Ascension Of The Villain

"How careless of me," Vyan interrupted, his tone smooth as he loosened his tie and revealed a silver locket dangling from his neck, his name carved delicately into the metal. "You see, the love of my life gave me this. She even had it enchanted with a rather potent protection spell. I am guessing that is the mana your artifact is picking up."

Easton's eyes narrowed, his fists tightening. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Not even a little," Vyan replied, slipping the locket off and placing it gently on the table. His smirk was infuriatingly casual. "Feel free to check again." He placed his hand on the mana detector, eyes gleaming with amusement.

Easton watched the artifact with silent anticipation, the seconds dragging by. "Why isn't it registering anything yet?" he muttered in frustration.

Then, with a soft hum, the detector glowed green. Easton froze, disbelief clouding his features.

"How is this even possible?" he whispered, staring at Vyan, who remained unfazed, almost bored.

"I told you. Mana and I just don't get along," Vyan said, his words stoking the flames of Easton's growing irritation.

"There had got to be something else," Easton snapped, his gaze darting over Vyan's clothes before locking onto his shoes. "Take off your shoes."

Vyan chuckled, an amused disbelief in his eyes. "Really? You are going to make me take off my shoes? Your Imperial Highness, this is getting embarrassing, even for you."

"Just do it and stop talking—"

"What is going on here?" A cold, commanding voice cut through the tension like ice.

Easton and Vyan spun around to see Iyana standing in the doorway, her face a mask of disapproval. Her gaze flicked between them.

Watson scrambled to salute, his posture stiffening as Iyana repeated, her voice sharper, "I am asking again—what is going on here?"

"Commander, the situation is... Prince Easton insisted on interrogating His Grace, suspecting that he was receiving too many privileges and wasn't being questioned properly," Watson stammered, clearly flustered.

Iyana's cold gaze didn't waver. "So, you summoned the grand duke when the officer in charge had already left for the day?" Her voice carried a dangerous edge. "Could this not have waited until Sir Wayne arrived in the morning, when it could have been handled by protocol?"

Watson faltered. "Uh, I thought the prince—"

"What about the prince?" Iyana interrupted icily, her patience wearing thin. As Watson opened his mouth to defend himself, she cut him off again, her voice firm. "Actually, I don't care. You have broken the rules, and for that, there are consequences."

"Commander, please—"

"Silence!" Iyana's roar echoed through the room, and Watson immediately clasped his hands behind his back, swallowing nervously. Her demonic commander aura was slipping out. "You are suspended for two months, Sir Watson McHold. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Watson replied, his voice barely a whisper, saluting once again.

Without so much as acknowledging Easton, Iyana turned her attention to Vyan. "Your Grace, come with me," she commanded.

Vyan rose leisurely from his seat. He gathered his belongings, slipping them casually into his pockets. As he passed Watson, his fingers brushed lazily against the doorframe, and a slow, arrogant smirk curled on his lips. He shot a parting glance over his shoulder.

"Well, Sir McHold," Vyan drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. "It's been... enlightening for me. Unfortunately for you, however, you will lose those blue stars on your shoulders."

His condescending tone made Watson bristle, his face tightening. "But I am not being demoted," Watson muttered under his breath.

Vyan's smirk widened. "Oh, you will be," he said with chilling certainty. "You crossed the wrong person, after all."

Watson's mouth opened, but no words came out. Vyan watched the man's silent panic with amusement, then gave a dismissive wave and strolled out, thoroughly pleased with his grand exit.

Iyana, who had been waiting for him just outside, raised an eyebrow as he approached. "Was that necessary?" Her voice was cool, but there was a hint of amusement in her violet eyes as she matched his stride, her long white coat swaying as they moved in sync.

Vyan shrugged, the playful grin not fading from his lips. "I thought it was generous. At least, I am not having him fired. He will still be able to feed his family."

"Very generous, indeed, Your Grace," Iyana played along until her gaze softened as she looked at him. "Are you alright? They didn't... catch anything, did they? Your magic?"

Vyan's stride didn't falter as he assured her, "Of course not. Who do you think I am? I never come unprepared."

Iyana sighed knowingly. "You and your trickery… How did you even know they would try to check your mana? Clyde told me that he didn't get to relay that information to you."

"Well, I did tell you that I suspected Easton as the one framing me. So, I prepared accordingly."

"What does preparing accordingly even mean?" she frowned.

"Instead of asking me that, shouldn't you apologize for defending 'your good friend' Easton earlier?" he teased.

Her shoulders sagged slightly, guilt flashing across her face. "You are right. I am sorry. I should have trusted you."

"Hey, I was joking!" Vyan quickly backtracked, his playful tone softening. "There is no need to get all serious.

"No, no. You could have been caught, and then, something so worse could have happened. If the emperor got to know that you have been lying this whole time, you would be labeled a traitor in no time—"

She was quieted by the finger on her mouth. "Shhh," he motioned and assured her, "I am fine. You worry too much. I am not easy to catch, don't you know me?"

Iyana's lips pressed into a thin line, a flicker of concern in her eyes. "You still should be more careful." She got sadder, looking down at the ground. "I was talking to Ellie earlier in the afternoon, and I got to know that Marquess Ryen was murdered in that other timeline as well. What if you also…" she couldn't speak any longer, her voice catching.

Vyan pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her shoulder and burying her head in his chest, hoping to smother her derailing thoughts. "I am not going to let my fate end up like Robin, trust me. I am not going to leave you. Never."

A small sniffle escaped her throat, and she limply held onto the sides of his waist. "I don't know, Vee. I am just scared. So, so scared. There is not much time left, and with all this—"

"Hey, hey, I am telling you, I am going to be fine," he reassured her. "Besides, do you really want to spend the last few hours of your birthday crying like this?" he asked mischievously. "The night is still young, my lady. So, why don't we have some celebration?"

She looked up from his chest and scolded, "You should be more serious about getting this allegation off your shoulder, not goof around partying."

"Hey, I am serious," he replied mock-seriously, "which is why, I am going to end all of this tomorrow." He brought his face down and kissed her forehead. "So that we can spend more time together."

She rolled her eyes fondly. "As if the two of us have no job to get back to."

"Job can wait," he tempted. "Our empires wouldn't come crashing down if we don't tend to them for a while."

She let herself melt into a smile and leaned up to peck his lips. "I love you."

He grinned and said, "I love you more, and I will take no arguments on that."

She pouted, mock annoyed, only for him to capture her lips into a toe-curling kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut as she melted into the kiss, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck.

The feel of his lips on hers was grounding, anchoring her to the present, even as her mind whirled with the weight of her worries.

But then, as her senses sharpened, she noticed something odd—a metallic taste on his tongue, faint but unmistakable.

It was subtle at first, but the more their kiss deepened, the more she noticed it.

Iyana's brows furrowed slightly, and she gently pulled back, her breathing a little uneven as she fixed Vyan with a curious look.

"There is… something," she started, her lips still tingling from the kiss. "Why does your tongue taste like metal?" Her voice was laced with confusion, though a flicker of suspicion crossed her features.

Vyan's grin returned, albeit softer this time, a knowing glint in his eyes as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "Ah," he muttered, his tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather. "That." He tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze with a mischievous spark. "I had to improvise a little."

Iyana raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain further, though she had a sinking feeling that his explanation wouldn't be simple. "Improvise?"

Vyan gave a light chuckle, as if amused by her confusion. "I shifted the mana-blocking artifact from my bracelet. It is placed inside my mouth, on the side of my teeth. I invented it a while back, but I never had the urge to use it until now."

She blinked, momentarily speechless, before her expression morphed into one of mild disbelief. "The artifact… is in your mouth?" Her tone was flat, incredulous, as she tried to process the absurdity of his words.

Vyan shrugged, looking far too pleased with himself. "It worked like a charm, didn't it? No one would think to check inside my mouth." His lips quirked into a smirk. "Brilliant, right?"

Iyana stared at him, half-exasperated, half-amused. "Brilliant? That's your word for it?" She huffed, shaking her head. "Only you would think to hide a mana-blocking artifact in your mouth and think it's clever."

He grinned, unbothered by her judgment. "You are welcome, my love."

She shot him a sharp look, though there was no real heat behind it. "And what happens if it slips? Or worse, if you swallow it?"

Vyan's laugh was rich, filling the corridor with its unrestrained energy. "Please, I have got this under control. Trust me."

Iyana sighed, though a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "You are impossible, Vee."

"And you love it," he quipped again, his voice teasing as he stepped closer once more, his fingers brushing lightly against her waist.

She rolled her eyes but didn't pull away, the warmth between them undeniable. "Just try not to get yourself killed with one of your 'brilliant' plans."

Vyan's grin softened, and for a moment, the playful glint in his eyes faded, replaced with something far more tender. "Not today, Iyana. Not today. We have a birthday to celebrate, after all."