I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain-Chapter 111

Theo’s fingertips tingled from the soft, pliant sensation against them, a warmth curling low in his stomach. It was just a fleeting touch, and yet, it felt strangely electrifying.

If his lips actually touched—

Theo stared down at Luke, caught in a web of thoughts he knew were absurd. He was well aware that touching another person without permission was unacceptable, yet when it came to Luke, these intrusive, reckless thoughts surfaced more and more.

Years of discipline and etiquette drilled into him by the ducal family seemed to crumble in moments like this. He bit his lip, shifting slightly. As he did, Luke’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, his face smooth yet subtly expressive even in sleep.

Even that was... strangely endearing.

They had known each other since their academy days. It wasn’t a short time by any means. But never before had Theo found himself thinking about touching Luke—constantly, incessantly, as if it was an itch under his skin. Luke had once half-jokingly suggested that they get entangled properly one day, but he surely had no idea that Theo had already gone far beyond that in his thoughts.

A slow, steady breath tickled his fingertips as Luke exhaled. The sound, the way it softly carried in the silence, made Theo feel restless.

Without realizing it, Theo leaned in.

His only thought was how close he could get. He wanted to feel more of that warmth, to hear those faint breaths against his lips.

Just as the space between them dwindled to a mere fraction, Luke’s eyelids fluttered open.

Their gazes locked—deep brown clashing with obsidian black.

For a moment, neither moved.

Luke’s long, delicate eyelashes trembled as he blinked, his eyes still hazy from sleep, unfocused at first. But then, clarity returned, and his expression shifted.

“...What the hell—”

Startled, Luke jerked away. His chair wobbled dangerously as he scrambled backward, tipping precariously.

Theo reacted instantly, reaching out. At the same time, Luke, moving on instinct, reached for Theo.

The chair clattered loudly to the ground.

Fortunately, Theo caught him, his arm winding securely around Luke’s waist before he could hit the floor. But there was one slight problem.

“...This is kind of ridiculous.”

“...Sorry.”

Luke's grip had reflexively tightened around the first thing he could grab—Theo’s hair.

His fingers were still tangled in Theo’s hair, having yanked at it in sheer panic.

“It was an unconscious reaction,” Luke muttered.

“You sure you didn’t do it on purpose?”

“What the hell do you take me for?”

Luke carefully loosened his fingers, releasing Theo’s hair. However, Theo still hadn’t let go of him.

Oblivious to this, Luke frowned down at his palm. A pang of guilt surfaced as he noticed a few strands of Theo’s hair stuck to his fingers.

...Had he pulled that hard?

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

But technically, this was Theo’s fault. Anyone would be alarmed if they woke up to a face that ridiculously handsome looming right in front of them.

So, really, all of this was Theo’s fault.

Then again, back at Konenium Square, when they had searched for an inn, Theo had also grabbed him by the collar when he almost tripped. Granted, pulling out someone’s hair seemed far worse than yanking them by their shirt.

“Not too many got pulled out,” Luke muttered.

“...So, some did, then.”

Theo smoothed a hand over his hair, slightly disheveled from Luke’s grip.

“...Come here.”

They were supposed to return to headquarters soon. Luke couldn’t just leave Theo looking ridiculous.

Theo obediently lowered his head at Luke’s gesture.

Luke started fixing his hair, running his fingers through it. The strands were slightly coarse under his palms. Since the neatly slicked-back style was already ruined, he figured it would be better to just let it all down completely.

Theo made no complaint, remaining still under Luke’s touch—surprisingly compliant.

In reality, Theo wasn’t paying attention to his hair at all. His focus was elsewhere—on the firm sensation of Luke’s waist beneath his arm, the warmth of his body.

“All done. Lift your head.”

Theo slowly raised his head, and Luke, initially pleased with his handiwork, faltered slightly.

Something about Theo’s appearance caught him off guard.

It wasn’t like he had never seen Theo with his hair down before—he had in Calum. And yet, for some reason, it looked different now.

Maybe it was the way his bangs fell over his forehead, softening his usual sharp features. He looked... almost boyish.

If someone forced him into an academy uniform right now, he wouldn’t look out of place at all.

“Luke? Is something wrong?”

“Huh? No, it’s just... You look good.”

“...”

“I mean, I think you look better with your hair down.”

Theo’s expression was unreadable.

Not that it mattered.

“I’ve been thinking this for a while now,” Luke continued.

“Yeah?”

Luke lowered his gaze slightly. Come to think of it, he could feel the arm wrapped around his waist tightening little by little.

“You should be a little more aware of danger.”

“Me? I’m actually pretty good at sensing threats.”

Even during monster subjugations, he was adept at reading presences and shifts in atmosphere, never once getting injured in an ambush. And yet, now, all of a sudden, he was being told to be more cautious?

“I don’t let danger happen in the first place.”

“I wasn’t aware of that.”

Huh? What was that supposed to mean? Luke tilted his head in confusion, but as the sound of footsteps approached from the hallway, Theo pulled away from him.

“I’ve borrowed all the documents. I’m heading off now.”

“Alright.”

Mulling over Theo’s words, Luke followed him out of the library.

“Luke, go ahead to the dining hall first. I need to stop by the commander’s office for a moment.”

So even after dealing with the investigation unit’s tasks, he was immediately going to check on his personal work as the commander. It wasn’t unexpected, but it still wasn’t a sight Luke particularly liked.

“Theo, I’ll save you a seat.”

Luke said it casually before briskly turning away. On the surface, it might have seemed like an offhand remark, but if one thought about it, it was no different from telling Theo to make sure he came. Realizing that, Theo let out a small chuckle as he made his way toward the commander’s office.

When Luke entered the dining hall, he was relieved to see it wasn’t too crowded. If he had arrived during peak hours, he would have been met with a barrage of stares.

“Good evening, sir!”

“Enjoy your meal, sir!”

As he walked in, several soldiers passing by bowed to him with impeccable politeness.

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

Luke awkwardly accepted their greetings before collecting his food and looking around for a suitable seat. It felt a little wrong to start eating before Theo arrived, so he decided to wait. That was when someone came sprinting toward him at full speed.

“Luke!”

It was none other than Leo.

“You’re eating now too?”

“Yeah. Field investigations are never easy.”

Leo naturally sat across from Luke. It was where Theo usually sat, so Luke was slightly bothered by it, but since the seat next to him was still open, he figured it didn’t matter too much.

“You went to the National Library with the commander, right?”

“Yeah.”

Leo took a big spoonful of his soup, then noticed that Luke still hadn’t touched his food.

“Not eating? It’ll get cold.”

“Oh, right. I should.”

Luke scratched his head absently and fidgeted with his spoon.

“Huh? Sir Luke!”

A commotion broke out in the distance. When Luke turned his head, he saw Dylan standing there with a bright, cheerful grin. He made his way over to the table and casually took the seat on Luke’s right.

“Good evening, Captain Leo.”

Dylan greeted Leo politely, and Leo gestured back with a slight wave. Technically, captains didn’t need to use formal speech with each other, but since Dylan had been promoted last and was on the younger side, he continued to use honorifics.

“Dylan? You’re just now eating?”

Luke glanced around as he asked.

“Yes! I got delayed because of a subjugation mission this morning.”

“What about your special unit members? Aren’t you eating with them?”

“Oh, I told them to eat ahead of me. I had to rush through some after-action reports before coming here.”

“So, you’re playing the part of a responsible captain now?”

Luke smirked, and Dylan awkwardly scratched his head. Leo, who had been quietly watching while nibbling on his bread, suddenly tapped the table.

“Since when did you two get so close?”

From what he could recall, they had no real reason to interact. Seeing how familiar they seemed, Leo found it odd.

“Well, we’ve been through a few things together.”

As expected, Luke brushed off the question with a vague response. There was no need to go into detail about how Dylan had personally asked him for training advice. Dylan might not want that information made public, and Luke didn’t feel the need to explain everything either.

Leo hummed thoughtfully. Just as he was about to say something else, someone else walked over and sat down in the open seat to Luke’s left.

“Roena?”

Leo’s eyes widened.

Roena, as usual, had her hair tied high, and she sat with perfect posture. She greeted everyone with a nod.

“The seat was open, so I assumed I could sit here.”

Her expression and tone remained as stiff as ever, but she had at least made an effort to ask Luke’s permission.

“Oh. Uh, yeah, sure.”

There was no real reason to refuse, so Luke nodded, still slightly taken aback. What was with this seating arrangement?

It wasn’t just them who found it unusual. Other soldiers still lingering in the dining hall had started glancing over, intrigued. After all, it wasn’t every day that the captains of the 7th Unit, the 1st Unit, and the Special Unit all gathered at the same table. And to top it all off, the person at the center of it all was none other than Luke. Naturally, the stares started piling up.

At that moment, Theo stepped into ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the dining hall.

He had been on his way to the commander’s office but had changed course midway, lingering on Luke’s words about saving him a seat. He figured he could handle his work after eating. Besides, he didn’t want to keep Luke waiting too long.

Accepting the greetings of passing soldiers, Theo scanned the room, searching for Luke. But when his gaze landed on the table, he suddenly halted.