CHAPTER 31: SAY IT IS YOU, MY ONLY VILLIAN

What? What the hell just happened in front of me?

Impossible.

How...

The moment Cassel’s fingers brushed the boxes of medicine, every single one of them vanished. Gone. In an instant.

My eyes and mouth flew open.

It wasn’t the phenomenon itself that stunned me—I knew that some people had awakened spatial abilities, powers of void and dimension that allowed them to store objects within personal pockets of space.

But this—this—made no sense if Cassel was the one who did it.

Because Cassel, despite all his numerous abilities, had never awakened that kind of power.

Cassel lacked a spatial dimension.

He never had—

...Unless—

A storm of wild, terrifying thoughts roared through me, shaking my entire body.

I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t even understand what I was thinking.

But one thing burned clear through the haze—I had to confirm my suspicion.

I rushed toward Cassel and seized him by the collar.

"Don’t stop me," I blurted when his large hand closed around my wrist, halting me.

I stared into his dark, shadowed eyes.

Cassel stared right back.

I didn’t know what was going through his mind, but he let go of my hand and lowered his arms without a word.

Behind us, Frederick whispered, "Boss—"

But Henry clamped a hand over his mouth, cutting him off.

None of it mattered. Nothing could tear my focus away from the man standing in front of me.

My fingers trembled as I pulled open the collar of Cassel’s black shirt.

I didn’t know what I was hoping to see—or what desperate prayer was clinging to my heart.

But when I saw that pale stretch of skin, my heart plummeted.

Right below his collarbone—an undeniably striking line that stirred no romance in me. Not because I couldn’t appreciate the beauty, but because my mind and heart were drowning in shared pain—pain too heavy for anything else.

And resting on that lightly sun-kissed skin...

It was a necklace.

A necklace I knew far too well.

There was no possibility of mistaking it.

I had imagined it countless times while reading the novel.

I had seen it again in the anime.

I had drawn it with my own hands.

A woman’s necklace—no, the necklace belonging to the only woman Cassel had ever loved in his life.

His mother.

A ruby pendant—rare, vivid, blindingly bright.

Its design was exquisite, and because it was a family heirloom passed down through generations of Cassel’s maternal lineage, it carried weight. If there was no daughter to inherit it, the necklace was given to the son’s future wife—after the mother accepted her—symbolizing her place in the family.

It was the only thing his mother left him, along with her final words: to give it to his future wife,

to treat her well,

and to never become like the man who fathered him.

I knew all of this—its history, its meaning, its hidden power.

That was why the hollowness in my chest grew unbearable.

Because the necklace was black.

The ruby had changed color.

Which meant its power had been activated.

How was that even possible? In the novel, Cassel never learned about the necklace’s ability—not until Nari stole it. Her chaotic luck caused her to cut herself by accident, and her blood awakened the necklace, claiming it as its "first blood" master.

So explain to me— why does Cassel know about the necklace now?

Why is he using it?

And it wasn’t just that.

From the moment I met him—

From the first word he ever spoke to me—

Everything had been different.

Everything.

His voice.

Rosalia — POV

His gaze.

His entire presence.

Cassel had always been cold, yes, but before the apocalypse—and even after it—he wasn’t a monster.

He wasn’t a cold-blooded killer.

But the Cassel standing before me now...

And then there was the way he treated his father and brother.

In the novel, Cassel treated his family like royalty, no matter what cruelty they put him through.

Even the events of this world were different—

Henry, Frederick, and the doctor hide their abilities,

Cassel awakening his own power early...

So many cracks.

How had I not seen them?

How did I not notice?

Or maybe... I did.

Maybe my heart simply refused to accept it.

Refused to pull away the curtain and face the truth.

Tears blurred my vision.

I didn’t even know why I was crying.

I was lost—utterly and completely lost.

My trembling voice escaped me without permission:

"Cae... please, tell me you’re him."

Yes.

That was the fear tearing me apart.

Because I was terrified that the man in front of me wasn’t him.

Terrified that someone—just like me—had taken over my beloved villain’s body.

Terrified that my villain was gone.

And if that were true...

I wouldn’t survive it.

I always claimed I knew him better than anyone.

Knew every inch of his heart.

But this was the first time I could touch him, speak to him, breathe the same air as him.

And I was terrified. Terrified my heart would choose the wrong person.

"Tell me you’re him. You’re Cae... right?

Right? Say something."

Hysteria swallowed me whole.

My vision clouded—

I could barely see.

I didn’t know if it was the endless tears or the weight of despair pulling me toward unconsciousness.

Then a voice broke through—

a lighthouse in a violent storm,

a hand reaching into the dark ocean swallowing me alive.

"Rosalia, get a hold of yourself."

His hands closed around my shoulders—firm, unyielding—

The only thing keeping me from shattering.

I wanted to believe.

I wanted to trust that the gods weren’t that cruel.

That my love and devotion weren’t that fragile.

I looked into his dark eyes—

into that sharply sculpted face.

Another tear fell.

"You’re the real Cassel... aren’t you?"

He looked at me—

and his gaze pierced straight through me.

Strong.

Focused.

Overflowing with emotion.

There was a flicker of scrutiny, perhaps curiosity—

but no guilt.

No deceit.

No falsehood.

No lie.

"I am Cassel. I am Cae.

I am myself—and no one will ever take my place."

His voice was cold, powerful—almost devoid of emotion.

And that...

That was what finally eased my heart.

His eyes were honest.

His voice is even more so.

Yes... Maybe I was simply too afraid.

After all, this wasn’t a novel anymore.

No one here was bound to an author’s script or storyline.

They were people now—

real people, with flesh, blood, choices, and lives of their own.

Yes...

It’s fine.

Everything is fine.