward the guard at the entrance.

Simon Lockwood: "..."

The library had wooden floors that creaked easily, so the two of them moved slowly. They took a winding path, using the many bookshelves for cover, and managed to avoid alerting the guard.

After finally making it to the second floor, Joanna straightened up and sighed in relief. "Okay, this is where I used to work."

She used to organize the books on this floor, reshelving ones that customers had misplaced, helping people find what they were looking for, and wiping down the shelves every other day.

The work wasn’t exhausting, but it was a jumble of miscellaneous tasks that left little time for breaks.

Simon’s calm, dark eyes swept across the modest second-floor area. An image of Joanna working here years ago automatically surfaced in his mind.

After a long moment, Simon slowly asked, "...Was it tiring?"

Joanna shook her head. "Not at all."

Then she remembered something. Her brow furrowed with a hint of displeasure. "But my direct supervisor would give me a hard time sometimes."

Simon’s brow furrowed. "He bullied you?"

"Mm... I wouldn’t call it bullying, exactly. He just made me do extra work sometimes."

"Why?"

Simon’s face turned cold, his mood clearly souring. A warmth spread through Joanna’s chest, and she answered brightly, "Because I reported him to the big boss."

Simon stared at her, stunned. Joanna continued, explaining the whole story before she couldn’t stop herself from complaining, "He was secretly taking the library’s old, discarded books and even the cardboard boxes to sell for cash! That stuff was supposed to be donated to children in the mountains!"

She spoke with righteous indignation, her cheeks flushing red as she grew more animated.

The hardness in Simon’s eyes softened. He gave her hair a reassuring pat, his voice tinged with amusement. "Such a crusader for justice?"

"It’s my sworn duty to protect the future of our nation!" Joanna declared, her words ringing with conviction, her beautiful almond eyes filled with determination.

A distinct smile curved Simon’s lips. The next second, overcome by a sudden urge, he reached out and pinched her cheek.

Meeting her dazed, accusatory glare, Simon reluctantly pulled his hand back and said with a perfectly straight face, "Well done."

That was all it took to make Joanna happy again. She started pulling Simon on a tour of the second floor, giving him a detailed commentary on every spot they passed.

This was the section she used to wipe down; over there was where she once shelved a book in the wrong place; here was where she had accidentally slipped; and that spot on the ceiling would leak when it rained...

After chattering on for a while, Joanna belatedly realized Simon hadn’t responded. She looked up at him, her gaze falling into his deep, gentle, dark eyes.

Joanna could see her own face clearly reflected in them. Those sharp, handsome, usually cool eyes were filled with nothing but her.

Her cheeks couldn’t help but grow warm. "What are you looking at..."

Joanna rubbed her cheeks vigorously, trying to will the heat away.

Simon spoke slowly, answering her question. "I’m looking at the incredible Joanie."

’The pampered princess who had never done a day of physical labor in her life had also worked hard to support herself, doing all sorts of odd jobs and living in a tiny, damp rental.’

’Joanna didn’t leave me for money, and she certainly didn’t leave for a better life. She’s such an idiot.’

Simon pursed his lips, an emotion flickering in his downcast eyes. As if afraid she hadn’t heard him clearly, he slowly repeated, "Joanie... is incredible."

His tone was earnest, his expression intent, as if he were stating a simple, clear fact. It was a completely undisguised compliment...

It felt like little flowers were blooming in Joanna’s heart, making her head spin. She feigned indifference. "I’m nothing special."

’Mm... Nothing special. Maybe third best in the world.’

As they talked, they found themselves in the reading area. Off to one side was a low bookshelf with books that seemed to be rarely checked out, covered in a barely perceptible layer of dust.

Simon’s gaze landed on the book at the very end of the shelf. It had a faint crease on its cover.

He froze, his gaze fixed on it.

’Many people have a habit of unconsciously dog-earing the page when they read. Joanna was different. She liked to fold a corner of the cover itself.’

Just then, Joanna noticed that something was off. Following his gaze, she saw the familiar book, and memories that had been sealed away in the back of her mind came flooding out all at once.

Joanna’s breath hitched, and she tensed involuntarily. She stepped forward to block his line of sight, forcing a smile. "You know, there’s not much to see on the second floor. Let’s go check out the first. There are more books down there."

Simon stared at her hands, which were clenched into tight fists at her sides. After a long moment, he looked up at her. "Okay."