I Became the Master of the Villain

My face burned hot, like a heated brass kettle.
Just how obvious had I been, for even Father to notice?
I fanned my face to cool the heat as I spoke.

“Please, just keep it to yourself.”
After I earnestly begged, Father nodded, saying he understood.
'But… does Father actually like Kian?'

Normally, Father had incredibly strict standards when it came to judging people.
If I told him I liked someone, he was the kind of person who would dissect every detail about them.
It felt strange that he hadn’t said anything, so I asked…

“I met young Kian separately the other day. He’s a man with proper foundations.”
“Huh—?”
I jumped in surprise.

The fact that Father had met with Kian alone suddenly made me uneasy.
“What did you talk about?”
“Not much. We just shared a meal together.”

“...Really?”
“Ahem, yes. Really.”
Father cleared his throat and avoided my gaze.

He then tried to subtly change the subject.
It was suspicious how he avoided answering, but…
'I'm just relieved he doesn't dislike Kian.'
As I inwardly sighed in relief, the carriage stopped in the plaza.

I helped my ailing father down from the carriage.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”

I naturally linked arms with Father as I supported him.
“Oh, Olivia?”
Father seemed a little surprised by my affectionate gesture.

Realizing his reaction, I stiffened.
I had mustered up some courage, but… maybe I came on too strong all of a sudden.
Maybe I should’ve approached him more gradually.

Feeling awkward, I said,
“It’s uncomfortable, isn’t it?”
But the answer that came back was unexpected.

“No, it’s truly nice.”
Father smiled, his wrinkled eyes creasing softly.
Seeing him smile so brightly melted away all my earlier worries.

As I walked arm in arm with him, I thought to myself.
If you want to grow close to someone, there’s always a moment where you have to summon your courage.
***

Should I muster up the courage and confess?
Kian walked down the palace corridor, deep in thought.
Last night, during the fireworks with Olivia, he had seen her shoulders tremble ever so slightly in the night breeze.

At that moment, instead of offering his coat, he had wanted to hold her in his arms.
Golden blond hair tinged with orange light, cheeks pale and smooth like pearls, slender wrists that fit in one hand, and a delicate, white nape.
He felt like he was going insane with the urge to touch every part of her.

He wanted to close the mere handspan of distance that existed between them.
There was another reason he wanted to confess honestly to her.
The card reading he’d seen before still weighed on his mind.

'There’s another man who likes her…'
As it was, the Second Prince had been hovering around Olivia more often these days, and it had left him feeling extremely irritated.
'That man… looked close to Lady Olivia.'

He recalled the ball, when Alexis had danced the first dance with Olivia.
It was bad enough that another man had been by her side—but to even dance with her?
Honestly, he wanted to erase that man’s existence entirely.

That was how much he wanted to monopolize her.
As he walked down the palace corridor, he slipped his hand into his coat pocket.
He felt the texture of soft silk.

'I also have something to give to Lady Olivia… I should stop by the duchy first.'
Maybe because his heart was racing, his steps across the corridor quickened.
That was when people dressed in exotic clothing appeared at the far end of the corridor.

For the founding festival, neighboring countries had sent delegations to strengthen ties with the Rasione Empire.
So many envoys were staying in the Imperial Palace—these were surely some of them.
Kian thought nothing of it and tried to pass by.

But then, someone from the delegation suddenly called out to him.
“Oh my, Sir Kian?”
Pink hair and big round eyes. A youthful face that looked vaguely familiar.

Kian remembered who she was.
“It’s been a while. How have you been, Your Highness?”
The girl was Princess Mariel of the Kingdom of Genoa.

She beamed brightly as she said,
“I’ve been doing well! And you’ve grown even more handsome, Sir Kian.”
“You flatter me.”

“I’ve actually been wanting to see you again. What a coincidence! I’m really glad I joined the delegation.”
Princess Mariel seemed genuinely thrilled by the chance meeting.
Meanwhile, Kian recalled the last time he had met her.

Back then, the princess had visited the Ashford estate on some matter with Olivia.
And during that visit, she had unexpectedly given him a gift.
“I heard you became a mage and even received a title! Congratulations!”

“Thank you.”
Kian offered a polite, public smile and played along.
“I also heard you risked your life to save the Lady from danger. Ahh, how incredibly romantic!”

The princess cupped her cheeks with both hands, her tone passionate with admiration.
It seemed her love for romantic tales hadn’t changed a bit.
Then, the princess dismissed the people around her and stepped in close to Kian.

Lowering her voice, she asked him quietly,
“How did the medicine I gave you work?”
In the Kingdom of Genoa, there’s a tradition of gifting a special tonic to wish lovers lasting passion.

It supposedly keeps men from losing vigor and helps women recover from fatigue—allowing couples to continue intimacy for seven days straight…
'The princess had misunderstood me as Lady Olivia’s lover.'
That misunderstanding still hadn’t been cleared up. With cheeks slightly flushed, the princess asked shyly,

“Well? Did you have a passionate night together?”
Forget a passionate night—they had only just held hands. They weren’t even lovers yet.
Kian gave a slightly embarrassed smile and replied,

“I haven’t used it yet.”
“Oh my…”
The princess let out a small sigh of regret.

She lowered her eyes with a sorrowful look.
“Was my gift ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) useless…?”
Her voice trembled. She seemed deeply disappointed that he hadn’t used her gift.

Kian felt a little awkward.
Just as Olivia had once done for him, he gently tried to soothe the princess.
“That’s not it.”

Reassured by his soft tone, the princess looked up at him.
“Then…?”
“I’ve been saving it—for a special day.”

“...!”
Apparently moved by his words, the princess’s face lit up. Her big eyes sparkled as she said,
“Oh my, what deep meaning!”

Of course, it was a well-intended lie, meant to spare the princess from disappointment.
But still, there was a sincere wish mixed into it.
That someday, he and Olivia would become close enough to use that gift together.

***
Spending time with Father after so long had been truly enjoyable.
It had been a little awkward at first, but we both tried to get closer to each other.

Just like when I was a child, I laughed freely watching the parade and the traveling troupe’s performance with Father.
By the time we returned to the mansion, the sun above had already begun to dip toward the west.
As we stepped down from the carriage, Father said,

“Thanks to you, I had a wonderful time, Olivia.”
“So did I.”
“Would you come with me again next time?”

“Of course. But only if you stay healthy and don’t get sick.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Father nodded with a smile.

Butler Albert escorted him inside, and I returned to my room.
'I’ll rest a bit, then take a bath.'
As I took off my hat and coat and draped them over the sofa—

Meow.
A cat’s cry echoed from outside the window.
The cry came again.

The sorrowful tone tugged at my heart.
I opened the window and looked down.
A yellow-striped cat poked its head out from the flower bed.

Its face looked familiar.
It was a stray that used to wander around here, sometimes showing up at the mansion.
I used to feed it for a while, but I hadn’t seen it lately and assumed it had moved on.

It looked thinner than before, and I felt worried.
“Wait just a moment.”
I went down to the kitchen, grabbed some cat food, and hurried back to the flower bed.

Thankfully, the cat was still sitting quietly in the same spot.
I held out a dish filled with our head chef’s special homemade cat food.
“Meow…”

The cat eyed me cautiously, then slowly approached and began to eat.
It must’ve been starving—head down, eating like there was no tomorrow.
“Eat slowly.”

I crouched a few steps away to let it eat in peace.
As I watched the cat eat, a voice called out suddenly.
“Lady Olivia.”

It was Kian.
So focused on the cat, I hadn’t even noticed someone approaching.
I slowly stood up.

We hadn’t made any plans today, so I hadn’t expected to see him.
The moment I saw Kian, my heart rippled like a stone dropped in a calm lake.
Trying to calm the storm inside, I asked,

“Kian, what brings you here?”
Kian’s long eyes curved slightly. He took a pair of silk gloves from his coat pocket and held them out.
“I came to return these. You entrusted them to me, then forgot.”

“Oh, right…”
Yesterday, while enjoying the festival, I must have handed him my gloves and forgotten all about them.
“Thank you for coming all this way.”

“It’s nothing.”
Kian smiled faintly, then looked over at the cat.
“Were you feeding this fellow?”

“Yeah, it was crying from hunger.”
“Do you know it?”
“I’ve fed it a few times before. It’s always been skittish, so I’ve never actually touched it.”

When Kian appeared, the cat stopped eating and looked flustered.
It hesitated, unsure whether to run.
Its little front paws twitched in indecision, and I couldn’t help but smile at how cute it looked.

Kian quietly watched me and said,
“You like cats.”
“Yeah. I even thought about keeping one, but Father’s allergic to animal fur, so I gave up.”

“I see.”
Kian said it with a hint of regret. Meanwhile, the cat finished its meal and darted into the shrubbery.
I watched it go, a little disappointed, and said,

“I know I can’t raise one, but… I wish I could live with a cat, even just for a day.”
But back then, I had no idea.
That those casually spoken words would somehow become reality.

Meow.
The next day, a cat appeared in front of me—with fur as white as snow and eyes as clear as the sky.