Lathel glanced toward Lucia—only to freeze when he saw tears silently rolling down her cheeks.
"Huh?! Lucia, are you... alright?" he asked, startled.
Lucia flinched as though waking from a trance. When her eyes met his, more tears spilled down her face.
Lathel blinked, utterly confused. "Hey, you—"
He was about to speak again but stopped midway.
Because Lucia's gaze—once soft and sorrowful—suddenly shifted.
Within her eyes flickered emotions he couldn't name: grief, longing, obsession... and then, for one fleeting moment, madness.
A suffocating, feverish madness that made his heart skip a beat.
Instinctively, Lathel took a cautious step back. "Oy... are you okay? Do you... need help or something?"
Lucia's breathing steadied. The crazed light in her eyes vanished almost instantly, replaced once again by her usual enigmatic calm.
"I'm fine," she said with a faint smile. "I just remembered something unpleasant. It made me... lose control for a moment."
Lathel exhaled in relief.
Even though Lucia was also a villain like him—and would later become his ally against Alex—there was still an enormous difference between them.
He was just a minor antagonist, destined to die early and trigger the next stage of the story for the main hero.
But Lucia... Lucia was a major boss—the ruling villainess of the entire kingdom.
Which meant... when Alex eventually wanted to expand beyond this region, he'd have to defeat her first.
"Ah, I see. If you're not feeling well, I can escort you back to Spring Garden," Lathel offered politely.
"No need," Lucia replied softly. A playful glimmer returned to her eyes. "I'm a bit bored, actually. Why don't we take a walk together?"
Lathel frowned slightly, remembering that today's storyline still had an event he needed to trigger. He sighed inwardly and called out to the System.
'System, what's today's plot?'
[Alex will visit the antique market. There, he'll discover an ancient relic containing a special pill that enhances his power. Combined with assistance from an Alchemist from the Divine Dragon Guild, he'll successfully advance to Level 3.]
[Originally, you weren't supposed to appear in this scene. However, since Alex never broke your legs, you're now required to participate.]
Lathel groaned inwardly. 'So that's it.'
In summary—if he was still capable of walking, the System would make sure he worked.
'No paid leave in this damn story. Not even a day off for almost dying.'
'System,' he muttered internally, 'you got any kind of overtime bonus for this?'
The System stayed silent.
'Tch! Stingy piece of code.'
Still, this plot didn't sound too dangerous. Having Lucia around shouldn't cause too much trouble—at least, not yet.
After all, according to the System, she hadn't even met Alex in this timeline. She didn't know him, hadn't fallen for him yet.
Yes, in the original story, Lucia would eventually fall in love with him. And after Lathel's death, her grief and fury would drive her to become the kingdom's final boss.
Beautiful, yes—but deadly.
Lathel smiled faintly. "Alright, then. I was planning to visit the antique market anyway. We can go together—it's fine by me."
"The antique market?" Lucia blinked, visibly surprised. Her brow furrowed slightly. "Can't we go somewhere else instead?"
"No," Lathel said firmly. "I have important business there today. If you—"
"No! I'm coming with you," Lucia interrupted sharply.
Her tone was calm—too calm—but there was unmistakable urgency hiding beneath her composed expression.
Lathel blinked, confused by her sudden insistence, then simply shook his head. He'd long given up trying to understand women in this world.
[Ack!]
The System suddenly let out a startled beep, making Lathel jolt.
'What now?'
[Ah! N-nothing! Hahaha... just a minor system error. I'm, uh... fixing it right now.]
Lathel: "..."
He stared blankly ahead. 'Yeah. Totally trustworthy.'
Still, for all its suspicious behavior, the System was the only thing keeping him alive—and the only way to earn rewards for completing these absurd "scripts."
He exhaled, adjusting his collar as he and Lucia began walking side by side through the bustling street.
The crowd instinctively parted for them. They were simply too radiant to ignore.
Lathel's sharp features and effortless nobility made him stand out even among the highborn. There was a lazy confidence in his steps, a natural charm that drew eyes without effort.
Lucia, on the other hand, was breathtaking—like a rose in full bloom: beautiful, alluring, but dangerous enough to make one's heart tremble.
Every so often, she'd steal a glance at him, her gaze carrying a strange, unreadable warmth.
After a while, she broke the silence. "Lathel, how old are you?"
"Eh?" Lathel blinked. The question was so random he almost tripped. Still, it wasn't exactly classified information. "Three days ago was my twenty-second birthday."
Lucia's eyes widened. "Is that so? I'm sorry... I didn't know. I should've come to celebrate with you."
"Huh? We only just met," Lathel replied casually. "You can come next year instead."
'That is,' he added inwardly, 'if I'm even still alive in this damn world by then.'
Lucia smiled softly. "Then it's a promise. Next year, you must invite me to your birthday."
Lathel looked at her—at the bright, genuine smile lighting up her face—and for a moment, he froze. It was... disarming.
But he quickly pulled himself together, replying dryly, "Of course."
"Though," Lucia continued, "I can't let you go without a gift. Even if it's three days late, I can still give you a birthday present, can't I?"
"That's... reasonable," Lathel said with a shrug, trying not to meet her eyes.
He turned his gaze forward, pretending to focus on the road—mostly because looking at her for too long was dangerous.
Lucia noticed the faint blush on his cheek and chuckled. "Then tell me, Lathel—what do you like?"
"Me?" He thought for a moment, then said bluntly, "Women. The prettier, the better."
He was pretty sure that made him the first man in history to say something that bold right to a woman's face.
But really, what was there to hide? He wasn't the "pure-hearted male lead" of some romance novel. He was the villain—a selfish, lustful, slightly pathetic man. Why bother pretending otherwise?
"Hahaha..." Lucia giggled, covering her mouth gracefully. "You're surprisingly honest."
Lathel: "..."
'What the hell? Shouldn't she be calling me a pervert right about now?'
Lucia's reaction completely threw him off, but he didn't dwell on it for long. Instead, he quietly contacted the System again.
'Hey, System. If I change her fate—say, guide her toward Alex instead—would that still count as "completing the script"?'
[No. That depends entirely on her own will. If her desired ending is death, then even dying would count as a completed script.]
[But to understand a character's true wish, you'll need to discover it yourself. Don't rely on what you remember from the novel.]
'Got it,' Lathel replied curtly.
The System sighed but stayed silent afterward.
"That's why you went to Spring Garden, isn't it?" Lucia suddenly asked, breaking the quiet.
Lathel didn't bother to hide it. He gave a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah. I just needed to relieve some stress... though I didn't expect to get drunk and pass out before I could even do anything."
He exhaled softly.
Lucia's smile grew brighter. "Hahaha... In that case, you should come to Spring Garden next time. I'll make sure you enjoy yourself even more."
"Huh?! Really?" Lathel's eyes lit up with excitement. Sure, he was promised twenty gorgeous women after completing the storyline—but that was future talk. Right now, he was... well, thirsty. A little "hydration" wouldn't hurt.
"Of course," Lucia said, tone velvety and teasing. "You can come anytime you wish. I'll be waiting for you."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted down to his hand, eyes shimmering with subtle greed. Slowly, she reached out, trying to intertwine her fingers with his.
But—
"Ah!" Lathel suddenly stopped walking.
Lucia's hand grasped at empty air.
He turned to her, confused. "What were you doing just now?"
Lucia's lashes fluttered as she quickly bit her lip. "Nothing. It's nothing."
Lathel frowned but decided not to press the issue. His attention shifted toward the bustling noise up ahead.
'Tsk... as expected of the protagonist. Wherever that guy goes, chaos follows.'
He quickened his pace, weaving through the crowd. Lucia followed silently behind, her eyes turning cold—murderous even—as she stared toward the commotion.
When people saw Lathel approaching, they instinctively parted to make way. Even in a crowded market, the son of the Duchess commanded respect. No one dared to offend him.
Lathel strode through the human wall, Lucia gliding after him, and the scene ahead came into view.
Alex was there—red-faced, furious—arguing with an old craftsman.
"You've got to be joking!" Alex barked, pointing at a half-finished wooden sculpture shaped vaguely like a twisted apple tree. "This pile of junk costs two thousand gold? Do you think I'm stupid?"
The elderly man's beard trembled with rage. "If you're not buying, then get lost! Stop making a scene in front of my stall!"
"Huh!" Alex sneered. "I'm doing you a favor even looking at this trash. You look like a scammer pretending to be an artist. What, you think you can fool me?"
He smirked arrogantly, tossing a single gold coin onto the ground. "Here. Consider it charity. That should feed you for a week."
Without hesitation, Alex snatched up the sculpture as if it already belonged to him.
The old man's face went red with fury. "You—! I never agreed to sell it!"
"Huh! I already paid you," Alex scoffed. "Whether you agree or not doesn't matter to me."
He turned to leave.
But before he could take another step—
A calm, mocking voice rang out through the crowd.
"Who would've thought that Arina's husband was nothing more than a thief? How disgraceful."
Alex froze.
The marketplace went dead silent.
Then, slowly, his head turned toward the source of the voice.
His eyes sharpened—two blades gleaming with pure hostility—as they locked onto the man standing there.
"Lathel."