Ascension Of The Villain

Vyan sat hunched over the laptop, his fingers dancing eagerly across the keyboard as the screen bathed his face in a bluish glow.

He was so engrossed that he didn't notice the gentle footsteps behind him until a familiar voice spoke, sounding light and teasing.

"Whatcha up to?"

Startled, Vyan turned his head over his shoulder, finding Emma leaning casually against the back of the couch, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "When'd you get back?"

Emma shrugged, coming to plop on the couch beside him. "It's been a while, actually. I even freshened up. Plus, Adrian's back too. We didn't want to disturb you 'cause you looked so serious. Like you were cracking some top-secret code."

Vyan laughed under his breath, closing the laptop with a quiet click. "Ah, sorry. I guess I got carried away. I was just… gathering knowledge." He paused, glancing at her with a sheepish smile. "Trying to understand your world a little better."

Emma crossed her arms with a playful arch of her brow. "And? What did you find out? Is it fun? Are we winning you over yet?"

Vyan leaned back against the couch, his expression thoughtful. "It's… interesting, I'll be honest. Very efficient, very fast. But," he tilted his head, "I still prefer my world. It's more type, I guess. It's slow, familiar, and filled with the things I'm good at."

"I'm sure if you give it time, you'd find things you're good at even here as well."

"But isn't my whole purpose to not give it time and hurry back home?" he questioned playfully.

"That's true. But you never know. You could find more meaningful things around here." There was a subtle challenge in her eyes. "Most people would take a chance like this and run."

"That doesn't matter to me," he responded firmly, not a single waver in his gaze. "I'm perfectly content with what I've in my world. I don't want to take this chance."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." Emma smiled. "Just like this, don't ever stray from your goal. You've got to go back home, okay? Your fiancée must be waiting for you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you mad at me yesterday because I said I wanted to go to the Bermuda Triangle to find magic traces?"

"At the beginning, I was. But then I thought about it later. I thought about how Adrian said he'd do the same thing as you if it meant coming back home to us. Then… I realized that I'd do it too. I also won't be able to forget about the people I love and start living life in another dimension, as if they never meant a thing. So, it must be the same for you. Therefore, it's my bad. I should've thought from your shoes. Sorry for reacting like that yesterday."

Vyan shook his head with a smile. "It's okay. I understand how insane it might have come off as. But thanks for trying to understand me."

"Of course." Her smile became wider, her eyes affectionate. "And so, you have my full support. Whatever help you need." She leaned in closer and whispered, "Even if it's illegal."

He chuckled, a little relieved at himself for now having gotten used to Emma's presence and not constantly thinking of Iyana at her sight. "Alright. I'll hold you to that, officer."

Emma reached over and gave his shoulder a light pat before standing up. "Come on now, dinner's ready."

Vyan nodded.

He gently pushed the laptop aside, stood up, and followed her toward the dining table.

As Vyan stepped into the dining room, the comforting clatter of cutlery and ceramic met his ears. Adrian and Elian were busily setting the table—Adrian swiftly placed the plates while Elian proudly arranged the forks with intense focus, his tongue peeking out slightly in concentration.

"Oh," Vyan said, pausing near the table, "you could've called me to help. I don't mind."

Emma, carrying a glass bottle of water from the kitchen, glanced over her shoulder with a smile. "Hey, you're our esteemed guest, remember?"

Vyan scoffed lightly. "Even so. You're letting me stay here for free, at least let me do something useful, like setting up the table, washing dishes, anything."

Emma shook her head with mock seriousness. "Nope. Doing the dinner dishes is my job. That's literally the only house chore I do in this house, and I'm holding onto it with pride."

Adrian chimed in without looking up, "And setting the table? That's always been my thing with Elian. It's our little ritual. You're off the hook, Grand Duke."

Vyan gave a noncommittal hum as he stepped closer, folding his arms. Elian glanced up with curiosity gleaming in his big eyes.

"Daddy's twin," he said, "you're a Grand Duke, right? That sounds like a super high title. Did you have maids and butlers like the nobles in storybooks?"

Vyan replied casually, "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

Elian's eyes grew even rounder. "How many?"

Vyan thought for a moment. "I don't know the exact number of maids and butlers alone, but the total staff was around… one hundred and twenty-four."

Emma and Adrian both choked—Emma on air, Adrian on his words.

"Are you for real?" Emma coughed, setting down the glass bottle. "One hundred and twenty-four? For what? Feeding a castle of dragons?"

Adrian recovered with a half-smile. "Maybe he's counting the knights too."

Vyan waved a hand. "Oh no, that's just the household staff. You know, maids, butlers, cooks, gardeners, stablemen. Knights aren't exactly staff. And as if I'd only have a three-digit number of knights," he chuckled, as if they were proposing such a ridiculous idea.

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Alright, how many knights do you have then?"

Vyan answered, as though commenting on the weather, "Not much, really. We're still actively recruiting." That's because half of the knights had quit due to the absence of a ruler for fifteen years before Vyan. "Currently, we have about… fifty thousand."

There was another round of synchronized choking.

"Fifty thousand?!" Emma gawked. "How does one even house that many people?"

Vyan chuckled again, unfazed. "Well, I don't house them at my estate, obviously. They're spread across the Grand Duchy, mostly stationed on the borders for protection. It's just the standard number, honestly. Nothing spectacular."

Adrian and Emma exchanged a stunned glance, one that clearly said, We are literally hosting a medieval V.V.V.V.V.I.P. in our guest room.

Emma placed a hand over her heart. "Your Grace, why don't you take a seat first before you shock us into cardiac arrest?"

Vyan gave a theatrical nod, sliding into the chair. "Ah, yes, thank you. Finally, the respect I deserve."

Emma rolled her eyes with a grin, and Adrian chuckled, "No, really. Maybe we should start calling you Your Grace. I mean, who knows when your mana comes back and you decide to smite us."

"That does sound tempting." Vyan looked at them both, his smile softening. "But I'd never do that. You've helped me more than I can explain, and I always remember what I owe. So, rest assured, I'm not a traitor by blood."

At that, Adrian's hands stilled mid-motion as he was placing the final spoon on the table. Then, he looked up at Vyan and said, "You know… I looked up the novel you were a part of today."

Vyan's breath hitched. His fingers froze against the rim of his water glass, and the relaxed posture he'd been lounging in suddenly felt stiff.

Because he knew what that novel said about him. He, too, had looked it up today. He had seen the words used to describe him in the character description.

So, he knew the way the author had written about the worst version of him, about his atrocities—the version of him who was truly merciless and villainous by heart. He couldn't deny that it wasn't him. Because it was. But at the same time, it wasn't. At least not anymore.

Setting aside his other deeds, he'd never be able to deny the fact that he had started the Ganlop war… and was thus indirectly responsible for the deaths that followed. He was truly blinded at that time.

His Iyana had forgiven him… or at least overlooked it because she just loved him too much and couldn't afford to lose him again. But he was sure that anybody else who read about it, they'd feel revolted.

Without a doubt, in that other timeline, in the novel, he must have stooped lower. After all, he remained butthurt about Iyana's betrayal. His misunderstanding was never cleared; he kept blaming her and targeted to ruin her life, instead of realizing it was Sienna behind it all. So, his jealousy, anger, and vengeance must have made him do worse things. Those were the things that ultimately led to his demise.

Therefore, anybody who read his character from that timeline… they probably wouldn't want to dine with him at the same table, would they?