I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

"What you didn't have the nerve to do," James said with a smile. "If you can't handle it, I'll take care of it myself."

"Wait! No! You can't meet my parents!" Cattleya blurted out, spinning around to face James, her eyes wide with panic.

"And why not, lass?" James asked, his lips curving into an amused smirk that only fueled her anger.

"B–Because you don't know them!" She fumbled cleary uneasy. "They'll know something's off!"

"Then I suggest you give the performance of a lifetime," James replied smoothly. "You should be good at it by now, considering how...salacious you've been around Lucas Whiteford."

"S–Salacious—how dare you!" Cattleya's cheeks flared crimson, anger flaring as she shoved at James' chest with all her might. Yet, despite her effort, he didn't budge an inch, standing as solid as stone.

"Am I wrong?" James raised a brow.

"You are! And—wait—how do you even know about Lucas?" Cattleya's eyes narrowed sharply in suspicion.

She suddenly recalled the odd moment back in the forest when James had casually mentioned Lucas. He knew something about her, something he shouldn't have. The realization sent a shiver down her spine.

Her gaze darkened. "Don't tell me... are you a stalker?"

James let out a low chuckle, clearly not minding by the label. "A stalker? Now that's rich." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "Why would I waste my time stalking someone I have zero interest in? If I thought a dog could get me what I wanted, I'd follow it instead. But you? You're not even worth the effort as you are right now standing."

His tone turned cold and disdainful at the end, all the while with a smile on his lips.

Cattleya froze, stunned into silence for a heartbeat.

Never had she heard someone speaking this rudely and insulting her like that in her life.

She shoved him again—harder this time. James didn't resist, letting himself fall back onto the cabin's cushioned seat with still his smirk.

Cattleya glared down at him. "I hate you."

"Hate me all you want, lass," James replied, his smirk vanishing as his tone grew serious. "But you're going to do exactly as I say, Cattleya Starlight. If you don't, I'll have to take... less pleasant measures. And trust me, your parents will be the ones to pay the price."

He leaned back, draping his arms lazily over the seat.

Just then, the cabin came to a halt, swaying gently as it reached the highest point of the ride.

Despite the breathtaking view at the peak of the Ferris wheel—an ideal moment for couples to share a romantic memory—Cattleya felt none of the magic. For her, this was the absolute worst moment imaginable.

Her gaze flickered to James, whose expression remained deadly serious. He wasn't bluffing. If she refused to play along, he'd drag her parents into his twisted game or whatever it was without a second thought. Consequences didn't matter to him as long as he got what he wanted.

For a fleeting moment, she'd wondered if perhaps he wasn't as bad as he seemed—just a man overly fond of money. But now she saw the truth. It wasn't just about wealth. James was a greedy, arrogant man, consumed by his selfish desires. He'd stoop to any level to achieve his goals, even if it meant pulling innocent people into his schemes. A pirate through and through.

And just like that, her choices were gone.

The last thing Cattleya wanted was to trouble her parents. She'd promised herself she'd handle this alone, without dragging them into the mess. If she couldn't even manage that, she didn't deserve to call herself their daughter.

She clenched her fists. "Fine. I'll do it."

James leaned back, tapping his fingers lazily against the seat. "Do what?"

"I'll ask my parents to recommend you to my grandmother at the academy," she said through gritted teeth.

A laugh burst out of James as if he couldn't contain his amusement. "Unbelievable. You nobles—all the same, whether it's you, that French princess, or the Spanish one. Always so proud. I can't stand it."

He shook his head, his mocking smile spreading wider. "You lot look down on us, laugh at us, hunt us like animals. But when you finally face someone like me—someone like Thatch, Rackham, or Bonny—you shut your mouths and fall in line. Every single time."

The disdain in his voice was quite loud. Pirates like James had always been scorned and hunted by the nobles, treated as pests to be eradicated. Yet, in his eyes, there was one crucial difference: pirates had loyalty, a bond forged by their shared hunger for freedom and wealth. It was a connection, however ruthless, that united them.

But even that fragile unity was under attack, torn apart by the ambitions of the nobility and the oppression of the other forces like the Royal Navy. For example, the British Empire wasn't satisfied until every last pirate was wiped out.

James erased his smile, his thoughts trailing to darker memories. It was always everyone against him. That's how he'd died once already. Yes, he was arrogant and stubborn, but he refused to live as a coward, cowering before the people he despised.

Not then, and certainly not now.

"..." Cattleya looked at James not understanding a bit about he was talking about.

He was rattling off the names of legendary pirates from New Earth, ones who had supposedly died centuries ago. Yet the way he spoke about them—with casual familiarity, as if he'd shared drinks with them in their era—was quite strange. It should have been impossible, but the arrogant smirk on his face wasn't enough to mask the truth. He wasn't lying.

James let out an exaggerated sigh, clearly unconcerned by her reaction. "Well, at least those two princesses were cute."

Cattleya's fists clenched at her sides.

For reasons she couldn't quite put into words, his comment stung. Of course, someone else had chosen another girl over her—again. And it had to be James, of all people. A man who only cared about gold. If those two princesses had caught his attention, they must have left quite the impression.

Her pride felt like it was being chipped away every time James opened his mouth.

"Well, well," he drawled, leaning forward to peer downward. "When's this thing gonna move? We've been stuck up here forever."

The Ferris wheel had stopped, leaving them stranded at the very top. But James's curiosity soon turned to the crowd gathering below.

"Wow?" He squinted. The scene unfolding beneath them was chaotic—hundreds of people were swarming the area, completely overwhelming the staff.

Every pair of eyes was turned upward, fixed on Cattleya.

James raised an eyebrow. Sure, he knew she was famous, but this famous? The crowd was wild with excitement, some screaming her name, others sobbing with joy.

"Lady Cattleya!"

"I love you!"

"Please take a picture with me!"

Cattleya grimaced, tugging her cap lower in a futile attempt to conceal herself. It was useless now. She'd been able to blend in earlier when she was with her friends, but the second her name had been recognized, any hope of staying anonymous had evaporated.

The Ferris wheel jolted suddenly, making a loud thud as it shook.

It didn't take long to figure out what had happened. The frenzied crowd had taken over, even seizing control of the Ferris wheel's mechanisms. With only a few staff members trying to manage the situation, it was no surprise that things had gone sideways.

It wasn't like they were in an entertainemnt park after all. It was just one of the Ferris wheel present randomly in the town.

But…the people weren't here to cause harm. They just wanted one thing—Cattleya.

Then came the sound they'd been dreading.

-Crack!

A sharp, metallic noise rang out. One of the men below had tampered with the controls, and something crucial in the Ferris wheel's mechanism had snapped.

"Ah!" Cattleya stumbled forward, her balance slipping. Instinctively, she slammed her hands down on either side of James's face to steady herself, her palms braced against the seat.

James didn't even flinch. His attention stayed fixed downward, scanning the chaotic scene below. "Pathetic," he muttered, shaking his head "How does it get this messy this fast?"

The crowd was a frenzied sea of fans, desperate for a glimpse of their idol. James let out a dry chuckle. "The scariest monsters out there might actually be these crazy fans. Worshipping idols like their lives depend on it."

He glanced sideways at Cattleya. "How are you even this famous?"

"..."

Cattleya stayed silent. She knew exactly why—her countless interviews, public appearances, and motivational programs teaching her success and beauty techniques. But deep down, she wasn't doing it just for fame. She craved attention, yes, but more than that, she was still chasing the approval of the people who mattered most to her: her parents.

And there was no way she was admitting that to James. She could already picture his irritating mocking smirk.

"Lady Cattleya!"

A shout came from the cabin behind them—her three friends, who had taken the next car. Down below, her personal guards were doing their best to calm the chaos, but it was clear they were holding back. They couldn't exactly start throwing punches at civilians.

"How useless," James muttered, shaking his head.

If it were up to him, he wouldn't have hesitated to knock a few heads together to clear a path.

With a long sigh, he turned back to Cattleya. "Move."

"Ah—" Cattleya quickly stepped back, removing her hands from the sides of his face.

Without another word, James stood up, took a single glance at the cabin's glass pane, and kicked it. The window shattered instantly.

"What are you—" Cattleya began, but before she could finish, James leapt out of the cabin.

Her eyes widened in horror. They were fifty meters up, but he landed easily, bending with the impact before straightening up as if it was nothing.

-BAM!

James's foot connected with one of the crazy fan at the control panel, sending him flying into the crowd. The bystanders gasped, but James didn't even glance their way. He grabbed the next unfortunate man by the hair and slammed him to the ground.

"Fix this thing. Now," he said at the stunned staff.

"Y-Yes, sir!" They scrambled to repair the mechanism in panic.

Turning his attention to the guards, James sneered. "And you—how useless can you be? Just kick these creeps out of the way."

"They're civilians!" One guard said dumbfounded.

"Who cares?" James shot back.

"Lady C–Cattleya is ours!" One of the fans shouted, lunging at James with a clenched fist.

James caught the punch, his hand closing around the man's wrist with vice-like strength. With a sharp yank, he pulled the man closer, grabbing him by the shirt.

James's grin spread wide, but there was nothing friendly about it. It was a cold smirk that sent chills down the spines of everyone nearby—guards and fans alike.

"Then get her!" James laughed, hurling the man high into the air toward Cattleya's cabin.

"Gyaaaaa!!" The man's scream was high-pitched as he soared through the air, limbs flailing wildly.

Of course, it would've been far too romantic for him to actually land in Cattleya's cabin. Instead, gravity had other plans, and he plummeted back toward the ground.

Fortunately, one of the guards managed to catch him just before impact, sparing him a very painful landing.

The crowd below fell silent, their cheers and shouts abruptly dying as they collectively took a step back. Fear flickered in their eyes as they stared at James.

"Yeah, that's right. I prefer this," James said. His voice was cold and full of amusement, like he was thoroughly enjoying their fear.

-Crack!

Another sharp sound echoed through the air, followed by the Ferris wheel lurching violently. It groaned under the strain, shaking sideways as if it was about to topple over entirely.

"Oi!" James shouted, turning toward the pale-faced staff. "What's going on?"

"W-We can't fix it in time!" One of them stuttered, sweat pouring down his face.

"Lady Cattleya is still inside!" One of the guards yelled. They looked desperate, like they knew they'd be in serious trouble—possibly even dead—if anything happened to her.

"Oh no…"

-BAM!

Before anyone could process, James casually punched a random fan who'd been standing nearby, looking worried for Cattleya. The hit came out of nowhere, knocking several teeth loose and sending the man flying back into the crowd. His body crashed into a cluster of people, making them stumble and topple like dominoes.

The remaining fans turned to James, dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open in shock.

James smiled at them.

The crowd collectively took another dozen steps back, retreating even farther from the madman before them.

"What a drag," James muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he took a step forward.