Rosalia — POV
The villain, Cassel, was thrown into a heap of wretched zombies.
That was where he truly belonged—his rightful place.
A man so evil that he bore no trace of humanity.
Greedy. Terrifying.
A man who solved everything with blood and violence.
Someone who, because of his blackened heart and the vile life he led, ended up alone.
A man with no one to mourn him. No one to visit his grave.
Assuming, of course, there would even be bones left to bury.
Cassel lay among the zombies. Those grotesque, lifeless creatures tore at his flesh piece by piece.
But he didn't move.
He didn't fight back.
There were no screams. No groans.
Nothing.
The Last Boss stared into the void—perhaps at the black-and-red clouded sky, or at the barren, lifeless ground… or maybe at the living corpses feasting on his blood and flesh.
Those eyes held no pain, no sorrow, no fear.
If you tried to read what hid beneath that dark gaze, you might catch a faint glimmer—a brief, fragile light.
A fleeting emotion.
And that emotion was… relief.
Or maybe peace?
No one knew if that dim light vanished before the feeling could truly take form.
And so—the final villain, the strongest man in the post-apocalyptic world, the former cold-hearted CEO of the Zancroft legacy—
Died.
_Excerpt from "The Last Boss in the Apocalypse_
"No, don't die!"
"I don't want this!"
"I won't let you die!"
"No… please, please…"
Why… why is this happening?
Why can't I do anything…
The words flashed before my eyes.
Even though everything was moving too fast, even though countless words floated through the air, somehow—I could read every single one of them.
I could see every scene.
Every detail.
Everything unfolded right before me.
I wished I could look away—from that lifeless body, from those open, dim, empty eyes.
From the remains of the corpse that belonged to my favorite character.
But the images weren't in front of me.
They were inside my mind.
No matter how I tried, I couldn't escape them.
No… this can't be the ending again.
I refuse to believe it.
This is just a dream.
I'm here now—and even if it costs me my life, I won't let something like this happen again.
"Rosalia…"
Rosalia?
That's my name. Who's calling my name?
It feels like I was trapped in a nightmare, though I can't remember it.
What… was it?
"Rosalia, wake up. Now."
That voice again.
It was deep, husky, and beautiful.
I didn't know why, but I loved the sound of it.
I wanted to hear more.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
My body felt weak, unsteady.
Right in front of me, I saw a sharp, handsome chin.
For some reason, the thought crossed my mind that the owner of such a chin had to be unrealistically good-looking.
As if sensing my curiosity, the man lowered his head.
And in that instant—my mind cleared.
I remembered who I was, where I was…
And I even remembered the nightmare I'd just had.
That face.
Those furrowed brows.
Those dark eyes stared straight into mine.
They weren't filled with any strong emotion—perhaps just mild irritation—but I didn't care.
My eyes blurred again, not from fever or dizziness, but from something else entirely.
"Cae…"
My voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper, strangled by emotion.
In that hazy moment between consciousness and delirium, driven by instinct more than thought, I followed my heart.
I lunged forward—throwing my trembling arms around the man before me.
With shaking hands, I clung to his neck.
The most important person from my previous life—and in this one, too.
The closest one to my heart and soul.
The reason my heart beat and my lungs still drew breath.
Maybe it was the fever, or the remnants of that nightmare, but I held him tightly, refusing to let go.
"Cassel, don't. Don't die, please… please don't... die!"
Between my sobs and my trembling voice, my body shook violently in fear.
Fear that this man would die.
Fear that he'd meet the same fate written for him in the novel.
Suddenly, strong hands gripped mine, pulling me away from his chest.
I could no longer hear his heartbeat.
That alone made me uneasy.
When I looked up, his sharp eyes met mine, and reality slammed back into me.
Oh God… what had I just done?
Cassel's face was dark as thunder, his eyes blazing.
You didn't need a second glance to know he was on the verge of exploding with anger.
I quickly averted my gaze—because if I didn't, I was sure he'd eat me alive.
When I turned away, I realized we were in a wide open area.
Men and women of all ages moved around, busy with various tasks.
From what I saw, they arranged things to prepare food and also to sleep.
Campfires and glow sticks scattered across the space provided just enough light to see—but not too much.
Then, a voice came from the side, making me jump so hard I nearly fainted.
"Well, well, beautiful girl. How long do you plan to stay in our boss's arms?"
I turned my head toward the voice—it was Henry, smirking with his usual fake grin.
What terrified me more was that he wasn't alone.
Several others were watching, their expressions ranging from amusement to judgment—mostly the latter.
When I finally looked back at the one who'd been holding me…
…Yeah. So how exactly was I supposed to react now that I realized I'd been sitting on my favorite villain's lap?
Cassel sat, leaning against the black car behind him, still holding me effortlessly in his arms.
I was sitting directly on his lap.
I could even feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
Something warm trickled from my nose.
"Oh my god, your nose is bleeding!"
Liz—who had been among the onlookers—rushed over with tissues from who-knows-where. I wiped my nose, my face burning with mortification, praying for the ground to swallow me whole.
"Get down."
That single command was enough to snap me back to reality.
In a panic, I scrambled off his lap so quickly I nearly slammed my head against the ground.
"Easy there, little bunny. Looking for a hole to hide in from the boss?"
Henry caught my arm before I fell—still as shamelessly talkative as ever.
Which was why I swallowed the thank you that almost escaped my lips.
Did he stop there? Of course not.
Once I regained my balance, I heard him continue with that infuriating grin:
"You know, a moment ago you were clinging to the boss like your life depended on it, calling his name in your sleep, refusing to let go. And now? You're running away like he's some terrifying monster instead of your dream prince?"
"Hahaha!"
"Henry, aren't you afraid the boss will rip your tongue out? Look at his face."
"Hehehe, guess the apocalypse made your illness worse. You've gone completely fearless, First Assistant."
"Stop teasing the girl. She's sick. We were worried she'd die from the fever. Be grateful she even woke up."
"Can't help it," Henry replied lightly. "I've always loved playing with rabbits since I was little."
Liz gave him a pointed look, then glanced back at me before returning her gaze to him.
Then Cassel's cold voice cut through the air—sharp and commanding.
"Take her to the doctor. Have him re-examine her and give her medication if necessary. Then everyone gathers for lunch."
The playful air vanished instantly.
I lifted my head to look at him.
Tall, broad-shouldered, strong—he was even more breathtaking than I had ever imagined.
I'd spent years picturing him in my head, but the real thing… was on a completely different level.
Cassel stood and walked away without another word, his expression unreadable.
As for me—I followed his retreating figure with my eyes until I felt a gentle pat on my shoulder.
Liz smiled softly.
"Come on, let's go see the doctor. We need to check if you're really better. Can you walk? Or should I carry you?"
"Ah—no, no. I can walk. I'm fine."
I wanted to glance back at Cassel one more time, but he was already gone.
After a few more futile tries to find him in the crowd, I gave up, stood from the cold concrete ground, and followed Liz slowly.
My thoughts, however, were elsewhere—
stuck replaying the image of me in Cassel's arms…
and how on earth I'd ended up there.