Chapter 8 – Taming the Villainess

The dining hall emptied slowly. Servants bowed out, one by one, leaving only the three of them behind.

Selene stood, her wine untouched. "Come," she said coldly.

Aeron tilted his head. "Should I be concerned?"

"No," she said, already turning her back. "You should be obedient."

Lyra grabbed his sleeve subtly. "Don't go alone," she whispered. "She's... not normal tonight."

Aeron smiled. "That makes two of us."

He followed Selene out of the hall, their footsteps echoing through the marble corridors. She didn't look back, but he could feel her focus—the way her shoulder muscles tensed slightly, the way she always walked half a step ahead like a noble expecting everyone to follow.

They climbed a spiral staircase to the east wing. Selene led him into a dimly lit study, full of old books and moonlight pouring through a stained-glass window shaped like a phoenix. She closed the door behind them.

"No servants," she said. "I don't want eavesdropping."

"Planning a murder?" Aeron asked, unbothered. "If you need help hiding the body, I have a shovel."

Her red eyes turned to him. Not angry. Not amused. Curious.

"You really aren't scared of me," she said.

"I don't fear pretty girls with unresolved trauma," Aeron replied.

Selene walked toward a large wooden desk and opened a drawer. She pulled out a thin, leather-bound file and tossed it onto the desk in front of him.

Aeron glanced at it. His name was on the cover.

"…Should I be flattered you keep dossiers on me?" he asked.

"That's not a joke," she said. "That's a background check. From my company's internal security. I know everything. Where you lived. What you scored in elementary exams. Your entire past."

"And?" Aeron said calmly. "Did I pass your test?"

Selene's eyes narrowed. "There's a gap. A missing year. Right after your mother died."

Aeron's jaw tightened for a fraction of a second. "…That's none of your business."

"It is if I suspect you're not who you pretend to be," she said.

He walked over and flipped the file closed with one finger. "So what if I'm not?"

Silence.

Then, she asked, "What are you hiding?"

Aeron didn't answer immediately. He stepped past her, brushing his fingers along a shelf lined with old paintings and model swords.

"I spent a year with people who live like rats and fight like gods," he finally said. "And I learned things your perfect little world doesn't want to understand."

She turned fully to him now. "Is that a threat?"

"No," he replied, smiling faintly. "It's a fact. You're dangerous, Selene. But I'm unpredictable. That makes me worse."

For a moment, the air was heavy with something unspoken. Not attraction. Not tension. Something darker. Like two creatures sniffing out each other's power in the dark.

Finally, Selene sat down behind her desk. "Very well," she said. "Let's stop pretending. I need your help."

Aeron blinked. "I thought this was an interrogation."

"It was," she said. "Now it's business."

He sat opposite her, curious. "Go on."

She slid another document across the table. It was a photo—grainy, taken at night. It showed a woman in a dark coat speaking to someone with their face blurred out.

"That was taken near the edge of the eastern ward," she said. "This woman works for a hostile group trying to buy out Valtoris assets illegally."

"Corporate espionage?" Aeron asked. "That's cute. What do you want me to do?"

Selene met his gaze. "I want you to infiltrate them."

Aeron actually laughed. "You're serious."

"I've been watching you at the academy. You're clever. Quiet. You blend in. You're not bound by rules. And... they approached you already, didn't they?"

Aeron said nothing.

"I knew it," she said.

"You're putting me in a lot of danger," he finally replied.

Selene leaned forward, her voice a whisper. "I don't need someone safe. I need someone who can walk into fire and smile."

"And what do I get in return?" he asked.

She didn't answer right away.

Then: "Freedom."

Aeron raised a brow.

"I'll give you complete independence," Selene said. "From my company. From my family. From everything tying you down. You'll be your own person. But only if you do this for me."

Aeron was quiet for a long time. Then he stood up.

"Send me the details tonight," he said.

"You accept?"

He paused at the door. "No," he said, glancing back. "But I'm curious. That's always the first step toward accepting."

---

Back in his room, Lyra was pacing.

"What did she want?" she asked the moment he walked in.

"She gave me homework," Aeron said, dropping onto the bed.

"What kind of homework?"

"Spy stuff. Company secrets. Possibly betrayal. The usual."

Lyra gawked. "You're not actually going to—"

"I haven't decided," he said, pulling a pillow over his face. "But she's not just a villainess. She's something else. She's fighting something too."

Lyra sat beside him, silent for a while. Then she muttered, "Don't get pulled in too deep. Selene plays games you can't win."

Aeron turned his head to look at her. "Then maybe I'll rewrite the rules."

---

The next day at Velucia Academy, Aeron noticed something strange.

People were whispering about him. Not just the usual curiosity from girls. This was different. Intentional. Directed.

As he walked through the hallway, a tall girl with sharp black eyes and a short blazer stepped into his path. Her voice was low.

"You're on her list now," she said.

"…Excuse me?"

"Selene Valtoris doesn't 'invite' people without a reason," the girl said. "And those who get close to her... either rise, or disappear."

Aeron met her eyes. "Thanks for the warning. But I don't take advice from people who eavesdrop in corners."

She smirked faintly and walked away.

Lyra was waiting by the lockers. "Who was that?"

"No idea," Aeron said. "But I think I'm being hunted."

---

Later that evening, a package arrived at the Valtoris estate. It was from Selene.

Inside were a burner phone, a folder full of encrypted files, and a handwritten note.

"For the mission. Keep your mouth shut, Aeron."

He stared at it, then at his reflection in the mirror.

For a moment, he saw someone else. Someone colder. Smarter. Less human.

"…Is this who I'm becoming?" he whispered.

Outside, lightning cracked through the night sky.

He picked up the phone.

And the game began.