The roles have been reversed.

Chapter 7: "Innocence" - Part One

The silence in the hall was heavy. Leo watched as William disappeared down the distant corridor, a passage he hadn’t noticed at first due to the vastness of the space. His eyes returned to the enormous door that Vileria had pushed open effortlessly. It bore signs of age, but it looked as if it were made of solid metal. How could she have pushed it so easily?

He approached the door hesitantly, placing both hands on its cold surface, trying to move it. He pushed with all his might, but it didn’t budge. Nothing.

“Vileria opened this door with one hand… How could I not even budge it?”

His thoughts came to a halt when he heard the door move slowly. He quickly stepped back, his eyes widening as the door opened again with little effort. Behind it stood Vileria, stepping into the hall with confident, steady strides. Her cold eyes caught sight of Leo for a moment before she turned towards her desk without uttering a word.

Leo froze in place, his body stiffening. As always, he felt that overwhelming dread wash over him whenever she looked his way. His eyes instinctively dropped to the ground, unable to meet her gaze. Even his body began to tense as if the weight of her psychological presence was more than he could bear.

Vileria moved forward with cool, calm steps, but those footsteps carried the weight of the world for Leo. She paused in front of him for a moment, and he looked at her without lifting his gaze, a feeling of tension enveloping the space.

But in a strange moment, Leo felt something different. Something he hadn’t noticed before. He tilted his head slightly, trying to understand what it was. In the midst of this confusion, he caught a striking realization.

“Oh my God… Is she taller than me?” he muttered to himself, astonished.

Vileria interrupted his thoughts with a cold voice: “You… are short.”

She paused for a moment before continuing on her way to her desk. She sat quietly, picking up the papers on the table without showing any interest in what was happening around her. But that one sentence was enough to make Leo feel embarrassed and flustered. For the first time in his life, someone had pointed out his short stature directly, and worse still… it was her.

He stood in place, embarrassed, his heart racing. Short… He knew his condition had caused this, but he never expected it to be a point of observation or comment.

He slowly turned and looked at Vileria, who had already resumed her work as if nothing had happened. He tried to summon his courage and took another step towards her, staring at her silence. There was something he couldn’t ignore; his curiosity about her began to creep in despite his fear.

“Most people who see me kill someone can never look me in the face again… and you didn’t even try to escape.”

Leo hesitated for a moment upon hearing her words, surprised by her speech. But her tone didn’t change; it was calm as usual, cold… yet sharp, as if she knew everything about him.

He replied in a low voice, “I have nowhere to go…”

He took another step towards her and added, somewhat nervously, “William said I came here at your request, and that you’re the only one who knows why.”

Their eyes met for a moment, and Vileria’s eyes, as always, revealed nothing of her thoughts. Then she slowly broke the silence: “You will work here… but not for Furkin.”

Leo was taken aback for a moment, nearly asking why, but Vileria continued coldly before he could open his mouth: “For my sake.”

Leo felt confused, his eyes widening in astonishment: “For…?”

She interrupted his thoughts again, “Do you know who I am?”

Leo hesitated; the words caught in his throat. He knew who she was, but he wasn’t ready to answer. Before he could respond, she continued in an icy voice: “I am the main founder of the most important companies in the world. Although each company has its own manager, I am the only one capable of issuing new orders. At any moment, I can destroy them if I wish, without anyone intervening. I am also the leader of Furkin… I control the government, and I control the police. Do you know what that means?”

Leo felt suffocated by the weight of her words, but he tried to respond nervously: “Y-You are… great?”

She looked at him with another cold glance and said: “I don’t take pride in that… it’s just a fact.”

Leo remained hesitant, tension fully engulfing him. Her voice was enough to bewilder him.

“Everyone wants my position. And I am under constant threat, especially from those who seek power. I think you understand what I mean…”

Leo understood perfectly what she meant, but his mind struggled to comprehend what that meant for him. Before he could think further, Vileria interrupted him quietly: “I can’t trust anyone. But you… you seem different. I could tear you apart in an instant without effort… yet you look innocent.”

Leo felt a surge of terror creeping into his veins. But she wasn’t finished yet.

“You will become… my husband.” 
“W-Wait!!! What!!?”