I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 860: Layla’s Night Advices

After a pleasant dinner with the family, Edward remained downstairs for a while longer with everyone else.

Eventually, however, the conversations faded, the dishes were cleared away, and everyone began retreating to their rooms.

Usually, Edward might have slept beside Layla, Alvara, or both of them, provided Alvara could tolerate the arrangement that night.

But Belle had been strict.

More importantly, Edward had no intention of doing anything inappropriate while Tihana and Orlin were staying in the mansion.

Especially not when Tihana had asked to sleep in his bed.

Outside, the night was pitch-black. The lights of Clover glimmered faintly beyond the curtains, but the room itself remained quiet and dark.

Edward lay on his back with his arms folded beneath his head.

Tihana slept at his left side, one small hand resting over his chest as though she needed to make certain that he was truly there. She wore a peaceful smile in her sleep, completely unaware of the thoughts passing through his mind.

Edward looked down at her.

A faint smile curled his lips as he gently stroked her hair.

[Master.]

”Hm?”

[I received a message from Princess Alicia.]

Edward’s hand paused.

[She said that, if Master wishes to see Levina, he should come and pick her up himself.]

Edward closed his eyes briefly.

It seemed Alicia was angry.

He had not stopped to see her or Levina when he appeared in Veyra. From her perspective, he could understand why that would feel like an insult. He had returned to the world, revealed himself before countless people, then left without giving even a moment to two people who had waited for him.

How long had it been since he last saw them?

Nearly half a year.

Levina, especially, had only seen him once during that time. Even then, she had been half-asleep. Edward could not be certain whether she had truly understood that he was there, or whether she believed afterward that it had only been a dream. Well, Alicia must have told her.

He had seen Alicia more often than Levina.

But not often enough.

It was not that Edward had intentionally ignored them.

After recovering his original body, a body that Cleenah had transformed completely, he had been left in a weakened state. His condition had been almost that of a newborn. He had possessed his memories, his power, and his identity, but his body had needed time to adapt and recover.

And Edward knew what he carried.

He could not afford to leave Xenithia too often while he remained weak. He had needed to regain his full strength first, to become capable of fighting and protecting the people under his care.

Once the world learned that Edward Falkrona was alive, danger would come.

Enemies, opportunists, old grudges, and forces that had been waiting in silence would begin moving one after another. Edward had wanted to delay that moment for as long as possible. That was why he had remained distant from places such as Sancta Vedelia and other dangerous regions.

All it would have taken was one person recognizing him.

One person discovering that he had survived.

And everything would have become more complicated for him the past year.

But now, twenty-two months after recovering his body, he had finally revealed himself to the world. He had decided that he was ready. He no longer needed to hide in Xenithia, waiting for his strength to return.

The situation with Orlin and Tihana had been similar, though easier to manage. They had been living safely with Belle, which allowed Edward to visit them discreetly in Elyen Kiora whenever Belle visited for ’diplomatic’ purposes though it was more for Edward.

Levina was different.

He could have asked Alicia to bring her to Utopia whenever he wanted. He could have summoned them long ago.

But Edward had not wanted to rush her.

As long as Levina knew he was alive, knew that he had not abandoned her forever, Edward had thought it was enough. Eventually, he would come to see her again.

At least, that was what he had told himself.

There was another reason as well.

Edward felt slightly lost around Levina because, deep down, he knew he had failed her.

For five hundred years, she had been alone.

Even if she rarely spoke about it, Edward knew the loneliness had left a wound inside her. Without Viessa, she might have completely broken beneath the weight of it.

From Xenithia, Edward had watched her whenever he could.

She seemed happy with Alicia and Leora. She had begun to laugh more. She had a place where she belonged, people who cared for her, and a life that no longer revolved entirely around waiting for him.

Edward did not want to barge back into that life carelessly.

He did not want to make promises he could not keep, or give her hope that he would always be there when he knew his responsibilities would pull him away again and again.

It sounded like a poor excuse.

Edward knew it was one.

But the last thing he wanted was to hurt her by becoming someone she depended on, only to disappear again.

Levina’s happiness mattered more than his own discomfort.

And seeing her safe, smiling, and enjoying a new life had been enough to ease part of the guilt he carried.

(It seems being a father is difficult, Master.)

Edward grimaced at Jarvis’s voice.

(However, I believe young Princess Levina wishes very much to see you.)

Edward looked down at Tihana again.

Then he released a slow breath.

”Take the ship and bring her here,” he said.

[Master, there are verification procedures at every island.]

Brain sounded apologetic.

[If we enter the skyport of an Edenis Raphiel island without anyone on board, they will not permit us to land.]

Edward sighed.

So this was Alicia’s way of making him come personally.

But he could not truly blame her.

He was completely at fault.

And perhaps it was only fair that she made him come to them.

”Just tell her I will come tomorrow night,” Edward said at last.

He would spend the day with Tihana and Orlin first. After that, he could leave to pick Levina up himself.

Though he doubted Alicia would come along.

She could not simply leave her family behind to take a trip with him. She was still a Princess and she couldn’t be seen with him unless she knew what she was doing and he doubted either that her parents would allow her to leave just like that.

Levina was one thing, she was related to Edward but Alicia was something else either.

[Understood, Master.]

The connection faded.

Edward closed his eyes.

Then opened them again.

A moment later, the bedroom door creaked softly.

Someone slipped inside and carefully shut it behind them.

”Layla,” Edward said quietly, ”what are you doing?”

Layla approached barefoot, dressed in a light sleeping gown. Her movements were careful enough not to wake Tihana, who remained asleep against Edward’s side.

Layla only smiled.

”Nothing much. Do not worry, Honey.”

She slipped beneath the covers on Edward’s other side and settled beside him. Edward turned slightly toward her, and Layla mirrored the movement, facing him with a gentle smile.

”Is something weighing on your mind, Honey?” She whispered.

”Why do you ask?”

”You seemed upset during dinner.”

Layla’s eyes softened.

”Well, you always look a little upset and grumpy,” she added with a quiet giggle. ”But tonight was worse than usual. That is not a face you should show your precious children and wives.”

Edward grimaced.

”I am not always upset.”

”No,” Layla agreed, reaching up to lightly pull at his cheeks. ”You are not.”

Edward could not help the faint smile that appeared on his face.

He wrapped one arm around Layla’s shoulders and drew her closer. Layla rested her head against him, careful not to disturb Tihana sleeping peacefully between them.

”So,” Layla whispered, ”what is it?”

”Belle wants me to speak with Alea and Christina.”

Layla was quiet for a moment.

”Hm. The family that threw you away.”

”Something like that.”

”Oh, poor Honey,” Layla said, stroking his cheek. ”It must have hurt your little heart.”

Edward let out a quiet groan.

”All I feel is embarrassed,” he said. ”Embarrassed that I immediately fell for that need.”

After Thomen and Elona’s deaths, the idea of having another family had struck him more deeply than he had realized. The possibility that Alea and Christina were truly his mother and sister had reached even Nyrel’s mind.

At the time, Edward had not possessed all of his memories. Amael’s memories had influenced him too, shaping his emotions and pulling him toward people he might otherwise have kept at a distance.

But even then, Edward had accepted them too quickly.

Perhaps he had convinced himself that it was right. Perhaps some part of him had desperately wanted to believe that he had not lost everyone, that there was still someone in the world who could become his family.

For someone as naturally distrustful as Nyrel, it was almost absurd.

Yet it had happened.

And reality had struck him quickly.

He knew he had brought part of that pain upon himself. He had let his guard down, allowed himself to believe, and then paid for it. The whole experience was humiliating to remember.

Now, however, with his real body restored and all his memories returned, his thoughts had never been clearer.

Alea and Christina had been one Chapter of his life.

Nothing more.

That Chapter had ended badly, but it had still ended. Edward did not want to reopen it. He had no desire to see them, speak to them, or search for closure where he believed none remained.

”I know they hurt you, Honey,” Layla said softly.

She lifted her face to look at him.

”When I came to Sancta Vedelia to see you, you looked very down.”

Layla had never questioned him too deeply about Alea and Christina. She knew enough to understand that they had hurt him, and that was enough for her. Edward had never even offered to introduce her to the people who had supposedly been his family at the time back then either.

He simply stroked Layla’s hair in silence.

He remembered.

It had been shortly after the Utopian War.

Even now, recalling it made him grimace.

How had the words of someone like Kleines, a useless coward and trash of father, ever managed to hurt him so much?

Yet they had.

Amael’s influence or not it was deeply embarrassing for Edward.

And when the Council of Heads judged him, Alea had not appeared.

Christina had been there, but she had not been able to look at him properly.

That had been the moment Edward finally understood.

Whatever fragile connection they had shared, whatever affection, trust, or illusion of family had existed, had already been broken beyond repair.

Perhaps it had always been shallow.

Perhaps it had always been false.

Either way, it was gone.

For the version of Edward who had been living through Amael’s memories, it had been a brutal return to reality.

But it had also been necessary.

A lesson he had needed to learn.

From Edward’s current perspective, it was frustrating. He understood the circumstances now. He understood why that version of himself had acted as he did.

But understanding it did not mean he could change what had happened.

”So, what are you going to do, Honey?” Layla whispered.

”Nothing,” Edward replied.

Even if Belle wished for it, he had no intention of reopening that door with Alea and Christina.

The past was over.

He did not want to return to it merely because someone else believed there should be closure.

Layla was quiet for a moment, then smiled softly.

”Well, your family is here, Honey. And if you want a real parent and a real sibling, you already have both, do you not? Belle... and your little sister.”

Edward’s expression softened.

”Yes.”

”I am surprised you still have not gone to see her.”

Edward had only learned half a year ago that Chloe, his actual younger sister, was alive.

The first emotions he had felt were relief and happiness.

Then confusion.

For so long, he had believed she had died. She had been buried beside their parents from what he remembered. Well, the car accident had caused a lot of damages to the bodies and Nyrel didn’t havethe strength to look at their bodies as they were buried

So he had accepted that loss as a certainty, another name added to the list of people he could never bring back.

But it had truly been her.

He had confirmed it himself through the eyes of his falcon.

For a moment, Edward had wanted nothing more than to go to her. To appear before her, speak her name, and tell her that he was alive too.

But he had stopped himself.

The timing had not been right.

Seeing her in Arvatra would have made them both happy, perhaps. Yet it would also have created complications neither of them needed at the time. There were personal reasons, political reasons, and dangers that Edward could not ignore.

So he had decided to wait.

Only six months more.

At the Holy Academy, they would have every opportunity to meet properly. They could speak without Edward needing to infiltrate the Arvatra Empire every weeks.

And it was not as though he had completely ignored her.

”I have seen her enough,” Edward said quietly. ”She is doing well.”

Layla rolled her eyes.

”Let me guess, Honey. You are using your falcons to spy on her again?”

”I am watching over her,” Edward corrected.

”That is a bad habit, you know.”

Layla’s voice remained gentle, but there was a quiet seriousness beneath it.

”You do this with everyone. Instead of going to see them and speaking to them, you watch from a distance. You are doing the same thing with Levina.”

”We have had a difficult year, Layla,” Edward replied. ”I did not want to drag people into that life.”

Layla smiled faintly.

”You do not want to drag people you love into your stormy life when they are already happy and safe in their own.”

”Something like that.”

Levina was happy now.

She had Alicia, Leora, and James. She had even begun accepting Victor and Selene. Edward had seen it all through his falcon’s eyes, her smiles, her quiet moments, the ways she had gradually begun to trust the people around her.

For Edward, that had been enough.

And Chloe was much the same.

He did not know exactly what had happened during her first days after being summoned. He had not even known she was alive then. But from what he had observed recently, she had adapted to her new life. She had found her place in Arvatra, at least for now.

Still, Edward knew that Chloe would be happier than anyone to learn he had survived.

That was why he wanted to wait for the right moment.

If he had appeared before her months ago, only to tell her that she needed to remain in Arvatra because he had too many responsibilities and could not allow her to follow him, she would never have accepted it easily.

Edward knew his sister.

She had a short temper.

She would have rejected every excuse he gave. She would have demanded to come with him, and she would have been furious if he refused.

But Edward could not allow that, not at first.

It was too dangerous.

Chloe was a newly summoned Hero. Blessings or not, she needed proper training, and Arvatra could offer her the resources, guidance, and protection required for that. Leaving too early would only place her at greater risk.

There was another reason Edward wanted her to remain Arvatra’s Hero.

That reason was more personal.

And he was certain that, if he ever explained it to Chloe, she would insult him with every name she knew before abandoning the Empire just to hunt him down herself.

In the end, Edward had made difficult decisions.

He knew they would hurt people.

But he had accepted that responsibility.

He only refused to rush what could not yet be safely brought together.

”What about Samara, then?” Layla asked after a while. ”Is it the same thing with her?”

Edward glanced at her.

”You are annoyingly observant.”

Layla smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

”I worry about my Honey. It is part of my duty as your soon-to-be wife.”

”And what do you think?”

Layla hummed softly, considering her words.

”It has nearly been two years since Samara received her new body. Yet you still keep a certain distance from her. You never let yourself be openly affectionate with her the way you are with the rest of us, even though Samara clearly wishes you would.”

”She received a new body,” Edward said. ”A new life. And yet she still chooses to remain with me.”

”Because she loves you, Honey,” Layla replied. ”Do not be silly.”

”I am not.”

Edward’s expression grew quieter.

”I just think she could have something better.”

Layla gave a small laugh.

”You treat her like a porcelain doll. As though she will break if you let her make her own choices.”

Her tone was not mocking. If anything, it was affectionate.

”But she does not need that kind of protection. Samara is strong. And she is old enough to decide what she wants for herself.”

”I know that.”

”Then accept what she wants,” Layla said. ”Unless you do not want her in your life.”

”No,” Edward answered immediately.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

”I want her.”

That much had never been uncertain.

Edward loved Samara.

He had felt pulled toward her since the beginning by the deep darkness born from within her from suffering beyond what she should have felt, so reminiscent of his.

Perhaps she did not realize how deeply his feelings for her ran. Under different circumstances, he would never have hesitated to accept her fully, to give her the answer she wanted.

But something inside him kept stopping him.

A small, stubborn barrier he could not easily cross.

”The little Anna still haunts you, does she not?” Layla asked quietly.

Edward’s eyes lowered.

”Mary. Anna,” he said. ”They were both my banshees. And both of them died.”

His expression darkened.

”Annabelle had only just obtained her body. I wanted her to have a new life.”

”What happened was necessary, Honey,” Layla said softly.

”I know,” Edward nodded. ”But Samara is the only one remaining.”

For Edward, Samara represented far more than she likely understood.

She had been there since Sancta Vedelia. She had been close to Annabelle, someone Edward had cared for deeply. Through Samara, he could still feel a thread of connection to Mary as well.

Then Annabelle had died.

And Samara had remained.

She had once been a banshee, just like Mary and Annabelle. She had received a new body, something Edward had once promised Mary too. She had survived. She had not disappeared. She had not left him behind.

To Edward, Samara had become the living embodiment of dreams that Mary and Annabelle had never been allowed to realize, and of promises he had been unable to keep.

That was why his love for her was different.

Not weaker.

Not less sincere.

If anything, it was so deeply tied to grief, guilt, hope, and memory that it became difficult for him to approach her like the others. He cared for her too much, and that was exactly why he kept holding himself back from a true relationship.

”Honey.”

Layla’s hand rose to his face, gently caressing his cheek.

”I find the way you treat her lovely. I am even a little jealous of it.”

Her smile softened.

”But even if Samara says she is happy simply being at your side, you know that is not completely true.”

”I know.”

”You should think about her feelings too.”

Edward looked at her with a faintly amused expression.

”You came into the room in the middle of the night to advise me to add another woman among my wives?”

Layla giggled.

”I only want Honey to be happy,” she whispered. ”And I know you would be happier with Samara even closer to you.”

Edward looked down at her for a long moment.

Even though she loved him deeply, she was still think that much about him, even considering other women. Something the past Layla wouldn’t have even considered.

Nihil made Layla in that game like a woman hiding quite a darkness within her and perhaps that was true but Edward could only feel good seeing the Layla in his arms right now.

He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

”You are a wonderful wife.”

”I know,” Layla replied with a proud little smile.

She tucked herself closer against his chest and closed her eyes.

Edward did the same.

One arm remained wrapped around Layla’s shoulders.

His other rested protectively around Tihana’s head, his hand placed gently in her hair as she continued sleeping peacefully between them.