I Became the Master of the Villain

‘Why is Alexis here…?’
I stared at him with wide eyes as he kept popping chocolate into his mouth like a squirrel storing food.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”

“I was just passing by. Looked like you were up to something interesting again.”
“Interesting? This is serious, you know.”
I feigned a grumble.

Even as I said that, I knew full well Alexis had come to help me.
Still chewing chocolate, Alexis said,
“You over there—come try some too.”

He called over the security patrol soldiers who happened to be on duty nearby.
It seemed his face had become familiar enough now that even the regular soldiers recognized him.
“What do we do?”

“What do you mean what? A royal command is absolute!”
Seeing the soldiers rush over without a word—
Each took a sample chocolate and put it in their mouths. Alexis asked,

“Well? How is it?”
“Wow, I’ve never had chocolate this delicious in my life!”
Unbelievable. These soldiers were clearly masters of social maneuvering.

‘Maybe not just anyone can survive in society…’
I admired their diplomacy.
Meanwhile, our shop clerk didn’t miss the chance.
She raised her voice and shouted,

“Even His Highness the Prince ate this chocolate without concern! Come try it for yourselves!”
The passersby who had been hesitating at the stall murmured,
“What if there are worms?”

“Come on, even the prince ate it. It should be fine.”
It was the exact same chocolate, but just by adding the phrase “even the royals ate it without worry,” their reaction changed completely.
Human psychology really was fascinating.

“Oh, it tastes totally fine!”
“Must’ve been only a few with worms, huh?”
Just as I’d hoped, the customers’ attitudes were starting to shift.

One by one, people began sampling the chocolate.
Feeling proud, I turned to Alexis and said,
“Thank you for stepping up.”

Alexis smiled faintly and said,
“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.”
He must’ve been referring to the prayer ceremony.

‘Either way, what a relief.’
Earlier, people didn’t even want to try the samples.
Now the atmosphere had improved dramatically.

‘But we still don’t have enough people.’
I needed as many people as possible to try the chocolate.
Wasn’t there a way to draw even more attention?

Just as I was thinking—
‘Who are they?’
More than twenty people surged toward the stall.

All of them wore uniforms with the imperial crest on them.
At the front stood a familiar silver-haired man.
Kian smiled at me.

“Lady Olivia. I came to help.”
Huh? Then all of these people…
That’s right. The mages—every single one of them women—were Kian’s guests.

Wearing the fluttering capes of imperial mages, they lined up and began sampling the chocolate.
“Whoa, this is so good! It’s better than Roche Chocolate!”
(Roche Chocolate was our competitor.)
“Maybe it tastes better because it’s free?”

“Oh, maybe!”
They let out high-pitched laughter, and the stall quickly became noisy.
Even the passing pedestrians turned to glance, wondering what was going on.

I could hear them whispering.
“What’s happening over there? Why are so many people gathered?”
“I have no idea.”

“I’m curious. Want to go check it out?”
Drawn by the commotion, people began heading toward the stall.
It was definitely pulling attention now.

I marveled at the rapidly growing line.
‘Wow. This is exactly the kind of scene I wanted.’
Before I knew ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) it, Kian had come to stand beside me. Smiling, he said,

“My subordinates happen to love chocolate.”
So they were his subordinates after all.
Still, was it really okay to summon them for something like this…?

As if reading my thoughts, Alexis said,
“Sir Kian, isn’t this a misuse of authority?”
Kian smiled mildly and replied,

“I simply asked for volunteers. No one was forced to come, so please don’t worry.”
I nodded. That explanation actually made sense.
With a boss as handsome as Kian, of course they’d be eager to help.

Thanks to both of them, the tasting stall was bustling.
‘This doesn’t feel like a marketing victory… it feels like a victory of personal connections.’
I laughed awkwardly, thinking, “Well, as long as it works, right?”

Meanwhile, Kian and Alexis still weren’t getting along.
“For someone so busy with state affairs, how long do you plan to linger here?”
“I could ask you the same.”

Their eyes clashed mid-air.
Just when I feared another standoff like before, Alexis shook his head and said,
“As much as I’d like to continue, I’m a bit busy at the moment.”

He glanced at Kian, then looked at me.
“Sorry I couldn’t help more, Lady.”
“No, Your Highness already helped immensely.”

“Glad to hear it.”
Alexis looked almost regretful.
“Well then. Until next time.”

With that, Alexis turned and walked away.
Only after he left did Kian finally smile brightly.
“Good riddance. That nuisance finally removed himself.”

Nuisance…? I think I finally understood how Kian had always viewed Alexis.
‘Wait… was he jealous?’
With that in mind, all of Kian’s snippy behavior toward Alexis suddenly made sense.

“I was going to come first, you know…”
Kian grumbled as he picked up another sample chocolate.
I laughed, finding his sulking adorable.

“Thanks. I’m really glad you came today.”
“You’re welcome. Honestly, I was a little hurt you didn’t call me.”
“Oh, that’s…”

Everything had exploded the moment we got back from Elsica.
And I’d wanted to try handling it myself if I could.
If I’d known Kian would feel hurt, I would’ve told him everything from the start.

“Sorry. Were you really that upset?”
“Yes. So please, comfort me.”
Kian’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

Hmm. Was he really upset?
More like he wanted an excuse to get something out of me.
I smiled at the cunning Kian and said,

“Alright. But first, come in.”
I led him inside the shop. Since we’d just eaten chocolate, I figured he might be thirsty, so I asked,
“Are you thirsty? Want some water?”

Kian answered,
“Yes, please.”
I entered the staff break room. As I stood on tiptoe to grab a cup and water pitcher from the shelf—

Kian wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.
“…!”
Startled by the sudden touch, I turned to face him.

“What are you doing?”
Kian smiled with his eyes and said smoothly,
“You said you’d comfort me, didn’t you?”

“I did.”
“Then please kiss me.”
“Right now? Here?”

I looked around. The break room was empty.
Everyone was too busy with the tasting event to come in…
But you never knew when someone might appear.

‘Kissing in a place like this… what if we get caught?’
That thought worried me, but at the same time, I felt a strange curiosity.
Like that rebellious thrill you get when you see a “No Entry” sign…

Kian’s arms around me were firm. I could feel his breath, close and warm. He smelled sweet—like chocolate.
In the end, I didn’t hesitate for long.
“Okay.”

As soon as I gave permission, Kian gently turned me toward him by the shoulders.
Once we were face-to-face, he almost devoured my lips.
I parted mine slightly to accept him.

Like chocolate melting in your mouth, the kiss was sweet.
How long had we been kissing?
Our lips finally parted, and a breath escaped me.

As I caught my breath, Kian tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
It exposed the nape of my neck, and he bent down to press a soft kiss there.
That’s when I felt it—hot and slick.

He licked my skin.
“Ah…!”
I jolted, and Kian laughed quietly.

He gently sat me down on a nearby chair.
Now we were eye level. He smiled sweetly and pressed his lips against mine again.
Still kissing, I murmured,

“Are you going to keep going?”
Kian pulled back just slightly and replied,
“Just say the word, and I’ll stop. I promise.”

I was nervous someone might walk in.
But still, I couldn’t bring myself to say “no.”
Once a spark is lit, it’s hard to put it out.

Maybe I hadn’t realized it before, but I clearly had a dangerous streak in me that enjoyed games like this.
“…Just a little more?”
When I said that, Kian answered with a soft smile instead of words.

Then he kissed me again.
And so began another long kiss.
***

In the end, we kept kissing until a staff member arrived to restock inventory.
Thankfully, the two employees entered while talking loudly, so they didn’t see us.
They probably didn’t even know we’d been there.

Because Kian had teleported us out just in time.
Still, the anxiety of being caught had lingered so long that even after returning to the mansion, my heart was pounding like I’d run a marathon.
‘I’d better not try something like that again for a while.’

It was thrilling, but doing it twice might be too much for my heart to handle.
After resting at the mansion for a bit, I decided I should return to the field and see how things were going.
As I made my way toward the front door—

“My lady!”
Albert rushed over the moment he saw me.
“I was just about to send someone to deliver a message.”

“What is it?”
“A telegram arrived from the factory chief.”
He pulled it from his coat and handed it to me.

After reading it, I told him to prepare the carriage.
It looked like rest would have to wait.