Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Lucius sighed as he made it out of the meeting room.

Sure, on the outside he looked like the same smug bastard who had just put his legs on the President's table and made half the world's strongest people twitch in their seats but inside?

Inside, he was drenched in sweat.

He wasn't some kind of fearless monster.

He wished he was.

But he was still, at his core, a regular reincarnator.

Sitting in a room with the world's most powerful figures while tossing around demands like a spoiled child spotting candy on a shelf?

That wasn't just nerve-wracking… it was downright suicidal.

But he pulled it off.

'All that is done,' he thought, rubbing his temples as he closed the door behind him. 'It might take time, but GRIMMAW's building will be moved to the capital. Vanessa will have that list of priority dungeon raids. We'll be eating well. And then my personal requests will be done as well.'

It was worth it.

Every nerve he'd frayed, every heart that wanted to strangle him… it was worth it.

Elena had been forced to stay behind against her will.

Apparently, the Council had shifted into a topic of "extreme importance."

Lucius didn't bother sticking around to hear it.

Whatever great apocalyptic issue they were about to argue over, it wasn't his problem.

"My job at this party is done," he muttered, massaging the side of his head.

He found himself back in the secretary's office, but Alexia wasn't there.

The desk was empty, her scent in the air and her notes stacked neatly.

He stared at it for a beat, sighed, and slipped out.

The winding hallways dragged him back toward the celebration.

He could already hear the laughter, the clink of glasses, the rustle of gowns and suits.

'At least let me encounter a villainess or something,' he thought dryly as he stepped back into the party.

Vanessa was probably doing something.

The ballroom was still alive.

The slow romantic sway from earlier had given way to faster music that sounded like jazz?

He spotted Elliot lounging comfortably with Lily by his side.

Predictably, a small crowd of admirers hovered around them, desperate for crumbs of their attention.

Lucius didn't care.

What caught his eye was something different.

A table. One that stood apart from the rest.

People weren't just ignoring it… they were avoiding it.

Their gazes flicked that way for a moment, then quickly darted elsewhere, as if the air itself grew heavy in that corner of the room.

Guests circled around it like moths carefully avoiding a flame.

'Why didn't I notice that earlier?' Lucius wondered, his curiosity piqued.

He let his feet lift him slightly off the ground, floating just enough to drift lazily over to the cursed table.

He landed softly, hands in his pockets, and tilted his head at the woman sitting there.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Slowly, her eyes rose to meet his.

Purple eyes.

They weren't just purple though, they were deep and hypnotic, like polished amethysts under candlelight.

Her black hair spilled like silk over her shoulders.

For a moment, Lucius forgot how to breathe.

'What are the chances…?' he thought, his lips twitching upward.

The main villainess.

The infamous figure he'd only read about, seen through the tinted lens of narration and side characters' fear.

Now she was here, in the flesh, radiating that same aura of danger that kept every other guest at bay.

Esmeralda.

Esmeralda Nachtfaust.

A name whispered like a curse.

A name tied to a power that unsettled even the boldest of families.

She had awakened a Peak grade affinity.

A gift, or a plague, depending on who you asked.

The ability to twist, harm, or even manipulate souls themselves. She could deal soul damage although it would be hard for her to manipulate your soul directly.

Her parents had feared her.

Society feared her.

And so she was isolated, treated like a phantom at gatherings such as these.

Lucius leaned back slightly, crossing his arms.

'Hopefully Space can deflect soul damage. If not… well, guess I'll die stylishly.'

The villainess's gaze lingered on him for only a second before her lips parted.

"Move."

Her voice was cool. "Just act like everyone else in this goddamn party."

Lucius blinked.

'Well, that's my cue.' He turned, already half-ready to drift away.

He'd read enough to know what happened to the idiots who thought they could "fix" Esmeralda Nachtfaust.

Guys who pushed too hard, tried to flirt, tried to force themselves into her world… they didn't walk away the same.

They didn't walk away at all…

"Ah, wait."

Her voice again, softer this time.

He stopped.

When he turned, she had lifted her hand, almost lazily, as though calling back a dog that might wander off.

He couldn't plsce her expression but her eyes were sharper now, fixed on him with something closer to curiosity than disdain.

"Did you really want to sit here?" she asked.

Lucius raised a brow.

She reached for the bottle on her table, tilting it into her glass until the ruby liquid kissed the rim.

She lifted it and drank, her throat working as she swallowed.

A stray line of red trailed from the corner of her lips, but she didn't bother with a napkin.

Instead, she brushed it away with her palm, elegant even in carelessness.

"If you want to, please do."

Her words were an invitation, one that nobody else in this room would have dared hope for.

Lucius pulled out a chair, dragging it back with deliberate slowness, and sat down opposite her.

Esmeralda tilted the bottle toward him.

"Drink?"

Lucius smirked. "Don't mind if I do."

She poured, filling his cup until the wine nearly spilled over, then leaned back with her own glass.

Her purple eyes glinted.

"So tell me…" She swirled the liquid lazily, "Are you here to take advantage of a girl you saw sitting alone…?"

She lifted the glass to her lips again, drinking slowly but her gaze never leaving him.

"…or are you just trying to catch my attention?"

His next words would decide their relationship.

Lucius however wasn't afraid, he had dealt with a lot of annoying and scary women ever since this life started.

"I actually came over to ask something…" he said, tilting his head slightly as he studied her face.

Now that he thought about it, they had the same hair and eye color.

Purple eyes that looked like polished amethyst, black hair sleek like silk.

Didn't it make them look like twins?

"Ah, what about? For my number?" she asked, her voice oddly playful. "I'm sorry, but I don't give that ou—"

"No… no… I don't really care about that," he cut her off dismissively, waving a hand like he was brushing away an annoying fly. "I wanted to ask about a movie."

"Movie?" Her tone flattened immediately, and she looked ready to end the conversation.

She was about to raise her hand, probably to dismiss him.

"What about The Hollow Man?" Lucius asked casually.

"… The Hollow Man?" The change was instant.

Her purple eyes, once dull with disinterest, shrank in surprise.

A flicker of something recognition made its way to her face. "You… watched The Hollow Man?"

Lucius smirked inwardly. Got her.

It had been something less than a week ago. Vanessa, Luna, and the others had wanted to rewind one evening and somehow, the conversation had turned to movies.

Of course, he didn't have a massive library of recommendations. he wasn't exactly a film buff in his last life.

But he did remember one name that was talked about often in the novel: The Hollow Man.

So he'd thrown it out casually.

The experience had been… well, horrific. The movie wasn't just scary — it was the kind of film that crawled under your skin and stayed there.

Disturbing imagery, a killer whose face was never shown, victims disappearing into walls, voices whispering in silence.

Even he had to admit that he hadn't slept peacefully the night after watching it.

But still… if there was one thing Lucius knew, it was that finding common ground with the villainess was worth it.

"Yes," he said simply, watching her carefully.

"Then…" Her voice lowered, almost reverent. "Do you know who the Hollow Man is?"

Lucius leaned back in his chair.

The movie had been deliberately vague, leaving breadcrumbs without ever showing the killer's face.

"The movie didn't really specify," he admitted with a small shrug. "I think it was Jones, though."

For a moment, the table was silent.

Even the music and chatter from the ballroom outside seemed to fade away surprisingly.

Her eyes locked onto his, as if she was searching for something hidden deep inside them.

And then just as suddenly she moved.

Her hand shot forward, seizing his across the table.

Her drink tipped over, splattering across the tablecloth and dripping onto the floor, but she didn't care.

Her grip was surprisingly warm, almost desperate.

"I've decided you'll be my movie buddy," she said and her lips twitched, then they began to curve and Lucius soon saw a warm smile, "We'll watch so much horror movies together."

[Author's Note]

Like I mentioned in my other novel, I'm a bit under the weather so only one for today, I'll be doing 3 chapters tomorrow though.