The Villain Who Robbed the Heroines

The season when the stirring spring ripens.

The weather that had been chilly during dawn and night was now embraced with warm coziness.

Ferzen, who was in Euphemia’s bedroom taking care of her, turned his head towards one of the maids.

“My Lord. Your commission has been completed.”

"Is that so."

After gazing down at the sleeping Euphemia, Ferzen left the care of her to the maids, got up and left the room.

Immediately after, entering the workshop separately prepared in the annex, a faint scent of sweat and a thick smell of paint wafted over.

"Oh, you're here."

"I heard the work is all finished."

"Will you show me?"

"Th-this way, please."

These artists were the best Rosenberg had to offer.

Ferzen prayed he wouldn’t be disappointed since he even met that Old Snake just to get everything necessary for this.

"......"

But as expected of artists who made a name for themselves in Rosenberg, the holy land of art and culture.

The results that entered his eyes were flawless beyond compare.

Although Ferzen was the one who drew the sketch, the fact final product perfectly matched his intentions without a single error was absurd.

And the artists hired by Ferzen, seeing him silently appreciating their works, also clenched their fists tightly.

They also had ample experience and intuition, so they realized through Ferzen's reaction that they had succeeded.

A quiet silence without a single word.

Could there be a more definite praise than that when it comes to appreciating artwork?

“You may take your leave now. The maid waiting outside will take care of the promised compensation.”

“Yes! T-Thank you for our generosity, My Lord.”

After gathering their tools in the workshop and stepping outside, the artists sighed contently, after such an exhausting job.

Besides the generous compensation, they mostly accepted Ferzen’s request to build good ties with Brutein.

"But... honestly, isn't it amazing?"

"It really is. I didn't think he was the type to prepare such a gift for his wife."

“Ahh…I was so afraid that we might get some paint stains in that Azelia’s dress he put there for reference…”

“Hahaha…I think that was something everyone feared.”

The artists chatted about their work as they walked. However, when they saw compensation, waiting for them outside the annex, their eyes widened.

“You know…If he had that much money prepared…I wonder if he was planning on beheading us if we had stained that dress…”

Unless the compensation also included a life’s annuity, the artists wondered if it was okay to receive that generous pile of gold.

One by one they blinked, as a broad smile spread through their faces.

There was so much gold they couldn’t even grasp it within their arms.

*****After a long time, Ferzen who had been appreciating the paintings, turned around.

As he left the workshop, he saw Yuriel enjoying a tea party with some young ladies from various noble families in the Brutein’s mansion garden.

Then, one of the laddies noticed him, and following her eyes, everyone in the tea party glanced at Ferzen, including Yuriel.

Being the center of attention, Ferzen lightly waved his hand.

'......'

Yet, despite that half-hearted greeting, Yuriel gave him a radiant smile.

All this time, you were waiting for me.

So Yuriel.

This time, I... will be waiting for you.

*****"Hah..."

Late at night.

Yuriel entered a carriage accompanied by some maids.

Leaning against the window, she sighed tiredly.

She had received a letter from her grandfather, an urgent summon.

Did he know of her pregnancy?

Well, the Old Snake would surely obsess over this child growing in her womb more than even herself.

Yet, the fact she had been summoned urgently, meant that something important was happening.

Throb.

Yuriel, pressing her temples tightly as if a slight headache was rising, tilted her head back.

The carriage had already begun to leave Brutein.

Looking at the scenery of the forests heavily blanketed in darkness, Yuriel closed her eyes.

Since the carriage would be moving for quite a long time, she should forcibly get some sleep so it wouldn't strain the child.

Creak.

However, when the carriage stopped before even 30 minutes had passed since leaving Brutein, Yuriel, who had been napping, opened her eyes and looked around.

What could have happened?

As Yuriel looked at the maids with unwarranted tension, the maids, without resolving Yuriel's question, opened the carriage door, got off, and bowed deeply.

As if moonlight had settled in the quiet forest.

As if this was the destination.

"......"

Although Yuriel was on high alert in case there was a risk of an ambush, it would be ridiculous for the maids of the Brutein family to be bribed by someone.

So, carefully getting up and getting off the carriage, Yuriel quietly followed behind the maids who were moving with soft steps, treading on the undergrowth.

"Ah..."

Then, in the center where moonlight shone down, there was a small cabin made of logs.

As the maids opened the door of that cabin, a large mirror and a pure white dress placed next to it were revealed.

The words she wanted to ask, what on earth this was, rose up to the end of her throat, but what suppressed it was a vague sense of anticipation.

“My Lady, please come here. And we shall make you the most beautiful woman in this world.”

"......"

The moonlight softly coming in through the window truly possessed a bewitching charm.

If not for that, the maids attending to her wouldn't look like fairies.

Swish.

Like that, Yuriel changed into the pure white dress of Azelia’s make, and in front of the large mirror, she could feel her heart beating rapidly as she saw herself becoming more and more beautiful.

Soon, the maid who finished the makeup stepped back and brought a small box, took off the shoes Yuriel was wearing, and carefully put on shoes that looked exactly like the dress she was wearing, taking them out of the box placed on the floor.

Creak.

Immediately after, the maids who had worked their magic on her, opened the cabins door, letting the gentle moonlight caress the place…

Clack.

Yuriel slowly got up and took a step.

Swish──

Along with the warm spring breeze, the sound of swaying undergrowth could be heard.

And following the moonlight illuminating the path she should take amidst it, Yuriel soon could see with her own eyes.

A small lake, and the numerous paintings lined up in two rows in front of it.

The first thing that caught her eye was a baby lying in a cradle.

The painting placed on the opposite side, as if forming a symmetry, also showed a newborn baby with wrinkled skin, only with a different background.

Clack.

But as she took steps little by little, the babies in the paintings began to grow.

At first, it was hard to grasp, but as distinct features and shapes gradually settled in place, Yuriel easily realized that the painting on the left was Ferzen and the one on the right was herself.

Yes, the paintings placed here expressed the passage of time between them both.

Of course, for both him and her, not only happy memories were contained.

In his childhood, he had more tears and frustration than smiles.

She, too, had more moments of struggling as her individual life was deprived and she was raised to be a woman for him.

Then suddenly, Yuriel stopped in front of the 13th painting.

Because for the first time, the painting that had been expressing each one individually was showing the two of them together.

On the right, she was sitting on a chair looking at Ferzen.

On the left, Ferzen sitting on a chair looking at her.

……This was the time, when a girl born and raised just for him, was denied for the first time.

Throb.

As if she couldn't remain calm, a sharp pain spread from her chest.

But now, accepting this too as a memory with him, Yuriel took a step.

14 years old.

15 years old...

The paintings diverging again from the 13th one expressed each one's life, but exactly at the 23rd painting, at the end of a 10-year gap, Ferzen and she met again there.

If until now it was based on a year, from now on, the paintings were arranged by dividing the past year ── those 12 months.

Reuniting with him at the academy.

Him and her fighting off an attack together.

Him and her bickering to the point where it's hard to tell if their relationship is good or bad.

And when Yuriel saw Ferzen and herself sitting cozily at the mansion of her grandfather, Corleone, which was most deeply etched in her mind, she couldn't help but wipe away tears.

The anxiety and fear about him not coming to get her at that time.

The joy and happiness that bloomed when he finally arrived, even now, it would be impossible to express in words.

Like that, the last 37th painting.

The following year when they both turned a year older, the spring of March.

The painting capturing the moment of reunion at the end of the war guides her from the past to the present.

"......"

No, not the present.

In front of the lake shimmering faintly in the moonlight, the 38th painting she hadn't seen yet was depicting not the present but the future.

She was wearing the same pure white dress, kissing Ferzen who wore a neat black suit with a radiant smile.

Clack.

Approaching the final painting, she could see a familiar handwriting engraved in the upper right corner.

「 Years intertwined with passion. 」

「 Months filled with longing. 」

「 Days spent in a sweet embrace. 」

「 Hours lost in a loving gaze. 」

「 Minutes marked by tender kisses. 」

「 May the memories with you, forever seared into each passing second, become the eternal current of my desire. 」

"Ugh...! Sob...!"

The writing on the painting, engraved in an elaborate yet concise style.

When she read it all, feeling Ferzen's affection permeated in it, Yuriel naturally burst into tears.

Could there be a more romantic confession in the world?

Could there be a more moving reciprocation of love in the world?

Thud.

The sound of footsteps could be heard from the other side.

Even though the tears obscured her vision and she couldn't see properly, how could Yuriel not know that the man was Ferzen?

"Yuriel."

"Yes..."

"There were truly many times we missed each other."

"......"

"Thanks to that, the time you are by my side feels more precious."

So if my past faults and the mistakes I made can be forgiven, if I can be a little more greedy...

"Would it be alright for me to become the final destination of your life?"

What a foolish question.

What meaning is there in asking for such permission at this point?

Still, Yuriel placed her hand on top of Ferzen's outstretched hand and answered with a radiant smile.

"Yes... Please, become my everything..."

Ferzen knew Yuriel wouldn't refuse.

But the feeling of seeing the expectation become reality was clearly different, so Ferzen also embraced Yuriel with a happy smile on his lips.

"I love you."

"I...Also love you..."

Like that, the last 38th painting that was not recorded in each other's lives...

Smooch.

Becomes each other's present.

*****April 12th.

Someone might think that early April is just passing by, but Ferzen quietly sat in the study, dipping the pen nib in ink, thinking that mid-April was already approaching.

Then, he spread out a book with blank pages and reached out his hand to the introduction.

What he wanted to record was the life of the villain named Ferzen, lived through this body.

Indeed, this was the memoir and afterword of a villain who was barely able to glimpse the epilogue of his story after struggling miserably against fate.

In that sense, the first lines that would adorn this tale, the introduction, were already long decided.

「In a cold land, where winter reigns supreme, and pure snow blanketed the land.」

「In Louerg, a chillingly cold place…」

「 I Became The Villan Who Robbed The Heroines. 」

──The End.

*****Authors Note.

*****How should I start the afterword?

Yes.

First of all... When writing novels, I tend to be inspired by just attractive original ideas or the personality of the heroine I want to portray.

In fact, Agaphe Philia started after seeing the relationship between Sesshomaru and Rin in Inuyasha.

As I mentioned, "The Villain Who Robbed the Heroines" started when I saw a magic thousand character classic comic book lying around at home and went "Oh...?"

Also, I originally had some interest in doing sim city-like model gardens.

I wonder if everyone enjoyed that feeling of having their own kingdom by putting soil, twigs, and catching ants in a small plastic bottle since childhood?

Of course, that was the beginning of the model garden.

But when writing, my biggest desire was to see where my current limit was.

Even while completing the third volume, the narrative of the story couldn't gain strength.

My capacity to write a full-length novel didn’t increase.

However, that greed overlapped with my physical condition and produced very bad results, but it was the work that made me self-objectify the most...

No, I think it just made me know my place the best.

Anyway, the reason I'm saying this is... Rather than being inspired by the original idea or the heroine's personality in "The Villain Who Robbed the Heroine".

I was inspired by a work that you would know without me having to mention it.

While following it with great interest, I felt a sense of regret thinking, "Even this talented author doesn't want to describe a truly villainous protagonist..."

Of course, that will be more in line with popular tastes.

But that regret was so great that the motivation for writing "The Villain Who Robbed the Heroine" was to try writing a character worthy of being a villain that wouldn’t change even if put though the washing mashine.

Naturally, since this basically deviates from popular tastes.

I thought that a certain line should never be crossed.

Fortunately, that line seems to have been kept appropriately...

Nevertheless, many people frowned because of Lizzy.

But I thought it was unavoidable.

Because Lizzy was the only element that couldn't be compromised.

However, through "The Villain Who Robbed the Heroine" like I mentioned.

I realized something.

"Ah... I have a knack for unraveling relationships between characters, especially love-hate, more than I thought."

That arrogance seems to have been a considerable mistake.

Yuriel.

Euphemia.

It was extremely difficult to unravel the relationship with Lizzy, which was far more intertwined than the two of them.

In fact, what felt neat in the set plot.

Especially at the end, I felt that my capacity was still very lacking.

In fact, you may have known what kind of picture I was trying to draw in the underworld.

But there were many people who said they didn't understand the emotional lines.

...There is one more mistake besides this.

The April Fool's incident, as people call it.

This was a catastrophe brought about by my lack of capacity, but also by my greed, and my usual writing mindset had a big impact on choking me.

"Basically, in terms of plausibility, there should be no loopholes that readers can dig into."

This was the basic attitude of writing.

To avoid that, I always made sure to choose only the best that I could think of in my head, whether it was the protagonist, the enemy, or other characters.

Apart from my obsession, this is also why it took me a long time to write.

If I give the enemy the best move I can think of in my head.

Naturally, the best move to break through it from the protagonist's point of view must also come from my head.

I spent a tremendous amount of time pondering that.

In fact, for the characters not to feel stupid, the protagonist in the early part only goes through the best choices to survive.

As a result, naturally, there seemed to be no way out from the perspective of the original protagonist, Ciel.

Yet, it was the catastrophe brought by the greed to try to save Ciel, and my lack of capacity.

Looking back, there were really many eventful things.

But thanks to "The Villain Who Robbed the Heroine", I think I've grown a lot.

I, who couldn't even surpass 200 episodes each time, recorded a full-length novel of 260 episodes.

Coming this far, I often think about giving up the capacity to deal with the central narrative that serves as the basic skeleton.

It's my taste, and what has always been my strength is the characters.

In fact, the narrative of "The Villain Who Robbed the Heroine" followed the order of resolving Euphemia's conflict - resolving Yuriel's conflict - and resolving Lizzy's conflict.

Ah...

Before I knew it, the afterword has become extremely long.

"The Villain Who Robbed the Heroine" took up 1 year and 7 months of my life.

How much time does "The Villain Who Robbed the Heroine" take up in the lives of the readers?

Lizzy.

Yuriel.

Laura.

Euphemia.

Jeremiah.

Princess Elizabeth.

And the other supporting characters.

I hope the process of running from episode 1 to episode 260, intertwined with the protagonist Ferzen.

Was enjoyable.

And happy.

And left a short lingering feeling that it was fun.

Thank you so much for following this clumsy author's journey.

( __ )

─ Songarakburojim (Broken Finger) ─

This is the last registered episode.

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