I Will Fulfill the Role of the Villain

Luke's face was burning, and he could barely breathe.

It felt like something was pressing down on his chest, leaving him stifled. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"……."

His vision was filled with fur.

Luke sighed heavily and picked up Monet, who had been sitting on his face, flicking its tail playfully.

"You almost suffocated me."

Lately, Luke had been sleeping with Monet. Every night when he lay down, Monet would scratch at the door until he let it in, and before he knew it, the little creature had claimed his bed as its own. Even Gwen no longer bothered looking for Monet whenever it disappeared, knowing full well it was with Luke.

Luke placed Monet back on the floor and ran a hand through his tousled hair. Outside the window, the sky was beginning to brighten. He had woken up much earlier than usual.

Playfully, he patted Monet’s rear.

"You woke me up too early."

But Monet just rolled on the floor lazily, swishing its tail.

Truthfully, the real reason Luke had woken up early wasn’t Monet pressing down on his face—it was because he had barely gotten any sleep.

And that was entirely thanks to his conversation with Leo last night.

"Because you and the commander are dating, right?"

"…Damn it, why did that idiot Leo have to bring up such nonsense?"

Luke let out a deep sigh.

Even after returning to the estate, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it—how others perceived his relationship with Theo and what that meant.

He had already recognized that his relationship with Theo had changed. But now, he wanted to understand exactly what his feelings were—except that wasn’t easy.

Theo was special to him.

He was the key to completing the original story’s happy ending. As a person, he was someone Luke genuinely respected. Watching Theo fully embrace his role as commander and excel in his position had made Luke feel an odd sense of pride and happiness.

But he knew that wasn’t the same thing as what Leo had implied.

And yet… his feelings toward Theo had become more complicated than simple admiration.