I Became the Master of the Villain

As the season turned to early summer, the days had grown quite warm. Roses and other summer flowers were budding in the garden. The mansion’s servants bustled about in short-sleeved uniforms. While I watched the seasonal change through the window, the chime of the grandfather clock rang out.

'It’s already that time...'
If I wanted to arrive on time, I had to leave now. I picked up my parasol and stepped out of my room.
When I reached the front entrance, Sir Hans was already waiting. His eyes widened when he saw how well-dressed I was. Opening the carriage door for me, he said,

“You look absolutely stunning today, my lady!”
Thanks to Sir Hans’s enthusiastic social graces, I was in a good mood.
“Thanks for the compliment.”

Once I got into the carriage, Sir Hans followed after and took a seat across from me.
“Who are you meeting today, if I may ask?”
“I’m meeting Kian. I wanted to thank him for the gift he gave me the other day.”

“A gift? Oh, you mean the one from that clothing store?”
“Yeah.”
Returning a gift was just an excuse. The truth was, I simply wanted to see Kian. Whether he realized that or not, he had gladly accepted my invitation to lunch.

'Honestly, there was also a restaurant I wanted to try with him.'
Our destination was a Shuiitan cuisine restaurant that had just opened in the capital for the first time.
I turned my gaze out the carriage window. As we passed the square, I saw the clocktower. It reminded me of the time during the fireworks when Kian had draped his coat over me.
Suddenly, I had a random thought. We weren’t lovers, but when a man and a woman had feelings for each other and kept meeting like this, what exactly were they?

'Back in the world I came from, they called that kind of relationship a “some.”'
More than friends, not quite lovers. That was the best way to define what Kian and I were now.
I recalled the heat in his blue eyes when he looked at me.

'If he has feelings for me too...'
Confession.
That word rose in my mind, and my heart fluttered. As the carriage began to slow, the coachman called out.
“Young Lady, we’ve arrived.”

I set aside thoughts of confessions for now and stepped down from the carriage. First, I had to meet Kian. I quickened my pace toward the rendezvous point.
I hadn’t walked far when I saw a familiar back.
'Even from behind, he’s so handsome.'

Admiring his elegant figure, I moved to call out to him—
And then—
“...!”
Something unexpected caught my eye. From a distance, I hadn’t seen it because his body was blocking the view, but Kian wasn’t alone. A strange woman was with him.

She was an exotic beauty, and just a glance was enough to see she came from wealth. The woman spoke.
“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”
The moment I heard her, I grasped the situation. A creeping discomfort rose inside me.

“You’re exactly my type. Would you spare me a moment of your time?”
Kian responded politely but firmly.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a bit busy. I’m waiting for someone.”

In other words, he wasn’t interested and wished she’d move on. But the woman didn’t give up.
“If you’re busy now, that’s fine. I’ll be staying in the capital for business anyway, so I’ve got plenty of time.”
She then casually pointed to a building behind her.

“That place is the most popular restaurant in the capital these days.”
Coincidentally, it was the very Shuiitan restaurant Kian and I had planned to visit.
“I own that restaurant.”

A subtle boast of wealth. Kian glanced at the building she indicated and replied briefly.
“I see.”
His voice held zero interest. Perhaps not the reaction she expected, the woman began to look agitated. At her signal, a mustached man beside her cleared his throat loudly.

Probably her aide. He stepped forward and spoke.
“This lady is Princess Restia of Shuiitan. The wealthiest person in Shuiitan.”
Once he finished his introduction, the woman spoke with a confident voice.

“Now, have you changed your mind?”
Meanwhile, my thoughts grew tangled. I remembered the fortune saying Kian’s destined partner would be a rich woman.
'This is bothering me.'

The woman continued to say irritating things.
“What do you think? If you go out with me, I’ll make sure money flows like water for you.”
I couldn’t take it anymore.

“That’s unfortunate. We already spend money like water.”
The Shuiitan princess whipped her head around at the sudden interruption. Spotting me, she snapped in a sharp tone.
“Who are you supposed to be?”

“Who ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) do you think? The person he’s waiting for.”
Kian greeted me with a gentle smile. With a slightly troubled frown, he said,
“Lady Olivia, I apologize. I got caught up in an unexpected situation.”

“It’s fine. The one bothering him despite his refusal is the rude one.”
“Well, then, who exactly is the one being a bother here?”
The princess said provocatively, giving me a once-over. She was clearly sizing me up.

Then, deciding I was worth competing with, she tilted her chin and declared,
“I’m interested in this gentleman. So would you mind not getting in the way?”
Even after I identified myself as Kian’s companion, she showed no intention of backing off. This was just plain rude.

“You said you’re the wealthiest in Shuiitan?”
“That’s right. No one there has more money than I do. And you? What do you do?”
I couldn’t be bothered to list everything, so I gave a simple reply.

“Me? I’m the wealthiest person in the Empire.”
“Hah, what kind of—”
She clearly didn’t believe me, so Sir Hans stepped forward.

“This lady is none other than Olivia Ashford. I am her escort knight.”
He puffed out his chest. His uniform bore the Ashford family crest. Upon seeing it, the princess’s aide’s eyes widened. He leaned in and whispered quietly to her.
“It really is the Ashford crest.”

The princess’s face twisted in frustration. I thought she’d back down now that she knew who I was—but she didn’t.
“So what? It doesn’t change the fact that you two aren’t in a relationship.”
Ah, so that’s what she was fixated on. She thought Kian was unclaimed, so she kept chasing after him.

I was at a loss. As she said, we weren’t officially lovers.
When I couldn’t reply, her face lit up with triumph. Smiling with her eyes, she turned back to Kian.
“It won’t take long. Just a bit of your time, please?”

That was when a cool scent wafted over me, and a strong arm wrapped around my shoulder. Kian pulled me into his embrace and said to the princess,
“Apologies, but I don’t have any time to spare for you.”
“W-What...!”

It wasn’t a polite refusal—it was an outright rejection. The princess’s face turned red.
To make matters worse, passersby began whispering.
“She got rejected, didn’t she?”

“Wow... should’ve backed off when he said no.”
The princess’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato. At that point, she must’ve realized she couldn’t recover.
She left with her pride in tatters. Her flustered aide hurried after her.

I clicked my tongue.
'She should’ve given up earlier.'
She must’ve thought her looks and wealth would win Kian over. But what a shame. As sorry as I was to say it—Kian was prettier than she was. And I had more money.

After all that fuss, the unwanted guest finally disappeared. Kian let go of my shoulder.
“I’m sorry. That woman was being a bit too persistent.”
“No, it’s fine.”

I tried my best to calm my pounding heart. If anything, I was disappointed he let go so soon.
'Still... I should change the plan.'
I no longer wanted to go to the restaurant she owned, so I asked Kian,

“Sorry, but would it be okay if we ate somewhere else?”
He smiled gently and said,
“I don’t mind, but didn’t you say you were looking forward to trying Shuiitan cuisine?”

“I was. That’s why I want to go to a different place.”
Kian tilted his head slightly, puzzled.
“But didn’t you say that restaurant was the only one offering Shuiitan food?”

“I did. Which is why...”
I grinned.
“I’m going to open my own Shuiitan restaurant.”

If I couldn’t find a place I liked, I’d just make one.
***
After lunch, Kian and I took a walk in the park. Even under the shade of my parasol, the sun was scorching. The breeze wasn’t refreshing either—it was lukewarm.

'It really is summer now.'
The Empire’s southern resorts were probably already packed with vacationers. I could imagine the beaches teeming with swimmers.
“I want to see the ocean...”

“Then shall we go?”
It was just a passing thought, but when Kian said that, I was tempted. I looked at him with hopeful eyes.
“Can we?”

“Why wouldn’t we?”
With Kian’s teleportation, even the farthest places were seconds away. I nodded eagerly. Kian gently took my hand.
“Shall we?”

“Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going?”
He replied playfully.
“Take a guess.”

I thought hard. What seaside cities were famous again?
While I racked my brain, the scenery around us changed.
“This is...”

An emerald sea and white sand stretched out before my eyes. Rows of white villas lined the seaside cliffs in a breathtaking view.
'This is Elsica.'
Elsica was a port city at the southernmost edge of the Empire. One of the most famous vacation spots in the country—I had come here a few times as a child. (Though those weren’t really my memories.)

As I sank briefly into those memories of childhood, Kian let go of my hand now that we’d arrived. I gently held onto his hand again and smiled at him.
“I like it just like this.”