I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 138: Playing with fire

I watched Ariana eat her soup. It was a terrifying sight.

She ate with perfect etiquette, but her violet eyes behind those glasses were dissecting Clara von Marigold like a frog in a biology lab. Every time Clara giggled or tried to offer me a macaron, Ariana’s spoon would clink against her bowl—a sharp, metallic warning bell.

’Did I... change her too much?’

I recalled the Ariana from the game lore and my early memories. She was supposed to be a timid, stuttering girl with low self-esteem who hid behind her bangs. A genius alchemist, yes, but socially invisible.

The girl sitting next to me now was... a boss.

She radiated a silent pressure that kept even the boisterous Clara in check. It was a Domination aura that I hadn’t taught her. Or maybe I had, simply by being the only person she felt safe enough to unleash it on.

"Well then," Ariana wiped her mouth elegantly. "Lunch is over."

She stood up, picking up her tray.

"Lucien. Walk with me."

It wasn’t a request.

"Uh, right."

I stood up, grabbing my rifle case.

Clara stood up too, looking disappointed.

"Ehh? Already? But I wanted to show Lucien the—"

"No," Ariana cut in smoothly, stepping between us. "We need to have some "couple" talks. It’s private"

"Aww..." Clara pouted, her pink twin-tails drooping. "Fine. See you later, Lucien!"

As we walked away, I glanced back.

Clara was still standing there amidst the empty tables. The cheerful pout was gone.

Her head was lowered, her eyes shadowed by her bangs. She was staring at my retreating back with a gloomy, hollow intensity.

"...He’s not yours to take," I heard a faint mutter, carried by the wind. "He’s my savior... my dog... my..."

A chill ran down my spine.

’...I think I saved her body, but her mind is still a bit cracked.’

I turned back around, only to see Ariana marching toward the Alchemy Wing with a pace that screamed ’You are in so much trouble.’

I rubbed my temples.

’Women are troublesome.’

When you don’t have one, you feel jealous of couples. Once you have one, you get constant headaches. It was the universal law of romance, apparently even applicable in a dark fantasy novel.

****

[Academy Gardens]

We walked in silence until we reached a quiet path lined with weeping willows, far from the prying eyes of the main campus.

Ariana stopped and turned to face me. The formidable aura she held in the cafeteria cracked, revealing the pouting, insecure girl underneath.

"So," she crossed her arms, pushing up her glasses. "You were busy."

"It was an emergency, Ariana."

"An emergency involving the Marigold heiress? The ’Idol’ of the first years?"

She took a step closer, poking my chest with a finger.

"Is she so important that you had to fight a Demon Summoner? That you had to carry her out of a burning crater like a prince in a fairy tale?"

"I didn’t carry her like a prince. I carried her like a sack of potatoes," I corrected. "And I did it for Merle. And for the points."

"Hmph."

Ariana puffed out her cheeks.

"You’re always like this. You say it’s for logic, or points, or strategy. But you always end up saving girls. First the Princess, then Elisha, now Clara."

She looked down at her shoes.

"It makes me anxious, Lucien. You shine too bright. Even if you try to act like trash... people are starting to see the gold underneath."

I sighed, rubbing my temples.

’Women are troublesome.’

When I was single in my past life, I used to be jealous of couples fighting over petty things. ’Must be nice to be wanted,’ I’d think.

Now that I had one? It was a constant headache. But it was a headache I wouldn’t trade for anything.

I reached out and grabbed her hand. It was cold.

"Ariana."

"What?"

"None of them are you."

She looked up, her violet eyes widening behind the lenses.

"Clara is a victim I saved. You..." I stepped closer, closing the distance. "You are the one I chose."

Ariana’s breath hitched. The jealousy in her eyes melted into something molten and hot.

"Prove it," she whispered.

****

The Academy bells rang, signaling the end of the day.

Instead of taking the teleport gate, I rented a private high-grade carriage to take us back to the Commercial District.

The interior was plush velvet, dark and enclosed. The rhythmic clatter of the wheels on cobblestones created a hypnotic sound barrier from the outside world.

I sat back, loosening my tie.

"Today was exhaus—"

I didn’t finish the sentence.

Rustle.

Ariana didn’t sit on the opposite bench. She moved immediately, straddling my lap.

"W-Wait, Ariana?"

"Hush." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

She took off her glasses, placing them on the seat beside us. Without the lenses, her eyes were unguarded, swimming with a fierce, possessive hunger.

She grabbed the lapels of my coat and yanked me forward, crashing her lips against mine.

"Mmph!"

It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was a claim.

Her lips were soft but demanding, moving against mine with a feverish intensity. She tasted of strawberry lip balm and mushroom soup.

I hesitated for a split second, then my hands found her waist, pulling her flush against me.

"Hah... Lucien..."

She pulled back, gasping for air, her forehead resting against mine. Her face was flushed a deep crimson.

"You’re mine," she whispered, her hands tangling in my hair. "I have to... I have to capture you completely. Before that pink-haired girl or the Duchess’s daughter tries to steal you."

"No one is stealing me, Ariana."

"You don’t know that. You don’t see how they look at you."

She bit her lower lip, then moved again.

She kissed my jawline, her hot breath ghosting over my skin. Her hands slid down from my hair, roaming over my chest, feeling the muscle beneath the shirt.

"Ariana... we’re in a carriage," I warned, my voice dropping an octave.

"The curtains are drawn," she murmured against my neck.

She shifted her hips, grinding down into my lap.

A jolt of electricity shot up my spine. My grip on her waist tightened, my fingers digging into her soft curves.

"You’re playing with fire, Alchemist."

"I’m used to explosions," she retorted breathlessly.