Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

’So the rumors were right...’

Sylviana thought, her gaze lowering slightly as Rosalina continued washing her hair.

During their academy days, before the disaster that had changed everything, she had heard of those two.

It was difficult not to notice them, after all. Julius and Rosalina had both been remarkably beautiful, almost as if someone had deliberately created them to stand beside each other.

At the time, however, Sylviana had known very little about Julius himself. The books had only appeared much later, written by some anonymous author whose identity nobody seemed to know, and strangely enough, every single book written by that person featured Julius as its protagonist.

Sylviana had initially assumed it was simply another series of fictional stories inspired by a famous figure, but after everything that had happened, the situation had become far more complicated than that.

As for Julius and Rosalina themselves, even back then they had looked like a perfect match.

Although, now that Sylviana thought about it, perhaps the phrase was slightly different. A match made in... a mental hospital?

She couldn’t help thinking it. Julius certainly seemed to have a few screws loose in his head, especially after she had gotten to know him personally, and Rosalina herself didn’t exactly seem like the sort of woman who would run away from that insanity.

There had also been countless rumors surrounding them, particularly about Rosalina, though Sylviana had never known which ones were true and which had simply been invented by people who disliked them.

After taking a small breath, Sylviana finally gathered enough courage to ask the question that had been bothering her.

"Did you two... ever have a fight?"

Rosalina’s hands paused for only a fraction of a second before continuing to wash her hair.

Sylviana felt strangely comfortable beneath Rosalina’s care. Perhaps it was because Rosalina was taller and seemed more mature, carrying a quiet charm that made her feel dependable rather than intimidating.

There was also something gentle about the way she spoke to her. Ever since she had healed Julius, Sylviana had occasionally seen that softer side of her, and now that she was experiencing it herself, she understood why it had been so easy to lower her guard.

The warm water moved gently around her body while Rosalina’s fingers carefully worked through her long emerald hair, removing the tangles with patient movements.

For the first time in quite a while, Sylviana didn’t feel as though she needed to constantly measure every word she spoke.

"Well... no," Rosalina answered after thinking for a moment. "We haven’t really had a fight yet. He always does whatever I want."

There was a hint of helplessness in her voice, as though this was somehow a problem.

"Honestly, sometimes I think we should fight about something just so our relationship feels a little more normal, but I don’t even know what we would fight about. Julius can do almost anything, and if there’s something he can’t do, he’ll probably learn it just because I mentioned that I wanted it. So whenever there’s a disagreement, he simply gives in before it can even become an argument."

Rosalina smiled faintly at the thought.

"It’s almost annoying."

Sylviana couldn’t help but blink. Somehow, hearing someone complain that their lover was too willing to please them sounded like a problem she had never imagined could exist.

Then Rosalina’s expression changed slightly, becoming more serious.

"Ah, by the way."

Her fingers continued moving through Sylviana’s hair.

"Since we’re already having this conversation, I’ll ask you something directly. Don’t you feel ashamed of being collected like trophies by that bastard?"

Sylviana flinched.

Her shoulders slumped beneath the water, and for several seconds she couldn’t bring herself to answer.

The question struck far closer to the truth than she wanted to admit.

For the past few years, and especially during the month she had spent here, her feelings toward Crypian and the strange relationship surrounding him had become increasingly complicated.

She had tried to convince herself that everything was fine, that this was simply how things had always been in their world, but hearing Rosalina say it so bluntly made those excuses suddenly sound much weaker.

"W-Well..." Sylviana finally murmured. "It doesn’t really matter. Throughout history, men have married multiple women, so as long as you..."

"That’s bullshit."

Rosalina’s answer came so quickly that Sylviana fell silent.

"In a relationship, both people should be equal. I’m not talking about who is stronger or who can contribute more, because obviously there will be things you’re better at and things the man is better at. There are exceptions, of course. Julius is a particularly unfair example because that idiot somehow manages to be good at almost everything."

A faint smile appeared on her lips before disappearing again.

"But that’s not what matters. What matters is respect. You should be able to look at the person beside you and know that they value you as a person, not as something they possess."

Rosalina gently lifted a section of Sylviana’s hair and began washing it again.

"That bastard already has four women, doesn’t he? Leon mentioned it. So tell me honestly, Sylviana. Doesn’t some part of you feel like a trophy? Something beautiful that he collected simply because he wanted to have it?"

"But... but it’s not like that," Sylviana protested weakly. "He really loves us. Equally."

Rosalina chuckled softly.

"Really?"

There was no mockery in her voice this time, only a strange mixture of amusement and pity.

"Ah, you’re such a naive girl."

Sylviana’s fingers tightened beneath the water.

"It’s attraction, Sylviana. That’s what you’re feeling, and that’s probably what those other girls are feeling too. Don’t confuse being desired with being cherished. Someone can be completely fascinated by you and still grow tired of you eventually. Attraction is easy when everything is new. The difficult part is remaining devoted when the years have passed and the excitement is gone."

Rosalina’s voice remained calm, but each word landed heavily.

"It’s not much different from prostitution if the only thing holding the relationship together is desire and the man’s ability to keep collecting women he finds attractive. You need to be careful about who you choose to spend your life with. The world is full of people who will tell you that being desired is enough, but it isn’t."

She paused for a moment.

"Imagine another woman appearing someday. Someone younger, perhaps more beautiful, more talented, or simply more interesting to him. What happens then? If your place beside him depends on how much he wants you at this moment, what’s stopping him from eventually putting you aside?"

Sylviana remained silent.

Rosalina continued before she could answer.

"You need to have some respect for yourself."

Her voice softened slightly.

"Do you know when we tried to kill them, there was that pimp who kept trying to protect them because he acknowledged their love. Alia even said she wouldn’t mind if Crypian had many women. Julius asked Crypian whether he’d accept the same arrangement if the situation were reversed and Alia wanted several men."

Rosalina shook her head.

"Of course, both of us were disgusted by the whole thing. But do you know what I noticed? Crypian’s answer was essentially the same, yet there was hesitation in it. Just for a moment, but it was there. He hesitated before answering, and neither of them even noticed."

Sylviana’s expression slowly changed..

Rosalina’s hands became still.

"There is something else you should know."

Sylviana looked up slightly.

"Leon has had feelings for you for a very long time."

Sylviana froze.

Her heart suddenly began beating violently against her chest.

She already knew, of course she knew.

Maybe she hadn’t understood it at first, but she had realized it eventually, especially after she returned and began speaking about Crypian.

Leon had changed after that. The warmth he once showed her had disappeared beneath a layer of coldness and distance.

He rarely complained, never confronted her, and continued acting as though everything was normal, but Sylviana had noticed the difference.

Rosalina watched her reaction carefully.

"I told you earlier that Leon came to me because he was curious about the strange feeling he experienced whenever he was near someone he liked, remember?"

Sylviana nodded slowly.

"Well, the person who caused those tingling feelings was you."

Sylviana’s breath caught.

"And now think about everything that happened afterward. I’m sure he must have risked his life for you more than once, didn’t he?"

Sylviana couldn’t answer.

Despite becoming colder and more distant, despite the way he had withdrawn from her after she returned and spoke about Crypian, Leon had still protected her.

Again and again, whenever danger appeared, he had placed himself between her and it without hesitation.

He had never demanded anything in return, never asked her to choose him, and never used the things he had done to make her feel guilty.

She had simply chosen not to think too deeply about why.

Rosalina let the silence remain for a while before speaking again.

"I won’t tell you what decision to make."

Her voice was gentler now.

"That is something you have to decide yourself. I’m not asking you to abandon anyone just because I dislike the way your relationship works, and I’m not asking you to choose Leon simply because he loves you. I’m only asking you to think carefully about what kind of life you actually want."

Rosalina slowly ran her fingers through Sylviana’s hair one final time before letting it fall against her back.

"Would you rather spend your life beside someone who might eventually grow tired of you once the attraction fades, or would you rather be with someone who has already chosen you and would still want to stand beside you when both of you are old?"

Sylviana’s lips parted slightly, but no words came.

Rosalina gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"That’s all I’m saying."

She stood from the water, droplets sliding down her pale skin as she stepped toward the edge of the lake. Her long black hair followed behind her like a dark abyss, heavy with water and trailing across her back as she moved.

She calmly wiped herself dry before putting on her clothes, her movements unhurried and composed, as though she hadn’t just dropped a question capable of turning someone’s entire world upside down.

Sylviana remained where she was.

The water barely moved around her as she stared at the surface, her emerald eyes unfocused.

For years, she had tried to convince herself that everything was fine.

That being loved by Crypian was enough.

That having other women beside him was simply the way things were.

That perhaps she should be grateful because he had chosen her.

But now, for the first time, another thought quietly surfaced.

What if being chosen wasn’t the same as being cherished?

And what if the person who had been standing beside her all these years had already answered that question without ever asking her for anything in return?

"Ah, by the way, if you’re still having difficulty understanding what I mean, I’ll make it simpler. Imagine a scenario where your entire face and body were brutally burned, leaving you completely disfigured. Do you think that bastard would still accept you? Would he still love you and cherish you the same way he does now?"

Rosalina paused, letting the question settle before continuing with an almost matter-of-fact tone.

"Well, Leon would. I know he would."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"As for my Julius? I don’t have that problem either. First, he’d hunt down everyone responsible and make sure they regretted ever touching me. Then, knowing that idiot, he’d probably burn his own face and body just so we’d look the same."

She sighed softly, shaking her head with a mixture of affection and helplessness.

"So you see, I don’t have any difficulty choosing."