Isn’t the wannabe Villain too cute?

"Are you really okay, Venessa?"

"Yup, I am fine. Thanks for worrying about me, Kyouki-san. Please go and see Sicily."

I lied.

The person to whom I vowed never to lie and be honest under any circumstances, I lied to that person. 

And the reason was so measly that I am feeling like an idiot right now.

**SLIDE** 

As Kyouki-san left the infirmary room, I laid back on the bed. Staring at the white ceiling, I thought about the events that had happened some hours ago.

The whole war, the frightening battles, and the overwhelming fear didn't leave such a significant impact, which I felt from that particular incident.

My biggest foolishness made me captive of that red-eyed demon who could have been handled by Austin even if I hadn't intervened.

But me and my big mouth led to such a turn of events, and I was taken as a hostage by that creature.

I still feel chills running down my spine as the memory of my body being entrapped by that vile creature flashes down the lane.

That foul smell, that creepy sensation, and the ominous sense of danger still lingered like an inseparable leech to every inch of my skin.

I had never felt something like that before, even though I have gone through life-threatening battles and have seen the way papa fights.

I know it was disgraceful for a warrior like me to say it, but at that moment, I wanted nothing more than just to run away and hide to save my life.

At that moment, the chivalry I had been taught, the principle I had instilled, the vows I had taken, nothing remained in my consciousness. I just wanted to get away from that demon anyhow.

When the demon pierced his teeth in my skin, I felt death ringing heavily and binding my senses at an alarming pace.

The chance of my survival started to seem equivalent to negligible.

But suddenly that happened...

I don't know what conversation happened between the other two beside me on the battlefield, but after just ten seconds since I had lost my hopes, someone came to rescue me.

And that person was none other than the same boy whom I loathed the most in the past.

The boy whom I constantly taunted for being a sissy and a shame on mankind, pulled me back from the death door.

I didn't know when he became so strong, but he was able to overwhelm the battlefield one-sidedly, and here, he even saved me without even breaking a sweat.

At that instance, I didn't know what came over me, but before I could have thought anything else, I was already hugging Austin as a baby clinging to their parents when bullied.

The tears I shed and the fear I felt slowly started fading in the warmth I found from a man whom I never even imagined talking to with a straight face.

If it had been my past self, then I might have felt disgusted with myself, but now strangely, I wasn't feeling anything out of place.

Even though my mind was a lot calmer now, if compared to that time, I still wasn't having any discomfort thinking about my actions at all.

I know it would be shameless of me to even think about it when I already have surrendered my love for Kyouki-san, but I somehow liked how I felt when I was embracing Austin.

It indeed was an eventful day when I gained so many sensations and memories that I wasn't aware of in the past. 

Some were horrible, some were confusing, and some of them just soothe my heart whenever I think about it.

Whatever they were, I was sure I wouldn't be able to forget a single thing that had made my mind mess and forced me to lie so I could just sort out what was wrong with me.

'Seriously...it's all because of you. Who said to change so drastically and make a mess of my emotions? I will blame it on you. Hmph!'

_______________________ 

At the same time, when Venessa was fighting with her own emotions and figuring out what had gone wrong with her, a duo stood outside a metallic door as they whispered something silently.

These two women, by appearance, looked like typical maids with black and white maid uniforms covering their bodies and raven hairs braided elegantly in the same design.

The door before which they were standing by the outer surface looked like a heavy vault-type room that could store some catastrophic-level monsters.

The sound of heavy winds and occasional blows reverberated even though the metal door was far away from the source of such noises.

"How long has she been doing that?"

One of the maids with slit eyes and comparatively taller than the other one spoke in a meek tone like she was hiding her voice; even the sounds of blows from the inside were heavy enough to suppress even a shout.

Tiptoeing, the other one peeked through the small window built at the head of the door.

The shorter maid, with a round face, sighed upon seeing the scene inside still the same as she had seen a day ago.

"More than 27 hours already. Three hours more, and she will break her own record of doing nothing but to swing a blade continuously at the same spot."

The taller maid also sighed as she heard the beyond believable fact about the person who was training inside the room.

Before the two could have chatted any further, someone approached them or, to be precise, went toward the metallic door.

"Is she inside?"

A heavy tone fell inside the waiting space as the two maids looked at the tall man who appeared to be in his early twenties, arising out of nowhere.

"Yu-Yuuske-sama!? Y-yes..hero-sama is inside."

The maid, who, after witnessing the man's grave expression, became flustered beyond belief as she somehow managed to utter the response the man needed.

With a nod, the lean young man clicked the door open before a heavy gust threw the two maids away like a broken kite.

""AHHHHHH!!"

The man didn't bat an eye on the plea for help before he walked inside without feeling any difficulty at all.

Closing the door on his back, the expression of the man whom the maid regarded as Yuuske shifted to a brighter end.

The frown on his charming face immediately switched places with a smile that could make women fawn over it with just a glance.

With his eyes focused on the single person inside the colossal hall, which was devoid of any particular color or any furniture, Yuuske advanced without minding the shockwaves in the slightest.

His rubric eyes shined as he saw the woman's sinful figure, which looked highly enticing with the sweat she was covered in.

Without letting the woman notice his gaze, he withdrew his eyes and walked elegantly toward her. 

"It's been long, Mina."

Suddenly the black katana, which the woman was swinging in a different direction, changed its trajectory before its tip landed just in between the two eyes of Yuuske. 

"It's not my name."

A bone-freezing voice that contained no definite emotion left the woman's pale yet attractive lips as she stared at the man with the explicit intention of disapproving of his whole existence.

Without minding the blade, Yuuske tilted his head before he spoke in a merrier tone.

"But you never told me or anyone your name."

The raven-haired woman didn't reply; she just pulled her sword and was about to continue swinging when Yuuske hurriedly interjected.

"Umm...the Emperor has summoned you. It seems he finally wants everyone to know about your presence. "

The woman kept her head turned slightly toward the man until he finished before she went back to face an indefinite space as she brought her katana to swing aimlessly and continue her training.

But Yuuske seemed to have a rare mood swing, as he didn't intend to let go of the conversation so shortly.

"Why are you persistent, Mina? Why are you not accepting me and dreaming about someone else who might have been dead-"

**CRACK** 

Suddenly Yuuske's voice choked in his throat as he felt the terrifying killing intent from meters apart from him. The room, which seemed colossal some moments ago, felt extremely small under the overwhelming pressure the woman was releasing.

The ground underneath her feet cracked before a crater of 200 meters formed because of the single step woman took to warn Yuuske.

Her eyes which generally seemed devoid of emotion, were now overwhelmed with rage as she stared at the man as if he had just taken away her most precious thing.

"Do not ever think of associating that word with my Nii-sama! I will slice your tongue along with every fiber from your body while keeping your consciousness awake. So keep your business away from me before I lose my restraints and do something which you might not be able to reverse!"

_____________________ 

A/N:- 🤐