I Became the Master of the Villain

It was more out of pity than genuine worry that I said it.
But I couldn’t very well admit that I pitied a prince.

I took a sip of coffee and gave Alexis a vague answer.
“Well… I just think it’d be hard for anyone, being back home after ten years and having no one welcome you.”
I immediately regretted being so blunt, but thankfully, Alexis didn’t get offended.

He chuckled aloud and spoke with laughter still laced in his voice.
“As I thought before—you’re awfully straightforward for a noblewoman.”
Was that a compliment or an insult?

I stabbed at the cake with my fork and said,
“If I was rude, I apologize.”
“No need. Better to be cursed to your face than smile and lie.”

“I didn’t curse you, though…”
What, was I going to get arrested for lese-majeste now?
When I responded with a wounded tone, Alexis burst into full laughter again.

‘For someone with such a cold impression, he laughs easily…’
I broke apart the tiramisu with my fork, watching it crumble.
Talking with the Second Prince, the dessert disappeared in no time. Seeing my empty plate, Alexis offered me a piece of his Earl Grey pound cake.

As I cut a soft piece of the fluffy cake, I asked,
“What’s the North like?”
After sipping his coffee, Alexis answered,

“It’s a harsh land, but beautiful. Glaciers, auroras, snow-covered canyons—you can only see them in the North.”
“You seem fond of it, Your Highness.”
“If I could’ve stayed, I wouldn’t have minded. It’s like home to me now.”
That was unexpected. I thought Alexis had earned all those battle merits just to return to the palace.

“If His Majesty hadn’t summoned you, would you have stayed longer?”
Alexis shook his head firmly.
“There’s something I must do here. I’ve lived the past ten years with only that in mind.”

His voice dropped low.
Maybe I was imagining it, but it felt like an uncontained flicker of anger surfaced in his golden eyes for a moment.
The mood grew a little heavy. I wasn’t sure what to say next, when the café server appeared at just the right moment.

“Your strawberry cake is here.”
The server cleared the empty plates and set down the freshly ordered cake.
Alexis looked at me like I was some strange creature, watching me go through two cakes in one sitting.

“You really like cake that much?”
“I do. I even insisted on taking over the management of our family’s bakery.”
“You mean the Ashford Patisserie.”

“Yes, that one.”
It felt a bit self-congratulatory to say it aloud, but the Ashford Patisserie was leading the pastry industry.
Of course, that didn’t happen overnight—it took a lot of effort… or more accurately, money.

I remembered how much I invested in hiring artisans, including former palace pastry chefs.
“This café’s desserts are nice, but ours are even better. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”
He replied teasingly,

“Are you saying that just because it’s yours?”
I bristled a little.
“No. You’ll believe me once you try it, Your Highness.”

Our patisserie had been voted best in the capital three years running, and had even been featured in newspapers several times. Given that Alexis had spent the past decade in the North, it made sense he wouldn’t know that.
I felt a sudden urge to open this ignorant prince’s eyes to a whole new world of pastry.
Apparently, he wasn’t entirely disinterested either.

“If you introduce it personally, I’ll consider it.”
“No problem. Just let me know when you’re free.”
“I’ll work around your schedule.”

“Alright, then…”
Somehow, I ended up making plans with Alexis.
Our conversation continued after that.

With coffee and dessert as our topic, I found myself chatting more than I’d intended.
I had only meant to stop in for a quick drink, but now I’d been talking with this man for quite a while.
When I finally stood to leave, Alexis said,

“I talked too much, didn’t I.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Sometimes, it wasn’t so bad to chatter away with someone you didn’t know very well.

Alexis stood too, saying he had business to attend to. We wrapped up our conversation and exited the café together.
As we walked toward the main road, where it was easier to catch a carriage, I said,
“You’re headed to the palace, right?”

“That’s right.”
“Then you should go this way.”
“I know that.”

“Then why were you walking in the opposite direction?”
Alexis flinched.
“T-that’s…”

His voice trailed off awkwardly. When I pressed him, asking if he’d gotten lost, he cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Capital’s changed a lot in ten years.”
He changed the subject too obviously.

Apparently, admitting he didn’t know the way would’ve been a blow to his royal pride.
“There used to be lots of street vendors on this road,” he remarked, scanning the street.
I barely managed to hold back my laughter at how hard he was trying to act nonchalant.

I turned to look down the now-empty street, as he said.
There used to be tons of vendors with mobile carts here.
Candied fruits, skewers, handmade crafts—you could find all kinds of foods and trinkets here, and ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) browsing was half the fun.

“Am I misremembering?”
Alexis asked with uncertainty. Maybe he was starting to doubt his memory after what just happened.
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Haha, no, you’re not wrong.”
“Then where did all the vendors go?”
“Well—”

Just as I was about to explain, a loud shout rang out from up ahead.
“Hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to set up here?!”
A few blocks ahead, a city guard was shouting at a boy in shabby clothes.

The boy had laid out a small display of carved figurines on the street. The guards were aggressively clearing them away.
“Please, just let me sell for one hour—just an hour…”
The boy clung to the guard, pleading. But the guards ignored him.

“Not even for a minute! What are you all doing? Clear this junk!”
They began tossing the boy’s carvings aside. The figurines scattered messily across the pavement. The boy whimpered in despair.
“My mother is very sick. I need to sell these to pay for her surgery. Please…”

“That’s not our concern.”
One of the guards, stone-faced, swept away the boy’s stand without hesitation. The boy tried to stop them, but he was no match.
Then, Alexis stepped forward.

“Stop.”
He grabbed the guard with a firm hand, pulling him back.
The guard turned to glare at him.

“Who the hell are you? Get out of the way unless you want to be arrested for obstructing an officer!”
Must’ve been a low-ranking guard—he didn’t recognize Alexis.
I was just wondering whether I should tell him, You’ll regret this later if you don’t bow now, when—

“Y-Your Highness!”
Another guard belatedly recognized Alexis and hastily bowed.
The guard who’d been glaring at him looked startled and quickly averted his gaze.

“M-my apologies, Your Highness.”
“Enough. More importantly, why are you preventing this child from selling here?”
The guards exchanged looks, then stammered.

“It’s… the law, Your Highness.”
“When was this law enacted?”
Alexis asked, as if genuinely unaware.

‘Why did this have to happen just when I was about to explain…’
The street vendor prohibition law had passed five years ago.
Nobles had pushed it through, claiming vendors ruined the capital’s appearance.

Since then, all street vending had been considered illegal, and city guards were assigned to crack down on them regularly.
“Your Highness, actually…”
I leaned in and quietly explained it to him. Alexis’s expression darkened.

The guards, sensing an opportunity, jumped in.
“We really can’t help it, Your Highness. It’s the law…”
“So you mean not to interfere?”

“Th-that’s not what we meant…”
Seeing how things were turning, the boy’s hopeful expression darkened.
Even if he was a prince, he couldn’t just change the law on a whim. The boy knew that too.

‘Still… I don’t want to just stand by.’
I’m not normally the meddling type, but what the boy said kept tugging at my mind.
I turned to the guards and said,

“If this child selling here is illegal, then I suppose we should shut it down right away.”
The guards looked relieved to finally have someone reasonable on their side.
“Yes, exactly!”

They were clearly hoping I’d persuade Alexis to leave the matter alone.
“Alright, then.”
But instead of convincing Alexis, I walked over to the boy.

I pointed to the carvings he’d been selling and said,
“I’ll take them all.”
“Huh…?”

The boy looked confused, as if he’d misheard me. I repeated kindly,
“I’ll buy everything. So you can pack up and go home for today.”
“R-really?”

The boy stammered in disbelief.
I nodded and pulled out my wallet. But there was a slight problem.
All I had were checks.

Running to the bank would’ve been too much hassle, and it’s not like the guards would wait patiently.
So I simply took out a check and handed it to the boy.
“Gasp…”

The boy’s eyes went wide. He rubbed them in disbelief as he looked at the amount written on the check.
Then, flustered, he dug through his worn-out pants pocket and pulled something out.
His small, calloused hand—no doubt from carving—was full of coins.

“I-I’m sorry, but this is all the money I have… How should I give you change?”
It clearly wasn’t enough.
“That’s not nearly enough.”

The boy started fidgeting nervously, as if afraid I’d change my mind.
“Th-then what should I do…?”
What else?

I winked at him, like we were sharing a secret.
“Guess you’ll just have to keep the change.”