I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 180: A Toy for Relaxation...?

"You look exhausted."

"Yeah, it’s not like I was dealing with a couple of geniuses. It took a lot of convincing, and on top of that, I had to spend hours negotiating with a few slave businesses in the district just to get them out in one piece."

Evelina sat down beside me and rested her head on my shoulder. She let out a long, tired sigh—one that sounded like it had endured more than enough human stupidity—judging by the bloodstains still visible on her clothes.

Some of them had clearly needed other methods of persuasion that didn’t involve talking.

"I guess it was worth it, though. The entire slum is technically our fortress now. I left some slaves there to keep developing it. And unlike this family... they’re loyal to you—and of course, that includes me."

Evelina smiled and wrapped her arms around my waist as she stared at the noisy city in the distance.

"Sounds like you’re planning a coup."

"Maybe, maybe not. Who am I kidding? Give me a few more years before I’d even consider something like that. Now shut up and sing. I need it after talking to idiots for days."

I kept my mouth shut—not because she told me to... well, mostly because she told me to—and after clearing my throat softly, I let the melody pick up where it had stopped, the tune drifting back into the evening air, low and steady, the kind of song meant for dim lights and quiet conversations rather than grand stages.

Evelina shifted slightly against me, settling in more comfortably, and for a while neither of us spoke as the city below buzzed with distant laughter, clinking glasses, and the occasional shout from some overly enthusiastic noble still celebrating the exams, lanterns flickering to life across the streets one after another until the whole district glowed in warm gold.

My voice carried just enough to cut through the noise without drowning it out, and as I kept singing, Evelina’s grip around my waist loosened little by little while the tension bled out of her shoulders.

"...You’re getting better," she murmured after a while, Trish’s memories obviously.

Right, Beelzebub’s still a bastard for pulling something like that. He knew what I meant, yet he still did this anyway.

I’ll make sure he regrets playing with me in the future.

But for now...

"That’s what happens when you force someone to take lessons for missions."

She snorted quietly. "Right, wish you had told me about your past before this soul thing did..."

"Yeah, I guess I just couldn’t find the right time."

I continued singing anyway, her fingers idly tracing small circles against my side in a slow, absentminded, and soft motion that felt very different from the sharp, sadistic energy she usually carried, which only proved how exhausted she really was.

Eventually, the song faded out, the last note dissolving into the night air, and for a moment, there was only silence before Evelina tilted her head slightly.

"...You’re wearing it."

I glanced down at the smooth metal collar still resting against my neck. "Your instructions were very clear."

"Good boy~."

The words came out of her almost lazily, automatic, but a pleasant shiver still ran down my spine, which Evelina immediately noticed—of course, she did—and a faint smile curved her lips.

"So?" she asked, eyes still on the city lights. "Did you behave while I was gone?"

I thought about the library, the training yard, the endless pile of notes praising my obedience. "...Mostly."

"Mostly?" she repeated.

"Well," I said carefully, "I may have found something interesting while on the way."

That got her attention; Evelina lifted her head from my shoulder, her red eyes narrowing slightly as she studied my face.

"Oh?"

I pulled the marble-like amulet from my pocket and held it up between my fingers. "This."

She stared at it in silence for a few seconds, her expression shifting from curiosity to recognition to mild disbelief.

"...Where did you get that?"

"Loose floorboard in the mansion," I said. "Apparently, someone thought locking it in a cheap box was enough."

Evelina leaned closer, examining the small sphere carefully. "...Father never figured this thing out," she murmured.

"Yeah, I read the letter."

Her gaze snapped back to me. "Not many people would open the first box they see when it belongs to a family like mine, you know?"

"It had a terrible lock."

"That wasn’t the point."

"Worked out anyway."

Evelina stared at me for another moment before shaking her head with a quiet laugh.

"...You’re ridiculous," she held out her hand. "Give it to me."

I placed the amulet in her palm, and the moment her fingers closed around it, she paused.

"...Well," she said slowly. "That’s new."

Then her smile returned, wider this time, sharp and delighted.

"And here I was thinking I’d come home to a perfectly obedient pet."

She leaned closer, her voice dropping into a soft whisper beside my ear.

"Instead, I come back to find my Cael getting stronger behind my back again."

Her fingers slid under the collar at my neck, gently tugging it. "...How disappointing."

[Dark Manipulation]

She manifested a long strand of darkness linking the collar to her hand, and with a single tug, I felt the metal around my neck tighten.

"Maybe I should punish you, hm~?"

She swung a leg over my lap and settled on top of me, one hand still wrapped firmly around the leash. The air around us shimmered, then folded in, muffling the outside world until it felt like we were sealed off from everything else.

[Sense Impairment]

"This should keep us alone for now..."

She lowered her mouth to just a breath away from my neck, exhaling deliberately against my skin, sending a sharp shiver down my spine.

A heartbeat later, her lips crashed into mine in a rough, demanding kiss, her tongue exploring my mouth with predatory intent.

"Be my toy for a while... I need to clear my head." She pulled back, cheeks flushed, breathing hard.

"Be my guest..."

I just smiled, this was...

Hehe...

This was going to be new.