Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Sweetie dutifully flew toward Norgate. Its speed was impressive—no slower than when Paige Summers was in command.

Sitting on its back, Paige Summers sulked for a while before eventually letting it go.

Thankfully, while Sean Raines could seem flamboyant at times, he was quite reliable when it came to getting things done. She felt somewhat at ease entrusting Ben to him. As long as Sean returned to Central City and handed Ben over to Andy, Levi Young would surely do everything he could. It didn’t really matter whether she was there or not.

Besides, Marcus Monroe seemed to be in a very good mood.

This was the first time she had sensed that his inner world wasn’t completely placid, that he possessed emotions beyond mere tranquility. It was a genuine surprise.

Just as she was wondering, Marcus Monroe suddenly tightened his arms around her and murmured by her ear, ”You’ve finally come around.”

His confident tone instantly annoyed Paige Summers. She desperately wanted to turn and roll her eyes at him, but the wind was too fierce, making it hard to even keep her eyes open, so she gave up the idea.

But her silence only seemed to egg him on. ”Not curious how I knew?” he continued.

Paige Summers froze.

’Wasn’t he just guessing?’

Suddenly, she realized that if he had just been guessing, there would have been no need to ask. Which meant...

”You’ve gotten a bit slow, haven’t you? Hmm? I thought you would have figured it out the moment you felt my emotions!”

’So it’s true!’

Paige Summers ground her teeth.

’This sensory link really is a two-way street!’

’In other words, Marcus Monroe could feel her emotions, too!’

A wave of indignation washed over her. ’So he knew everything all along!’

’Her apprehension, her anxiety, her disappointment, her regret... Did none of it affect him at all?!’

Paige Summers remained silent, but couldn’t help but feel the wind had grown colder.

”Angry?” Marcus Monroe deliberately leaned in closer, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. The heat of his breath, a stark contrast to the cold, biting wind, was filled with an unhurried yet intensely intimate quality.

Paige Summers trembled slightly, then lowered her gaze and let her head droop.

’Am I angry?’ she asked herself.

’Not... really.’

’This... was to be expected.’

’It was just that her heart still ached, as if pierced by a sharp needle.’

Marcus Monroe didn’t say any more. He looked down at the top of her head, sensing the faint, intermittent pangs of heartache coming from her, and grew pensive.

’After this little test, he’d discovered her feelings for him ran even deeper than he had imagined.’

’A sense of satisfaction welled up inside him, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved into a smile.’

’He wasn’t the least bit worried that the woman in his arms would find out, because this shared perception was actually under his control. As long as he didn’t want her to, all she could ever sense from him was tranquility, not his true emotions.’

’He was perfectly aware of what had happened to him. He knew he was missing those things people called emotions. But he had only lost the ones he once possessed; that didn’t mean he was now an emotionless robot.’

’Of course he felt frustration and annoyance.’

’Especially when he looked back on his memories. He couldn’t connect with the emotions from his past at all. The people who appeared in them were nothing more than strangers to him, even if he knew their names and faces.’

’This situation was unsettling.’

’However, he despised the looks of pity, regret, or even compassion that others gave him because of it. So, he subconsciously hid behind an arrogant facade.’

’And then, he discovered that this feeling... was surprisingly nice!’

’Look at his old self, living such a repressed life!’

’He must have really loved this woman, otherwise he wouldn’t have done so much for her. Yet he let her leave because of Sheldon Reid, and didn’t even contact her for a long time.’

’In fact, given his position in Jovitas, if he had really wanted to—if he had just dared to act—what would have happened if he opposed Sheldon Reid? So what?’

’That’s right. He was afraid Jovitas would get dragged into it.’

’Heh. So that was the man he used to be.’

’Weighed down by too many expectations, he was saddled with too much responsibility, which made him overcautious, timid and hesitant in everything he did.’

’How stupid!’

’He had always wanted freedom, yet he became less and less free because of the burdens he’d placed upon himself. He’d almost been unable to even leave the city because Black S’s health was deteriorating day by day.’

Marcus Monroe inwardly scoffed at how overly cautious his past self had been.

’But that would never happen again!’

’Now, without those burdens, he could live exactly as he pleased!’