Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Chapter 308: Chapter: 307 Am I forgetting something?[1]

That night, Julius tossed and turned restlessly beneath the blankets. Beside him, Lyra slept soundly, her breathing gentle and peaceful, completely unaware of the storm raging inside his mind.

Normally, simply looking at her sleeping face would have been enough to calm him, yet tonight it brought him no comfort at all.

The strange discomfort that had been haunting him since earlier refused to disappear.

It lingered deep within his heart, impossible to ignore and equally impossible to explain. Everything around him was exactly as it should be.

He had a peaceful home, a loving wife, and soon they would welcome their child into the world.

This was the life he had always wanted... wasn’t it?

Then why did it all feel so strangely incomplete? Why did his heart refuse to settle no matter how much he tried to convince himself that everything was fine?

Realizing sleep wasn’t going to come anytime soon, Julius quietly climbed out of bed, careful not to wake Lyra. He slowly stepped outside, hoping the cool night air would clear his mind.

The moment he left the house, a gentle breeze brushed across his face. Above him hung the crimson moon, bathing the silent village beneath a soft red glow.

Its scarlet radiance illuminated every rooftop, every tree, and every empty road, giving the peaceful village an almost dreamlike appearance.

Julius quietly raised his head, his eyes fixed upon the lonely moon hanging high in the endless sky.

For some reason, the sight stirred something deep inside him. Slowly, almost unconsciously, he reached out a hand toward it.

”...Am I... forgetting something?”

The words escaped his lips before he even realized he had spoken them.

He didn’t know why he had asked that question.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to remember.

Yet as he stared at the crimson moon, an indescribable longing quietly filled his heart. It wasn’t directed toward any particular person.

It wasn’t a longing for wealth, happiness, or even family. It was simply... longing. A feeling that something important was missing from his life.

Something precious had disappeared, leaving behind an empty space that nothing else could fill.

Julius couldn’t understand it, yet strangely enough, he found himself enjoying that unfamiliar feeling as he slowly wandered through the silent streets of the village.

The entire village had already fallen asleep. Only the crimson moon remained awake, silently watching over the peaceful settlement.

Its gentle red light followed Julius wherever he walked, stretching his shadow across the empty roads.

As the quiet passed around him, the conflicted expression on his face gradually faded.

The silence of the night possessed a strange calming effect, allowing his restless thoughts to settle little by little.

”...Haah...” Julius released a slow breath before finally turning toward the direction of his home.

”I should get some sleep before dawn,” he muttered to himself.

Tomorrow would be another busy day. He still needed to clean the fields, feed the livestock, collect fresh milk and eggs, gather the animals’ dung to turn into fertilizer, and prepare everything for the coming harvest.

It had become his daily routine.

Fortunately, ever since marrying Lyra, she had always helped him with many of those chores.

But now things were different. She was carrying their child. The thought of her doing heavy work outside made Julius uncomfortable, so he had insisted on handling everything himself.

It made his days far more exhausting, forcing him to wake before sunrise every morning, but he never once complained.

But then...

Just as Julius was about to continue walking home, he instinctively sniffed the air.

His footsteps froze. A faint burning smell entered his nose.

His brows immediately knitted together.

”...Fire?”

Julius slowly lifted his head toward the distance.

The very instant his eyes settled upon the horizon...

Everything inside him seemed to shatter.

Far away, in the direction of his house, thick black smoke rose into the night sky. Bright orange flames danced wildly above the rooftops while glowing embers floated upward like countless dying stars.

”No...”

The color instantly drained from Julius’ face.

His entire body turned ice cold.

Lyra...

She was still inside sleeping.

Without another thought, Julius exploded forward, sprinting toward his home with every ounce of strength his exhausted body could produce.

The scenery around him blurred as he ran faster than he ever had before. His heartbeat thundered violently inside his ears while his breathing became ragged.

Every second felt unbearably slow. Every step filled him with greater fear than the last. It only took moments for him to arrive.

Yet the sight waiting for him made his legs tremble uncontrollably. His face turned as pale as a sheet of paper.

The house...

Their home...

It was completely engulfed in flames.

The blazing fire had already consumed nearly the entire building, reducing sections of it to blackened ruins. Villagers had gathered around with buckets of water, desperately trying to extinguish the inferno.

Some of them noticed Julius arriving and immediately began shouting toward him, their voices filled with panic.

But Julius couldn’t hear a single word.

The only sound reaching his ears was the violent pounding of his own heart.

Without the slightest hesitation, he rushed straight into the burning house.

”Lyra!”

”Lyra!”

”Where are you?!”

He frantically searched every room he could reach. Flames surrounded him from every direction, greedily swallowing the wooden walls and ceiling. Thick smoke filled the air until even drawing a single breath became agonizing.

The unbearable heat scorched his skin, burning wounds appearing across his arms and body as sparks landed upon him one after another.

His vision blurred from the smoke, tears streaming from his eyes, yet he refused to stop.

Ignoring the pain, ignoring the fire slowly consuming everything around him, Julius continued searching with desperate determination.

Until...

He saw her.

”W-What...”

His pupils trembled violently. Near the back door, trapped beneath the collapsed remains of a massive wooden beam, lay Lyra.

Her body was covered in burns. Her beautiful blue hair had been stained black with ash.

Her breathing was shallow.

Her eyes...

They had already begun losing their light.

”No...!”

Julius stumbled toward her on trembling knees before desperately throwing the heavy wooden beam aside with everything he had left.

Without wasting another second, he carefully lifted her into his arms, supporting her head against his lap.

Warm tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

He looked into her fading eyes, his entire body shaking.

”I’m sorry...”

”I’m sorry...”

”Lyra...”

”I’m sorry...”