I Became the Master of the Villain

The prayer ceremony ended smoothly.
Contrary to his earlier claim that he didn’t want to do it, Alexis fulfilled his role flawlessly.

By the time we exited the temple, the sun was already setting.
The sky looked like someone had swirled together a palette of paints—absolutely breathtaking.
As I gazed at the evening sky, lost in thought—

“Lady Olivia!”
A cheerful voice called out to me from the crowd pouring out of the temple.
It was a familiar face—Duchess of Wedgwood, with whom I’d partnered in the art export business.

Now that the business was running smoothly and I’d delegated the day-to-day operations, it had been quite a while since we’d last met.
“Have you been well, Duchess?”
“Of course. I’m glad to see you looking healthy too, Lady Olivia.”

We exchanged light greetings.
Perhaps she felt it would be too curt to end it there, because the duchess continued the conversation.
The topic turned to what had happened inside the temple earlier.

“Count Lualto got exactly what he deserved. Regardless of political alignment, how could he act so disrespectfully toward His Highness the Prince?”
The usually gentle duchess was visibly indignant.
‘Does she dislike Count Lualto?’

As if reading my thoughts, she added,
“Count Lualto has a very narrow view of art. He thinks anything outside the mainstream is worthless and inferior in quality.”
“Goodness. Doesn’t he understand that without embracing diversity, there’s no room for innovation?”

“That’s exactly what I’ve always said.”
It seemed Count Lualto had earned the duchess’s deep disdain, especially given her love for the arts.
Turning her gaze to the palace adorned with colorful festival flags, she asked,
“By the way, have you had time to enjoy the festival?”

“Yes, there’s so much to see again this year. I’m planning to walk around a bit more.”
“You’re not planning to do that alone, are you? Have you made plans with someone?”
She asked with curiosity in her eyes.

Just as I was about to answer, I heard a familiar voice.
“Lady Olivia.”
I turned and saw Kian striding toward me.

“Kian, you’re done?”
“Yes. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. I was just having a chat with the duchess.”

At my words, Kian glanced at the woman standing beside me.
I introduced him to the Duchess of Wedgwood, and he gave a polite nod.
“My apologies for the delayed greeting, Duchess.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Sir Kian. I’ve seen your face in many paintings, but this is my first time meeting you in person.”
“In paintings…?”
Kian asked, a bit wary, and the duchess responded with a gentle smile.

“I own several portraits of you painted by Nicholas Rossetti.”
“Ah…”
I had nearly forgotten.

Back when Nicholas lived at the Ashford estate, he was constantly painting Kian.
It seemed the duchess had purchased some of those works.
She said enthusiastically,

“Just owning a piece by Nicholas is a great fortune! I plan to preserve those miraculous works as family heirlooms for generations.”
Looking a bit overwhelmed, Kian replied,
“That’s… an honor.”

Meanwhile, I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing with her sentiment.
Come to think of it, we had one of Kian’s portraits at the duchy too.
The very painting that had received unanimous top marks at the Imperial Art Exhibition.

‘Perfect. I’ll have that painting added to our family heirloom registry!’
That way, Kian’s beauty could be passed down to future generations.
***

Even after the sun set, the festival showed no sign of cooling down.
Kian and I watched a play at an outdoor stage, then played some street games offering prizes. It was a lovely evening.
After walking around for a while, we got hungry and had dinner.

Then, we strolled down the brightly lit streets.
Everywhere we went was packed with people, all caught up in the festival spirit.
“There are so many people.”

“Well, it’s a festival. Can’t be helped.”
He stopped walking and looked at me.
“I’m worried we might get separated in the crowd.”

“Hm… what should we do, then?”
“There’s one solution.”
Since he was a mage, I wondered if he had some magical method in mind.

But what he said next caught me completely off guard.
“This will do just fine.”
He gently reached out and took my hand.

…So the crowd thing was just an excuse?
I couldn’t help but smile at his adorably sly move.
“This is the solution?”

Kian nodded and lowered his gaze.
“Does it bother you?”
Despite boldly grabbing my hand, he looked uncertain, which was incredibly endearing.

“No, let’s keep walking like this.”
When I said that with a smile, Kian finally looked relieved.
‘Like this… it really feels like we’re on a date.’

The streets were full of couples holding hands or walking arm in arm.
I wondered if we looked like one of them too…
Just as that fluttery thought passed through my mind, a bright, cheerful voice suddenly rang out nearby.

“Come one, come all! This chance doesn’t come every day! Fortune readings at a special festival-only discount!”
A girl holding a sign that read “Mystic Card Readings” was calling out to passersby.
“Looks like a fortune-telling booth.”

As I paused in front of the tent, Kian asked,
“Are you interested?”
“Well… I’m not really into superstition.”

Perhaps overhearing our conversation, the girl piped up,
“Then how about using this chance to change your mind? You’re our hundredth customer today—I'll read your fortune for free!”
It was hard to complain about a free reading, but the festival’s main event—the fireworks—was going to start soon.

I glanced up at the clock tower.
‘We still have some time, but…’
“Come on in! Don’t be shy!”

Before I could decide, the girl grabbed my hand and pulled me into the tent.
We got swept up in her energy and followed her inside.
Lifting the fabric flap, she said,

“You two are a couple, right? Then you’ve come to the perfect place. My sister is amazing at reading romantic fate!”
A couple, she said…
Flustered, I turned to Kian, but he didn’t deny it—he just smiled silently.

In the end, I explained the situation.
“Really? You were holding hands, so I assumed you were dating…”
She looked briefly deflated, but then quickly regained her pep.

“Well, don’t be disappointed! I’ll read your romantic fortunes individually.”
Before we knew it, we were seated at a table.
Inside the dim tent sat a young woman who looked exactly like the girl from outside.

She greeted us with a mysterious smile.
“Curious about your love life?”
“Yes, I am.”

Kian was the one to answer.
The fortune-teller nodded.
“Very well. Let’s start with the gentleman.”

She spread the cards in a circle and had Kian pick a few.
Once he had chosen, she flipped them over.
One card showed The Lovers. Another showed The Wheel of Fortune.

After studying the cards carefully, the fortune-teller said,
“Your destined partner is very close by. And that person…”
She flipped another card. A large diamond was drawn on it.

“Is extremely wealthy.”
Kian listened intently, eyes sharp with curiosity.
Then she turned over the last card.

Two swords crossed in the shape of an X. The fortune-teller frowned slightly.
“This one symbolizes conflict…”
“What does that mean?”

“It means… someone else has feelings for the same person you do.”
At her words, Kian’s eyes darkened.
Noticing the shift in his mood, the fortune-teller quickly gathered the cards.

Turning to me, she said,
“Let’s read your fortune now, young lady.”
She had just begun spreading the deck again when noise erupted outside.

“Looks like the fireworks are starting!”
“Let’s hurry and find a good spot!”
While we were doing the card reading, it seemed the fireworks were about to begin.

‘I am curious about my fortune, but…’
I didn’t want to miss the show, so I politely excused myself and stepped outside.
We headed straight for the Ruben Riverbank.

As expected of the best viewing spot, the place was packed—there wasn’t even space to plant your feet.
It was too crowded to get any closer to the river.
“What do we do? I don’t think we’ll get a good view from here…”

“I have a solution.”
“Is it holding hands again?”
I teased him, and Kian smiled and nodded.

It looked like he meant it this time, so I gently took his hand.
And then, the world twisted around us like a swirling vortex.
As the distorted vision settled, I realized we were now standing atop the clock tower.

From this height, the moon looked close enough to touch. Bathed in silver light, Kian spoke.
“We’ll get a perfect view from here.”
“How did you come up with this?”

“Well… I just want to give you anything you wish for, Lady Olivia.”
Every time he said things like that, I was reminded of how kind he was.
“It’s a bit chilly.”

He took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. His warmth still lingered in the fabric.
His tenderness made my heart flutter.
Suddenly, I recalled what the fortune-teller had said earlier.

That his destined partner was nearby… and extremely wealthy.
At the time, I found myself hoping that person was me.
Just as that realization settled in, a thunderous boom shattered the night sky.

BOOM! CRACK!
Colorful fireworks exploded against the black canvas above.
Sparks fell like glittering rain above our heads.

The fireworks continued to bloom, and the crowd below let out a chorus of “Wooooah!”
But to me, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) it wasn’t just the night sky that lit up—it felt like something inside me was bursting open too.
I loved how Kian’s blue eyes sparkled with life when he looked at me.

I loved how he remembered even the smallest of my preferences, how he looked only at me.
Just seeing him made my heart race. When we were apart for days, I missed him.
On days we met, I’d agonize over what to wear.

And now, those feelings came crashing in like a wave.
I wanted to spend all the happiest moments of my life with him—from now on, too.
As I turned to look at him, Kian met my gaze.

His eyes curved softly.
“You’re beautiful.”
“…Yeah.”

More beautiful than those dazzling fireworks overhead—was Kian.
And with that, I finally understood the feeling that had been quietly blooming inside me all this time.
Ah, I really was—

Falling for Kian.
As the boom, boom of fireworks echoed overhead, that’s what I thought.