Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

'I swear I have to stop depending on the plot to know what's going to happen.' Lucius thought with a long, irritated sigh.

His head tilted slightly as his eyes followed Esmeralda, who had turned back to brushing soot from her burned dress.

'They never mentioned an Irael. Not in the story, not in the background lore, not even in the useless filler chapters. And now he's suddenly a childhood friend of the Villainess? How am I supposed to work with that?'

It was confusing, infuriating even.

The entire reason he'd relied on the "plot" was because it gave him leverage. Knowing when to duck, when to push, when to laugh.

But if the story started throwing new characters at him, all bets were off.

"That means he's your childhood sweetheart." Lucius finally said, lips smiling in amusement as he leaned closer to her.

Her head turned just enough to give him a sidelong glance.

"I wouldn't put it like that," she said. Her voice was calm, but it had that pointed edge, like she was trying to snuff the very thought out before it gained life.

Then, raising her palm, she let a flicker of soul energy dance across it. The glow spread into her knuckles as she threw a jab toward Lucius's face.

It never landed.

The attack stopped just short of his cheek, it couldn't cross Infinity.

"Especially not when I can kill the man easily," she continued, her lips curling into something that wasn't quite a smile.

Her gaze softened and she added, "Besides… I am just a Monster."

The last word came out like a confession.

Lucius's brow furrowed.

'Ah, where did that come from?' He wondered.

He sighed quietly.

He hated dealing with this sort of thing.

Emotional complexity wasn't his strong suit.

"Well, whatever."

He let himself drop lightly from the air, landing on the cracked stone with an easy grace.

He straightened, dusted off his hands, and shifted the topic.

"You talked about being movie buddies. Do you have a recommendation in mind? I don't usually do horror but—"

Her head shot up, her sad eyes widening instantly. They were bright, wide, and almost puppy-like, all that loneliness vanishing in a blink.

"You'll really go?" she asked breathlessly, stepping closer, her burnt dress swaying at her thighs. "Like… really really go?"

Lucius arched a brow, stroking his nonexistent beard with mock seriousness.

"Or should I change my mind?" he teased.

"No — wait don't!" she blurted quickly, her voice cracking in panic before she caught herself.

Her face colored faintly as she reached into the air beside her, fingers grasping at nothing. Then, with a small ripple of white light, something shimmered into existence.

Lucius blinked.

She pulled out a phone.

"I call it a soul pocket," Esmeralda explained proudly at the phenomenon while holding up the slim device like a child showing off a prized toy. "I can keep things here without worrying about them being stolen."

Lucius stared for a beat.

'It's not like anyone would dare steal from you either way,' he thought, but wisely kept that part to himself.

She tapped at her screen, scrolling rapidly, then turned it toward him with sparkling eyes. A webpage glowed back at him.

"I got tickets to Zombie Awakeners I! It's premiering tomorrow. It's about these undead awakened who still have their powers but—"

She kept going. Her voice quickened, her gestures animated as she launched into the plot, explaining the characters, the setting, the "amazing" practical effects she'd heard about.

Her hands moved like she was painting the scenes in the air. She even tried to mimic one of the zombie snarls, curling her fingers like claws.

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing inwardly.

'She's really into this. Great. Just what I needed, a horror fanatic Villainess dragging me into movies. Hopefully I'll survive the runtime.'

"Sure, you can text me the details on Stitch," he said at last, resigning himself. Vanessa was waiting for him anyway; he could only linger here so long.

Esmeralda froze.

"T-text?" she stammered. "On Stitch?"

Lucius blinked. "Don't you have the app?"

She nodded far too fast, her hair bouncing with the motion.

"I… I do."

Lucius didn't believe her.

He reached out and, before she could protest, snatched the phone clean from her hands.

Her gasp followed him as he scrolled.

Sure enough, her Stitch account was barren.

It was just the lonely interface of someone who'd never used it for more than creating a profile.

"You don't have friends?" he asked, his voice flat, more stunned than mocking.

At least one or two people usually cluttered a feed.

Even bots tried to slide in sometimes.

Esmeralda's lips pressed tight. She looked away.

"Well… nobody wanted to text me so…" she murmured.

Lucius stared at her for a moment.

Then, with a shrug, he added himself to her list.

"There. Just text me later," he said, handing the phone back.

As if on cue, a figure came hurrying toward them from the corridor. An older woman in a maid's uniform, her clothes fluttering as she ran, her face flushed with exertion.

She bent over, hands bracing her knees, gasping for breath.

"L-Lady Esmeralda," the maid panted, raising her head. "You shouldn't run off like that and look at your dress!" Her eyes widened in dismay at the ruined state of the gown.

Esmeralda, however, barely seemed to hear her.

She was smiling.

She raised her phone like a trophy, thrusting it in the maid's face.

"Look, Tinny," she said brightly. "I have a boyfriend now."

Lucius had already vanished by the time she said it.

…

"You're almost late," Vanessa said flatly.

Lucius slipped back into the grand hall as the celebration neared its final stretch.

At the center, the president stood before a towering cake of multiple tiers, each layer frosted with ornate designs.

Beside him, the major members of the council and several clan heads gripped ceremonial knives.

Lucius caught sight of Valerian, Leo Silberhain, the Runenforscher elder with his ridiculous beard… all standing in neat formation.

Even the Saintess stood near, her hands folded delicately.

"We thank you for coming to celebrate our 101st Anniversary!" the president declared, his bold voice echoing.

He lifted his knife high, the others mirroring him. His smile shone like it had been rehearsed.

"For Humanity!"

"For Humanity!" the whole hall roared back in unison.

The knives sank into the cake and just like that… the final part of the celebration began.