I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 838: Gathering in the Veyra’s Forum Crown Terrace [1]

”Hey, Rodolf.”

Victor raised a hand as he approached, a relaxed smile on his face.

Rodolf had been grinning at something Cylien whispered to him. The instant he heard Victor’s voice, however, his expression changed. He turned around with an annoyed look, his wolf ears twitching slightly.

”Can’t you see we are busy?”

”Do not be rude,” Cylien said at once, reaching up to tug lightly on one of Rodolf’s ears.

”Oi!” Rodolf complained.

Cylien ignored him and turned toward Victor and Selene with a warm smile.

”Victor, Selene, how have you both been? We have not seen each other since our engagement celebration.”

”Yeah, since the engagement between the two of you,” Victor replied with a soft chuckle. ”It has already been three months. Time really moves too quickly.”

Three months ago, Rodolf and Cylien had officially announced their engagement. Those close to them understood just how difficult it had been for that union to become possible. Elves were conservative by nature, and most preferred marriage within their own race. A bond between an elf and a werewolf had already been unusual enough, but the fact that both Rodolf and Cylien belonged to prominent families made it even more complicated.

Aerinwyn had opposed the relationship from the beginning. Namys, Cylien’s mother, had also hesitated, uncertain whether such a marriage would truly bring happiness or future hardship to her daughter. In the end, however, she chose to respect Cylien’s heart. Even Aerinwyn, despite her many objections and concerns, eventually stepped aside for the sake of her younger sister’s happiness.

”So, when is the wedding?” Victor asked as he took a seat beside Rodolf.

”Hopefully in the coming months,” Rodolf replied. He placed both arms behind the back of his seat and released a tired sigh. ”I honestly never imagined getting married required this many preparations. There are ceremonies, family meetings, decorations, clothing, guest lists, traditions I have never even heard of. Elven customs are a real pain.”

”Do not say that too loudly with Aerinwyn sitting only a few rows ahead,” Victor said with a laugh. ”Unless you have suddenly decided you want to die today.”

Rodolf scoffed. ”She already wants me dead most of the time anyway.”

That was not entirely untrue. Aerinwyn still had not warmed to Rodolf. His werewolf blood was only one reason among many. To her, he remained too blunt, too reckless, too unrefined, and far too unwilling to reshape himself to meet her standards. Rodolf, on the other hand, seemed to possess no interest in winning her approval. As long as Cylien stood beside him, he appeared content to endure her sister’s disapproval.

Victor shook his head with amusement before relaxing against his seat.

”So you two are really not coming to the academy here? Are you sure about that decision?”

”Yes,” Cylien answered, her hand finding Rodolf’s and gently clasping it. ”We decided together. We cannot simply leave our homeland behind while so many people are departing. Some of us need to remain. We also have our marriage to prepare, and we want to help at Trinity Academy.”

”Well, all of us have already graduated,” Victor said. ”So I suppose you will be taking on extra responsibilities there, like Aerinwyn did when we were still students.”

Back then, even after graduating, Aerinwyn had remained involved with the academy as its student president. She had acted as a respected authority among the younger students, helping the staff keep order and guiding those who needed support. It seemed Cylien intended to follow a similar path, especially now that Aerinwyn was working closely with Namys in preparation for her future role as Queen.

Rodolf had simply chosen to follow Cylien’s decision. He had no desire to leave her alone, and despite his casual attitude, he understood the need to help rebuild what had been damaged.

”Yeah,” Rodolf said, his tone becoming more serious. ”There is a lot waiting for us. After everything that happened in Sancta Vedelia, we need to make our kingdoms stronger. We cannot keep relying on others to pick up the pieces.”

”Damn,” Victor sighed, lowering his gaze with small guilt. ”Now you are making me feel bad for choosing to come here and enter the academy.”

”Do not be silly,” Cylien replied with a small smile. ”You are the Apostle of Nihil, Victor. Your responsibilities go far beyond Sancta Vedelia. Edenis Raphiel needs you too, perhaps even the entire world does.”

”I suppose that is true,” Victor admitted. His expression softened as he turned toward Selene and took her hand. ”Thankfully, I will not have to face it alone.”

Rodolf stared at their joined hands before giving an exaggerated gasp.

”Selene followed you all the way to Edenis Raphiel. What a shameless couple.”

”Shut up,” Victor said, rolling his eyes.

Selene only smiled faintly, her fingers closing a little more around Victor’s hand.

Victor’s gaze wandered across the Crown Terrace, searching among the familiar faces.

”Roda did not come?” He asked.

Rodolf’s expression darkened at once.

”Will you leave my niece alone, you bastard?”

”Rodolf,” Cylien said, raising a brow. ”Roda likes Victor, and Victor likes her. Should you not be more understanding, especially after everything we had to go through for our own relationship?”

”That is different,” Rodolf protested immediately. ”She is my cute niece.”

”She is an adult now,” Victor replied calmly. ”She can make her own choices.”

”Shut up!”

Victor leaned back with a quiet laugh, then his expression grew more sincere.

”I really love her, Rodolf. I promise I will take good care of her.”

Rodolf went silent. His ears lowered slightly, and for a moment he only stared ahead. He knew Victor was not the kind of man who threw empty promises at every woman around him. If Victor said he loved Roda, then he meant it. That did not make Rodolf any less protective of his niece, but it made it harder for him to truly object.

In the end, he gave a low grunt.

”She stayed behind,” he said. ”She told me to tell you that she will come to visit you soon.”

”Then it cannot be helped,” Victor answered, disappointment passing briefly through his face before he smiled again. ”I will wait for her.”

Roda had been unable to come to Edenis Raphiel, at least not yet. She was currently undergoing a growth phase, something that often affected werewolves as they matured. Yet Roda’s case was special. The changes within her were more intense than usual, and Beatrice had taken responsibility for helping her through the process.

Beatrice believed Roda possessed extraordinary potential. Because of that, Roda had made the difficult but sensible choice to remain behind and train patiently. She wanted more than anything to join Victor at the academy, to see the world beyond Sancta Vedelia and stand at his side, but she understood that rushing now would only hold her back later.

For the moment, she had chosen to grow stronger where she was.

Victor let his gaze wander across the Crown Terrace again. Despite the grandeur of the occasion, quite a few seats still remained empty. The staff continued guiding guests inside, yet the room did not feel as full as he had expected it to be for an event of such worldwide importance.

”Looks like a lot of people are late,” Victor said, glancing toward the entrance.

”Honestly, though, I expected even more people to be here already.”

Rodolf leaned back in his seat and followed Victor’s gaze without much interest.

”It is only the Saintess reveal for the common populace,” he replied. ”Most of the people invited into the Crown Terrace have already seen the Saintess in person, or they simply do not care enough to rush here for a public presentation. Eventually, everyone important will meet her anyway.”

”I suppose you are right,” Victor said with a thoughtful nod. ”Especially the students who are entering Edenis Raphiel Academy. There is not much reason for us to be overly curious when she will become our classmate soon enough.”

”Yet you are here,” Rodolf pointed out, a faint smirk appearing on his lips.

”Well, I was not going to arrive in Edenis Raphiel only on the day of the entrance ceremony,” Victor replied. His expression softened as he glanced across the terrace toward his mother and the Raven family. ”I also wanted to spend some time with my family before everything begins.”

Rodolf followed his gaze and gave a small nod.

”You are not wrong about that,” he admitted. ”I suppose everyone has their reasons for coming. I mostly followed my mother and brother because Sancta Vedelia is trying to form some sort of alliance and future project with Edenis Raphiel. You probably already know about it.”

Victor nodded, briefly glancing at James, who stood farther away with Leora and Thelma.

”My father mentioned it to me a little,” Victor said. ”It seems like all the major Heads of Sancta Vedelia will be meeting with the rulers of Edenis Raphiel. There could not be a better moment than this to encourage alliances and build projects together.”

The world had changed too much after the Utopian War. Old grudges still remained, and the wounds from the conflict had not vanished simply because the fighting had ended. Yet the leaders of the great kingdoms understood that the future could not be built through isolation. Edenis Raphiel stood at the center of a changing world, and its relationship with Sancta Vedelia mattered more than ever.

”Well, let us hope things truly become better,” Rodolf said, his voice quieter than before. ”Our relationship with Edenis Raphiel became terrible after the Utopian War. I am already tired of conflicts.”

Victor turned toward him with surprise.

”I cannot believe you are the one saying that.”

Rodolf immediately shot him a glare.

”Do you want to fight?”

”He is praising you, silly,” Cylien said with a soft giggle. She reached up and pulled lightly on both of Rodolf’s cheeks, making his expression twist in annoyance.

”I do not need him to praise me,” Rodolf mumbled through her fingers.

”You clearly do,” Cylien replied, her eyes bright with amusement.

Their chatter was interrupted as the doors of the Crown Terrace opened again.

The sound drew the attention of several guests. Two knights stationed beside the entrance straightened at once as another royal family stepped through the doorway.

The Teraquin family had arrived.