I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

"You're not going anywhere."

Adam frowned. "Why not? More people searching means we'll find him faster. I've met him before—I can help."

Lyanna's gaze sharpened. "You're going to tell me the truth first."

"I told you, I'm a doctor."

"No, you lied." Lyanna said, her eyes narrowing. "You may be a doctor, but that's not the real reason you're here."

Adam held her stare for a split of second. "Fine. You're right. I'm here for Krainel Salvador."

In the end he chose to say the truth yet without telling his main objective which was the Book of Asmodeus.

Lyanna was caught off guard by how easily he admitted it.

"I came to stop him," Adam continued. "I lied because you wouldn't have believed me. But now you do. May I leave." He straightened, attempting to move past her.

Lyanna, however, wasn't convinced. She stepped in his way. "How did you get an invitation?"

Before Adam could answer, a voice interrupted them.

"Let him go."

Lyanna turned her head. Standing behind her was Luna-Evelyn, her expression unreadable, but her stern gaze was locked onto Lyanna.

"What are you still doing here?" Lyanna asked, irritation creeping into her voice. "Didn't you hear the Prince? Go find Krainel Salvador."

Her instincts told her Adam was hiding something—something important. And she wanted to know what.

"I said, let him go."

This time, Lunevy stepped forward, gripping Lyanna's shoulder.

Lyanna's eyes darkened. In one swift motion, she spun and threw a punch. But Lunevy saw it and she jumped back.

Lyanna let out a low chuckle. "I don't get it. He's from Horizon, and you're with the World Order. Why are you trying to defend such a suspicious guy?"

"..."

Lunevy said nothing, simply holding her ground. The air grew quite tense as two beauties showed seemingly instinctive dislike toward each other.

Sensing the rising conflict, Ophelia stepped in, trying to defuse the situation.

"Um… Adam worked with us on the Krainel Salvador case," she said hesitantly. "So… technically, he's with us."

She glanced at Lunevy, who still stood in front of Adam protectively.

For some reason, she seemed unusually defensive of him…

"Oh? Is that so?" Lyanna arched a brow, arms crossed. "Doesn't it strike you as odd that Horizon would send just one man—this young, no less—to deal with Krainel Salvador? A criminal you yourselves described as highly dangerous?"

Ophelia hesitated. "That's…" She trailed off, unable to argue.

It was true. They had all found it strange at first, but Adam had saved their lives and helped them more than once. He had never given them a reason to doubt him.

"This doesn't concern Solaria," Lunevy spoke up. "Leave him."

Lyanna frowned slightly. For a high-ranking World Order Elite, Lunevy was being unusually persistent about a random from another Organization.

"No." Lyanna's smile was polite, but there was an edge to it. "I'm looking for Krainel Salvador as well, so I'll be taking this doctor with me. He seems to know quite a bit about the man, after all."

Before anyone could protest, she grabbed Adam by the arm.

"You're coming with me, Doctor."

"I can walk on my own."

"No, you might get lost."

"I've memorized the entire building, including the layout—"

"Shut up and follow me."

"..."

As Lyanna dragged Adam away, Lunevy found herself watching them with an odd sense of unease.

She didn't understand why. Or maybe she did.

Maybe she was simply worried about Adam. He was too weak to defend himself against someone like Lyanna.

"Let's go, leader…" Ophelia's voice pulled her back.

Lunevy nodded after a moment.

***

"You better spill everything, Adam," Lyanna asked, gripping his arm tightly.

"I already told you everything I know," Adam insisted.

"Stop lying to me." Lyanna groaned with a glare. "I'm not as naive as your World Order friends. Just because I don't act all sophisticated doesn't mean I'm stupid."

Adam fell silent, studying her. He had to admit—she was sharper than she let on. She had probably figured out he wasn't from Horizon just from their conversation. As expected of a princess.

After a few seconds of though, Adam decided there was no point in keeping up the act.

"I'm—"

"So what's the real secret mission Horizon gave you?" Lyanna interrupted, a knowing smirk on her lips.

Adam stared at her. Never mind—he took back what he just thought. She was still a muscle-headed princess.

But despite that, she looked quite cute. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, eager to hear whatever classified secret he was keeping. She was way too excited about this. Probably because there was a strong opponent to beat up.

"They want me to find all the Books of Asmodeus," Adam replied in the end still keeping his act of being part of Horizon.

"You? Alone? That's kind of harsh," she scoffed.

"I know the most about them, and I have ways to defend myself," he replied simply.

"Hm… And why do they want the books?"

"That's classified," Adam said.

Lyanna let out a disappointed sigh. "What a shame. Fine, then tell me about Krainel Salvador. How strong is he?"

"As strong as you," Adam answered. "But since he's possessed by the Book of Asmodeus, he might be even stronger."

Lyanna raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you know how strong I am? I'm pretty sure I can handle a demon. I don't meet many, but the ones I have? I've beaten every single one."

She wasn't wrong. As an SS-rank powerhouse, Lyanna was easily the Solaria Empire's greatest weapon.

"Underestimating someone can be just as fatal as recklessness. No matter the enemy, they should always be handled with caution," Adam said with a glance.

Lyanna smirked. "Are you worried about me?"

"I am," he said without hesitation. "You're a kind-hearted woman, and you're strong. Losing you would be a great loss."

Lyanna blinked, caught off guard by his blunt honesty. Clearing her throat, she looked away, a faint hint of pink on her cheeks.

Before she could respond, an overly cheerful voice interrupted.

"Princess Lyanna! What a pleasure to see you!"

Lyanna's momentary embarrassment quickly morphed into irritation. She let out a quiet groan before reluctantly turning toward the source of the voice.

A blond-haired man in his late thirties approached, dressed in a sleek suit and polished glasses.

"Ugh…" Lyanna muttered under her breath. Then, forcing a polite smile, she greeted him, "President Johnson, it's been a while."

"How many times must I tell you to call me Mark, Lyanna? We're already quite close, aren't we?" Mark chuckled.

"You're still the President of Prionia," she replied, using the excuse as a shield.

Adam, however, raised an eyebrow at the mention of Prionia. The country was another nation within the continent Zelandia and, coincidentally, the birthplace of Charlie. It also housed the headquarters of The Daily Arcadia.

Mark's gaze drifted to Adam, who, despite himself, had a presence too striking to ignore. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of Lyanna still holding onto Adam's arm.

"And who is this young man, Lyanna?" Mark asked, his tone casual but his expression less so.

"Oh…" Lyanna's smile widened ever so slightly, clearly amused by Mark's irritation. "He's my partner for the day. Adam Crane. A successful doctor and scientist from Horizon—personally invited by my brother."

"The Emperor himself?" Mark's eyes widened. "But isn't he a bit… young?"

"You think so?" Lyanna teased. "I actually find him quite mature, a real gentleman. And, don't you agree, he's rather handsome?" She added in a whisper.

Adam shot her a long stare but said nothing.

Mark, forcing a smile, nodded stiffly. "Yes…"

Before the tension could stretch further, another voice suddenly called out.

"Adam, what the hell are you doing?!"

Charlie had arrived, camera slung around his neck, looking absolutely stunned. But the moment his eyes landed on both Mark Johnson and Lyanna Solaria—two of the most high-profile figures in Zelandia—his face drained of color.

"It's an honor to meet you, President Johnson! Princess Lyanna!" He blurted out, standing rigidly as if he'd just stumbled into royalty—which, in a way, he had.

"Oh, a reporter from The Daily Arcadia. I see you're working hard," Mark greeted with a smile.

"Y-Yes, sir! Charlie Dust!" Charlie stuttered.

"Charlie Dust?" Mark's eyes widened in recognition, and beside him, Lyanna's expression shifted as well. They had both heard of the man behind the now-infamous footage of the Blasphemous Wedding in the Holy Continent.

Charlie let out an awkward chuckle, rubbing his nose, clearly both embarrassed and proud of his growing reputation.

Mark's interest piqued. "So, Charlie, how exactly do you know Mr. Adam here?"

"Oh, he's my assistant! Helping me film the wedding," Charlie said casually.

Silence fell.

Both Mark and Lyanna turned to Adam, blinking in unison.

Then, Mark let out a low chuckle, one that was definitely mocking. "He really is interesting, isn't he, Lyanna? A doctor, scientist and an assistant cameraman? Quite the jack of all trades," he said, shaking his head. "I do hope the Emperor of Solaria entrusts his sister to someone a bit more… qualified."

He chuckled again, clearly amused by his own jab.

Lyanna forced a polite smile, barely masking her irritation.

Adam, however, didn't seem to register the insult at all. He simply stared at Mark.

Mark's laughter faded when he noticed Adam's stare. For a brief moment, something unspoken passed between them—Mark's smirk returning as if silently challenging him. Then, with a satisfied air, he turned away.

"I'll see you later, Princess Lyanna."

"Ah… yeah," Lyanna replied, her tone far less enthusiastic.

The moment Mark was out of sight, she let out an annoyed groan. "What a bother."

"He seems like a good man," Adam said honestly.

Lyanna whipped around, looking at him like he had just sprouted a second head. "What? You really have a terrible eye for people." Crossing her arms, she huffed. "I can't believe my brother actually wants me to marry that guy."

Adam considered this. "He's healthy, and he's the president of a country. By most women's standards, he should be an excellent match."

Lyanna shot him a glare. "That's your standard, not mine." Then, her eyes narrowed further as she turned to Charlie, who instinctively flinched. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

"Now, explain this assistant cameraman nonsense."