Reborn As The Villain-Chapter 350: Volume 5 Intermission 2 Part 2: Dinner

Snip.

Strands of silver hair fell like threads of starlight, brushing the dark marble floor one by one.

Arnold sat still, draped in a white cloth, as Caerwyn stood behind him, scissors in hand and brows furrowed in quiet concentration. She trimmed with precision, with the goal of shaping his hair to frame his face more clearly, to reveal the sharp line of his chiseled jaw.

Breuk and Kairi were led to the training grounds by the girls earlier while Arnold was pulled to a random room by Caerwyn. All of the girls were "very" interested in Breuk and his muscles as they led the two. It was understandable since none of them has interacted with a man in a long time. Maybe few have ever even spoken with one during their short stay here.

"—Where did Siana go? I thought she had a lot of things to ask me but she just vanished when I wasn't looking."

"Oh, she said she had to get dinner started. The palace chefs wanted to help her but she was quite stubborn and told them to leave it to her. Though no one is brave enough to get started on cooking in the main kitchen while she's busy there so they're using the smaller kitchens now."

"Is that so," Arnold glanced at Lunaria who was standing nearby, ready to carry out any order, "There must be a lot of paperwork for me, right?"

"...Yes, too much for me alone. I wanted to ask Empress Roseria for help. She volunteered to help with getting more nobles interested in the crystals so I've held out on my own for a while until she's done with that."

"If it's her, I'm sure she can convince even the most stubborn fools that our crystals are the next big thing. Anything in particular among the paperwork caught your eye?"

"No, it's mostly just foreign nobles asking how much gold is needed for the restoration process, how many soldiers and laborers we need, if we have enough food for our people. I wanted to wait for your arrival before giving them answers."

"That sounds like something that Siana should sort out. Allocate everything that you just mentioned to her office—the one at the very top of the palace, across my own."

"But we need to introduce her to the nobles first... I think they will find it insulting that the City Lord himself or me aren't the ones replying to their messages. They know me from the auction so I can still handle most of the work."

"If it's that troublesome then I'll handle it."

"...Are you sure? The academy opens in two days..."

"I'll deal with most of the work tonight through tomorrow then come back to the city every day after school. Your job is to arrange a party and invite all the nobles who are showing us goodwill in the form of donations and labor."

"What about the ones that are sending marriage proposals..."

"—I shall deal with them." Celeste suddenly came into the room, "It is only right that I, as the first wife deal with harlots that want to take part of my fortune for their selfish gains."

'Wife? I don't recall ever agreeing to the marriage since I haven't spoken to Selia yet.'

"What? Aren't you going to greet your big sis?"

"I'm a bit busy as you can see."

"It's fine, Lord Arnold. She clearly missed you." Said Caerwyn.

"..." Arnold silently stood up. Without warning, Celeste threw her arms around him and rubbed her face against his chest with a smile.

"...I will send everything to Lord Arnold's office then." Lunaria's reply went right over their heads.

"Why are you letting a brute cut your hair? I could've done that for you." Celeste glared at Caerwyn.

"I have been styling hair for decades, Milady. There is no need to worry."

"Eh?" confusion clouded Celeste's face. How in Melis' name has this young beauty been alive for decades...?

"It's fine." Arnold answered, "I heard you were doing most of the paperwork while I was away."

"Huh? Oh, yes! As I am the first wife of Arnold von Penston, it is only right that we share the duties." Celeste pushed out her chest in pride.

Arnold wanted to scratch his head but remembered that Caerwyn told him to keep still.

"Uh-huh... Thanks. I can take you back home tomorrow if you want—"

"No. I prefer it if the two of us arrive together."

"What? Why?"

"Remember the recommendation from Isaac? I'm taking you straight to the disciplinary committee office to get you registered as a member."

"Ugh, there was that too..."

"The vice president is someone who does not like you so I advise you to act on your best behavior." Celeste said as if she was on the verge of laughter, imagining how he'll be scolded by his senior.

That person was someone he knew very well...

Celeste sat down on a nearby chair. Arnold noticed that her expression suddenly changed.

"I'll be the representative of everyone and ask you this: why do you look so different from before you entered the dungeon?"

"..."

"..."

He could feel Lunaria and Caerwyn's eyes on him.

Arnold spoke without a change in expression, "I was killed in the dungeon. But..." she waited patiently for him to continue, "Someone I know helped me into this new body."

He was still technically in that homunculi girl's body.

"...Who did it?" Celeste was slightly trembling as she closed her eyes.

"Arthur."

Then her eyes shot open, "What!? But that's...! It couldn't be the Arthur we kn—"

When she looked at him, seeing the rage in his eyes, she went quiet.

Even Caerwyn felt the dread coming from him and backed away.

"...How? He could never in a million years catch up to you." His "Big Sis" composed herself and faced him with an equal glare in her eyes.

"I'll come clean—I am the demon lord factor for Oriel, the Failed King. And Arthur, well, he's Promethius' successor. All of you should be aware what divinity does to demons."

"Arnold, that's..." unable to keep up her composure, Celeste frowned.

"I can't prove it now since Oriel is trapped in my real body."

"So, he was clearly just acting out what is expected of him," Lunaria added, "Or is there a reason why you seem angry about it, Milord?"

"Shut your mouth, bitch." Celeste glared at her.

"No, Lunaria is right. But I don't want to talk about it now. Not that or everything else that happened in the dungeon."

"...Okay."

Her shoulders slumped. Sighing softly, he added: "I'll answer your questions another time. I just want to rest. That's all."

He received a small smile in reply.

◊◊

"—1B, respond." Celeste, face as cold as a snow storm and eyes as dead as the shadows of the night, spoke in a monotonous voice.

She was speaking into the watch around her wrist.

There was a little static on the other side before an answer came through.

-"—I... I am here..."

Hearing the coughing fit on the other side, Celeste's frown eased slightly, "It was your responsibility to look after Al but you failed to do so. Now his corpse is laying on some other world while he walks in the body of an imitation. What do you have to say in defense?"

-"...I could not get to him by the time he faced off against the Hero, Milady..."

"The hero?"

-"A blonde-haired boy by the name of Arthur... That is what the merchant told me when I regained consciousness."

"What happened to you?"

-"I tried to protect Lord Arnold but the adversary was much too powerful. From what the merchant told me, she is the consort of Promethius."

Consort of the Hero from centuries ago...?

Celeste isn't someone who believes things unless she confirms it on her own but she had a feeling—when remembering Arnold's empty eyes—that this wasn't just a jest.

-"I was left with many broken bones and some of my... ribs pierced my lung."

"...Where are you?"

-"It's a world in the dungeon. My injuries are healing quickly so I can be back home by the end of the week." A mumble came from the other side that Celeste couldn't hear: "That's if I find a way home..."

"No. Stay home for a while. It's unfair of me to expect you to come right back to work after what you and... Al went through."

-"I am... eternally grateful..."

"Mm. I want a full report before you go on leave. Al isn't in the right state of mind to tell me what happened."

-"Yes!"

She turned the transmitter off.

Celeste isn't in the right state of mind either. If she heard the details now, she would probably get ahead of herself by plotting revenge against Arthur. This is clearly something she cannot handle on her own. As such, it was best to let Arnold deal with it.

Her body was consumed by rage.

How dare he... How dare that street rat lay his hands on her things?

"Calm yourself, Celeste..." she whispered to herself, "Al will surely kill Arthur but... what if that street rat's sister interferes?"

She stared over their city.

"I will just have to kill her myself. I can't let that street rat whore get in my darling's way."

◊◊

The Dressing Room—

"—When was the last time I saw you standing in front of a mirror, checking if your suit would impress your date?"

"And when was the last time you were excited to see your young master is alive and well after going missing for a while, old man?"

Inside the dressing room was Arnold and Sebastian. It seems the trusty butler was done with what he was doing at the center and came straight back to the palace.

"I am certainly ecstatic at your wellbeing, Young Master." Despite that, there wasn't a slight smile no his face, "By the way, you have seen Lady Celeste is here but do you know Lady Elizabeth and Lady Grace are also here? They're helping out at the Branding Center."

"What? Why are they here?"

"...I think they are just interested in what you're doing with the city." he said vaguely, "But I'm sure they will rush over if I go tell them you're here."

"No need for that. I won't have time to meet with them since I have a lot of work to do after dinner with Siana."

"Ho, you are finally going to work for once? Has Jotungar turned into hell inferno?"

"Very funny. So... how is Father doing? Is the Emperor still being paranoid and keeping them all close?"

"Yes, but it was revealed some time ago that the Great Nobles will be relieved of their duties after the Emperor's birthday banquet concludes. Master told me there is a strong possibility that Emperor Jurnick will accept Brynhildr's proposal to become allies."

A day three festival celebrating the birthday of Emperor Jurnick.

"When is the birthday again?"

"In exactly one month."

"Will the vampire be there?"

"She must, even if the deal does not go through."

'Good. Then I can meet up with her there to discuss my engagement with Celeste.'

If Jurnick really is considering accepting her proposal then Arnold doesn't need to worry about revealing his affiliation with her. He's the one supplying Selia's nation with money (well, not yet but soon once the crystals are on the market) so fearing her military might along with the empire standing next to her, no one would dare try to attack him.

"I feel I need to remind you that while you are now a foreign countryside noble not affiliated with any household, you will still be required to attend with your father."

"I know that." Arnold fiddled with his tie that felt a bit too tight. Once that was done, he sat on a nearby stool and began to polish his dress shoes, "And the old bastard will probably expect gifts from everyone."

"I have told you time and time again not to speak of the emperor in that manner." Sebastian knocked Arnold over the head.

"Ow!"

Even in his Martial God Candidate body, he could feel that strike. His master's fists are brutal.

"Your advisor tells me you have no plans to integrate back into the empire—is this true?" while the two were walking down the hallway after Arnold was done in the dressing room, Sebas asked.

"Yeah..."

The hallway was dark, with only candles lighting the palace and most of the servants were in their rooms, to give the "love birds" some space.

"You are confident you can make this city succeed... and expand? I don't doubt your abilities as a lord but expanding a region is a whole different territory to fixing a rundown city. Not to mention the cost it will incur."

"If it's just money, I can handle it. Nobles are flocking to my side like flies and leaving the big competitors' shelves full."

"Do you mean the crystals?"

"Yeah, once I open up sales, the gold will come pouring in. Many have already secured spots for themselves by donating to the city's restorative process. I only got a brief glance at the amount of money they sent but I know it far exceeds what this city has ever made from taxes."

The two finally reached the stairs and began climbing up.

"If you want to have a look at the books, do so. I could use your opinion as well."

"I'll send a handwritten letter to your advisor once I am done looking through them. In any case, Anna will be pleased to know you are doing well. She was ready to sell half her stocks just to support you so your father had to stop her."

"Haha, that's just like my sister. I just know she will refuse any repayment but I'll just invest in her firm once I have enough money. Oh, right, you came back from the branding center—how is everything going there?"

"Ersa is becoming quite the natural at persuading the stubborn magic tower magicians. Even some of your mother's colleagues showed interest to join the program. I think the great rune was part of the reason why."

That's right—the Larantheus Great Rune is being used to create magic cores which allows ordinary humans to cast magic. While this is a grand feat for the magical world that placed Arnold's city as a juggernaut in the magic field, there is one issue: magic control—all of these ordinary humans need to have the magic "Intelligent" stat to cast magic comfortably.

According to what he hears, Ersa has been studying magic for all her life, taking over her grandfather's work so she must've accumulated an INT stat of her own that was useless up until she was granted a core.

"Hm, what title do you think I should give her? I'm thinking of making her a leader of her own Tower someday."

"You want to build one right in this city?"

"In the future, maybe. I just know the other towers will try to suck me dry with their conditions once negotiations start."

He won't allow such a thing, of course. The way he sees it, he is in a much more favorable position since he has the magic crystals and the Larantheus Rune that was deciphered by his own people and wasn't available to the public.

"We would need to consult Grand Warden Rubeus if you want to decide that. He holds the power to bestow titles apart from the Archmage." Sebastian gave an answer.

"Ah, right. Freya's mentor and adoptive father."

Arnold knew who that was. He wasn't exactly an exceptional magician in terms of power but he was very intelligent and absorbs magical knowledge like a sponge. It's unclear why he can't proceed past that point but Arnold had the idea that maybe he was too old to progress any further.

"I'll visit Ersa later this week and tell her about it. Hmm, why not just turn that branding center into a Tower?" he mumbled to himself as the two arrived at the top of the palace. instead of following along, Sebastian stopped in the hallway.

"I will be heading back to the branding center. While it is almost nighttime, there has been a lot of tourists visiting the city, resulting in long hours for the staff and a need for more manpower to handle the tasks."

"You don't need to help them. I'll get Lunaria to hire more people to handle the influx of people. Enjoy your vacation instead, old man."

"Your date is waiting, young master. If you would excuse me, I need to fetch my things in my room."

Sebas turned around and began walking down the hallway without replying to Arnold.

'That old man never rests.'

Arnold placed his hand on the doorknob of the door leading to the massive balcony outside. That was where his "date" was waiting.

◊◊

A snow-white beauty, her silver hair and white dress reflecting the rays of the moon, was staring at the lively city below. There was a gentle smile on her face as she imagined all the hardships she had to go through to get here and find her new purpose in life.

Siana stared to her side, where a trolley filled with a variety of dishes, was located. In preparation for Arnold's return, she had prepared ingredients beforehand so that it wouldn't take long to cook dinner for their "date". While she had been alive for... many years... and learned to cook in that timeframe, she wasn't sure if the food would taste good. She used to cook for the girls but she had this thought that they didn't want to hurt her feelings so they always said they enjoyed it.

Arnold was definitely the brutally honest kind. He probably doesn't care enough to make the other person feel good about themselves.

Once dinner was over, and they'd shared a quiet chat under the stars... maybe they'd sit a little closer than usual. Maybe his hand would brush hers, and instead of pulling away, he'd let it linger. Maybe he'd look at her with that rare, gentle expression of his—the one that made her chest flutter. And maybe...

"Maybe he'd lean in... and I'd... ngh—!"

Her face exploded in crimson. Absolutely not!

She flailed slightly, her brain flashing to a far more risqué image—herself tucked beneath him, her hands running up his strong arms and caressing her full belly as she felt him inside her—

"Kyahhh!!"

Startled by her own imagination, Siana squeaked and threw her hands over her face like a startled squirrel.

"Huh? What's wrong?" A deep voice interrupted her panic, and she froze. Peeking between her fingers, she saw Arnold standing nearby, brow slightly raised in confusion.

"W-What!? N-Nothing!" she coughed, standing ramrod straight and waving her hands. "I-I thought I saw a bug! Yes, a... very scary, flying one!"

Arnold blinked, clearly unconvinced, but said nothing. Instead, he stepped forward and pulled something from behind his back—a small red box tied with a sleek black ribbon. Without a word, he placed it gently on the edge of the table and slid it toward her.

Her heart skipped. "F-For me?"

She asked it, but the answer was obvious.

Of course it's for you, you dummy! she scolded herself, cheeks burning again.

Arnold shrugged lightly, then sat down. "Just open it."

'Hm, now I suddenly remember buying something like this for Olivia once but...'

He recalled how she threw it on the ground in anger. That was when he became fed up with his constant clinging.

He's glad that past is behind him now. Thinking so, he forced Olivia out of his head. He has to focus on Siana tonight.

Hands trembling just a little, she untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.

Inside were two layers, the bigger one filled with small chocolates in golden coating while the other had a diamond necklace and earrings.

She stared at the necklace in her hands, the soft glimmer of the diamonds catching the lanternlight. It felt far too elegant. Far too meaningful. The kind of gift you gave someone special—someone important.

And she had no idea how to respond.

"Diamonds not to your taste?" noticing her silence, he inquired.

"I—! I... uh..."

She clutched the velvet casing like it might disappear. Her heart pounded, and her tongue suddenly felt too big for her mouth.

Why did her brain choose now to stop working!?

"I do! I mean—I really do! It's beautiful, and thoughtful, and sparkly—I mean, obviously it's sparkly, it's diamonds, but not like, tacky sparkly! Just the right amount of sparkle—!"

She was spiraling.

Abort. Abort!

Arnold blinked slowly, his brow raised just slightly. "...So you like it."

She groaned, slapping both her cheeks lightly with her palms. "S-Sorry! I'm just not used to this kind of thing!"

His head tilted. "What kind of thing?"

"Gifts. From... guys. This is... also the first time I've been on a date with anyone..."

She never quite got to experience the joys of a relationship or the awkwardness of a first date. As a young girl, she dreamt of keeping herself pure for her beloved but even that was taken from her. Of course, as a princess she would've been forced to marry someone she doesn't want to but there are loopholes to have side lovers.

That was all in the past. She was now a noble serving Arnold as his plenipotentiary.

Maybe even his wife...

"T-Thank you...." She was too embarrassed to look at him and glanced to the side.

"O-Oh, you must be starving!" she hurriedly stood up, almost falling because of her awkward posture, and brought the trolley closer. She could feel his gaze on her, making her knees a little weak but she managed to keep herself from falling.

Siana tried to calm her racing thoughts as she served Arnold his plate. He didn't comment on her red face, but he definitely noticed—she could tell from the small, amused glint in his eye.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while, the stars twinkling above them, the faint scent of roasted herbs and sweet pastries lingering in the air.

The two finished their meal and came over to a bench that was resting nearby. Arnold took out a strange bottle of wine from somewhere she didn't bother to ask. It smelled quite strong, almost stomach-wrenching in fact. Siana poured him a glass of that weird wine but didn't have any herself, instead picking orange juice that she had in case their dinner wine ran out.

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Speaking of dinner, it went quite smoothly, with no awkwardness between the two. Maybe it was in consideration of her that he kept quiet.

Arnold leaned back slightly, his arm resting behind her on the bench. Just enough to make her heart beat a little faster.

"Caerwyn told me that when you're making the food, you always make enough to feed an entire battalion," he said after taking a bite from his slice of cake (she prepared cake beforehand as well), "Not that I'm complaining."

"I-It's just... I wasn't sure what you'd be in the mood for," she replied, fidgeting with her glass, "So I made a bit of everything."

"It was great. Nothing was too undercooked or overcooked."

"R-Really?"

"Really."

She beamed, trying her best not to giggle.

Then, she suddenly remembered Celeste and that bitch's smug face as she chirped about how close she was to Arnold.

Sensing that shift in mood, Arnold inquired: "What's the frown for? Did I do something?"

"N-No... It's not you..." she hated herself for thinking about that witch at a time like this, "H-Has Miss Celeste ever cooked for you?"

"Why bring her up?" he looked genuinely confused by that but decided to answer, "...I guess not. Whenever the two of us had dinner together, it was either when she's over at our castle or when I was at their house for dinner. The last time was about a year ago, I think. That was when her mother returned to the frontlines. But she's tried to make me lunch for school before and they were... not great."

But her cakes and sweets are pretty good, he muttered.

'Hehehe, I win again.' Thought Siana with a smirk. Celeste must be spying on the two of them from somewhere and gritting her teeth like a loser.

"What kind of woman doesn't cook for her fiancé? She's pathetic." Siana harrumphed.

"Oh, you heard about that..." he sighed as he stared up at the sky, "She's been persistent about us marrying for years now. It's never really bothered me but I can't really see her as a woman since we've been friends since we were toddlers and I've always had my eyes on Olivia."

"Who is that...?"

How many women are in your life!?

Unlike Celeste who said she respects Arnold's decision to have multiple lovers as long as she is number one, Siana would let jealousy consume her and make her act irrationally if she was in the seat of "First Lady".

"Like Celeste, the two of us are childhood friends. We had our own little circle, as some called it."

"Uhm, when you said you had your eyes on her... did it ever lead to anything? S-Sorry if that's too personal..."

"Well, it did once."

"And with... Miss Celeste?"

"Never. But she's confessed to me so many times in her underwear." He said followed by a burst of laughter Siana didn't know he was capable of.

'...He didn't accept her even though she's pretty and has a mature body...?'

Yet he agreed to this date and things may progress further if their relationship developers more.

Siana won.

She turned her head to the side to hide her smirk.

"I haven't seen Kalda, Sceptim or Ceru around lately. Where are they?"

"Oh, Sceptim said he will teach Kalda the basics of fighting since she... you know... forgot. She'll be made a vanguard in my private army, under direct command of Caerwyn who will be one of my captains. Miss Ceru, well, she's quite the heavy sleeper. She's still in the master bedroom. She doesn't need to eat, does she...?"

"I don't think so. I guess we can't sleep in the master bedroom tonight, huh?" he said such a thing casually.

Eh?

Eh?

What does he mean by that?

Sleep?

We?

Together?

The both of them?

And why can't they sleep there tonight?

'W-Will we do something that might wake up Miss Ceru...?'

Siana's face flushed red again.

She choked on her drink. "K-Khh—!"

Arnold blinked. "You alright?"

"I'm fine! Totally fine!" she wheezed, frantically wiping her mouth.

There was a silence. A soft, charged one.

She felt his eyes on her again. That quiet look—the one that made her stomach flip like a fish out of water. The one that wasn't teasing, or amused, or judging.

Just gentle.

And close.

Wait, when did he get so close? So bold!

Her breath hitched as he leaned in. Slowly, carefully, like she was something delicate. Something precious.

She didn't pull away.

His hand brushed her cheek, fingers trailing toward her jaw. Her lips parted, her eyes caught between fear and a desperate flutter of anticipation.

His face was inches from hers now. She could feel his breath, warm against her skin. Her heart thundered like it was trying to break free.

He tilted in, just enough—

A loud explosion came from outside the city, interrupting the two. Before they could look where it was coming from, the balcony doors flew open, Caerwyn standing in full armor loudly announced her arrival:

"Pardon the intrusion but several of the miners just informed us of something that you may need to hear, Your Lordship!"

Arnold stood up, his gentle expression from before nowhere to be seen.

"Give me your report."

"Certainly! A large group of mercenaries attacked the caravans that caried the mined crystals from this week's haul! We've lost sight of six of them, each carrying up to a ton of crystals and one very large rock!"

Before Arnold could say anything to that, Lunaria's signature appeared beside him. Without delay, she gave her own report.

"The shadow demons just informed me that a large group of robed figures are wreaking havoc outside the city, several of the farms sustained damage from the attacks."

"So, that's what the explosion was just now..." Siana looked outside the city, at the smoke coming from one of the farms. Many civilians started their own farms outside the city recently. These farms will grow into commercial farms one day and support the city's food produce so it's important to address any and all threats.

Normally Siana would've been angry that her first date was interrupted but since it was a serious matter, she felt she needed to get involved.

"I will head toward the place where the explosion came from." Ice particles surrounded her, turning her dark purple dress a bright white and making her hair burn like a cold flame.

"There's no need for us to respond when we already have the red knights to handle it." Arnold didn't seem so concerned.

"Those homunculi knights are soulless beings that care only about eliminating the threat," Siana stared at him with a serious expression, "In times of danger they will not prioritize lives. Regardless of what the assailants are after, saving the citizens come first. Which is why I will be going first."

"Wait—" she didn't listen to his call, flying away with a burst of ice left behind her.

Sighing, Arnold scratched his head, "Tell the girls to stay put and defend the walls if they try to breach the city. I'll handle the people that attacked our caravans myself."

"Yes sir!" Caerwyn saluted before running back.

"I will go with you, as backup." Lunaria took out the pin in her hair that turned into a short sword.

"Alright. Let's go catch them." Without warning, he pulled his arm around her lower back, making her eyes go wide.

"Eek!" before the surprise could fade away, a white aura surrounded them before they flew towards the mining site.