Ascension Of The Villain

Vyan's response was a soft, boyish smile that seemed to say everything. "What did I do to deserve you?" he murmured, his voice warm.

Iyana's own smile bloomed, her eyes gleaming with such affection that Vyan felt a sudden rush of emotion, like a wave of warmth swelling within him. To be loved like this—it felt almost unreal. Maybe he hadn't had the kind of love from everyone he wished for, but he had an overwhelming amount of love in his life, and it was enough.

His Tia's love, self-interested as it might be, was just a small piece in a much larger, brighter mosaic. Maybe he should forgive her genuinely at this point.

"Let's get out of here," Iyana whispered as the court began to empty.

He nodded, following her to her office. The moment the door closed behind them, Iyana turned, and without a word, wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest. She held him tightly, as if grounding herself in the reality that he was safe and finally free.

"It's over," she whispered, her voice muffled against the fabric of his coat. "The case is closed, and you are in the clear. Finally."

"You were that worried, huh?" Vyan's arms came around her, holding her close.

"See these eye bags?" She tilted her face up with a small smile. "I have barely slept these past days."

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Liar. Last night, you were probably too excited to open your presents."

"Excuse me?" She let go, looking mock-offended. "I only opened them in the middle of the night

because

I couldn't sleep, thank you very much."

"Uh-huh," he teased, his voice lilting with playfulness. "So, did they live up to your high standards?"

Her eyes sparkled as she rolled them in mock exasperation. "Out of your twenty presents, I figured there would be at least one I would like... but somehow, I loved all twenty. How did you even do that?"

He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Better start getting ready for twenty-one next year, then."

"Oh, I will be looking forward to it," she hummed, hugging him tighter.

Iyana's embrace was comforting, but as they stayed like that for quite some time, Vyan's mind refused to stay quiet, swirling with questions. Why would someone suddenly confess to a crime so perfectly crafted to frame him? And Easton—what could he possibly gain from doing this?

Sensing his tension, Iyana leaned back, her wide violet eyes studying him with that unspoken insight she seemed to have.

"Vee?" Her voice was soft, her brow pinching with concern. "You look like someone just swiped the last slice of cake right out of your hand. What is going on in that head of yours?"

He tried to muster a smile, though it barely lifted the corners of his lips. "Just… thinking," he muttered, his fingers lazily tracing absentminded patterns along her back. "Why would Easton go to the trouble of making someone else take the fall for a crime so perfectly pinned on me? And after threatening Tia just yesterday?"

"Maybe Sienna had something to do with it?" Iyana suggested, her tone thoughtful. "She is reckless enough. And you did say they were working together, right?"

A glint of wry amusement flickered in his eyes. "Oh, with those two, their partnership has got the stability of a house of cards. It is only a matter of time."

Iyana smirked, a hint of playful mischief in her gaze. "Easton can't stand it when things don't go his way."

"And Sienna," he added with a chuckle, "can't stand being criticized."

———

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Easton's voice boomed the moment he stormed into his bedroom.

Lounging casually on his couch, Sienna didn't bother glancing his way, lazily popping a grape into her mouth. "Ah, back from the court, are we?"

"Obviously! Will you care to explain why you let the grand duke walk free after we went through all the trouble of framing him?" he demanded.

"

We

?" Sienna's laugh was dry, edged with disdain. "Let's not kid ourselves. I am the one who actually

executed

that plan."

"Forget the credit. Just answer the question," he snapped, anger flaring in his eyes. "Why the hell did you do it?"

Sienna scoffed, finally turning to face him with a look of exasperated amusement. "Do you really think locking that guy up was enough?" she asked, like he had missed the obvious.

"What are you getting at?" he asked, his skepticism barely veiled.

With a slow, mocking smirk, she fed herself another grape. "What I mean,

dear husband,

is that for the fun I have planned for Vyan, he needs to be out of jail."

Easton's patience wore thin. "Enough of your 'plans,'" he snapped. "I am done with them. I don't trust you, Sienna—not when you are constantly pulling these stunts without consulting me."

She shrugged indifferently. "I can warn you, if that's what you need," she offered, tone dripping with mock generosity.

"There is no need," he said coldly. "I don't want your help, and I don't want you running around making more of a mess. And for heaven's sake, stop waltzing into mine. I gave you a room—use it. The last thing I need is anyone suspecting I am harboring a black wizard's daughter, let alone

married

to one."

For a split second, Sienna's hand froze mid-reach toward another grape. Her eyes narrowed, but she recovered quickly, letting out a cold laugh. "So you

dug up

information on me?"

"You didn't expect I would want to know where my own wife came from?" he retorted.

She tilted her head, a brittle smirk on her lips. "It must have been a real blow to find out your lovely bride's just a low-life witch, huh?"

He didn't even blink. "

It was.

You are nothing like Iyana."

The words hung in the air, sharp and final, as he turned on his heel and left.

The second the door clicked shut, a glass vase sailed through the air, shattering against the door in a rain of glass shards. Sienna's eyes burned with fury, her knuckles white as she crushed the grape in her hand.

"Nothing like Iyana, huh?" Her smile twisted into something dark, almost feral. "Fine. I will show every last one of you where you really belong."

———

After leaving Iyana's office, Vyan made his way through the palace corridors, looking for Clyde so they could head home. But before he could take more than a few steps, he spotted Daphne waiting just outside the imperial court, her gaze drawn to him the instant he appeared.

She approached slowly, eyes shadowed with exhaustion, the weight of sleepless nights clear in the dark circles beneath them. When she stopped in front of him, her voice barely rose above a whisper, trembling with unspoken regret. "I… I am sorry, Vee. I shouldn't have accused you. I didn't know…" Find adventures on mvl

Vyan's expression softened, though a flicker of sadness crossed his face. Despite the shallow suspicions others held, Daphne had believed in him—even when others concluded he had bribed Richard into confessing. She had wanted to believe in the boy she had considered her brother-in-law from the moment he was born. And in her eyes, he could see how deeply that belief lingered.

But beyond her apology and sorrow, he saw a darkness—an ache that couldn't be swept away by mere words. The shadow of Marquess Ryen's cruelty still loomed over her, even in death, and she carried it as if it were stitched to her very soul. Vyan knew she needed something far more than his forgiveness.

"Accusing me," he began dryly, "is the least of your crimes." She flinched, his words sinking into her, but before despair could tighten its grip, he added softly, "Your real crime, Daphne, is standing here and not understanding what this means for you."

She blinked, taken aback. "What?"

"You are free now." His words seemed to cut through the fog that had settled around her heart. "Free of his cruelty, free of his control. You don't have to live under his shadow anymore. March Ryen is yours. It always was, but now… you can rule it all alone."

She shook her head, fear swimming in her eyes. "But… I don't know how to rule. I don't know how to…"

"To live without him? To be yourself?" Vyan's gaze was steady, gentle yet firm. "You are stronger than you think, Daphne. Do you honestly believe you survived all those years of torment just to be helpless now? You have been ruling all along, even if you didn't realize it. You held the household together, kept it running while he tore it apart. Don't sell yourself short."

Her breath hitched, and he could see her chin trembling, her eyes bright with unshed tears—not of sorrow, but fear. Fear of the unknown, of the world waiting for her beyond the chains she had grown accustomed to. "But I am just… I am just a wife. I don't know how to be anything else. I don't even know if I can be a mother."

"Then start there," Vyan replied, his voice softening further. "Be a mother. Raise your child. Show them what real strength looks like. For now, that's all you need to be. But soon, you will realize that you are so much more than that. March Ryen isn't a burden you can't bear. It's your strength."

Daphne swallowed hard, shaking her head as if to banish the hope his words stirred within her. "I can't… it's too much. I am not strong enough."

Vyan's gaze held hers, unwavering. "You are. And you have something now that so many people never get—a real shot at freedom." His tone grew firm, yet it held an unmistakable kindness. "Daphne, are you really going to let that slip away just because you are afraid to try?"

In that moment, she looked at him, caught between fear and hope, standing on the edge of a life that was finally hers for the taking.

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