The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 146

Splash-!

“Gack, kheh, huff, hah, cough.”

Just before I lost consciousness, the First Prince grabbed my hair and pulled me up. I was too busy gasping for breath and coughing up water. Faintly, I heard someone calling me. Rona… She seemed to be sobbing.

“Are you ready to behave now?”

“Hah, hah…”

I’m dying to tell him to go fuck himself.

“You look too much alike. Your eyes are exactly like those from that family, and I don’t like it. You’ll be obedient once the drug takes effect anyway…”

Splash!

The First Prince smiled ominously and shoved me back underwater. I frantically scratched at the arm pressing down on my head. I regretted that my nails were so blunt. I should have filed them to a point!

“AAAAARGH!”

At that moment, with a piercing scream, the force pressing down on my head suddenly disappeared. I desperately raised my upper body and gulped in the air I so badly needed.

“Huack, cough cough!”

But then.

“Luwen! Stop!”

Through the screams of agony, I heard an urgent cry. A pungent smell hit my nose first, followed by the sight of the water turning red. The creeping red color was chilling.

‘What just happened?’

As I turned my head to assess the situation, the world seemed to move in slow motion. A familiar man rushing toward Luwen caught the edge of my vision. I couldn’t see him properly because the First Prince was writhing in pain, clutching his severed arm.

Blood splattered on Luwen’s cheeks and upper body dripped down. The killing intent radiating from him was so overwhelming that even I froze.

The commotion of people raiding the banquet hall, nobles fleeing, and others resisting the attackers gradually subsided. Everyone was watching Luwen. As if they were wary of the most dangerous threat that needed to be dealt with first.

“Luuuweeen!”

The moment I recognized the voice of the approaching man, time seemed to return to its normal pace. The First Prince’s knights began focusing their attacks on Luwen.

“Capture that bastard and cut off his limbs!”

With the First Prince’s vicious order, arrows rained down.

“Block from the second floor!”

Someone shouted.

Clang- Clangclang!

Swooosh!

Deflecting the incoming swords and arrows, Luwen wrapped one arm around my waist and instantly put distance between us and the First Prince’s group. The arrows that followed us gradually became less frequent until they completely stopped.

The second floor had been captured.

Realizing this, the First Prince’s guards stopped pursuing us and turned back. They needed to clear an escape route. While they created a path, protecting the First Prince who was screaming to cut off Luwen’s head, it didn’t seem easy as there were far more people than Linder had previously reported.

I watched their fight for a moment before losing interest. I had already achieved everything I wanted. It didn’t matter whether the First Prince successfully escaped or was captured. All the conditions to make him kneel before the Emperor had been met.

More importantly, Luwen was my priority now. I could feel his emotional state through his slightly trembling body and rough breathing.

‘…I ended up worrying him again.’

And it seemed he had witnessed the worst possible moment.

I recalled the arm that must be submerged in the now-red water. Probably the arm that had been pressing down on my head. He had cut it off without hesitation to save me.

“It’s okay, it’s okay now. You’re safe. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Each time Luwen muttered these words, his arm tightened around me. It sounded more like he was talking to himself than to me.

I leaned my cheek against Luwen’s chest and hugged him back.

“Yes. Luwen saved me.”

“Yes. I… I… ugh. Young master…”

Luwen’s arms pressed tightly against my back. It was hard to breathe. But unlike being underwater, it felt different. Though I felt sorry for him, honestly, I felt good, as if I had Luwen all to myself. I stayed in his embrace, stroking his back until he calmed down.

After a while, perhaps feeling somewhat calmer, Luwen carefully examined me, having regained his usual composure. Just as I was thinking how fortunate it was that I wasn’t injured, he released me.

‘Already? That’s disappointing…’

As I was about to turn around, thinking we needed to deal with the aftermath, Luwen took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. As I reflexively accepted it and pulled the front closed, he suddenly took off his shirt, revealing his abs.

‘W-why is he suddenly undressing?’

Unable to find a place to rest my eyes, I looked down, and only then realized that my state was practically naked. The thin material of my shirt, soaked with water, was clinging to my body, revealing everything. I should consider myself lucky that at least the hem of the shirt hadn’t flipped up.

As I embarrassedly clutched the jacket tightly, Luwen’s shirt was wrapped around my waist. I felt myself getting hot for some reason.

Snap.

Next, he forcefully tore off the choker around my neck, then bent his knee to remove the bells wrapped around my ankle.

“I should have killed him…”

His voice, muttering very softly, was filled with rage. However, when Luwen stood up and faced me, he was nothing but calm. It felt like I had heard an auditory hallucination.

“Hey you, Luwen!”

The man who had called him earlier finally approached us. Now that I looked, it was the Deputy Commander of Duke Cromwell’s Knight Order. No wonder he seemed familiar.

“How could you rush out like that! It could have been dangerous! Didn’t I tell you to wait until we were ready?”

“But… Norman was in danger.”

“You idiot, I told you they wouldn’t try to kill him!”

“That wasn’t certain.”

Luwen turned his head away, ignoring him. Meanwhile, he kept glancing at me. He seemed uncomfortable being scolded in front of me. Though it didn’t suit the situation, I found him cute as he kept rolling his eyes nervously.

Feeling an urge to pinch his cheeks after a long time, I cleared my throat with a “Ahem, hem.” Then, to both save him and resolve my confusion, I asked the Deputy Commander:

“How did Cromwell’s Knight Order come here?”

Where did all of Linder’s subordinates go?

“You’ll find out when we leave.”

The Deputy Commander pointed outside with his thumb.

Outside the villa were captured nobles, knights, and even people I hadn’t expected.

“Norman!”

Little Norman ran over with a pale face. Nadian, with a seriously stiff expression, nodded in greeting to Luwen.

“How are you two here?”

“Luwen asked us. He said never to leave you alone. When we saw you going into the alley, we followed you and…”

Little Norman, who was tightly gripping my arm, trembled violently. It seemed he had witnessed me being kidnapped.

‘Was the person who kidnapped me an agent planted by Linder?’

If not, they wouldn’t have left witnesses. I also wondered if they might have deliberately kidnapped me in front of them. Just as I had given hints to the Vice President.

‘I’ll have to question this.’

I had clearly told them to be careful not to involve my friends, and if that was ignored, I wouldn’t let it slide. It even seemed like they had ruined Luwen’s senior knight exam.

“Ah, Honorary Duke. Thank you for your help.”

Honorary Duke? Cromwell came too?

Surprised, I looked in the direction where Luwen was straightening his posture and bowing. The same stoic man was looking at me expressionlessly.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Thank you for your concern. I’m safe thanks to you.”

I politely greeted Cromwell. It seemed Luwen had asked for his help when he went to take the exam.

“The carriage will arrive soon. Return with the other students.”

Is the situation going to be resolved more smoothly than I thought? Just as I was inwardly smiling and about to express my gratitude to him again—

“How dare you! Do you know who I am?”

An unpleasant voice interrupted. The First Prince’s loud voice was so strong that it drew everyone’s attention.

“…First Prince Your Highness?”

Cromwell’s brow furrowed as he muttered. He quickly composed his expression and strode forward with large steps.

“I pay my respects to First Prince Your Highness.”

Even in a situation where the guilt was obvious, Cromwell had no choice but to show respect to the First Prince. Only royalty could judge the crimes of royalty. And if it was a prince, only the Emperor could punish him.

At Cromwell’s signal, the First Prince, now freed, pushed him aside and walked toward us. Luwen gritted his teeth and tried to hide me.

But I wasn’t the one who needed to hide now. I pushed away Luwen’s hand and instead stepped forward to block the First Prince’s path.

The corner of his lip convulsed intermittently, bouncing up and down as he looked down at me. With only one arm now, he had grabbed my head with it instead of cherishing it.

“Norman!”

As Luwen raised his voice, I held up my hand to stop him.

“Stay still, Luwen.”

When he cut off the arm, he could claim he didn’t know he was a prince. I could protect him that far. But just now, Cromwell had called him “First Prince.” It was unthinkable to confront royalty knowing they were royalty.

“Ha. I see. I wondered why that dog was barking so madly—it was because you’re Fei Vinter.”

For a prince, he was quite quick-witted. But it was too late to realize now. Despite the pain in my scalp, I maintained a calm expression and smiled gently.