Ascension Of The Villain

"I swear I kept my promise. I even took Clyde with me. Besides, she was absolutely harmless…"

After Vyan explained to Iyana why he had gone to visit the witch and what he talked about with her, Iyana grumpily pushed herself off the bed, muttering under her breath.

"You are an idiot," was what he heard last as she dragged her feet to the bathroom.

Vyan chuckled lightly and stayed put. He lazily stretched his arms and sank deeper into the warmth of the sheets.

Finally, sleep, he thought, already planning to knock out the second she left. He yawned, barely managing to keep his eyes open.

The sound of running water brought him back for a second, and when she emerged from the bathroom, face wet and slightly irritated, she groaned dramatically, rubbing her cheeks with both hands.

"Ugh, I have to change now to go out, and then I need to change again when I get to my quarters into my uniform. I swear, so much hassle."

Vyan propped himself up on one elbow, his tone suggestive and playful as he said, "Well, you should keep an extra set over here, you know, for cases like this."

Iyana paused, raising her eyebrows at him before her lips curled into a bright grin. "That actually sounds like a good idea."

She walked over to him and, before he could react, planted a kiss on his lips.

Still, halfway between sleep and wakefulness, Vyan blinked in surprise as she pulled away a little, still hovering over.

"Can I make a selfish request?" she asked, her eyes pleading cutely.

Smiling fondly, he reached out to tuck a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Let's hear what it is first."

"Drop me off behind the palace with your oh-so-amazing magical powers? Pleaseee?" she pleaded, mimicking a cutesy voice.

"I don't know," he replied, shrugging with exaggerated indifference. "I'm not exactly eager to leave my warm bed." He traced a slow, teasing line along the side of her face, his finger trailing down to where her shoulder met her neck. "Perhaps, if you plead a little more, I might consider."

"Vyan." She narrowed her eyes, a no-nonsense edge in her tone that had him straightening up immediately.

"Yes, at your service, my lady!" He quickly pecked her cheek with a deliberately sloppy kiss and began to sit up, all traces of his previous laziness forgotten.

Iyana grinned in triumph, satisfied as she turned back to pat her face dry with the towel. She watched him for a moment before he spoke again, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"By the way," he began, "I've been thinking. Instead of wrestling with that teleportation portal every day, why don't you just drop me a note in our letterbox artifact whenever you want to come over? I will come pick you up behind the palace."

Her eyes sparkled at the idea. "That would be so convenient for me." She tossed her towel aside and placed her hands on his shoulders, leaning close with a mischievous smile. "Thank you so much. You are incredibly thoughtful, you know that?" She hesitated, her eyes hopeful. "There is also something that I have been thinking about. So, um...

can I call you by a nickname? You know, Vee?"

His lips spread into a lopsided smile. "If you want to make my heart skip a beat every time you say it, then absolutely. Go ahead."

She relaxed at his response, an embarrassed laugh escaping her as she continued, "When you were gone last night, I spent an awful lot of time thinking about what to call you affectionately, with what trying not to pressurize my head too much with my new memories, and…" She laughed, a little bashfully. "It turns out I am way too picky to choose one."

He chuckled, amused. "Oh, so the classic endearments didn't make the cut? Were they too sugary? Too basic?"

She shook her head, biting back a smile. "It's not either of those. I want to be sickeningly sweet to you, and as for it being too basic, that's fine too. There is nothing wrong with going traditional. It's just that I am a bit awkward. It's my first time… in a relationship."

He took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, don't worry. It's not like I am a pro at this either. But, Iyana," he softened, looking into her eyes, "I am ready to put in the effort to make this work, no matter what."

"Me too." She intertwined her fingers with his, tightening their grip.

"We will always communicate, okay? If there is anything bothering you or if there is anything I can do to help you, just ask away. And I promise I will do the same."

Iyana hummed, smiling, her heart feeling fuller by the second, and at the same time, it was being welded by guilt. The voice in her head wouldn't calm down; it kept stopping her, wavering her courage from telling him the biggest thing she was hiding from.

"If you actually do the same, maybe I will come around to calling you honey, sweetheart, darling in the very far future." Her eyes watered a little at the thought of their uncertain future—a future where he might not even be around for her to call him with an endearment.

"Look at you, so emotional." He brushed her tears gently with his thumb. "Perhaps, getting back your memories all of a sudden has got your feelings all confused and jumbled up."

She nodded. "That's why I told you to let me stay with you the entire day, but no," she pouted. "You had to convince me to go to work."

He smiled wryly. "I am sorry, I just want you to keep your priorities straight."

"You are my priority—my top priority." Because I don't know how much time I have got left with you, and I don't want to waste a single second.

"Truly flattering, but my lady, you are still going to work," Vyan responded with a mixture of playfulness and seriousness.

He finally stood up from the bed, his hands grabbing her waist and pulling her body close to his, a flirtatious smile on his face. "However, I promise to give you all the time you want with me tonight."

Looking into his wine-red eyes which were just a little bit darker and dilated than usual, she matched his smile and rose to her tiptoes, locking her arms around his neck, their chests flushed. "In that case, I might just take an early leave from work."

"That's not how it works," he teased, brushing his nose against hers.

She smirked, bringing her lips close to his ear and whispering, "Why don't you make an exception then, Your Grace? I promise, you won't regret it."

But before she could even bat an eyelash, a faint zap tingled through her, and suddenly she found herself in the open space behind the palace, away from Vyan's cozy bedroom.

"You need to go," he urged, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Or else, I might really give in to the temptation."

She pouted, leaning into him with an exaggerated sigh. "That's exactly what I have been trying to get you to do."

He chuckled, sliding his hands down to her hips and giving a playful squeeze. "Tonight. After your first day as Commander, we will celebrate properly. Then, we can do whatever we want."

Rolling her eyes with a fond smile, she relented, "Fine. You win, but only because you have a really good incentive."

He grinned, stealing a quick kiss at the corner of her lips before stepping back. "Have an amazing first day, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she huffed with mock annoyance, though a smile betrayed her act.

"Now go," he insisted, nudging her gently, but she only shook her head.

"Just one more minute," she murmured, slipping back into his arms.

He laughed, his tone light but his gaze warm. "What's with you? You seem even more desperate for me than usual today."

The word "desperate" struck a chord deep within her, and she swallowed, feeling the weight of unspoken fears. Should she tell him? If he knew, he might try to find a solution—he was clever that way. Maybe he could save himself.

"Um, Vee, there's something I need to—"

A voice in her head interrupted: Do you really want to ruin what little time you have left together?

She wavered, nerves fraying, before finally blurting, "The thing is… I am just really horny."

She wasn't sure if he saw through the lie, but he laughed anyway, brushing a thumb across her cheek. "You are too cute for your own good."

His laughter filled her with a bittersweet longing, and she knew she had to contact Leila again soon. Time was slipping away, and they had so much yet to say, so much left unsaid.

———

After getting changed into her uniform from her private quarters, Iyana stepped into her new office, her usual stern expression in place, way too many worries on her shoulders.

"Surprise!"

Iyana's heart almost leapt out of her chest as she hadn't been paying attention when a chorus of voices suddenly broke the silence.

Her colleagues stood before her, grinning from ear to ear. In the center of the room, a beautiful pink cake sat on her desk, topped with fresh strawberries.

Melissa held up a small knife and waved it playfully. "We thought you would like a little treat to celebrate your first day as Commander. And His Grace suggested, what better way than with cake?"

Iyana blinked, only now realizing why Vyan had been so decisive about sending her to the office today. Because these three idiots had already consulted him. Nevertheless, a tiny, happy smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "You really didn't have to…"

"But we wanted to," Terrence interjected, flashing her a cheeky grin. "Because, you know, it's not every day we get a Commander who is both terrifying and secretly soft-hearted. You have earned it."

Iyana crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Soft-hearted? Did you forget who is in charge now, Lieutenant General?"

He winked. "Oh, trust me, I haven't forgotten. It's just that underneath that cold, 'I will slaughter you on the training grounds and crush you with paperwork' exterior, I can feel the warmth. Like a bear. Or, uh, something less dangerous. Maybe."

Elijah shook his head, his composed nature contrasting sharply with Terrence's liveliness. "He is partially right, though, Commander. You have worked hard to get here, and we all wanted to show our appreciation."

Melissa giggled and waved the knife again. "Let's cut the cake quickly. I can't wait to try out this pretty thing."

Iyana took the knife, a small but genuine smile finally breaking through. "Alright, you win. I will allow the celebration—just this once."

"Oh, but we have a big drinking party with the entire troops next weekend," Elijah added.

Iyana sighed in exasperation. "I swear you guys love drinking way too much."

"That's what it means to be a soldier," Terrence jostled.

"I can't deny that," Iyana agreed, having her fair share of drinks during the Ganlop war.

The group laughed together, digging into the cake together as lighthearted banter filled the room. Iyana, despite being heavily stressed, found herself relaxing in their company.

After they were gone, Iyana finally checked her new letters and found one from Leila.

"Dear Iya,

I am sending this letter to let you know that since you postponed our meeting this Sunday, I am free to meet you tonight over dinner at Frizhay downtown, otherwise, I won't be free the rest of the week. I know you already asked about the exact date of Vyan's death from the novel, and I told you that I didn't know for sure, but when I got home, I deduced the date.

It's gonna be the 6th of Topaz. The day of the Crown Princess's Coronation."

Iyana froze, the gears in her head turning and her worries intensifying.

Today was the 15th of Moonstone. So, there were only…

Twenty-one days till Vyan's fated death. Explore more adventures at m,v l'e-m|p y r