I Am The Game's Villain

"That was unnecessary," Alicia said coldly, walking beside me.

I glanced at her, feigning ignorance. "What was?"

She clenched her fists but didn't answer.

"Are you sulking?"

"…"

"You shouldn't be sulking for this much."

"I am not sulking," she snapped, furrowing her brows in irritation.

How easy it was to get a reaction out of her. Amusing, really.

A soft chuckle escaped me.

Ahaha. This is actually pretty fun.

Changing the subject, I tilted my head slightly. "What do you think of Percy, by the way? Every girl seems to be swooning over him. I'm sure you feel at least a little attracted to him too."

"I'm not interested in him. Or anyone else."

Not now, at least. But once the Third Game began, there was a very real chance she'd end up falling for either Jayden or Lucius.

I just hoped it wouldn't be Jayden.

[<If you're that concerned about Alicia's future, why not take responsibility and marry her yourself?>]

'Who do you think I am? Zeus?'

[<You do realize that a thousand years ago, biting a vampire without consent was punishable by immediate execution, right? It was considered just as bad as... well, let's just say it was an unforgivable crime. And you did it to a princess.>]

I nearly tripped over my own feet.

'You can't be serious…?'

[<Why would I lie?>]

My steps slowed as I processed the weight of those words.

[<Alicia isn't talking about it because you saved her life, but don't think for a second that what happened won't affect her. If word gets out, no one will marry her, no matter her status. She'll be treated horribly.>]

'That's ridiculous.'

[<Oh? And even if the rumors don't spread, the fact remains that you touched her blood. An invisible bond has already formed between the two of you.>]

'Now you're just making things up.'

[<I'm merely telling you what I know~>].

A complicated expression crossed my face as my gaze drifted to Alicia, who was now walking a few steps ahead.

I suddenly recalled Elizabeth's expression that night—the way she had cried.

She might be crazy inwardly, but those tears… those had been real.

"Does it hurt?" I asked suddenly.

Alicia blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What hurts?"

"The bite…" I hesitated.

At that moment, her body tensed, a faint tremor running through her frame.

Silence stretched between us before she finally spoke.

"…No."

I wasn't convinced.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

Alicia shot me a confused glance. "Help me how, Senior?"

I shrugged. "Well, if you want, I could give you my blood. I hear it's top quality."

That made her stop dead in her tracks. Her brows furrowed as she turned to me, suspicion flickering in her crimson eyes.

"I mean, Elizabeth has this… habit of attacking me out of nowhere for my blood, so I figured you might—"

"I–I am not Beth!" Alicia cut me off, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. "A–And I don't have any urges, and I won't bite you for blood!" She practically yelled, flustered beyond belief.

Now we were getting somewhere but I had to correct something.

"Oi, I never said you had to bite me. There are… other ways to take it," I said laughing.

Alicia froze, her entire brain seemingly short-circuiting.

Her mouth opened slightly, then shut. Then opened again.

I could almost hear the steam hissing from her head.

"Well, if you do want to bite me back for revenge, I won't stop you," I teased, throwing in a playful smirk.

"N–No!" She yelped in a high pitched tone, giving me a teary glare before spinning on her heel and storming ahead, fists clenched tight.

I sighed.

"See what you did, Cleenah?"

[<I never told you to flirt with Alicia, though?>]

I grimaced. Yeah, yeah. Let's just ignore that…

I followed behind Alicia, keeping a bit of distance to let her cool off.

Fortunately, the rest of the walk wasn't long. Alicia's mother lived in Central Vedelia, same as her, so our destination was close.

After weaving through the well-maintained streets, we finally reached a peculiar-looking house nestled among a row of identical homes—ones that resembled those famous American-style houses.

"Wait."

Alicia's voice stopped me just as I was about to step inside the house. She turned around, shutting the door behind her without another word.

I stood there, waiting. The air was still, save for the faint rustling of leaves in the evening breeze. A moment passed, then another.

Finally, the door creaked open again. Alicia stood there, giving me a small nod.

Taking that as my cue, I stepped inside.

At first glance, the house looked entirely ordinary—nothing out of place, nothing extravagant. But the more I looked, the more I noticed the sparse furnishings. The living room was bare compared to most homes, almost minimalistic. Then again, it made sense. Only Alicia and her mother lived here. While Alicia would occasionally return to Ravenia, she spent most of her time here.

"You don't look like Kleines."

A calm, measured voice drew my attention to the living room.

A woman stood there, watching me. She was stunning—crimson-red hair tied neatly into a bun, sharp eyes of the same striking shade. A steaming cup was nestled between her hands as she took a slow sip.

I met her gaze and started, "I know, people often say I look more like—"

"You don't look like Alea either," she interrupted.

I blinked, caught off guard.

The woman—Leora, Alicia's mother—walked over to the sofa and sat down.

I followed her lead, taking a seat on the couch opposite hers.

She scanned me with an almost amused expression before speaking again. "If I had to compare, I'd say you resemble Alea more. But even then… there's something different about you. It's strange. You are undeniably their son, yet at the same time, part of me hesitates to say so."

She chuckled softly before taking another sip of her drink.

I sat there, silent, unable to form a response to her words.

After a pause, she tilted her head slightly. "Alicia tells me you wanted to speak with me. Normally, she wouldn't let just anyone set foot in this house—not even her closest friends. Maybe little Elizabeth would be an exception, but even then, she's careful. And yet, she brought you here."

Her crimson gaze flickered toward Alicia, who stood nearby, arms crossed.

"So tell me… what exactly is your relationship with my daughter?"

"M–Mother, what are you—"

"I asked him, Alicia," Leora cut her off.

"Just a simple Senior-Junior relationship. Nothing special," I replied. "I helped her out a little, and she did the same for me. She's quite knowledgeable, after all."

Leora smiled, crossing one leg over the other as she gently swirled the liquid in her cup. "Helped her, did you?" she asked. "Interesting choice of words, considering you fought Reiner's son to break off her engagement. Do you make a habit of dissolving your juniors' betrothals? That would be quite admirable."

"Adrian had been annoying me for a while," I said with a shrug. "And it seemed he was bothering Alicia just as much. Our interests happened to align, so we made an alliance. It worked out. Besides, I don't see why you should be disheartened by the outcome. You know as well as I do how Adrian treated your daughter."

"Oh, I'm not disheartened," she admitted with a scoff. "But in the end, what did it really accomplish? Lazarus has already arranged another engagement for her."

I let out a short laugh. "That useless grandfather of hers? I suppose neither you nor Professor Raven have any say in the matter? That's unfortunate."

Leora took another long sip, her gaze drifting past me as if lost in thought. "If it were up to me, I would have taken Alicia to Edenis Raphiel long ago."

"And yet, you haven't," I noted.

She sighed softly, her expression turning cold. "Unfortunately, she is also James' daughter and a member of the Raven House. The royal blood in her veins is enough to turn her into a pawn for politics. It's disgusting." Her voice carried an edge of bitterness. "Even now, they see her as nothing more than a doll to be sold to the highest bidder. This time, it's the Moonfang House."

I frowned. "If you and James truly wanted to stop this, couldn't you?"

Leora chuckled, shaking her head. "If only it were that easy. You think you accomplished something by freeing Alicia from Dolphis House, but the real chains binding her belong to her own family. Lazarus Raven is a terrifying man. I strongly advise you—do not underestimate him. It won't matter that you're an Olphean. If you push too far, he won't hesitate to kill you."

She was serious.

I already knew Lazarus was dangerous, but hearing it from her only confirmed my suspicions.

"So you're just going to sacrifice your daughter's happiness because you're afraid of Lazarus?" I asked, raising a brow.

Leora smirked slightly. "Boy… you have no idea how royals operate. Their duty, their greed, their pride—how far they'll go to protect those things." She leaned back. "Alicia is a royal princess. She will marry someone deemed worthy of her, whether she wants to or not. That is the price of being born into nobility. As a royal yourself, you should understand that much."

"Not at all." I shrugged. "If my daughter doesn't want to marry someone, I won't force her. And if anyone tries to make her, I'll handle it—through any means necessary, even underhanded ones. They can call me a coward if they want. It wouldn't change anything in Sancta Vedelia anyway, since all those Heads already hate me."