Watching Hugo stomp off in a huff, the tension that had been coiling between Allen and Livia finally eased a little.
Allen’s emotions settled. He took a step back, reopening the safe distance between them.
He let out a sigh, his voice carrying a bone-deep exhaustion.
“Livia, even if you don’t strike, this world won’t let me off.”
“You’ve probably never experienced it, have you? Rotting away like a stray dog in a corner no one sees, then disappearing without a sound. But for me, that’s just everyday life.”
“I don’t need your pity or guilt. I don’t need you to promise things you can’t deliver. Right now, I only want to save humanity. As for myself… I don’t care.”
Livia didn’t move. Her clear eyes reflected only his figure.
“If this world doesn’t like you, then it becomes my enemy.”
“Whether it’s you, me, or Marianne—we all carry our own tragedies. If you don’t even believe you can live and find happiness, what right do you have to think Marianne and I can be happy?”
“Don’t you realize? Marianne is so upset because of you. You never let anyone truly into your heart. You’re too selfish, too much of a jerk, acting like the tragic protagonist in your own drama, planning a sacrifice that only moves yourself.”
“You’re too arrogant, Allen.”
Allen’s eyelid twitched violently.
‘Why does this speech sound so familiar? That line of directly hitting the heart and forcefully analyzing… Wait, isn’t that my own move?’
‘As expected of you, Livia.’
‘I thought I was the one conquering you, but you’re trying to conquer me back?’
‘Honestly, in that instant, something indescribable stirred in my heart. It felt like something lightly bumped into it.’
But…
No matter how nice Livia’s words were, she just didn’t understand him, or the true despair of this world.
‘Without me, you’d be seduced by the Evil God. Where do you get the confidence to say such things?’
The peace of this world was nothing but him holding back the Tide of Destruction for humanity.
The moment he fell, the entire world would be swept away in an instant.
He wanted Livia and Marianne to be happy—only so they could see the view outside the window one more time before the whole castle collapsed, leaving a bright spot in their memories.
That wasn’t hope. It was hospice care.
In this doomed world, no one could achieve happiness.
The only winners were those Evil Gods who dwelt in the Supreme Heaven, looking down on the suffering of mortals for their own amusement.
He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength for a final defense.
“I don’t know how to say goodbye to people I can’t live without. So I left without saying goodbye. Is that wrong?”
“Of course it is.”
Instead of backing down, Livia stepped forward, her arm naturally hooking his, her body pressing close.
The soft warmth came through the thin fabric of the school uniform.
The startling elasticity made Allen’s body freeze instantly, a current shooting from his arm up his spine.
His brain was shutting down.
All his logic and tactics for analyzing people’s hearts shattered under this irrational physical attack.
Livia leaned her head gently on his shoulder, her breath pure yet subtly tempting, clearly entering his ear.
“Leaving without saying goodbye is not gentlemanly behavior. Besides, neither Marianne nor I will allow you to leave. Wherever you go, we go together.”
“Since you can’t bear to lose us, why lie to yourself and keep your distance?”
Allen suppressed the turmoil inside, his brows furrowed. “…Why are you hugging me?”
“It’s the privilege of being your fiancée.”
Her tone was matter‑of‑fact, with no hint of joking.
Allen turned his head and looked at Livia’s cool, deadly serious face. A feeling of hopelessness washed over him.
His stomach started hurting again.
He felt that his style and purity as a villain had been driven to negative numbers by Livia’s moves.
Though he didn’t know how Livia suddenly put on such a strong heroine act, he could feel that her feelings were sincere—not pity or guilt, but simply wishing for his happiness.
That was the hardest thing to handle.
Here he was, a villain bearing the world’s fate, and he had fast‑forwarded to being “kidnapped” by the heroine in broad daylight?
Couldn’t figure it out. Completely couldn’t figure it out.
What pill did she take?
“Everyone’s watching,” Allen said in a low voice, trying to use public influence to get her to let go.
Livia didn’t care at all. She even deliberately puffed out her chest.
“Let them watch. How else would they know about our relationship?”
She tilted her head slightly and added, “After all, you decided for me to stay by your side as your fiancée, didn’t you?”
One sentence blocked all words Allen wanted to say.
He really had dug that hole himself.
“Ah, forget it. Do whatever makes you happy. Anyway… I never care.”
Allen gave up resisting. He felt that if he let his emotions fluctuate any more, he’d be assimilated by this otome game set.
Even being arm‑in‑arm with a beautiful girl, Allen’s mood was indescribably strange.
He genuinely felt that the person who should be holding Livia’s arm was Marianne.
He didn’t know that back in the duel, his words “acknowledge your desires, acknowledge your love and expression” had already planted a seed in Livia’s heart.
And precisely because of his usual arrogance and self‑sacrifice, he severely misjudged Livia’s feelings for him.
Now, Livia’s emotionless exterior was actually a disguise. She had completely liberated her heart and suppressed emotions.
Livia was a warrior. Whether on the battlefield or the field of love, her will to win was stronger than anyone’s.
With Marianne absent, she no longer needed to play the cautious, thoughtful, obedient guest.
This was the academy, a place that held the shared memories of the two.
This was her home turf. She knew Allen would be softer here than usual, more accessible to his heart.
Livia was the hunter. And Allen, this naive prey, had already entered her hunting ground without knowing it.
‘What a… innocent man.’
Holding Allen’s stiff arm, feeling his body heat, Livia’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
She could clearly sense that he was pretending to be calm.
Those golden eyes were screaming, ‘Help, the heroine has me trapped,’ yet he still forced himself to act indifferent.
So cute.
The corners of Livia’s mouth uncontrollably lifted into a faint smile.
She looked around at the gazes cast upon them—some jealous, some envious, some confused.
She was long used to being watched, even tired of it.
But today, that gaze made her taste a sweetness she had never experienced before, with a hint of possessiveness.
So this was what it felt like when Marianne tried so hard to monopolize him?
To claim the most special person in the world, to announce to everyone that he belonged to her.
This feeling was indeed addictive.
“Let’s go, my Chief Lord.” Livia’s voice held a hidden smile. “The Headmaster is getting impatient.”
Reminded by her, Allen snapped back to reality and began walking with heavy steps.
They walked side by side in an overly intimate posture, bathed in countless stares, heading toward the depths of the academy.
Allen felt that this path wasn’t taking him to the office, but to the execution ground.
“Hey, isn’t that Livia Stern? Who’s that man she’s holding?”
“That man… I recognize him. It’s Allen de Laval, this year’s top student!”
“Didn’t they fight almost to the death in the duel? Why are they suddenly so close?”
“Your info is way behind! I heard their marriage contract wasn’t canceled at all! Look at them—they match so well…”
The surrounding whispers buzzed like flies, every word drilling into Allen’s ears.
He could clearly feel Livia tighten her hold on his arm, making the soft touch even more distinct.
Allen’s face was expressionless, but inside he was screaming.
‘She’s definitely doing this on purpose!’
He could even picture those Evil Gods up in the Supreme Heaven eating sunflower seeds, watching this cheesy romantic comedy, laughing their heads off.
Maybe they’d already opened a bet on when he would surrender completely.
“Livia,” Allen ground out through clenched teeth, “Do you find this fun?”
“Mm. Very fun.” Livia admitted frankly.
She turned her head, her cornflower‑blue eyes like two transparent gems under the sun.
“Watching you clearly enjoying it but desperately pretending to suffer—especially fun.”
“I do not!” Allen blurted out.
“You do.”
“I really don’t!”
“You do.”
After a few rounds, Allen gave up struggling completely.
He despairingly realized that his proud psychological tactics had been thoroughly learned by this female lead, and now she was using them all on him.
If he wanted to maintain his cool villain persona, she pressed hard, openly declaring sovereignty with the identity of his fiancée.
If he wanted to talk about the grand fate of the world, she used simpler yet sharper words to attack the contradictions and disguises within him.
After all, Livia had seen right through him: they were essentially the same kind of person, both with strong self‑destructive tendencies.
She could easily stand in his shoes, predict his thoughts, and then counter them precisely.
This woman was, in every sense, his natural nemesis.
Just as Allen’s mental defenses were about to be completely shattered by this sweet torment, the familiar office of the Headmaster finally appeared at the end of the path.
Saved!
But just as Allen was about to take a long breath and rush toward that safe haven, Livia suddenly stopped.
She let go of his arm.
The warmth was abruptly withdrawn, leaving Allen’s heart strangely empty and uncomfortable.
Then she stepped in front of him, reached out, and carefully straightened his already flawless collar.
Her fingertips were cool, accidentally brushing his neck and causing a slight shiver.
“There.” She stepped back, pleased with her “work,” wearing a pure yet seductive smile. “Now, it’s your stage.”
“Go get ’em, Allen.”
That encouragement snapped Allen back to reality.
Right. He had almost been carried away by the atmosphere of this romantic comedy.
Who was he?
He was the villain bearing the world’s fate, the lone wolf walking on the edge of the abyss.
How could a mere heroine’s offensive shake his iron will?
“I’m a villain.” Allen replied with a confident smile, his whole aura suddenly shifting. “Who do you think I am?”
The embarrassed and helpless look when being teased vanished, replaced by a composed strategy and unfathomable depth.
That veteran politician’s demeanor made Livia pause for a moment, a strange flutter deep in her heart.
Allen wasn’t overwhelmingly handsome, but in her eyes, the complex and contradictory charm of this man attracted her more than anyone else.
Since it was time for business, Livia also put away her girlishness, switching back to the inviolable Ice Knight.
Seeing her like that, Allen gave a helpless smile.
‘As expected, she was acting the whole time, just to see me make a fool of myself.’
‘Where did she learn all these tricks…’
Livia stood quietly at his side. She knew Allen would argue fiercely for her missed exam, even securing better treatment than she expected.
This man, even though he still held a grudge against her deep down, kept enduring, tolerating, and thinking for her.
What a… lovely man.
Livia loved watching her prey step into the trap, struggle desperately, and finally have no choice but to surrender.
Actually, Livia had initially planned to give up on this budding feeling.
But Marianne’s proactive move changed her thinking.
She knew her close friend too well.
In the future, as long as she stayed by Allen’s side, Marianne’s heavy, sensitive love would constantly plunge her into self‑consuming torture.
Livia didn’t want her friend to suffer like that.
She thought for a long time about how to make Marianne believe she wouldn’t take away her beloved Allen.
Then last night, she understood Allen.
Allen’s feelings for Marianne were more like a brother’s protection of a sister, the responsibility of a savior to the saved, a complex mix of pity and atonement.
But his own heart was filled with unspeakable sorrow.
That sorrow he would never show Marianne.
He loved Marianne, so he didn’t want her to bear it too. But that kind of love, fundamentally unequal, could never give Marianne the real response she wanted.
The one who could truly stand beside Allen on the same ruin, staring into the same abyss, was only her, Livia.
Since Marianne’s jealousy and anxiety would exist anyway, she might as well take the initiative.
She would turn this ambiguous, tolerant, tormenting relationship into something that could be out in the open.
At least Marianne wouldn’t have to guess or suffer internally anymore.
She could openly show her possessiveness and compete fairly with Livia, the “legitimate fiancée.”
So Livia decided to fully conquer Allen, making him accept a “decadent” life where the three of them lived together.
That way, neither she nor Marianne would have to struggle in pain.
As close friends willing to give their lives for each other, sharing some love—what was so unacceptable?
It was the best choice for everyone.
Livia didn’t believe that Allen had absolutely no worldly desires. She had some confidence in her own charm.
As for what Allen said about loving him being the Evil God’s script, doomed to tragedy—
Livia didn’t care.
She had already seen it. In the dream of sleep, at the end of the path guided by the Stellar Sigil, she glimpsed that inevitable future stained with Blood and Fire.
So…
Before that day comes, before my unavoidable end arrives—you must be happy—
My Hero.