Ascension Of The Villain

As Iyana recounted the harrowing events from the medical ward, fear tightened around Vyan's heart like a vise.

They must have come after Iyana because of what I did to the Estelles, Vyan thought, recoiling. I am happy that she awakened her Aura because of this, but—

His heart skipped a beat as his eyes met her sharp, scrutinizing ones. "I was just now thinking," she began, "doesn't this also mean I cannot do black magic as you said?"

That was right. If she could perform the black arts, she wouldn't have been able to achieve Aura, which led to believe that she was never involved in framing Vyan.

Dread settled within his chest.

The overwhelming feeling of guilt from that night came rushing back—the night he had clung to her like a baby and cried his eyes out.

"Uh, about that," Vyan murmured, trying to sound casual but failing.

I don't want to talk about this right now. I can't deal with this. Maybe we should leave—

Almost as if she read his thoughts, Iyana placed her hands on his shoulders, keeping him in place. "You knew about it already, didn't you?" Her tone was stern, her eyes narrowed on him, as if she could see through his soul.

Unable to maintain eye contact, he averted his gaze and nodded slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me right then?"

Of course, she would ask that. How could she not? He should have come clean that night during their dinner, but fear had held him back. The words had choked him.

How could he possibly admit that he had unjustly made her suffer when she had been innocent all along?

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The guilt gnawed at him relentlessly, a constant, bitter reminder of his mistake.

How could he have accused her of something she hadn't done? What fault was it of hers that someone had impersonated her to deceive him? And why should she bear the weight of guilt for his wrongful accusations? Oblivious to the truth of her innocence due to her lost memories, he had let her languish in undeserved guilt.

If only he had confessed even a day sooner, she might have had one more day free of this undeserved torment.

"I… I should have told you sooner," Vyan began, his voice trembling, faltering as he tried to step back. But her grip on his shoulder kept him rooted, grounding him in this moment of truth. "I was ashamed," he finally admitted.

"Why?" Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes wide and searching.

"I felt ashamed that I didn't trust you back then," he confessed, his gaze falling to the ground as if he could find redemption there. "You saw through my impostor, but I… I was blinded by my own rage. Nothing about that woman resembled you—the way she spoke, her gaze, her mannerisms. Yet, I let my anger cloud my judgment."

"Vyan," she uttered, her voice firm. As she cupped his face, her touch making his breath hitch. "Is that why you were crying that day?" Her eyes, now filled with a mixture of pain and compassion, met his. "Was that when you found out?"

Why… why are you asking me that of all things?

His throat tightened, and he struggled to find his voice. He finally nodded as tears welled up in his eyes. He had expected anger, resentment, anything but this.

There are so many things you must want to know right now. Like how do I know, why didn't I trust you back then, why did I make you go through all this—

"Why aren't you blaming me?" he asked, his voice shaking despite his efforts to keep it steady.

She should yell at him, tell him off for wronging her. Why wasn't she doing any of tha—

Her arms reached up and enveloped him in a gentle hug. "I want to, but what can I do?" she sighed, her breath warm against his neck. "My heart is so fickle when it comes to you. I don't know why."

His eyes widened slightly, his breath catching in his throat. "You mean you are not mad at me?"

"Oh, I am mad at you," she chortled softly, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I am mad that you found out I wasn't the one who betrayed you and kept it from me."

"I'm… sorry about that," he mumbled, hugging her back tightly, afraid to let go. "I really should have told you during that dinner when you asked."

"It's okay. You were scared; I understand." She rubbed his back in soothing circles, her voice gentle. "And as for everything you have been plotting against me, I forgive you. You were made to believe those lies. It can't be helped if you misunderstood. That person probably didn't think you would survive the cell, let alone do all this."

He chuckled lowly, the sound filled with a mixture of relief and irony. "That's right."

"Now, if you have realized your mistakes, just stop going after my family. They don't deserve to suffer because of me—"

He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes with a seriousness that made a chill go down her spine. "Wait, I haven't been going after them because of you. Part of it was about you, but not entirely."

She arched an eyebrow, her confusion evident. "What do you mean?"

Vyan observed her puzzled expression and let out a weary sigh. "It's a long story. Let's talk about it tomorrow morning on our way back to the main town."

Iyana pouted, her lips forming a small, reluctant frown, but she nodded begrudgingly. They were still standing in the destroyed ward, surrounded by the remnants of her battle with Azazel.

Vyan conjured a pouch of silver coins and placed it on the bedside nightstand as a gesture of recompense before teleporting them outside the hotel where everyone else was staying.

They unceremonously headed inside towards the reception desk.

"Excuse me, I would like to book another room," Vyan asked.

"Actually, sir," the receptionist started apologetically after sparing a look at Iyana, who was wearing a simple white gown from the medical facility. "There are no more rooms available."

"Not a single one of them?" he asked once again, and the receptionist helplessly shook her head.

"You didn't book any rooms for me in advance?" Iyana asked sharply, shooting a glare at Vyan.

"You were still supposed to be at the medical facility, remember?" he retorted, and she rolled her eyes.

"Aren't there any female mages I can share the room with?" she inquired, crossing her arms.

"Two of them are staying together in a room with, I guess, one double bed," he mentioned, then frowned. "How would you sleep there?"

"Maybe I can still manage somehow—"

"And how exactly do you plan to do that? You can't even sleep with someone else in the room," he pointed out.

"How do you even know—" Right, he was her knight, so of course he knew. "Anyway, that's not true. Your presence doesn't bother me."

She had realized this only last night. Whenever she tried to sleep with Priscilla or Harvey in the room, she couldn't do it, no matter how sleepy she was from the medicinal herbs. discover-stories-NovelFire

Only after they left, she could doze off, and as soon as they came back, her sleep would get disturbed. But that didn't happen with Vyan.

In fact, she dozed off in the middle of their conversation last night and slept like a baby, while he once again made himself go through the torture of sleeping by her bedside on a chair.

"Oh, am I special?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

"No, that's not it," she let out in a thoughtful manner. "You are more like… air."

"Huh, air?" Is my presence invisible to her?

His baffled reaction made her laugh lightly. She took a hold of his arm and dragged him towards the staircase. "Come on, show me to your room now."

"Wait, are we staying in the same room?"

She grinned up at him and confirmed, "Yes, Your Grace."