I Am The Game's Villain

Layla sighed, her fingers tracing gently over my cheek. "Knowing the future isn't enough, honey. Not even in this world. You need strength, power, and influence to make use of that knowledge. Otherwise, the other rulers will devour you without hesitation."

"Right… I know."

Having knowledge of the future is pointless if you can't back it up—with proof or with power. And last year, I had neither. Even now, it's not enough. I'm still not strong enough, nor do I have the influence to influence Sancta Vedelia.

At the beginning of the year, when I was still Amael Idea Olphean, I held some sway. But after everything that happened… that influence vanished.

Layla let out a teasing hum. "Alright, enough brooding over problems. Let's talk about something more interesting—like the new women you've fallen for this time."

I"Didn't you just say 'enough brooding over problems'?"

She huffed, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder. "Honey, I have the right to know. I was one of your first, after all. And honestly? I'm disappointed you didn't tell me about any of them until now." She said, sulking. "Is that how little you trust me?"

I trust you, Layla. I really do. But I don't trust your possessiveness and all the issues that may come with it.

It was predictable, really. The moment she caught wind of my engagement to Freyja—and after John's little betrayal—she appeared like a storm, demanding answers.

I sighed. "It's not that. I just… wasn't sure about starting a real relationship with any of them back then. Even now, I'm still uncertain—except maybe one."

Alvara.

If I make it out of all this alive, she's the only one I'm sure of.

Layla's expression softened for a second before she pulled me toward a nearby bench. "Fine, let's sit first," she said, locking her arm around mine and pressing close.

This was leading to the real problem.

"John told me you've added seven women to your harem since you arrived at Sancta Vedelia," she said, her dark pink eyes gleaming darkly. "Care to tell me about each of them?"

I nearly choked. "W–What?! Seven?! Where the hell did he get that number from?"

Layla just tilted her head, feigning innocence.

I frowned. "What exactly did John say?"

"Seven women, he did say," Layla said, extending her hand. With a casual flick, a letter materialized between her fingers before she handed it to me.

I took it, already bracing myself.

It was from John.

Skimming through the contents, I ignored the part about Amelia. I still couldn't believe John had written this—it didn't sound like him at all. But as I reached the section about me, the tone shifted entirely.

The letter turned into something sterile, factual—like a report.

[Harem]

And there it was.

—Celeste Indi Zestella (Seduced her on day one.)

I frowned.

Seduced? That was an exaggeration.

—Elizabeth Tepes (Hidden relationship. Now engaged.)

I let out an awkward chuckle trying my best to keep my smile.

I already explained to him that it was an accident and it wasn't a hidden relationship!

—Alicia Raven (Has developed a younger girl fetish.)

I clenched the letter.

—Priscilla Tepes (Seems to love older women too.)

My smile twitched.

—Alvara Teraquin (Enjoys torturing humans but still seems to like her. He might have developed a masochist fetish.)

"Who the hell is a masochist?!" I grunted.

And Alicia? I was just close to her as a junior. Maybe a little too close, sure, but still.

Priscilla?

I had casually mentioned at the start of the year that I admired her, as a teacher. But of course, John had to twist it into something ridiculous.

I sighed, ready to dismiss this whole mess—until I saw the next two names.

My eyes widened.

—Myrcella Redhorah (I think he plans to collect all races in his harem. Be careful—werewolf hasn't been checked off yet.)

"Fuck off!!" I shouted, slamming the letter down.

What the hell was wrong with this guy?!

I'd only spoken to Myrcella a handful of times!

But then—

I read the last name.

—Claudia Tepes (He may have an objective of adding women from all age ranges to his harem—even grandmothers. I don't know what you see in him, Layla...)

I froze.

"What the hell?!"

Grinding my teeth, I shot up from the bench angrily. "I am going to kill him."

Before I could take a step, Layla pulled me back down, her laughter spilling out in amused giggles.

"Come on, honey," she teased, her eyes gleaming with pure delight seeing me grumpy.

"Layla, you have to believe me. Only three of them mentioned in that damn letter are true, and out of those, only one is confirmed."

Layla laughed. "I get it, I do. But can you at least talk to me about them? I need to understand what's going on."

I nodded.

As for John, I will make sure to pay back this bastard.

"Right..." I rubbed my temple, trying to sort through my own tangled emotions. "Celeste... Yeah, I love her. Or at least, I think I do. But with Amael's influence messing with my head, I can't even be sure anymore."

Layla tilted her head. "You're not sure?"

She saw right through me. She always did.

I let out a bitter laugh. "What's the point, Layla? Even if I really do love her, her father and brother would never let me marry her. And the Heads? They'd rather set themselves on fire than allow their precious Prophetess to be with me—the man who became their number one enemy after marrying Freyja."

Layla nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… I suppose they have a point. After the public humiliation they suffered, there's no way they'd willingly give her up like that."

Humiliation. That was one way to put it.

"And then there's the Prophecy," I muttered. "Getting involved with Celeste is basically signing my own death warrant. And that's not even the worst part."

Layla's expression darkened, her fingers tapping lightly against her forearm. "Honey, if it were up to me, I'd have already dragged you away from all this. And after what you just told me… about your death, about how she's indirectly responsible for it? You can probably guess what I'd want you to do."

I knew. Oh, I knew. But…

"I can't just abandon them," I said seriously.

Layla sighed, shaking her head. "Because you love her. And because as long as the story of this game isn't over, there are still others in danger."

I nodded. "Yeah. That's right."

"Honey, I want you alive more than anything else. But I also want you to be happy. So I'm telling you—don't abandon Celeste. Especially if she really is the reincarnation of the Goddess who once saved you."

"I never thought you'd hear that..." I muttered, caught off guard.

"Next woman, now."

"R–Right..." I cleared my throat. "Elizabeth. Well, you saw her. I feel kind of responsible for her because, well... we did sleep together. But it wasn't intentional. There was this love potion—it messed us up completely. After that, we were forced into an engagement, and ever since then, Elizabeth has been acting... strange. Or maybe, that's just how she truly is. Either way, things have gotten complicated, and honestly? I have no idea how to handle her."

Layla smirked. "How to deal with a horny vampire princess who wants to suck your blood? Quite the dilemma, Honey."

"You think this is funny?" I frowned.

"Funny? Watching another woman sleep with you? Not at all, Honey." She leaned in slightly, sighing deeply. "But I do enjoy watching you struggle in areas you're not so strong in. You always acted so distant toward Ephera—like a textbook tsundere, wasn't it?"

"Oi."

Layla chuckled, clearly entertained. Then, after a moment of thought, she tilted her head. "As for this vampire princess… I'd say you should go wild on her. Be more aggressive. That might actually work."

"Aggressive?" I blinked.

"Yes, Honey. You want answers, don't you? Then take them. If she won't tell you what's on her mind, force it out of her."

"I guess that makes sense..." But something about that approach felt dangerous. If I pushed too hard, wouldn't that just make things worse?

"Next woman, Honey," Layla prompted, clearly enjoying her role as my love-life strategist.

Now that I thought about it… wasn't I a complete scumbag? Sitting here, talking about the women I loved with another woman, asking her for advice on how to handle them?

Whatever…

"The last one is Alvara. And before you say anything—I'm not a masochist, alright? She's just..." I hesitated.

"Like you," Layla finished for me. "You saw yourself in her. Another antagonist destined to die. You recognized the same feelings of isolation and distrust you had back on Earth. The same repulsion toward others that Nyr felt, too. And you admired her for surviving all of it, for becoming strong despite everything. Unlike you, she didn't have an Ephera to help her. She had to rebuild herself—alone. And that's why you fell for her. You saw her rise above it all, just like you did. Even her hatred for others... you accepted and fell for every part of her."

"..."

I was speechless.

She was right. Every single word.

Layla's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as she held up the memory sphere again. "I already saw you playing that game, Honey. The rest? That was just a matter of analyzing how your mind works. It's not hard when I've seen your entire life."

I looked at her, unsure how to react—again.

"You're quite easy to read, Honey," Layla said with a knowing smile. "You think in a straight line, act without overcomplicating things, and don't second-guess yourself. That's one of the things I love about you. So don't start changing that now. Just keep being yourself, without worrying about how others think you should act. That kind of hesitation doesn't suit you at all."

She leaned in and placed a soft peck on my cheek.

I let out a small laugh. "You're really unbeatable, huh?"

"I know," she nodded, smiling smugly. "Now, next woman, Honey."

"N–Next?" I blinked. "There's no next. I already told you about the three of them."

Layla tilted her head slightly. "What about this Alicia?"

"Alicia?" I frowned. "She's a good girl. I helped her with her engagement, but that's it. Also a good reader companion."

"..."

Layla didn't say anything—just stared at me with those dark pink eyes of hers, like she was looking straight into my soul. After a long moment of silence, she finally smiled.

"Next, Honey."

…Why is your tone suddenly getting scarier, Layla?

I cleared my throat. "Priscilla is just my teacher. There's nothing going on."

"Good," she nodded, her expression unusually cute as if she hadn't just given me a death stare a moment ago. "Next."

"Myrcella is Christina's friend. I owe her a lot, and she's a strong woman who's been through hell. Honestly, I just hope she can break free from her twisted father and those bastards from the Iris Project. But as for anything between us? There's nothing."

"..."

Again, that stare.

"L–Layla?"

"Not yet," she muttered.

"What?" I raised a brow.

"Nothing," she shrugged, then suddenly smirked. "Now, let's talk about this dear Claudia Tepes. I never knew you were into older women, Honey! Did you secretly wish for a grandmother this badly?"

"What?! Nothing like that! Never in hell!" I retorted, immediately recoiling, my face twisted in disgust.

Layla giggled, clearly enjoying herself as she continued to tease me about that old hag—much to my growing annoyance.