Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 20 -: 19 She will kill me if she hears you!

Chapter 20: Chapter: 19 She will kill me if she hears you!

Rosel came running toward Julius with both arms wide open.

"Papa! Papa!"

Julius was just about to step into the carriage. He stopped. He turned and looked at her.

His eyebrows came together in a small frown.

"I told you not to call me that," he said quietly.

Yesterday, after he burned the underground restaurant to ashes, he came back.

He washed her carefully. He changed her clothes. He made sure she had everything she needed. A warm blanket. A soft pillow. Hot food.

She slept peacefully in his arms for the first time in her life.

But from the moment she woke up, she started calling him "Papa."

Yesterday, when she looked up at him with those big, trusting eyes and said the word, something warm and heavy bloomed inside his chest.

He couldn’t bring himself to correct her then.

Even now, the same feeling was there, soft, strange, and strong.

Still, one thought kept stabbing him:

’What if my Rose hears her call me that?’

Rosel ran right up to him and stopped. She blinked fast, looking up with shining eyes.

"Papa... can I go with you?"

Julius looked down at her small face. For a long second he said nothing.

Rosel’s cheeks were bright pink, matching her sparkling eyes and soft hair perfectly.

With her tiny height, she looked like the cutest weapon ever made. And that made it really, really hard for Julius.

What made it even worse? Talking to Rosalina was already tricky enough.

If she ever heard Rosel call him "Papa"... he was finished. Dead. Done.

The scary thought kept bouncing around in his head.

"Pretty please...?"

Rosel blinked up at him with those big, shiny eyes.

The moment she focused on him, boom!

little stars seemed to fly straight at Julius like arrows of pure cuteness.

"Damn it..." he muttered under his breath.

"How am I supposed to fight against this?"

He tried to look away. Tried to block the stars with pure willpower. It wasn’t working.

From the side, Alfred watched everything and couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"Little lady, you really—" He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Rosel turned her head toward him.

Just one look.

Those same sparkling stars shot toward Alfred now.

"Ahhh...!"

Alfred’s eyes went wide. Sweat popped up on his forehead.

He threw both hands up like he was blocking sunlight. "My lord... she’s too strong...!"

Julius finally gave up. He rubbed his face with one hand and sighed, long and dramatic.

"Fine," he said. "Get in the carriage.

But only today. And never, never, say it in front of other people."

Rosel’s whole face exploded into the biggest, happiest smile.

She jumped up and down once, clapped her tiny hands, then ran and hugged his leg tight.

"Thank you, Papa!"

Julius just stared down at the little girl glued to his leg...and for once, the cold look in his eyes melted just a tiny bit.

He reached down, picked her up like she weighed nothing, and carried her into the carriage.

Alfred let out a soft chuckle. "It seems she will be quite the handful," he whispered to himself.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Arcane Academy...

Outside the tall academy buildings, the huge open ground was full of students.

They walked everywhere, carrying thick books, chatting loudly, laughing with friends. .

Every corner was busy and noisy... except one small spot.

That spot stayed empty.

No one wanted to stand too close.

The reason?

Rosalina Velentina.

She stood there alone, arms crossed, foot tapping fast on the ground.

Her long black hair moved a little in the wind, and her sharp eyes kept staring at the main gate like it owed her money.

"Why is he taking so long?" she muttered under her breath.

For the past few days, Julius had been showing up right on time. Every single day.

He would walk up, give her that calm smile, and say something annoying or teasing.

She always made an irritated face. She always answered rudely. She always rolled her eyes.

But secretly... those few minutes were the best part of her day. The only thing that made her heart beat faster.

Today?

Nothing.

Not even a shadow of him.

She waited three whole minutes at first, arms still crossed, trying to look cool. Then she couldn’t take it anymore.

She marched straight out of the academy grounds and started pacing right in front of the big gate. Back and forth. Back and forth.

For two full hours.

"Where are you...?" she whispered, chewing on her fingernail.

"Aren’t you going to come compete with me?"

Just yesterday he had thrown that stupid bet at her.

"If you win, we go on a date. If I lose, I’ll take you out."

She knew exactly what he did. He made it sound like two different things... but it was the same thing.

A date. He wanted a date with her.

She didn’t call him out on it then. She just pretended to be annoyed. Inside, her heart was doing flips.

She had planned everything perfectly in her head:

Today she would meet him "naturally." They would talk like usual.

She would act cool and rude.

Then, when he said goodbye and started to leave...

she would casually bring up the bet.

"Oi, I know what you did yesterday. Are you so desperate to take me out?"

It was supposed to be smooth. Perfect. Her first real step closer to him.

But he wasn’t here.

Rosalina stopped pacing for a second.

She looked at the empty road beyond the gate.

Her cheeks turned a tiny bit pink, so small no one would notice.

"Come on, idiot..." she mumbled. "Don’t make me wait forever."

She started pacing again, faster this time.

Her shoes clicked loudly on the stone path.

A few students walking by glanced at her... then quickly looked away when they saw her glare.

"Damn that guy!"

Rosalina stopped pacing so fast her shoes skidded on the stone.

She clenched her fists tight. "I swear... I will make him regret ever making me wait this long!"

She started thinking hard. Punishments. Lots of them.

"Hmm... should I kiss him until he faints?"

Her cheeks went bright red the second she said it out loud.

"No! No way... not yet. Too soon. Way too soon."

She shook her head fast, trying to chase the thought away.

"Okay... then what? What should it be?"

She bit her lip. "Ahh! If I ever get my hands on him, I swear I’ll eat him alive!"

She mumbled more angry ideas to herself, walking in tiny angry circles.

Then...snap.

"Enough!"

She stopped dead. Her eyes narrowed.

"I’m going to look for myself."

She grumbled under her breath and marched straight toward the big academy gate.

She reached it, put both hands on the heavy iron bars, and slowly pushed it open, just a crack.

She didn’t step outside yet. She peeked.

First she looked left. Nothing. Just empty road and some trees.

"Tsk!" She clicked her tongue, annoyed.

Then she turned right.

And froze.

Her whole body went stiff. Her eyes went huge.

Because right there, maybe twenty steps away, stood Julius.

And clinging to his leg... was a tiny girl with pink cheeks, pink eyes, and fluffy pink hair.

"Papa, I want to go with yo—"

"Shh!" Julius cut her off fast, voice low and panicked.

He bent down a little, one hand gently covering the girl’s mouth.

"Don’t call me that... if Rose hears it, she will kill me."