CHAPTER 15: MY PITIFUL VILLAIN

Rosalia — POV

I almost laughed at the supposed hero’s pitiful, terrified, crying face.

Tears and snot soaked his face; whatever little bit of handsomeness he had evaporated, leaving only a repulsive sight.

And that was exactly what he deserved.

All my anger and pain for my favorite villain nearly evaporated.

Not every day is this good; it was a blessing to witness such a scene.

"pftt—" I put my hand over my mouth to stifle the laugh slipping out.

I heard my laugh clearly despite the crowd and noise...

Ah— wait.

It seemed the whole place had gone silent; at some point, every person in the wide space had fallen quiet.

After thinking for a moment, how could they not be stunned after what had happened?

Almost everyone around was Cassel’s friend or subordinate.

Since when could the boss lay a hand on his own brother?

He always obeyed every order and whim of that father and son; he never protested. So how could he raise a hand and strike?

I was about to lift my head and look back.

For some reason, I wanted to see Cassel’s face at that moment.

I wanted to know what expression he wore.

I wanted to ask him why he had struck his brother — maybe, deep down, I wanted to hear him say he did it for me, for my sake.

But before I could, I heard Cecil’s wailing and his obnoxious cries.

"Ahhh! My hand! My hand! I’m dying! How dare you, Cassell, you bastard..."

Then another voice, angry in the same way Cecil had been two minutes earlier.

Then came the voice of an old man, his body thin and girlish, running beside his son with tears frozen in his eyes for what had befallen his child.

To anyone, it would have seemed the old man’s heart was breaking for his injured son, wishing it had been him and not his beloved child.

And Cassel?

Isn’t he your son?

What have you done all this time?

When did you feel sorry for him?

My heart ached again for my pitiful villain.

The world called him evil and the villain, but I knew he had been forced down this path.

Who wants to be alone?

Who wants to be evil?

Who wants to be hated by the world and everyone in it?

"You ungrateful son! How dare you break your brother’s hand? He’s your brother — what have you done, you degenerate..."

The old man’s words were sharp and cutting like a knife, words a father should never speak to his child, curses a father should never heap on his own flesh and blood.

Everyone stood watching the farce but no one stepped forward to help — not because they didn’t want to, but because their boss had the final say.

For them, the orders and arrangements of their leader were their guiding principle.

From the start Cassel wouldn’t allow them to do anything; even he hadn’t dared to confront that father-and-son duo.

Now that he had broken Cecil’s hand, the illuminated, delighted faces could no longer be hidden, no matter how they tried.

That brat caused trouble for some in the company and even at home.

He’d always been arrogant and boastful, treating them like animals — worse than his dog, which received the prince’s favor.

Now his face was full of snot, mucus, and tears...

(What a fine scene.)

That was surely what many thought.

Their merriment diminished when the old man’s curses and abusive words toward the boss reached their ears.

After the old man ran out of breath and swallowed his spittle of curses, he realized no one held him in high regard.

Of course they wouldn’t.

Did he really think that he and his spoiled son were the rulers of this team?

If not for Cassel they would have been thrown into a dump long ago.

"Can’t you call a doctor to treat your brother?" The old man’s voice softened by half; he felt something different in this obedient son.

"Aren’t you a doctor? Hurry and treat my son. What are you doing standing in the crowd calmly? Move."

The old man pointed at the doctor who had treated me earlier.

But it seemed the doctor didn’t pay heed to the old man’s words or accusations.

In a world where humanity and all its laws had collapsed, did you still expect the ’conscience of doctors’ to function?

Oh, then good luck.

As expected, the doctor didn’t budge; he didn’t even look at the old man.

From beginning to end everyone had been looking at one person only.

At Cassel.

They awaited his command.

This is the power of the last villainous boss at the end of the world.

The old man — who wasn’t that old until now, really, until that moment — seemed to age ten years in an instant. The moment he realized his life and his son’s were at stake, the man who had treated Cassel as a dog and a steed found he could no longer control him like before.

The old man quickly changed his words and began to beg Cassel, even invoking emotional and family cards.

But Cassel’s gaze remained unchanged: cold, distant, indifferent.

Then, suddenly, his deep black eyes looked at me.

It felt as if they were staring into my soul.

But the feeling vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Cassel said quietly, in a clear, strong voice, "Treat him."

Only then did the doctor on the side move and order his nurse to bring what was needed to treat Cecil.

As for Mary — her eyes were red.

From afar she looked like she was sad, but I felt she was angry at Cassel.

Be angry, by all means — as long as you don’t bare your teeth at him.

After staring for a moment, Mary hurried after Cecil; his father had gone with him some time before.

Finally, the comedy — or whatever you call it—ended, and everyone dispersed at a single look from Cassel.

I was thinking about how the heroine looked at Cassel and trying to devise a plan to separate her from Cassel’s team when I felt the hand that had grabbed my waist earlier had not let go.

In fact, it seemed to be tightening.

I looked up at the owner of that hand.

He was staring at me with eyes hard to read, feelings well hidden.

"Come with me."

After he said that, the large hand left my waist.

I felt a little lost and embarrassed; my face flushed at my own wild thoughts.

I slapped my palm against my cheek hard until the redness deepened.

(Desire is emptiness; lust is the abuser...)

I muttered a few words to calm myself, though I’d seen those phrases somewhere in some novel and didn’t know their origin or meaning.

Then I looked at Cassel’s back ahead of me and followed him quickly without thinking.