I Became the Master of the Villain

The one who grabbed Alexis’s shoulder with force was Kian.
Though his uniform had gotten a little dirty from the aftermath of the battle, he hadn’t suffered a single scratch.

Seeing him unharmed put my mind at ease—but there was a problem. He had clearly gotten the wrong idea.
‘Kian, what kind of nonsense did you hear before coming here?!’
Kian looked at me with gloomy eyes.

“Lady Olivia. Did you take in a new slave to replace me?”
“To replace me”—the phrasing was off, but that wasn’t the point.
First, I needed to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Kian, no. I never bought a new slave.”
“Then who exactly is this man?”
Kian growled the question.

As he revealed clear hostility, Alexis pulled down his hood.
“Calm yourself, Sir Kian. It’s me.”
The rising evening moon lit up Alexis’s face.

Kian stared at him intently, then frowned as if displeased.
“…Oh. It’s Your Highness?”
Only then did Kian ease his stance. Just moments ago, he’d looked like a cat with its fur bristled.

Removing his hand from Alexis’s shoulder, Kian said,
“I wasn’t aware His Highness had such tastes.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’m referring to the fact that Your Highness pretended to be a slave.”
“There were circumstances—”
Alexis tried to explain, but Kian didn’t listen.
“I’ll respect your preferences. However, please don’t force your private inclinations on Lady Olivia.”

Preferences—wait…
I realized what kind of misunderstanding Kian was having.
And just like that, Alexis had been framed as someone with very specific tastes.

Alexis’s brow furrowed deeply under the weight of the outrageous misunderstanding.
He glared at Kian and radiated a deadly aura.
“…Don’t turn me into a pervert on your own.”

Kian met Alexis’s dangerous energy without flinching.
“Then why were you pretending to be a slave and clinging to Lady Olivia?”
Before things escalated, I stepped in between them.

“Kian, wait! Let me explain everything.”
Kian turned to look at me. I told him everything that had happened.
Only after hearing my explanation did Kian’s expression soften.

“So that’s what happened?”
He smiled faintly and looked at Alexis.
“If that wasn’t the case, you could’ve just said so.”

Alexis still didn’t look pleased. Grinding his teeth, he said,
“I tried. You’re the one who didn’t listen.”
“Did you? I don’t recall.”

Their eyes clashed in the air.
Sir Hans, glancing back and forth nervously, leaned toward me and whispered,
“My lady… are they always like this?”

“Yeah… it happens a lot.”
I replied with a weary face.
What was I supposed to do with these two who started sparring every time they met?

As I pressed my throbbing temple—
A group of people appeared from the direction of 13 Anatole Street. I heard the weight of sorrow in their murmurs.
“Sir Obelice got taken away… What do we do now?”

“I really thought he could save my sister… but now it’s all over.”
“If only the Imperial family hadn’t taken him away…”
They were the families of sleep disease patients. Their faces were full of helplessness and despair.

I watched their retreating backs with a heavy heart.
“Kian, what’s going to happen to Obelice now?”
“He’ll be imprisoned in the Imperial Palace’s underground prison. He’ll be interrogated for impersonating a divine agent.”

In the Empire, the title of “God’s Representative” could only be used by the Emperor.
There was no way the Emperor would be generous toward Obelice, who had challenged his authority.
Especially if Obelice had truly cured a sleep disease patient.

But reviving an already extinguished soul was nearly impossible.
‘Even in the original novel, that kind of magic didn’t exist.’
That’s why I’d doubted whether Obelice had truly brought someone back.

While I was lost in thought, Sir Hans looked around the now-darkening surroundings and said,
“My lady, it’s getting late.”
He added that we should head back.

Now that Obelice had been taken away, there was no reason to linger here.
I agreed with Sir Hans, and Kian stepped closer.
As the night breeze picked up, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“I’ll escort you home.”
Alexis pulled his hood down low. Taking a step back, he said,
“…I’ll be going as well.”

“Take care, Your Highness.”
He gave a nod, then disappeared around the corner.
Kian extended his hand for teleportation. As soon as I took it, the scenery twisted and that familiar sensation overwhelmed me.

***
After parting with Olivia and the others, Alexis returned to the Imperial Palace.
His hair had returned to its natural jet-black color.

Passing through the blooming rose garden, he arrived at the entrance of his private palace.
As he walked toward his residence, he couldn’t stop thinking of the way Kian had so gently looked after Olivia.
A slave and his master…

He knew that’s how their connection had begun.
But their bond seemed stronger than he expected. It didn’t feel like there was any room for him to get between them.
The feeling suffocated him.

Alexis swept back his fallen bangs without thinking.
Feelings didn’t move with logic—but why did it have to be her?
He couldn’t forget how naturally she’d leaned into Kian’s arms.

A bitter taste filled his mouth.
‘Unrequited love, huh…’
With a dry smile, he stepped into the silence of his quarters.

That was when something glowed faintly in the dim room.
A magic device on the table was blinking.
It looked like an ordinary tabletop mirror, but once the correct code was entered, it functioned as a long-distance communication tool.

‘No one nearby.’
He manipulated the device, and the surface of the mirror turned cloudy. A man’s face appeared.
Soon, a voice came from the other side of the mirror.

—How did the investigation into Obelice go?
It was Lindgren. [N O V E L I G H T] Alexis answered,
“It failed. The Imperial Mages surrounded Obelice’s estate and secured him.”

—Tsk, the Emperor moved faster than expected.
“…I should’ve acted sooner.”
—Don’t be too discouraged, Your Highness. You made it out of the encirclement safely—that’s what matters.

At those words, Alexis unintentionally thought of Olivia.
It was thanks to her that he’d escaped without having his identity exposed.
Remembering the little roleplay they had performed together made him chuckle.

Lindgren found the story amusing.
—Lady Ashford helped Your Highness? That’s unexpected. I thought the Ashford Duke maintained neutrality.
“It has nothing to do with the Duke’s stance. She didn’t help me for political reasons.”

—Then why?
Alexis knew the answer, but didn’t speak it aloud. He didn’t want to say it himself.
“She’s the kind of person who can’t ignore someone in trouble.”

—A simple act of kindness, huh… Could it be the Lady has feelings for Your Highness?
“She doesn’t. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Lindgren laughed and shrugged.

—Well, if not, so be it.
Alexis let out a small sigh.
‘You don’t know anything, yet you talk so much.’

Unaware of Alexis’s complicated feelings, Lindgren continued.
—It’s not just a joke. Honestly, if she did like Your Highness, things would be much easier.
“That’s absurd.”

—Hear me out. It would make it easier to pull House Ashford to our side.
“Even if the Lady had feelings for me, the Duke wouldn’t be swayed by something so sentimental. He’s not the kind of man who’d decide his house’s fate based on his daughter’s feelings.”
—You never know.

Alexis dismissed that idea firmly.
“More importantly—what’s the situation in the north?”
—Preparations are nearly complete. The Roces and Teiren families haven’t declared their stance yet, but most major northern houses support Your Highness. Those two won’t be able to resist the tide.

“Even if we can’t win them over, proceed as planned.”
—Yes, sir.
It had been ten years since Alexis discovered the Emperor’s sins. That revelation had come entirely by chance—and a bit of carelessness.

As a child, he had accidentally overheard a conversation between his father and the head of the Imperial Mage Division.
His father had gained eternal youth by harvesting the souls of innocent people. The result of that act was the spread of sleep disease.
The Emperor was no divine representative.

And once the Emperor realized Alexis had learned the truth, he hadn’t intended to let him live.
If the Empress hadn’t embraced him and pleaded with tears, he would have been killed by his own father.
He survived thanks to her motherly love—but was branded a heretic and exiled to the north.

It was the Emperor who had caused the sleep disease. Even after ten years, it was a truth Alexis still didn’t want to believe.
But he couldn’t turn away from it.
Before his father could steal more innocent lives—

He had to pull him down from the throne.
Ending the transmission, Alexis touched the sheath of the sword at his hip.
The ruby embedded in the hilt gleamed blood-red in the darkness.

***
The moment I felt solid ground beneath my feet, the familiar view of my room appeared before me.
Thanks to Kian’s teleportation, we’d skipped the front entrance and returned home instantly.

After everything that happened, I was exhausted—so his thoughtfulness was well-timed.
“Thanks for seeing me home.”
“Don’t mention it.”

Kian smiled gently.
He didn’t let go of my hand, as if reluctant to part.
Noticing this, Sir Hans awkwardly took a step back.

“Well then, my lady, I’ll excuse myself now.”
“Mm. You’ve worked hard.”
Sir Hans closed the door behind him. Once his footsteps faded, Kian spoke.

“I didn’t know you were at that mansion.”
He ran his fingers through my disheveled hair as he said it.
“If I had known… I wouldn’t have fought.”

I let him touch my hair because it felt nice.
“Wouldn’t that be neglecting your duty?”
“It doesn’t matter. Your safety is more important to me.”

When I asked what he’d do if he were dismissed, Kian smiled with his eyes.
“Then please take me in, Lady Olivia. So I can stay by your side all day long.”