#31: Chapter 31 — Snatching the Villain’s Precious Princess

He couldn’t keep Morae here any longer.

Leaving a drunk Morae in a place full of other drunk people made him worry about what might happen.

“Hey, why are you taking Morae away? She threw the welcome party, so she can’t leave.”

A drunk colleague waved their hands around. They looked like they were already pretty far gone too. Maybe it was because they had been drinking expensive, delicious alcohol, but everyone was happily drunk.

“She’s totally wasted.”

“No, Morae’s fine. Right, Morae?”

“Yeah~”

“See? She’s acting all cute. That means she’s drunk.”

Her sweet, drawn-out reply and her goofy smile made her look completely intoxicated.

That was what Pado thought, but the older colleague widened their eyes.

“What are you talking about? Morae has always been affectionate.”

““Yeah~”

Pado grabbed Morae by the waist as she obediently answered.

He had only ever thought of her as proud and unyielding, but now that he thought about it, she had shown a surprisingly friendly and cute side to adults other than him.

Remembering how Morae called older people “auntie” or “uncle” and acted warmly toward them, Pado pressed his lips together.

If she was normally this affectionate with other people, that was unpleasant in its own way.

“She’d get angry if she was really drunk. She’s smiling because she’s still aware. It’s fine. Let’s drink more.”

“No way. How can you trust the words of someone who’s drunk? Tell her to stop drinking.”

“Yeah. Then Morae can drink something non-alcoholic!”

“I’m taking everyone home before you get any more drunk. The rest of you can keep having fun.”

“Nooo― We, we’ll take her home.”

An older woman pouted and grabbed Morae’s ankle.

Morae, whose ankle had been caught, hummed a little tune.

Seeing that she wasn’t getting angry or acting stubborn, Pado began to think that maybe her mind was still clear.

Maybe her guard had simply dropped a lot, and her fingertips had become slower.

For a brief moment, he wondered if it wasn’t something worth interfering with.

But the thought only lasted for a moment.

Pado frowned and spoke firmly.

“I said I’m taking her.”

The glasses filled with alcohol and the bottles trembled.

The alcohol moved under Pado’s ability, conveying his intentions.

It meant that if they argued one more time, he would settle the matter with force.

There was no one here who could beat Pado.

Even throughout the entire legion, the only person who could defeat Pado alone was Han Nokyeong.

A few people flinched slightly.

A fight wouldn’t break out here, but Pado’s words carried a clear threat.

However, the reaction that dominated the room was something else.

A senior member of the legion and another person flushed red and rolled their eyes.

“But you taking her there…”

“Is that… really okay?”

“What is?”

Pado snapped back coldly.

His tone was quite harsh, but the already-drunk people didn’t sense the danger.

The senior female member covered her mouth and made an exaggerated fuss.

“The two of you going to Morae’s room together… oh my.”

Hearing that, Pado realized how he must look.

He was a man carrying a woman who was too drunk to even stand properly back to her room.

He wasn’t putting her in a taxi and sending her home.

He wasn’t just stepping away for a moment either.

He was actually going to Morae’s room.

Depending on their relationship, people could imagine something dangerous and wrong, or they could imagine a sweet, intimate scene.

They seemed slightly worried about the former, but the people who had seen Pado carry Morae away through the hallway were leaning more toward the latter possibility.

From the perspective of colleagues who treasured Morae like a younger sister, they were probably worried about Pado casually taking her away.

There was probably also a little bit of curiosity mixed in, wanting to gossip about it.

Pado understood their feelings halfway.

But it wasn’t his concern.

“Ask Eun Morae tomorrow.”

He gave a hollow laugh without any amusement.

While his colleagues looked between each other, saying, “Huh? Huh?” in confusion, Pado led Morae away.

Fortunately, Morae mumbled, “I’m leaving now,” so no one followed after them.

Morae, who was being carried in Pado’s arms like a piece of luggage, hummed a strange tune.

When Morae got drunk, she became surprisingly cute.

This was the first time he had seen her this intoxicated, but even at their previous drinking gathering, once she had gotten somewhat drunk, she had made little noises and acted in an adorable way.

The alcohol melted away her normally arrogant exterior and turned her into someone completely different.

However, according to what the others said, that side was actually Morae’s true nature.

Apparently, she refused to lose to Pado, who was the same age as her, but normally she was the type to act spoiled and cling to people easily.

The “true Morae” they were talking about was based on the image of her as a ten-year-old girl, so it wasn’t something he could completely take at face value.

Still, after hearing that, Pado realized one thing.

Her behavior while drunk wasn’t because she had completely lost herself.

This was still Eun Morae.

Normally, she walked around with her head held high so others wouldn’t look down on her.

But when she drank, her wariness simply disappeared.

“Walk slowly. I feel dizzy.”

Now that her defenses had vanished, Morae’s voice as she was being carried away by Pado was surprisingly thin and gentle.

Her soft, sweet way of speaking, as if she was deliberately acting cute, shook Pado’s heart.

“I know, so stay still.”

It was a troublesome situation.

Honestly, it would have been easier if her drunken habits had been terrible.

If she had completely lost herself, he wouldn’t even dare touch her.

But her getting drunk enough for her guard to drop made him uneasy.

She was definitely conscious.

She had only become quieter than usual. She wasn’t saying strange things or acting irrationally. She clearly understood what she was doing.

That was exactly when accidents happened.

When someone’s guard lowered and they became all loose and giggly, they could end up getting involved with the wrong man.

Things they would normally reject firmly, they ended up accepting when they were drunk.

An average-looking person started to seem handsome, and a moment of kindness felt like lifelong love.

That was how someone ended up falling into the arms of a man they would have rejected while sober.

And wasn’t Morae exactly like that right now?

If he hadn’t been there, who knew what might have happened with whom…

Ignoring the fact that he himself looked exactly like that kind of person right now, Pado arrived in front of Morae’s room.

Even while humming a strange song, Morae obediently placed her finger on the door lock.

“It opened.”

The door opened with a cheerful melody.

With her feet back on the floor, Morae staggered and pulled Pado into the room.

Pado, whose sleeve she had grabbed, was dragged inside helplessly.

He had no way to refuse.

It was his first time entering Morae’s room.

After letting go of her arm, Pado looked around.

A spacious and luxurious room welcomed its owner and guest.

It wasn’t her main residence, but a private room she used inside the Central Headquarters.

Even so, it was much larger than Pado’s own room, which only had a bathroom and a small kitchen attached.

There was a balcony where she could take a short break, as well as a living room.

Everything was beautiful, likely because Han Nokyeong had personally arranged and managed the space.

Machines and computers that would feel out of place in an ordinary home filled the walls, but custom-made furniture in pastel tones softened their appearance.

Terrariums placed here and there, along with plants hanging on the walls, gave the room a bright atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the bedside table and wall shelves were filled with cute sculptures and dolls.

There were plenty of adorable stuffed animals, from small plush toys to large ones perfect for hugging while sleeping, as well as tiny knitted dolls.

Among them were even a few realistic dolls shaped like actual people.

Without much thought, Pado picked one up and fiddled with it.

The turtle plush that looked like pudding with a cherry sitting on its shell and the pink whale plush were both cute, but one doll especially caught his attention.

It was a stuffed doll resembling Morae, with long beige hair hanging down and a ribbon attached to its ear.

It was short and chubby-looking, yet it was dressed in a carefully prepared, adorable outfit.

Finding it interesting that the doll was wearing clothes, Pado played with the hem of its skirt.

But when he turned the doll over, Morae smacked the back of his hand.

“Don’t take it off.”

“What?”

“In front of me… You already saw it…”

Morae became sulky while saying something he couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t even a doll that looked completely human, so hearing that from her about a stuffed toy annoyed him slightly.

However, when Morae snatched the doll away with a pouty expression, he couldn’t say anything.

She carefully placed the doll on a chair, then stood in front of Pado and blocked his way.

He couldn’t understand what she meant at all.

Pado picked her up and carried her to the bed.

This time, she didn’t complain or resist at all and quietly left herself in his care.

He had planned to only bring her to her room and leave.

But her wet clothes bothered him.

Pado pinched the fabric of Morae’s damp clothes between his fingers.

“Can you change your clothes?”

“Yeah―”

Morae answered softly like a well-behaved child before collapsing onto the bed.

Lying diagonally across the mattress, Morae lowered her eyes with a happy and peaceful expression.

She looked like a child who had happily run around playing and was just about to fall asleep.

“Then change your clothes, wash up, and go to sleep.”

“No. Take them off for me.”

If he left her alone, the bed would get wet too.

Before Morae could make the bed any dirtier, Pado quickly removed her top.

When he lifted her arms and pulled the clothes upward, Morae let out a breathless sound.

After removing her outer clothing and undershirt, she was left wearing only her bra.

Pado swallowed as he looked at her skin, faintly carrying the scent of alcohol.

Her breasts pressed against the bra, the soft flesh of her stomach, and her shoulders flushed a bright red all drew his gaze.

Perhaps because the alcohol had washed away her usual sharpness, she strangely looked softer than when he had seen her before.

Seeing that soft skin made tension rise inside him.

He wasn’t doing anything wrong.

He was only helping her change because he was worried she might catch a cold from sleeping in wet clothes, or that the bed would get soaked because of them.

Besides, he had already seen her before.

And he wasn’t going to remove her underwear.

But now that he had actually undressed her halfway, it felt dangerous.

The body that had been filled with discomfort began to heat up as blood started flowing through him again.

Pado quietly swallowed and carefully removed her pants.

His hesitant movements only made the atmosphere stranger.

“Faster…”

Morae, with her eyes lowered, mumbled and raised her knees.

Pado quickly removed her pants without letting his hands touch her legs.

When the tight pants came off, her soft flesh spread out.

Gulp.

He swallowed again.