Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 24 -: 23 Get along with you?

Julius stepped out of the exam hall, rubbing his neck. The written test was finally over.

He started walking toward the academy’s training grounds for the practical exam.

Suddenly, he stopped. He turned his head quickly and looked behind him.

...Nothing. No one there.

"Hmm?" Julius frowned. "Weird."

He shrugged and kept walking, but the strange feeling didn’t go away.

Ever since he stepped inside the academy today, it felt like someone was staring at him, really hard.

Like a sharp, angry gaze following his every step.

"Am I just being paranoid?" he muttered under his breath.

He was actually more worried about something else.

Rosal.

He had left her waiting inside the carriage. What if she got bored and climbed out?

What if someone saw her?

Worst of all... what if she ran up to him shouting "Papa!" right in front of everyone?

That would be okay with most people.

But not with Rosalina.

If Rosalina heard Rosel call him "Papa," Julius was sure his life would become ten times harder.

Talking to Rosalina was already like walking on eggshells.

One wrong word and she would freeze him with that cold look of hers.

He sighed. "Haaah..."

"I haven’t even seen my Rose today," he said quietly to himself.

"The whole day has been crazy. I had to rush straight to the written exam. No time to meet her."

He smiled a little. "But once I reach the training grounds, I should finally get to see her."

Julius picked up his pace, feeling a bit better.

He didn’t notice.

From the shadows behind a pillar, a pair of cold black eyes stayed locked on him. Watching. Following. Never blinking.

Julius kept walking, completely unaware.

...

...

Poof!

A small cloud of dark smoke exploded behind a pillar.

Out stepped Devil Rosalina, horns, tail, glowing red eyes, and her favorite pitch-black trident sparkling in her hand.

She glared straight at the real Rosalina (who was hiding nearby) and hissed in a very angry whisper:

"What do you think you’re doing?!"

"Go up there right now and ask him who that little girl is!"

"Do you want my married life to end before it even starts?!"

"Shut up!" Rosalina snapped back, cheeks turning pink.

"Don’t you know we can’t let anyone find out about us?"

"If my father hears I have feelings for a Hayes, especially Julius, he’ll kick me out of the succession race forever!"

"Hamph!" Devil Rosalina snorted loudly, twirling her trident like a baton.

"That senile old geezer... I swear, one day I’m gonna poke him. Poke. Poke. Poke. Right in his wrinkly butt!"

"Okay, enough!" Rosalina waved her hand quickly.

"Go back now. Look, Julius just walked through the training ground gate."

Rosalina narrowed her eyes, watching Julius disappear inside.

Then her lips curled into a dangerous smile.

"You dared to do something you really shouldn’t have..." she muttered.

Sparks of black lightning danced in her pupils.

"I was planning to go easy on you today... but it looks like you need a proper beating, don’t you?"

She cracked her knuckles.

"Very well then. I’ll give you the beating of your life. Better get ready."

Muttering under her breath, Rosalina started walking toward the gate.

Meanwhile, Julius stepped through the gate, and the full view of the training hall hit him.

"Wow... this place looks huge," he said quietly, eyes wide.

The training hall was massive, kind of like a modern tennis court, but way bigger and fancier.

All around the edges were rows of seats packed with students.

Third-years and fourth-years sat in the best spots, looking relaxed and chatty.

First-years and second-years who weren’t taking the practical exam were squeezed in wherever they could find space, whispering and pointing.

Right in the center was the giant arena, smooth stone floor, glowing boundary lines, ready for fights and spells.

On both sides of the arena were more seating areas, already half-full with excited faces.

Julius scratched the back of his head and started walking toward the right-side seats where the other participants were gathering.

"Man, so many people..." he muttered. "Feels like everyone’s watching already.

He glanced around at the other students sitting there, some stretching, some nervously flipping through notes, a few looking way too confident.

"Ahh, there are some familiar faces," Julius muttered under his breath as he scanned the waiting area.

"Too bad it’s hard to tell who’s who..."

He started walking toward the participant waiting zone, hands in his pockets.

"For example," he said to himself, "finding anyone from TST with black hair is a nightmare. Black hair is everywhere here. Like, half the continent has it."

He stepped into the crowded waiting spot.

Students nearby glanced at him, then quickly looked away and shifted a little farther.

Some even pretended to be super busy fixing their shoes.

Julius raised an eyebrow. "Okay... people are avoiding me like I smell bad."

He ignored it and kept searching.

"There should be one guy with black hair, red eyes, and an extremely handsome face... of course, not as handsome as me," he smirked.

"His name’s Cillian Reeve . First-year. Comes from some tiny clan way up in Alaskar continent."

Julius stood on his toes, craning his neck. "Let’s see... where are you, pretty boy?"

After a full minute of scanning faces, he clicked his tongue. "Tsk. He’s not here. Great."

He turned his head toward the other corner of the waiting area.

"Hmm? So many black-haired people... damn, it’s really hard to spot novel characters in real life," he grumbled.

"Tsk. Nothing stands out."

He kept looking left and right, muttering to himself.

"It seems he is not here....." Just as he was about to continue, a voice called out.

"Excuse me..."

The voice was famine as Julius turned back and the moment he did, he froze!

Julius blinked, taking in the girl standing right in front of him.

She was stunning. Long, shining blonde hair fell like silk past her shoulders.

Bright blue eyes sparkled under the training hall lights. Her face was so perfect it looked almost like a doll’s.

’But her figure?’ Julius thought. ’Definitely not doll-like. Full, beautiful curves that could stop traffic...’ he paused as he lifted his chin high, ’of course they have zero effect on me!’

"Are you by any chance... Sir Julius?" she asked softly.

A slow blush crept up her cheeks, turning them a pretty pink.

Julius gave her a small, easy smile. "Yes, that’s me."

He studied her face while he spoke, thinking: ’Is she from the novel? Or just a random NPC? Hard to tell sometimes...’

The girl let out a tiny, relieved sigh. "Haa... thank goodness."

She nervously tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her voice stayed shy, almost whispery.

"I’ve been looking for you for weeks."

Julius raised an eyebrow. "Weeks? Really?"

She nodded quickly. "I’m Seraphina Moon," she said, giving a small, polite bow.

"Lady Elizabeth told me I should find you."

Julius’s brain short-circuited for half a second.

"Mom told you to find me?" he repeated, voice going up a little in surprise.

Seraphina’s blush deepened.

She looked down at her shoes for a moment, then back up at him with those big blue eyes.

"Yes... she said you might need... um... assistance with your academics. And that I should introduce myself properly."

Julius’s mind was racing while he kept his face calm and friendly.

’Did Mom send her for... marriage stuff?’ he thought.

’Back in my old world, yeah, I’m way too young for that kind of thing.’

’But here? Noble kids get engaged when they’re basically toddlers sometimes. No age rules, just politics and bloodlines.’

He glanced at Seraphina again, blushing, fidgeting, looking like she might melt from embarrassment.

’But wait... I’m already "booked," right? My Rose got me wrapped around her finger, or more like I’ve got her wrapped around mine. Whatever.’

’The point is, it’s complicated. And Mom has no idea about any of that. So... oops? Mom probably thinks I’m still single and available. Classic misunderstanding.’

He gave Seraphina a small, encouraging smile. "So, Seraphina... did she say anything else? Like, specifically?"

Seraphina twisted her fingers together, staring at the ground.

Her cheeks were bright red now.

She bit her lower lip hard, like she was gathering every bit of courage she had.

"Yes..." she whispered. "Lady Elizabeth asked me to... get along with you and..."

She took a shaky breath.

"...and maybe... consider a future together. If we suited each other."

Julius opened his mouth to say something, anything, but before a single word could come out...

A voice sliced through the air like ice.

"Get along with you?"

___________

A/N:

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