How to be the Villain When Every Character Likes Me

7 - Taking Responsibility

"I-I'm going now. Don't follow me. I can see you even with concealment! I'm going!" Rewan stammered, scampering away towards the floor-to-ceiling window of the living room. Opening the window with hasty hands, he jumped out of the window. Leaving little entrails of mana down his trail, he left a string of invisible force tethered to his wrist.

People outside the palace window gasped in surprise as they saw an unidentified youth shoot down the thirteenth floor, the body carefreely swaying in the air, reaching dangerously close to the hard garden pathways below. Just a half-second away from the ground, the string of mana caught, pulling his arm tight, bringing his body to a screeching halt.

Rewan waved his hand, dispelling the mana holding him tight, letting his body relax. Staring cautiously at the distant window he fell from like a mouse escaping from a hungry cat, his eyes traced the shadowy figure leaning out of the opening.

Rewan gasped, his eyes widening, as he gulped with guilt evident in his expression. The servants that would usually scurry past the palace garden stalled, their eyes staring at him, dumbfounded. The nobles, whose titters and giggles usually filled the ornate and embellished garden, fell silent. Rewan smiled awkwardly, fumbling with his wind-blown black hair as he stated assuringly, "I implore you, continue with your affairs, I'm truly sorry for the disruption. This won't happen again."

In the corner of his eye, he saw the shadow start to descend from the building, air lightened by mana bringing him down like he was a feather floating through the shallow winds. Rewan's heart jumped and he gulped tepidly.

Then without a single trace of hesitation, he turned on his heel and started sprinting away, his lips pursed with alarm and the slightest sparks escaping from his skin, his mana growing out of his control as his emotions grew more and more tumultuous.

"I'm not taking responsibility, okay? Stop chasing me!" He screamed, his voice growing distant from the garden as his legs flew like a hamster on a wheel.

The onlookers were left watching in the dust, their eyes still wide at the spectacle. Then, soon after, an obscure figure landed on the ground, the air around him dancing and bouncing, holding his body as a weightless presence. The moment his feet landed on the floor, a huge burst of energy emanated from his body, and wind began pushing his figure forward, accelerating his sprint.

"Young Mage! Don't run away from me!" He hollered, his crystal voice penetrating the ears of the onlookers as it, too, grew distant.

Unbreakable silence filled the yard. One servant who was standing behind the obscure figure felt the huge gust of wind propelling the concealed man forward, its wind pushing the servant's hair back completely and sending the towels he was holding flying in the air.

"Was that... the Young Master of the Alsar family?" Someone uttered, stupefied.

----

His breath started waning as he continued to sprint down the courtyards of the palace. The nobles yelped in haughty surprise when a black-haired youth sprinted past them, their clothes thrown in disarray and their expressions filled with indignity.

The obscure figure behind him grew closer quickly. Through the small gap in his black mask, fierce, determined eyes glistened with enjoyment as he felt the excitement of the chase infect his spirits.

Rewan ran, his muscles growing taut, as he jumped in through the small window of space the servant left open just before the door closed behind him. His feet took him around the premise, mind unable to keep up with the speed of the chase and the increasing breathless, painful feeling of exercise.

With a blank, suffering expression, his feet took him to a supply room in the leftmost area of the corridor. He felt his muscles shaking as he came to a wary halt, slowly closing the door behind him with a small click. He heard the whoosh of wind blow past the door and breathed a shaky sigh of relief as he tried to stop himself from gasping for air.

Thank god... Rewan thought, his legs finally giving way as he collapsed onto the shockingly cold glass-paved stone.

But then the flimsy wooden door swung open.

"Found you, innocence-stealer." The shadow closed the door behind him, swinging off his black mask and revealing his resolved, priggish expression.

The wily tone of the crystal voice sent alarm bells going off in Rewan's head as he scampered away, kicking his legs feebly against the floor.

His back hit the base of the drawer, his pupils shrinking as he let his hands flounder aguishly in the air, pleaing, "l-let's talk about this, uhhh..."

The ruggedly handsome, strapped guard, wearing a suave skin-tight black suit that perfectly showcased his protruding muscles, still had a beet-red face when staring at Rewan's flustered complexion.

Cute... he thought inadvertently, making his face flush more. The ruffled black-hair, paired with the slightly tearful eyes from the strenuous exercise, tugged on his heartstrings, making him feel as if he was teasing a little rabbit to frustration. I guess... I guess it's okay, as long as it's him.

His chestnut hair fluttered brightly as he kneeled just in front of Rewan's fumbling body, his face approaching with his brows knitted with resolve and his lips pressed together nervously.

Rewan's jaw set as fear crossed his face. He imagined the guard's fist crossing his face and the pain in his cheek left afterward, throbbing with his heartbeat. The thought of hitting him with a pillar of earth flashed through his mind, but he quickly wrote it off. He was definitely above an A-rank mage in this world, and using a new element without practice on someone else could cause physical harm to them and worse.

I'm dead. Why did I do that? Everyone in this world is so conservative, what I did was basically a wedding proposal in this day and age! I deserve to be hit, god... Rewan berated himself. As the face grew ever closer, he steeled himself and squeezed his eyes shut, hardening his heart for the pain of the fist.

Something warm and soft tickled his lips.

And a timid hand graced the youth's neck, softly pulling him closer. The other apprehensively circled his waist, fingers dancing across the skin as if they were touching fire.

The heavy palpitations of their hearts, the breathlessness, all dulled.

Rewan's eyes tentatively slid open, and two clear, pure irises filled his vision.

Dust, glistening like crystal tears, danced in the golden rivulet of light streaming in through the window.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.