Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

Chapter 99: Lines in the Sand

Rosemarie finally managed to break free from the kiss.

"YOU BASTARD!"

She swung her hand with force, but before the slap could even dream of landing, Vritra easily caught it with his right hand, still smiling at her.

"Stop smiling at me!"

The red-haired nun looked infuriated. She was gritting her teeth angrily at him and had the strong urge to put him in his place. But time and time again, the young lord seemed to be immune to every single way she could express her frustrations.

Normally, shooting anything that got on her nerves would fix everything.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Hm? I don't follow, Lovely Rose."

"Stop making my life a living hell already! Okay, fine, yes, you know that I'm a nun, and yes, you know I have a boyfriend—a man that I really love. Can we just leave it at that?! You've already made life hard enough for me by touching me inappropriately and now kissing me. Is that not enough?!"

"…"

"WELL?! ANSWER!"

There were already tears streaking down Rosemarie's pale cheeks as she glared at Vritra. Her face was also red, likely because of how angry she was at the moment.

Rather than indulge in this dramatic side of hers, Vritra just walked a bit to the left while stroking his chin thoughtfully. He seemed to be very unfazed by the sight of this beautiful young lady crying.

"So, you're bothered that if your boyfriend finds out about what we just did here, he'd hate you?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth!"

"Oh? How so?"

"We didn't do anything here! You forced yourself on me. I should've known from the start that you're nothing but a huge, spoiled asshole of a young master! Can you already stop making me suffer so much and just leave?!"

"Hmm, I'm afraid I can't do that."

Vritra gently shook his head.

This made Rosemarie even angrier as she grit her teeth like a ravenous dog and squeezed her fists tight.

Much like before, the young lord ignored this.

"I don't want to cause trouble for you."

"Huh?"

"Let's do it like this: nothing ever happened here, okay? It can be our little secret."

"NO!"

Yes, Rosemarie was thinking clearly when she rejected this offer to keep such a shameful scene a secret.

She knew the implications of keeping a secret about having an intimate moment with someone that wasn't Sadim. It would actually make her look guilty, and knowing how manipulative this young lord was turning out to be, Rosemarie refused to fall for it.

He had nothing to lose from this.

But she had everything to lose. Most especially Sadim.

Rosemarie wiped the tears from her face and breathed heavily as she stared down Vritra.

She was done with this.

"You think you've won, don't you? I know exactly what you're doing, Vritra. You want to toy with me, humiliate me. But I'm not playing your game."

Her voice was shaking, but it was still strong.

Vritra raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And here I thought we were having fun."

His perpetual smirk never faltered.

Rosemarie clenched her fists again.

"I'm going to tell Sadim everything. He deserves to know the truth, and I won't let you use this to ruin us."

She spun around quickly, ready to walk away and finally put an end to the frustration. But Vritra's calm and cold voice made her freeze on the spot.

"You might want to rethink that."

She didn't move.

Vritra stepped closer.

His boots barely made a sound against the ground.

"I happen to know quite a lot about dear Sadim. More than you'd expect."

"Shut up!"

Rosemarie hissed, but there was fear in her tone.

Vritra's smirk widened as he came to stand beside her.

His hot breath brushed against her ear.

"For instance… I know that Sadim's not just your average knight. Oh no. He has a secret identity, doesn't he?"

Her heart pounded in her chest.

"I think you know who I'm talking about…"

Vritra placed an arm over her shoulders.

"The Red Rogue?"

Instantly, Rosemarie's entire body went cold.

She spun around to face him with eyes wide-open.

"Y-, You don't know anything!"

This was the best she could manage to snap at him.

Usually, her voice carried more force and anger, but now even she could tell how weak she sounded. This time, she wasn't ready to deny what he said.

His claims were just too spot on.

?I wasn't ready for this… how could anyone have figured out that Sadim is the Red Rogue? He's always been careful, never giving any clues, and he's made sure to cover his tracks well. But somehow, God Dionysus hasn't even been here a full day, and he already knows who the Red Rogue is.?

Rosemarie couldn't begin to comprehend it all.

Vritra chuckled, shaking his head slowly.

"Please, Lovely Rose. I'm not a fool. Sadim's been playing this little game for quite some time now. It's why I didn't kill him when I had the chance. Because I know how precious he is to you… and you're precious to me."

He gently took her delicate chin in his hand.

"I wouldn't want to hurt you in anyway."

His thumb slowly caressed the soft skin of her chin.

Rosemarie's lips parted, but no words came out.

She wanted to deny it, to keep up the facade.

But the confidence in his voice, the way he revealed Sadim's secret title so casually… it broke through her defenses.

He knew.

Vritra moved in even closer, so close that their noses lightly touched, and she could clearly see the satisfied look in his ruby-colored eyes.

"Don't believe me?"

He reached into his coat and pulled out something small and metallic.

A bloodstained piece of red armor.

Rosemarie's heart dropped into her stomach as she stared at the familiar fragment.

"If you don't trust my word. I can always give this to the knights. Let them use a little tracing magic to find its owner. Wouldn't that be interesting?"

The young lord was so irritatingly smug.

Hunting knights were known for their expert tracking skills, which is how they got their name.

To be chosen as a hunting knight, one of the requirements was to have a solid understanding of [Tracing Magic]. This ancient form of magic allowed the knights to locate their targets by sensing items closely connected to them through the resonance of magical energy.

Rosemarie's breath hitched. "No…"

Vritra tilted his head. "No?"

She lunged forward and grabbed his arm with wild eyes.

"Please. Don't."

The nun was already trembling.

The young Asura glanced down at her hands gripping him before looking back at her face. He smiled, a slow, wicked smile that made her blood boil.

"Ah, that's more like it. Now we understand each other."

His voice was soft like an angel's.

Rosemarie couldn't stop the trembling in her body.

Her desperation was bleeding through every pore.

She had to protect Sadim. No matter what it cost her.

"Good girl…"

Vritra murmured, gently pulling his arm from her grasp.

"Now, let's talk about what you will do for me in return."

His smile widened as Rosemarie stared up at him, trapped, furious, and terrified all at once.

She could feel the walls closing in around her.

?I lost…?

The nun was completely at his mercy.

And Vritra, as always, was enjoying every second of it.

? ? ? ?

Some minutes later…

"Wait, what?"

Rosemarie blinked in shock.

"What? You want me to tell you about Kaalen Tower City? After everything? You can't be serious!"

She almost wanted to laugh at what she'd just heard.

It was simply too absurd.

Vritra leaned back against the wall to relax.

His vixen eyes were still on her.

"Let's make it clear, Lovely Rose. I just want to know more about Kaalen Tower City. You know it better than anyone, and I'd like your perspective on the state of affairs here."

The young lord nodded thoughtfully and continued.

"While I respect Sadim's noble intentions—stealing from the rich to give to the poor—it's a risky and rather silly move. I want to find a permanent solution for this city, a way to help without chaos or violence."

It still sounded very absurd to Rosemarie.

Maybe if this was the same man she saw giving clothes, food, and medicine to the commoners in the lower city, she wouldn't be so shocked. But after everything he did to her, she just couldn't see "good" and "Dionysus" in the same sentence.

She crossed her arms and gave him a skeptical look.

"You… you really want to help?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Vritra stepped forward and invaded her personal space with an alluring smile that made her pulse quicken.

"I'm attracted to you."

He closed the distance between them as his hands gripped her waist and pulled her closer.

The young lord's warmth radiated against her.

For a brief moment, Rosemarie was captivated by his striking features, the way the dull light caught the angles of his face.

But she forced herself to break the spell.

"That doesn't give you the right to force yourself on me, God Dionysus. Loving someone doesn't mean you can touch them inappropriately! Besides, I'm already taken."

Vritra chuckled softly, clearly unfazed by her words.

"Taken? That doesn't mean I can't fight for you."

His fingers brushed against her soft, plump backside, but she reacted instinctively by grabbing his hand and shaking her head firmly.

"STOP!"

She protested.

Her heart racing…

For more than one reason.

Deep down, she was starting to view this young lord in a different light… maybe he was a bit misunderstood.

But the secret he held could get both her and Sadim killed.

She needed to stay strong.

"Look, you're fighting a losing battle here. I'll never love any man but Sadim."

A small frown crossed her face.

"I don't want to lead you on… I'm trying to be lenient here because you seem to have good intentions, but you need to respect my boundaries."

She looked at Prince Vritra's face again and his extraordinary beauty stood out as great as ever.

?Fuck, he's handsome!?

Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked away, trying to compose herself.

"A-, and you're delusional if you think that will change. I won't be swayed."

[Ding! The heroine can't seem to fight away your beauty. Her affection for the host is up by 50 points!]

Vritra's smile simply widened.

"We'll see about that."

For a moment, the air around them felt different.

Rosemarie took a steadying breath, gently broke the close contact, and took a step back.

"Fine. I'll take you around the city. But I'm not going to give you anything else."

His expression shifted, delightfully surprised.

"You would?"

"Yes."

Rosemarie crossed her arms defiantly.

"But only because you have information that could endanger Sadim's life… mine too. I won't let you hurt him."

Vritra chuckled softly.

"A wise choice, Lovely Rose. Just remember, every moment you spend with me brings you one step closer to understanding me… and maybe even feeling something more."

Rosemarie rolled her eyes.

There was a flutter of uncertainty in her stomach.

"Tch, let's just go before I change my mind."

"Can I touch your butt again? It's quite soft."

"NO!"

"Fair enough…"