Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

Vritra's smiled mildly as he led an unhappy Rosemarie in another graceful twirl.

"See? You're a natural."

"Let go of me, already!"

Rosemarie huffed as her cheeks turning red with both embarrassment and irritation. She wrenched her hand free and took a step back, while the music played softly in the background.

"I'm not here for fun, God Dionysus. I'm here because you blackmailed me."

Vritra merely shrugged.

"Blackmail, persuasion… same difference."

Rosemarie frowned and folded her arms, shifting her focus back to the busy city streets. Even though they had shared a brief moment of ease, the tension between them still lingered a bit… heavily.

"You're insufferable…" she muttered under her breath.

"And yet you keep spending time with me."

Vritra quipped with his smile ever-present.

She didn't dignify that with a response.

Their walk carried on much the same way.

Vritra kept testing the limits, throwing in a flirt here, a sarcastic remark there… but always in that annoyingly charming way that made it difficult for Rosemarie to completely despise him. She hated how he treated everything so casually, how he dismissed her anger or frustration like it was nothing.

And yet… there was something about the way he actually seemed interested in the city, and in her, that left her feeling torn.

As they walked, Vritra began asking a string of strange questions that left Rosemarie feeling lost.

"Red or yellow?"

"Huh?"

"Red or yellow?"

"Err, yellow, I guess."

"Wealth or love?"

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"Uhm, definitely love… I don't really have much of an attachment to wealth, if I'm being honest."

Rosemarie folded her arms and looked to the side.

The young lord just smiled at her naivety.

"Mhm, sure… love. That's what all women say, but in the end, they marry for love and get frustrated when there's not enough money to go around in a relationship."

"Well, that's not me, hmph!"

The nun angrily turned her gaze away.

Naturally, the young lord just chuckled.

"Keke, always good to see you so expressive. But my truth still stands. While people prefer genuine emotions over material wants, the latter always seems to be the reason those genuine emotions get diluted. Think of it like this: many claim that love is the strongest feeling, but it's been shown too many times how people sacrifice their loved ones in pursuit of personal desires."

He was making sense, but as a nun, Rosemarie couldn't agree with that in the slightest—unless she wanted the church to come for her head.

The nun laughed mockingly at his statement.

"What a joke! But of course, that's what I'd expect from a man with such a blasphemous title like God Dionysus. If you can betray someone you love, then you never really loved them from the start. It's as simple as that, hmph!"

She proudly lifted her head and hummed in a very smug, self-satisfied way, as if she were certain he wouldn't have a comeback to her response.

But he did.

"That's not really how love works. If you have the ability to love someone else, then you also have the ability to love yourself, yes? If that's the case, wouldn't that mean that betraying someone you love for selfish gain is simply another way to love yourself?"

Rosemarie lifted an eyebrow. "Uhhh… definitely not."

The Asura Prince gently patted her on the head.

Naturally, she frowned but did nothing else.

She wanted to hear his thoughts. What did he mean?

"What I mean is… selfish gain can be called selfish, but it can also be called personal desire. But if we say it that way, it's also fair to say that fulfilling the personal desire of someone you love is your greatest act of selflessness, and their greatest act of selfishness. Why do we feel obligated to fulfill the desires of someone we love?"

"Uhm, because we love them?"

Rosemarie tilted her head.

She wasn't a big fan of these kinds of discussions, but she also couldn't shy away from it because it would just give this asshole of a young lord something more to brag about.

"Err, wrong answer…" Vritra replied.

"Oh yeah? What is it, then?!"

"It's because love is the most effective form of control. When someone has your heart, they don't need to force you to act in their interest… you'll do it willingly. The more you care, the more vulnerable you become to manipulation under the guise of affection. Their happiness becomes your currency."

"…"

Those words left the nun silent.

Perhaps even Vritra didn't notice this because he himself was absorbed in his own personal world.

"The truth is, we fulfill their desires not out of pure altruism, but because we're terrified of the consequences of failing them. We fear rejection, the withdrawal of affection, and the unspoken accusation of not being enough. Love is as much about submission as it is about devotion, and that's where the line between selflessness and selfishness blurs most dangerously."

An oddly sad expression appeared on his calm face.

His fists tightened in frustration, and there was sharp pain in his chest as he spoke.

Rosemarie noticed this and immediately held his right hand, but when the young lord looked at her, she averted her eyes. NovelFire-hosted

She felt a little ashamed that she was doing this, but at the same time, it didn't feel too bad… or maybe it was the fact that she was comfortable with the idea of comforting this man that made her feel so ashamed.

『There's just something about him…』

She held his hand with more affection, more care.

"You know…"

Rosemarie paused to gather her thoughts.

"Love can make us feel vulnerable, but real love isn't really about control… it's about growing together and supporting one another. When we do things for someone we love, it's not just because we have to or because we're afraid. Most of the time, it's because we truly want to make them happy, and seeing them happy makes us feel good too."

She came to a stop, and Vritra did the same.

For the first time since they met that morning, Rosemarie looked up at him and gave him a real smile. It wasn't forced or polite—it was genuine, and it revealed a beauty that took the young lord by surprise. He hadn't realized just how stunning she truly was until that moment.

She reached for his other hand and gently ran her fingers over it, showing a bit of affection. It was her way of telling him that the bond two people share is often rooted in something deeper… something like love.

"Real love is about helping each other become better, not about using or controlling each other. In a healthy relationship, both people give and take, finding a balance where they care for each other and still follow their own desires."

They both fell silent and just looked at each other for a while.

After about a minute, Rosemarie suddenly realized she had been staring at Vritra for too long. The young lord didn't mind at all; he kept gazing back at her without a care.

『WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING──?!』

Feeling a rush of panic, she quickly pulled her hands away from his and coughed awkwardly, turning her eyes elsewhere.

Her cheeks turned bright red, and she felt a little dizzy.

Prince Vritra smiled at her adorable reaction.

"So, you believe love is an emotion worth having as long as it's genuine, right?"

"Y-, Yes… pretty much…"

Rosemarie was still red and a little shaken.

This was the complete opposite of the young lord, who was very calm as he adjusted his coat and tucked his hands behind his back before stepping forward.

"If that's the case, then I suppose I could call the feeling in my heart for you genuine. That's a good start."

For some odd reason, those words made Rosemarie feel completely different. It was like she had actually changed Vritra in just a moment, something that was nearly impossible with Sadim. There were times when she tried to give Sadim advice on what to do or not to do, but he never really listened to her.

In Sadim's words, he was always right.

So seeing a man she disliked actually take her words to heart felt really nice.

『He's so weird…』

And yet she was smiling.

[Ding! The heroine's affection for you has gone up by a huge 250 points! Great work!]

Vritra's expression remained neutral.

He glanced back at Rosemarie.

"Come on… there are still parts of the city I haven't seen yet, Sister Rose. Please, show me more."

Rosemarie's eyes widened slightly, but her smile stayed in place.

"O-Okay!"

She hurried forward to walk beside Vritra.

This time, she even leaned against him a little as she pointed out different spots in the city.

"So, this is another shelter we have…"

Even her voice was more polite.

Surely, this heroine was starting to develop something for the young lord, but was it enough?