I Became the Master of the Villain

No matter how I looked at her, it was definitely Countess Morris.
Why was she standing in line outside the shop when she’d sworn never to return?

Surely she didn’t come here to buy one of Anna’s dresses, did she?
“Countess Morris, fancy seeing you here.”
As I openly acknowledged her presence, the countess lowered her fan.

“Lady Olivia.”
Countess Morris smiled.
But it was clear she was flustered to run into me like this.

The corners of her mouth, forcibly raised into a smile, trembled ever so slightly.
I found it amusing, but I feigned ignorance and asked,
“What brings you here today?”

The countess stepped aside slightly, casting a glance at the noblewomen around her as she spoke.
“I’m just accompanying the ladies on their shopping.”
A response clearly meant to imply she hadn’t come to purchase Anna’s clothes.

“Oh… I see. I thought perhaps you were here to buy a dress.”
“I’m only here to assist the ladies in choosing theirs. They all asked for my opinion.”
The noblewomen added helpfully,

“Countess Morris praised this boutique’s dresses as revolutionary.”
“She said from the very first day that the black dress would be a sensation.”
I was dumbfounded.

Wasn’t she the one who said the design was plain and worse than mourning wear?
And now, changing her words to flaunt her taste in front of the other ladies?
This was too shameless to let slide.
I tilted my head as if puzzled and said,

“Have you changed your mind, Countess? Back then, you said the black dress was plain and even worse than mourning clothes.”
The surprised noblewomen all turned to look at Countess Morris.
“Countess, is that true?”

The countess replied brazenly,
“Of course not. I never said anything like that.”
Liar.

Just as I was about to call her out—
A voice suddenly cut in.
“Her Ladyship is telling the truth.”

The ladies turned their heads toward the voice.
The speaker was Anna.
Countess Morris stiffened at Anna’s appearance.

Anna glanced at her briefly before addressing the ladies.
“Countess Morris once visited my boutique. At that time, she harshly criticized my dress. She said the design was plain and even worse than mourning wear.”
The ladies began murmuring at Anna’s revelation.

“To say something so rude to her face…”
“My, that’s going too far.”
Countess Morris hastily tried to explain.

“Wh-what nonsense…! I would never say such a thing.”
But no one was convinced.
Anyone could see that Anna, as the direct party involved, was more credible.

Anna drove in the final nail.
“And the one who recognized the value of my dress at first sight was Lady Olivia.”
She smiled softly at me.

“If not for Her Ladyship, the black dress might never have seen the light of day.”
“Oh my, Lady Olivia…”
“Then Countess Morris lied…”

Following that statement, the ladies began to turn away from Countess Morris one by one.
They whispered among themselves.
“Countess Morris’s taste isn’t what it used to be.”

“And to lie on top of that—how shameless.”
Their sidelong glances pierced the countess.
Countess Morris’s face turned beet red with humiliation and shame.

If there was a hole to crawl into, she’d have done it in a heartbeat.
Wiping cold sweat from her forehead, the countess muttered,
“S-suddenly remembered something urgent…”

She began retreating with hesitant steps.
Soon unable to withstand the stares and murmurs, she fled the scene.
‘Serves her right.’

I clicked my tongue softly as I watched her leave.
Then I turned to look at Anna and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Well done, Anna.”

Anna smiled faintly and said,
“I’m not the type to just sit and take it, you see.”
Suddenly, I remembered the time she’d shut Uncle James down during the factory strike.

I nodded to myself.
Indeed, once you cross a warrior woman with a hammer, there’s no mercy for you.
***

The salty sea breeze tickled his nose. At the same time, a clamor of noise dug into Kian’s ears.
He had arrived at a market near the southern port of the Empire.
The shouts of merchants trying to attract customers were loud enough to be irritating.

And then, a familiar and loathsome sight filled his vision.
“A young man of the Tyros tribe! Look at this muscular build! Strong as an ox—perfect for manual labor!”
“A woman of fallen noble blood! A rare commodity you won’t find easily!”

The merchants were selling slaves, their wrists and ankles bound in chains.
All of them wore exhausted expressions and vacant eyes—it overlapped too closely with his former self.
Slaves dragged onto the auction platform in chains. Buyers shouting out prices.

This place brought back memories he wanted to forget.
He didn’t want to linger, so his pace quickened naturally.
He had to find a slaver named Aulos.

That was the reason Kian had come here today.
He stopped in front of a slave stand lined with chained people.
“Welcome, sir! What kind of slave are you looking for?”

The slaver greeted him eagerly. Kian ignored the question and asked,
“Do you know a slaver named Aulos?”
Realizing Kian wasn’t a customer, the slaver clicked his tongue in disappointment.

He then gave Kian a quick once-over.
‘What a stunning man… If he were a slave, he’d fetch an astronomical price…’
“I asked if you know a slaver named Aulos.”

Kian repeated the question, his voice tinged with annoyance, prompting the slaver to hastily respond.
“Aulos? Yes, I’ve heard of him.”
Kian gestured with his eyes for him to continue.

Feeling a strange pressure, the slaver chose to speak quickly rather than get cheeky.
“He’s fairly well-known in this business. Made a fortune off the slave trade.”
“Do you know where he is now?”

Seeing Kian’s face darken, the slaver replied cautiously,
“You’re looking for him? I’m afraid you’re a little late.”
“What do you mean?”

“I heard he died two years ago—his chronic illness finally got him.”
Kian froze for a moment.
Dead?

He’d planned to rip that man apart with his own hands once he found the nanny’s whereabouts...
The oppressive aura around Kian grew stronger. The slaver, finding it hard to breathe, gasped,
“Y-you must’ve had business with Aulos…”

“……”
“He had one son… Maybe you could try finding him?”
An unexpected piece of information.

He thought he’d hit a dead end, but luck seemed to be on his side.
“I’ve told you everything I know, sir…”
The slaver now wore a pleading expression, desperate for Kian to leave.

He was planning to leave this wretched place anyway.
Without delay, Kian moved on to his next destination.
***

The ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ place the slaver mentioned was a small village in the Empire’s east.
The uneven rooftops lined the peaceful and quiet town.
Kian approached a shop along the main road that sold colorful fruits.

He bought an apple and asked the owner,
“Aulos’s son? Oh yes, I know him well.”
“You know where he lives?”

“Of course.”
Though a bit curious, the middle-aged woman gave the information without hesitation.
‘A man that beautiful couldn’t be up to anything bad.’

Her friendliness had a reason—Kian’s looks were enough to disarm anyone, regardless of gender.
And Kian knew this well.
Following her directions, Kian turned a corner and stopped in front of the first house he saw.

He had expected the son of a wealthy slaver to live in a grand mansion, but it was an ordinary stone house.
Kian knocked a few times, lightly.
After a moment, the door opened, and a middle-aged man peeked out.

His face was the spitting image of Aulos, as Kian remembered from Count Douglas’s memories.
The man eyed Kian warily, clearly unsettled by the stranger.
Kian spoke.

“Are you the son of the slaver Aulos?”
“…!”
The man’s face twisted with alarm.

“I asked if that’s true.”
Urged for a response, the man finally answered in a strained voice,
“…Yes, I am.”

He added, painfully,
“And who might you be?”
“I’m the man your father sold into slavery twenty years ago.”

The man’s gaze trembled violently. Unable to meet Kian’s eyes, he lowered his head.
“…My father has already passed away.”
“I know.”

The man asked with a shaking voice,
“Did you come… to take revenge on me in his place?”
At that moment, a woman peeked out over his shoulder. Sensing something was wrong, she asked,

“Dear, what’s going on?”
A little girl clung to her skirt, asking innocently,
“Daddy, who’s that pretty man?”

“It’s nothing. Go back inside, both of you.”
The man hastily ushered his wife and daughter back inside. Then he turned to Kian and pleaded,
“Please… I beg you, don’t harm my family.”

He bowed repeatedly, as if ready to drop to his knees.
Feeling like he’d become the villain, Kian opened his mouth.
“I’m not here for revenge.”

“Wh-what? Then…”
“Twenty years ago, your father also sold the woman who was with me. I need the documents that show who bought her.”
The man still looked unsettled, unsure if he could trust Kian.

Kian asked,
“Where are the slave trade records your father kept?”
“Well…”

After hesitating, the man closed his eyes tightly and spoke.
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing left.”
“You’re certain?”

“It’s not a lie. I burned them with my own hands.”
“……”
“I was ashamed of my father being a slaver. I wanted to erase every trace of him. So…”

Kian let out a hollow laugh.
He had thought things were going smoothly—but apparently not.
The man lowered his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry. Because of me, things have become complicated…”
But Kian didn’t intend to blame him.
It had been twenty years. Even if the man hadn’t destroyed the documents, there was no guarantee they’d have survived intact.

‘What now…’
As Kian stood lost in thought, the man spoke hesitantly.
“Perhaps… there might be a way.”

His tone wasn’t confident. But it was a glimmer of hope.
“My father was extremely meticulous. He may have made copies in case the originals were lost.”
“You said you destroyed everything Aulos left behind.”

“Everything he left to me. But he may have entrusted copies to his workers. The documents might still exist.”
Kian didn’t understand why the man was willing to go to such lengths to help him.
“Why would you do all this for me?”

“Well…”
The man’s face contorted with guilt. He said,
“Because this is the only way I can atone, even a little, for my father’s sins.”

“…Atone, huh.”
Kian chuckled.
What he wanted was to find the ones who made him live as a slave for twenty years—and destroy them.

He had no interest in watching anyone’s repentance.
But there was no need to say that here.
“Do as you wish.”

Kian tossed the words casually, and the man’s face lit up.
With the man burning with determination to find a clue, Kian turned to leave.