Cursed Villainess’ Obsession

“Why… why isn’t he coming? He should’ve been here by now…”

Laphne paced nervously in her room at the top of the tower, her feet tracing the same path over and over.

“I haven’t done anything wrong… have I?”

The reason for her growing anxiety was the man she had been waiting for—Ken Feinstein. He hadn’t arrived at the tower yet. Normally, by this time, he would have come, and they would be having dinner together.

But today, he hadn’t shown up.

“Ken… ugh… Ken…” Laphne whimpered.

Logically, she knew he would come. Even if not today, then tomorrow, or the day after. She understood that Ken, being human, couldn’t visit her at every single hour of every single day.

But that was only what her mind understood.

Her heart, on the other hand, didn’t care. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell to the floor. Despite her rational thoughts, all she could feel was a suffocating fear of being abandoned. A sinister whisper in the back of her mind kept telling her, once again, that she was being left behind.

But then, as if to dispel all her fears, the door opened.

“I’m back…” Ken said, stepping inside.

“Ke-Ken! Why are you so late?! I was so scared!” she cried, immediately rushing toward him.

Desperate to ease the gnawing anxiety inside her, she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his neck. She needed to feel him, to confirm that he was real and right there with her.

“W-wait! Laphne! You’re too close!” Ken exclaimed.

But even as he protested, he lowered himself to the floor, allowing her to cling to him. The scent of him, the warmth of his body, gradually soothed her anxious heart.

“I don’t care! It’s your fault! Do you even know what time it is? I was so worried!” she cried, though she knew full well her concern wasn’t about his safety—it was about whether or not he would come.

Still, his lateness had shaken her. The fear of being abandoned had consumed her thoughts, making her feel unjustly treated.

Ken, however, didn’t get irritated. He simply let her vent, patiently accepting her clingy behavior.

“I’m sorry, Laphne. Something came up, and I couldn’t get here sooner.”

Laphne knew he wasn’t late on purpose, and she understood. But when she was finally face-to-face with him, she couldn’t help but cry and cling to him. She wanted him to understand her feelings, the way she spent all day waiting for him, counting the hours until his arrival.

She worried constantly about whether he might start to dislike her, even as she threw tantrums and clung to him desperately.

“Ugh... Ken, you need to understand how important you are…! I was so scared! So worried!” she continued to whine, burrowing deeper into his embrace.

Laphne knew she was being difficult, that she was a clingy woman. But she couldn’t stop herself from holding onto Ken. She worried that one day he would start to hate her for it, but deep down, she also knew he didn’t.

She used to try harder to restrain herself, to be less needy. But lately, even that restraint had disappeared. She had fully given in to her feelings, pushing her emotions onto Ken without holding back.

“Don’t make me feel like this… Don’t abandon me… Stay with me, hold me, comfort me, don’t leave me...” Laphne whispered, her words sounding almost like a child’s plea.

Ken, as always, responded gently, stroking her hair with one hand. The sensation of his fingers running through her hair calmed her down.

It made her feel better, safer.

“Well, I can do all that… but I still have to go back to the dorms at some point,” Ken teased lightly.

But even his playful remark caused Laphne to cling to him more tightly.

“I’ll burn the dorms down!” she threatened.

“Then I wouldn’t have anywhere to live,” Ken replied, smiling.

“…Then live here,” she mumbled into his neck.

Her lips brushed against his skin, making him shudder. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her body even closer to his. The warmth of his body, the softness of his presence, sent a familiar flutter through her chest.

She could feel Ken trembling beneath her touch, his heartbeat reverberating through his body. Every breath she took near his neck made his body twitch slightly.

She found his reactions cute, and a small smile spread across her face. It felt like payback for the anxiety she had been feeling.

Laphne thought this to herself, enjoying how he squirmed under her touch. And despite his flustered state, Ken still gently stroked her head, his hand moving tenderly through her hair.

His kindness made her feel so comfortable.

Laphne moved even closer, eager to elicit more of Ken’s adorable reactions. Each time she pressed her body against his, his hand faltered, his shoulders tensed. She found it amusing and wanted to push him further.

This was her way of compensating for the earlier anxiety she had felt, and she loved these moments with him. What used to be a fear of being left alone had transformed into a longing for these shared moments with Ken.

When he didn’t show up, her fear would spiral, but as soon as he arrived, everything became blissful again. Laphne had become completely immersed in her time with him.

‘I feel like… as long as I have Ken, I could stay locked up here forever.’

The academy had abandoned her.

Her family had abandoned her.

Her country had abandoned her.

But Ken—he had never abandoned her. No matter how unreasonable or emotional she was, even in the face of her past mistakes, Ken had always stayed by her side.

That was what she loved about him.

And now, savoring this moment, she focused on the warmth of his body, the scent of his skin.

She inhaled deeply, her breath causing Ken’s body to shiver.

“…”

Something was off.

Laphne pulled her face away from his neck, confusion clouding her mind as she looked at him.

Ken, feeling her gaze, seemed to tense up, almost as if he had something to hide.

“Ken…”

Why did he look so flustered?

“Where… have you been today?”

There was something odd about his scent.

Ken hesitated, stammering as he replied, “O-oh, um, I just… went to see the swordsmanship tournament…”

Laphne instantly realized.

He hadn’t just gone to watch a tournament.

Still suspicious, she pressed him further.

“Ken… I smell another woman.”

Somewhere beneath his usual scent was the faint aroma of another woman’s fragrance.

Ken looked into her hollow eyes, realizing she had caught on.

‘Is she a bloodhound or something?’ Ken thought in disbelief.

How could she even notice something like that? Still, Ken decided to deny it. Admitting the truth wouldn’t do anyone any good.

“I-it’s just your imagination! I-I’m sure it’s just because of the crowd!”

“…Really?”

Laphne tilted her head slightly, asking again.

“Y-yeah. Really. Honestly.”

Ken avoided her gaze, and that was all the confirmation Laphne needed.

“You’re lying.”

“…”

Like magic, Ken fell silent. He broke out in a nervous sweat, his eyes darting around. He was terrible at lying.

Laphne’s empty, crimson eyes bore into him.

Ken knew the only way to handle this was to address the real issue. It wasn’t about whether or not he’d been around another woman.

“E-even if I am lying… I will never abandon you, Laphne. No matter what, I will always come back.”

“…”

Laphne stayed silent, absorbing his words.

‘Is this… going to work?’

Ken realized that what Laphne feared most wasn’t him seeing other women. It was the fear of being abandoned. He was banking on that understanding to pull him through.

And it seemed to work.

Laphne’s vacant eyes softened, filling with tears. She buried her face in his neck again, sniffling.

Laphne knew deep down that even if he met other women, Ken would never leave her. But that didn’t stop her from wanting to be everything to him, just as he was everything to her.

Was it so wrong to want him to see her the same way?

But now, if she pressed him any further, maybe he really would start to hate her. So, she swallowed her true feelings and whispered into his ear.

“…Ken, it’s okay if you lie. Even if you meet another woman… as long as you’re not dating her, I don’t mind.”

She spoke her true desire, her voice shaking with barely restrained emotion.

“Just promise that I’ll always come first… that I’ll always be your priority.”

Her voice trembled, and Laphne feared the response, but Ken raised his hand and gently stroked her hair.

“Of course. Don’t worry about that.”

“Y-you really need to know... I don’t have anyone but you, Ken… I’m serious…” she sobbed.

“I know, I know,” Ken reassured her, his touch as soothing as ever.

Even through her tears, Laphne felt at peace.

She didn’t want to lose this.

Ken’s presence was growing larger and larger in her heart.

‘I think it’ll take some time for her to calm down,’ Ken thought, smiling softly.

“Just wait a little longer. I’ll make something soon that’ll break your curse,” he said.

“…Okay,” Laphne murmured, settling back into his embrace.