I Became the Master of the Villain

“I never expected to see you here!”
The noblewoman’s voice trembled with joy, as if she were about to burst into tears.

But Kian’s expression darkened noticeably.
Still caught up in her excitement, the woman belatedly noticed my presence and asked,
“And this lady beside you… is she your new master, Kian?”

Referring to me specifically as “new master”—it wasn’t hard to guess who she was.
When I gave her a polite nod, she offered a graceful smile and said,
“I’m Kian’s former master, Veronica Lawrence. You may call me Countess Lawrence.”

In the original novel, all the nobles who had owned Kian had been despicable.
Which made this meeting especially unpleasant.
Still, I couldn’t be rude to someone I was meeting for the first time.

I replied with a measured courtesy,
“Olivia Ashford.”
Countess Lawrence… that meant she was the wife of the Margrave of Lawrence. I had no idea what brought her to the capital, but it would be troublesome if she kept running into Kian like this.

While I was wondering how best to deal with her, the countess spoke up.
“I know this is an imposition, but… could I ask for a moment of your time? It’s very important to me. Perhaps we could talk at a quiet café nearby?”
It was clear this wouldn’t be a short conversation.

And wanting to move to a different location suggested the topic wasn’t fit for public ears.
It was unlikely to be anything pleasant.
If I refused, she would no doubt try to approach Kian again.

I decided to hear her out first—and afterward, ensure she never got near him again.
***
The café Countess Lawrence led us to was indeed quiet and empty.
The reason was obvious as soon as I took a sip of the coffee—it tasted like filthy rainwater.

Still, the lack of customers made it a good place for an unbothered conversation.
“I’ll get straight to the point, since I’m sure you’re busy,” she said bluntly.
“Please sell Kian to me.”

“...!”
I nearly spat out the swamp-water coffee I’d just tasted.
Her words were such a shocking curveball that they almost made me choke.

What the hell is this woman talking about?
I carefully set down my teacup and responded politely, but firmly.
“I’m sorry, Countess. I have no intention of selling Kian.”

But she wasn’t so easily dissuaded.
She launched into her backstory unprompted, determined to keep the conversation going.
“I never wanted to sell Kian in the first place. My husband forcibly separated him from me. But my husband died in battle last year… and though it’s late, I’ve come to realize I want him back. And today, by pure chance, I ran into Kian while traveling in the capital.”

Please, return him to me…
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
You’d think I had stolen Kian from her by force, the way she was talking.

“I’ll pay you double what you bought him for—no, even three times as much.”
At that, Kian spoke in a shaky voice.
“Master...”

His pale blue eyes were filled with unease.
Could it be—did he really think I might sell him?
It was obvious what would happen if I handed him back to this woman.

I turned to Countess Lawrence and said,
“You said you’d pay double—or even triple—what I paid for Kian, correct?”
“Of course,” she answered confidently.

Maybe she’d inherited ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) a fortune after her husband’s death, because she sounded very sure of herself.
No matter what I named, she seemed convinced she could pay it. But that confidence wouldn’t last long.
“Then I trust you’re prepared to offer 3 trillion gallons immediately?”

“...Pardon?”
She blinked dumbly.
“Oh dear—don’t tell me you weren’t aware that I purchased Kian for 1 trillion gallons?”

The Lawrence territory was thousands of kilometers away from the capital.
It wasn’t surprising she’d be out of the loop on prices or gossip.
That’s probably why she thought she could casually offer to buy him back at triple the price.

She stammered,
“3… 3 trillion gallons?! That’s… that’s absurd! I mean, that’s just—”
“You don’t think that price is unreasonable, do you?”

She bit her lip hard, clearly caught.
I smiled faintly and said,
“Seems to me, Countess, you’re not capable of paying Kian’s price after all.”

Her face twisted violently. Her cheeks flushed red with shame.
“I believe that concludes your business. If you’ll excuse us.”
Leaving her trembling with humiliation, I took Kian by the hand and stood up.

But before we’d taken more than a few steps, a shrill voice rang out.
“Wait just a moment!”
I ignored her and kept walking. Whatever she had to say wasn’t worth hearing.

Until—
“Is Kian still as skilled in bed as he used to be?”
“...!”

I stopped dead in my tracks.
When I turned around with a cold expression, she narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“Oh, didn’t you know?”

“...”
“Perhaps he hasn’t been servicing you properly?”
She hadn’t used any overtly vulgar language, but I knew exactly what she meant.

And I could tell what she used to do to him from the way she said it.
Kian’s shoulders trembled slightly. His face had gone so pale it was painful to look at.
I already knew from the novel that Kian had once been forced to serve as a bedroom slave.

But I never expected to be confronted with that reality so directly.
My fists clenched with anger.
How many nights had he suffered through unwanted acts?

How long had he endured the pain of holding someone he didn’t want to hold?
Just imagining it made my heart ache.
And that woman… she was dragging his trauma into the open just to provoke me.

As soon as I realized that, my reason snapped.
I stormed up to her, grabbed the cup from the table—
And threw the coffee in her face.

“Kyaaa!”
She screamed as the lukewarm liquid soaked her hair and ran down her face.
She reeked of dirty water now.

A perfect scent for her.
“What… what the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Her bloodshot eyes glared up at me. I looked down at her, cold as ice.

“You just made an outrageous remark about my private life. And I’m supposed to let that slide?”
—Is Kian still as skilled in bed as he used to be?
—Perhaps he hasn’t been servicing you properly?
Those were grounds for a defamation lawsuit.

She had freely insinuated that I was sleeping with Kian.
And yet, Countess Lawrence had the audacity to act like the victim.
“Defamation? I was only trying to offer you some helpful insights as Kian’s former owner. But you’re the one who assaulted me. I won’t let this go unpunished.”

I scoffed at the pathetic provocation.
Was she planning to sue me?
Clearly, she still didn’t understand the situation.

So I decided to enlighten her.
“Countess, as you know, I have money. If I need to spend 2 or even 3 trillion gallons to drag you into court and get a guilty verdict, I’ll do it without hesitation. But you—how much can you afford to spend to punish me?”
“…”

It’s an unfair truth, but in this world, there’s nothing money can’t do.
She knew it too. That’s why her face twisted with frustration, but she didn’t say a word.
I warned her coldly,

“If you don’t want to rot in prison for defamation, I suggest you disappear. Immediately.”
Her face contorted into something hideous.
So much so, I wondered if she was even the same woman from earlier.

She fled the café in disgrace, hair dripping, leaving a trail of water behind her.
***
We decided to postpone our dinner at the restaurant.

After encountering the countess, Kian hadn’t been well.
We returned to the mansion and ate a simple dinner there.
The servants brought out food, but Kian barely touched it.

Eventually, I gave up and told the servants to clear the table.
I took Kian back to his room. He avoided my gaze, head bowed the whole way.
“Kian… can you please look at me?”

I pleaded softly.
At last, he lifted his face.
Maybe it was because that woman had forced his painful past back to the surface—but he looked like someone standing on the edge of a cliff.

I reached out to comfort him, but he pulled away the moment our skin touched.
“My body is filthy. Unclean.”
He spoke each word slowly, heavily.

“So… please let me go.”
Whatever he had gone through in the past—none of it was by choice.
He had nothing to be ashamed of. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

So many words swelled to my throat, only to fall back down.
There was so much I wanted to say.
But I was afraid that anything I said would only hurt him more.

Still.
I reached toward Kian—and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“…!”

He flinched violently, startled.
He squirmed, as if trying to break free. But I only held him tighter.
I didn’t know if this was the right thing to do.

I wasn’t good at comforting people.
I didn’t pretend to understand all of his pain.
But at the very least—I wanted to try.

If there was any way I could share even a fraction of his burden…
I gently stroked his back.
I didn’t know how long we stayed like that.

Gradually, he stopped struggling.
Eventually, he stopped trying to escape entirely. Still held in my arms, Kian whispered hoarsely,
“Master… don’t you find me disgusting?”

“Not at all…”
I softly caressed his trembling back. I chose my words with care.
“You didn’t want that. None of it was your fault.”

This time, Kian didn’t push me away.
His shoulders began to shake.
I realized then—he was crying silently in my arms.

No words would ever be enough to console him.
So I just held him quietly… until he had shed every last tear.