I Became the Master of the Villain

“Aaaargh!”
Uncle screamed and let go of Kian.

He must have genuinely believed I’d hit him—he jerked his body forward in panic.
Thunk!
The knife brushed past his head and lodged itself in the painting on the wall.

It pierced the forehead of the gentleman depicted in the portrait.
Uncle swallowed dryly. His face had gone pale as he shouted,
“O-Olivia…! You’re insane. Absolutely insane!”

“How unfortunate. You’re only realizing that now.”
Looking down at him, sprawled out so disgracefully, I warned him coldly,
“This time I missed on purpose. Don’t expect that next time.”

If he touched Kian again, I wouldn’t be so forgiving.
He understood my meaning—his face twisted with humiliation as he clenched his fists.
“Olivia… I’ll never forget this disgrace.”

Spitting out the line like a third-rate villain, he turned and fled.
Watching my uncle slink away, utterly disgraced, was immensely satisfying.
I turned to Kian, who had suffered through all this because of my uncle.

I felt too ashamed to meet his eyes.
Even though I had been right there, I hadn’t been able to stop what happened.
I was filled with nothing but guilt. I carefully checked on him.

“I’m sorry. My uncle said awful things, didn’t he?”
Kian quietly shook his head.
“Strictly speaking, I shouldn’t be dining with you to begin with. He didn’t say anything technically wrong, so please don’t worry about it.”
He even forced a smile as he spoke.

“I’m really fine.”
Hearing him talk like it was nothing only made my heart ache even more.
Once he awakened as a mage, no one would be able to look down on him like this again… but a year suddenly felt unbearably long.

How much more humiliation would Kian have to endure in the meantime?
The thought made me sigh deeply.
***

I summoned the servants to clean the mess and then brought Kian outside.
I thought a change of scenery might lift his spirits.
Near the villa was a beautiful beach.

Soft sand sank gently under our feet.
Waves rolled in with a swish, foaming at the edges and filling the air with a refreshing sound.
The sea was a stunning cobalt blue, like paint spilled across a canvas.

I glanced at Kian, walking beside me.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with Uncle—how Kian had suffered because of him.
Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him…

I sighed without realizing.
Then Kian spoke up.
“Please don’t dwell on what happened earlier.”

He smiled gently.
“We’ve come all the way to the beach… I’d hate it if you couldn’t relax because of me, Master.”
I’d brought him out for a walk to lift his mood, and yet here he was comforting me.

Grateful for his thoughtfulness, I smiled back on purpose.
Yeah—since we’re here, we might as well enjoy it properly.
So Kian and I spent a peaceful afternoon dipping our feet in the shallow water, lounging under a parasol, and simply relaxing.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, gas lamps lit up one by one.
Festive music could be heard in the distance. I remembered hearing something about a festival happening around this time.
“Since we’re here, want to go check out the festival?”

I asked, and Kian nodded.
“That sounds wonderful.”
We headed toward the plaza. According to the crowd, a parade was scheduled to start soon.

The square was packed with people hoping to get a good view.
As we looked around for a decent spot, Sir Hans, my escort knight, called out.
“My lady! I think you’ll be able to see well from here!”

He had found a wooden platform. It was tall enough that it would be perfect for viewing the parade.
Kian and I climbed onto it. It looked like the platform was usually used for posting notices—there were papers and posters stuck all over the wood.
Among them were wanted posters for pirates. One of them was half-torn and hanging awkwardly, probably from some kid’s mischief.

A little later, Kian raised his hand and pointed toward the road.
“There they come.”
Just as he said, dancers in vibrant costumes were marching down the street.

They wore dresses adorned with feathers and faux gems, and behind them, a band followed playing a cheerful tune.
The procession continued. People riding in flower-decorated carriages tossed handfuls of petals from baskets—it looked like colorful snow was falling.
The street buzzed with the energy of celebration. People laughed and smiled, forgetting their troubles for a while.

We watched the parade with such fascination that, by the time it ended, I realized I was hungry.
“Kian, want to get something to eat before we go back?”
“Yes, Master.”

It would take too long to return to the villa, so we headed toward the street vendors.
Every stall had a long line, and the streets were packed tight. It was far too chaotic to line up ourselves, so I sent the servants to get food.
While waiting for them, I looked for a quieter place to stand—but suddenly, I felt a strange emptiness beside me.

Kian, who had been next to me just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.
My heart dropped.
“Kian!”

I called out his name, but there was no reply.
I frantically scanned the area. His shimmering silver hair should’ve made him easy to spot…
But he was gone—completely vanished into the sea of people.

***
Shoved by the crowd, Kian heard something drop with a faint clink.
He felt an emptiness at his wrist—it was the cufflink.

His cuff had come undone.
He looked down quickly and spotted it a few steps away, glittering faintly.
It was a gift Olivia had once given him. He bent down to retrieve it.

Just as he reached for it, someone’s foot kicked it, sending it rolling.
The round cufflink tumbled beneath people’s feet, then disappeared into a narrow alleyway.
Kian immediately followed it in.

There, in the middle of the dim alley, he spotted the cufflink. He picked it up and dusted off the dirt.
I’ve strayed too far from Master… I need to go back quickly.
As he turned to leave—

“…!”
A rough hand suddenly covered his mouth.
A cloth with a strange scent was forced over his nose and lips.

“Stay still if you don’t want to get hurt.”
It was a gruff male voice he didn’t recognize.
Kian [N O V E L I G H T] struggled to break free from the man’s grip, but the more he resisted, the weaker he became.

His vision blurred. It felt like being dragged into deep water…
And just like that—his consciousness snapped like a thread.
***

Kian was gone.
The moment I realized it, I mobilized the duchy’s knights and launched a full search.
We began combing the vendor streets where I’d last seen him.

But it was all in vain.
Growing more desperate, I rushed to the city’s Security Bureau to post a wanted notice.
If this had been another family’s territory, it would’ve taken time to go through official channels—but this was duchy land. Using my authority as acting duchess, I had a poster made immediately.

It included Kian’s description and offered a 2 billion gallon reward to any witness.
“Two billion gallons?! That’s no joke!”
“Silver-haired beauty? I think I might’ve seen someone like that…”

“Anyone seen this guy from the poster?”
The moment the notices went up, leads started flooding in—no doubt thanks to the reward.
But most were false alarms or cases of mistaken identity.

Despite the number of tips, no real progress was made. Time passed, and my anxiety worsened.
The fear of losing Kian forever made my mouth go dry by the second.
Several minutes passed, aching with desperation—until finally, a new witness appeared.

She was a young girl in shabby clothes. I motioned for her to come closer.
“You said you saw Kian?”
“Yes, my lady.”

I asked her to describe what she had seen. She searched her memory.
She said she’d been selling cheap souvenirs from a sidewalk stall like usual. That’s when she spotted his beautiful silver hair.
“I’d never seen anyone that pretty before. I kept staring, and I saw him go into a narrow alley. It was a dead end, so I wondered what he was doing… But even after a while, he didn’t come back out. Then, these big men with sacks over their shoulders came out instead.”

“…!”
I asked urgently,
“Did you see where those men went?”

The girl looked nervous and replied carefully.
“I was too scared… I looked away. I don’t know where they went. I’m sorry…”
Her voice trembled slightly. Then she held something out in her hand.

“Later, I went back to the spot where he disappeared… and I found this.”
It was a cufflink.
The one I had given Kian.

I clenched it so tightly my hand ached. Then I ordered the bureau soldiers to bring me every wanted poster for criminals in the area.
“Do any of these faces look familiar?”
I showed her each one, one by one.

One, two, ten… She kept shaking her head—until her eyes suddenly froze.
“Ah! This is him!”
She pointed to a rough-looking man with a scar on his right cheek.

A guard explained,
“That’s a crew member of the Red Bandana Pirates. They’re notorious for human trafficking.”
Human trafficking.

Then they must have kidnapped Kian for…
There was no time to waste.
I had to catch those Red Bandana bastards immediately.

I headed straight for the harbor—to the Coast Guard headquarters.
I threw open the commander’s office door.
The commander, looking drowsy and sluggish, jumped to his feet in shock.

“L-Lady Olivia…! What brings you all the way—”
“Ready the fleet.”
“…Pardon?”

The commander blinked dumbly. I raised my voice coldly, leaving no room for doubt.
“We’re going to hunt pirates. Inform all units—now.”