I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

"Adam."

Luna-Evelyn stood at the doorway, her gaze locked onto Adam, who was sprawled on top of Lyanna. Her expression was hard to describe.

Meanwhile, Adam's nose was buried in something undeniably soft. The overwhelming scent of Lyanna's perfume filled his senses, and for a split second, his mind blanked. When he instinctively gripped onto something for support and raised his head, his brows furrowed.

Then he saw it.

Lyanna's face was completely flushed, her eyes wide in shock.

And worse—his hands were still planted firmly on her chest. He was literally groping them.

"M–Move!" Lyanna's voice came out in a stuttered mix of outrage and embarrassment as she shoved him off with surprising strength.

Adam tumbled onto the floor with a grunt while Lyanna shot to her feet in a hurry. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. No one—absolutely no one—had ever touched her like that before. The very thought made her ears burn.

She couldn't believe it.

Adam sat up, rubbing the back of his head, his brows still furrowed. "What was that for?"

"You're asking?!" Lyanna snapped, glaring at him like he had just committed a capital offense. "Do you realize you could be executed for that?!"

And it wasn't even an exaggeration. She was a princess, after all. If the wrong people heard about this, Adam's life could very well be at stake.

But Adam, oblivious as ever, stared at her calmly. "You're the one who dragged me down. If anything, we should share the same punishment."

Lyanna clenched her fists. "It was just an accident…" She mumbled, still trying to process what had happened.

To be fair, she hadn't expected him to be this weak. Then again, she was an SS-Rank. Maybe she should have held back a little more.

"An accident caused by you," Adam pointed out matter-of-factly. "Everything that followed was just a consequence. And if you're upset about what happened to your bosom, I'd like to clarify that I had no intention of palpating your bosom."

"Stop speaking like that!" Lyanna snapped once more, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. She then took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

Adam, however, was determined to clear his name. "It wasn't on purpose," he muttered, averting his gaze.

His insistence made something in Lyanna waver.

He actually looked… guilty. Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire

Somehow, that small expression of remorse made her own anger begin to fade. And that frustrated her even more.

'Why am I the one feeling guilty?!'

After a tense moment, she finally sighed, crossing her arms. "Fine. Let's just forget this ever happened." She cleared her throat, trying to sound composed.

But deep down, she was still flustered.

At twenty-five, she was in the prime of her beauty—a proud princess who had never been touched by anyone. And yet, here she was, reacting like some inexperienced teenage girl.

The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt.

She needed to move on. Fast.

Lyanna straightened her posture, schooling her expression back to normal. "This never happened," she muttered one last time, more to herself than anyone else.

Adam—who was usually as dense as a black hole—seemed to have caught on to Lyanna's subtle attempt to bury the moment. He gave a small nod.

"It never happened."

Relief flickered in his eyes. It was clear he was pleased that Lyanna hadn't labeled him a pervert. He cared a lot about his image, after as someone considering himself as the greatest Upper-Value.

Then, suddenly—

"...!"

Lyanna, Luna-Evelyn, and the others froze in place.

Adam had smiled.

It was faint—barely there—but definitely there.

The moment passed in a blink, and Adam quickly recovered, his expression slipping back into its usual impassive mask. "We've found a clue. Krainel Salvador is definitely here." His gaze landed on Luna and the others, expecting a response. But they remained frozen, almost as if they had been struck by lightning.

Perplexed by their reaction, Adam took a step closer to Luna-Evelyn. She didn't seem panicked or distressed, so he couldn't understand what had startled her.

"Luna-Evelyn." He called her.

"Ah."

Luna snapped out of her trance, only to realize that Adam's face was just inches from hers. His eyes studied her intently, searching for any signs of illness or distress.

Flustered, she instinctively stepped back—right onto Stephen's foot.

"Gya!!"

The poor man groaned in agony. She was wearing heels, after all. That had to hurt.

"Are you a girl or what?" Julius grimaced at Stephen's pained reaction.

Stephen shot him a murderous glare before collapsing onto the ground, hurriedly pulling off his shoe to inspect the damage.

Ophelia sighed at the ridiculousness of it all. Then she turned toward Luna-Evelyn and Lyanna, who both seemed… troubled, though for entirely different reasons. Another sigh.

"Adam," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "What a sinful man you are."

She didn't think much of Lyanna's reaction—her pride wouldn't allow something so trivial to fluster her—but Luna-Evelyn? That was another story. Adam already had her full attention, and that was no small feat.

Oblivious to the silent analysis of his effect on people, Adam refocused on the task at hand. "We need to find Krainel Salvador immediately. I can help identify those who are possessed."

His eyes flickered to Lyanna, waiting for her command. She had the most influence here, after all.

Lyanna, having finally recovered from her moment of distraction, nodded. "Yes. I'll find my brother. The rest of you—start searching." Without another word, she turned and rushed off.

As she disappeared, Luna-Evelyn shot Lyanna a brief glance before stepping toward Adam. Without a word, she reached out, pointing at his forehead.

Lyanna had treated the wound, but the red bruise was still clearly visible.

"It's nothing," Adam said dismissively.

Luna-Evelyn didn't look convinced. Shaking her head, she reached into her spatial storage and retrieved a small medical box. Carefully, she took out a plaster and pressed it over his bruise gently.

"Take care of yourself," she said with her usual aloof voice but her expression seemed quite serious.

Then, just as quickly, she turned around and walked away to find Krainel.

Adam stood still, watching her retreating figure in silence.

The last time someone had said those words to him with that same expression… it had been Genevia.

Genevia and Luna-Evelyn couldn't have been more different in personality, yet somehow, Adam found himself feeling at ease around Luna-Evelyn. He had noticed it from the very first day, but the more time he spent with her, the stronger that feeling became. In fact, he was beginning to realize that he might even feel as comfortable with her than he had been with Genevia.

And that bothered him.

It was too similar. Too familiar. And after what had happened with Genevia… well, he wasn't eager to repeat the past.

Pushing those troubling thoughts aside, Adam refocused on the matter at hand. He followed Luna-Evelyn and the others, his gaze sweeping over the gathered crowd. Somewhere among them was Krainel Salvador, a man possessed by the Book of Asmodeus. Normally, Adam should have been able to sense his presence. However, there were limits to his ability—especially when it came to detecting a Devil.

Devils were the strongest of all Demons, and they excelled at blending in, masking their presence with terrifying efficiency. Adam knew that his own senses might not be enough to find Krainel in a place this crowded.

Ivan, however… could do it. If he truly used the Devil inside him, he would be able to locate Krainel with ease. But that would mean letting Ivan take control, and that wasn't an option here.

So, what was the alternative?

Adam's expression darkened as he weighed his options. A few moments later, he arrived at a solution.

He had a Book of Asmodeus in his possession.

That meant he could use it as bait.

There was no way Krainel Salvador would pass up the opportunity to claim another one of Asmodeus's books. After all, he had come to this wedding to meet up with his colleague—the same colleague Isaac had killed. The dead man had likely been carrying a Book of Asmodeus meant for Krainel, but with him gone, that exchange never happened.

If Adam played his cards right, Krainel would come to him.

The problem, however, was that he needed to be alone to pull it off. Technically, he shouldn't even be in possession of the Book of Asmodeus. Isaac had stolen it before vanishing after his battle with Luna-Evelyn.

Isaac Crawford.

Was there really no other choice?

If Ivan was the best option for detecting a Devil, then Isaac was the best option for seeing one. But bringing Isaac into this would raise too many questions.

In that case, he had to take care of Krainel Salvador stealthily.

"I'll look elsewhere," Adam said, turning to leave.

But before he could take a step, Luna-Evelyn stopped him. "It's not safe."

He turned his gaze toward her, meeting her eyes.

"Krainel sees you as a threat," she said. "If you go off alone, something might happen."

"He won't kill me. Not here," Adam said.

They were surrounded by knights after all and he doubted Krainel wanted to gather attention at least not right now. He was preparing something that needed discretion.

Seeing Luna-Evelyn still hesitant, Adam withdrew a small object from his satchel and presented it to her.

Luna-Evelyn accepted the offering and examined it closely. It was an amulet adorned with a silver crescent moon pendant.

She lifted her gaze to inquire about its purpose, but Adam had already discreetly moved away.