Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

"Am I a genius or what?"

Rosalina lifted her chin with an unmistakably proud expression as she dried the water from her long black hair, feeling both refreshed and rather satisfied with herself.

Every now and then, however, her onyx eyes drifted toward the lake behind her. Sylviana was still there, sitting quietly in the water with a distant expression, seemingly lost in thought.

Rosalina couldn’t tell how much of what she had said had actually reached the girl, but judging by her expression, at least some of her words had managed to get through.

Breaking someone out of a mindset they had lived with for years was never going to happen in a single conversation, especially when that person had spent so long convincing herself that everything was fine.

Still, Rosalina had done what she could.

She had shared her own experiences, explained the difference between being desired and being cherished, and pointed out the things Sylviana had been deliberately avoiding thinking about.

She had even given her a hypothetical scenario extreme enough that there shouldn’t have been much room for misunderstanding.

If Sylviana still couldn’t understand after that, then there really wasn’t much more Rosalina could do except hope that the girl’s own thoughts would eventually lead her to the right conclusion.

At the very least, she hoped Sylviana wouldn’t be foolish enough to return to Leon only after realizing everything, because that would be quite embarrassing.

"Hmm."

Rosalina nodded to herself as she gathered her damp hair and tied it into a large bun.

A few stubborn strands escaped and fell naturally around her flawless face, but she didn’t bother fixing them.

Her onyx eyes followed Sylviana as the girl finally stepped out of the lake and began drying herself. Sylviana didn’t say anything, merely dressed herself before looking toward Rosalina and giving a small nod to indicate that she was ready.

Rosalina returned the gesture.

Without wasting any more time, she took the lead and rose into the air, flying smoothly through the dense forest.

Sylviana followed behind her, keeping pace as the trees blurred beneath them.

The forest had become strangely quiet compared to earlier, and the farther they traveled from the lake, the more Rosalina’s thoughts returned to everything that had happened.

’Hehehe...’

She chuckled inwardly.

Leon would probably be quite happy if Sylviana finally managed to break free from whatever the hell that bastard had done to her.

Rosalina still wasn’t entirely certain whether it was actual mind control, manipulation, or simply some bizarre combination of obsession and emotional dependence, but whatever it was, she didn’t like it.

The moment Crypian’s face appeared in her mind, however, Rosalina’s expression twisted slightly.

A low growl escaped her throat.

That bastard.

She became irritated simply from remembering him, but after a moment she forced herself to calm down.

There was no point in wasting her energy being angry at someone who wasn’t even there. Besides, their original plan had already failed.

They had been discovered by the Zlycons, and with their presence exposed, there was little reason to continue trying to accomplish what they had originally intended.

They would simply have to return to the three floating continents somehow.

Once they were back, there was another matter waiting for them.

The Five Heavenly Trials.

Rosalina’s expression became thoughtful as she flew, her mind already calculating how they would approach the trials.

Originally, she had considered taking all five at once, but after thinking about it for a while, she decided that might be slightly too troublesome, even for her and Julius.

Three.

She and Julius should be able to handle three trials simultaneously without too much difficulty.

The remaining two could be dealt with afterward.

If neither of them suffered any serious injuries, perhaps they wouldn’t even need to wait long.

A week might be enough. At worst, a month should certainly be sufficient for them to recover and complete the remaining trials before finally entering the Infinite Core.

Rosalina’s eyes narrowed slightly.

And once she entered the Infinite Core...

Her thoughts became darker.

The Velentina Clan, the Thorne Clan.

Her expression remained calm, but an almost frightening determination settled within her eyes.

She would make certain that her bloodline ruled them.

Of course, she didn’t mean that literally. There wouldn’t be anyone left in this world bearing those names by then.

Those clans, those territories, those old powers that had once carried such weight in the world would all become nothing more than remnants of history.

Their territories, however...

Those could certainly be taken.

Rosalina’s lips curved into a faint smile.

It wasn’t as though she had any particular attachment to their names. She simply wanted the territory, the resources, and the power that came with them.

If she and Julius were going to establish something of their own, there was no reason to leave valuable land in the hands of people who had already proven themselves unworthy of it.

While Rosalina continued thinking about such things, she didn’t even notice when the familiar trees of their temporary shelter finally came into view.

By the time she realized they had returned, she and Sylviana were already approaching the massive tree.

Rosalina had deliberately left the place concealed only from those who shouldn’t be able to find it.

There was no need to maintain the illusion around the entrance when Leon was already aware of their location, so she simply flew inside with Sylviana following behind.

The moment they landed, Sylviana turned toward Rosalina.

"Thank you."

Her voice was quieter than usual.

"For everything you told me."

Rosalina raised an eyebrow slightly, but before she could respond, Sylviana added something that caught her completely off guard.

"Big sis."

Rosalina froze.

Big sis?

For a moment, Rosalina simply stared at her. Then a strange warmth spread through her chest.

"Hmph."

She quickly turned her head away, trying to maintain her usual composure, but the corners of her lips had already begun to rise.

She liked that.

A lot.

There was something strangely satisfying about being called big sis, especially when it came from someone who had previously been so guarded around her.

Rosalina felt an unexpected sense of pride as she looked at the younger girl, and without thinking too much about it, she reached out and gently patted Sylviana on the head.

"Good girl."

Sylviana blinked at her but didn’t seem offended.

Rosalina’s smile grew slightly.

After expressing her gratitude once more, Sylviana walked away to find Leon.

The interior of the tree was rather small, and Rosalina had already given the only remaining comfortable space to Leon and Sylviana, leaving herself with very little room to spare. She didn’t mind, though.

She had spent enough time sleeping in forests, caves, ruins, and countless other unpleasant places that a cramped tree was hardly worth complaining about.

Besides, Julius was here.

That alone made it comfortable enough.

Rosalina smiled to herself before turning toward her room.

Leon was already there, sitting nearby and calmly polishing his sword as he kept watch over the area. The moment Rosalina approached, he looked up.

She didn’t give him any opportunity to ask what she wanted.

Without warning, Rosalina grabbed him and began pushing him toward the exit.

"Hey—what are you doing?"

"I need some alone time with Julius."

Leon stared at her in confusion.

"Alone time?"

"Yes."

Rosalina continued pushing him out.

Leon glanced toward Julius, then back at Rosalina.

"Isn’t he unconscious?"

Rosalina stopped for half a second.

"Yes."

Leon became even more confused.

"Then what exactly do you need alone time for?"

Rosalina stared at him.

Leon stared back.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Eventually, Rosalina simply pushed him out of the room.

"Just leave."

"But—"

"Go."

The door closed behind him.

Leon stood outside for a moment, staring at it with a completely baffled expression before finally shaking his head and walking away.

He really didn’t understand women.

Inside the room, Rosalina leaned against the door for a moment and smiled.

"Should I plug my ears today?"

The thought amused her.

Her imagination immediately became somewhat more vivid, and a mischievous smirk appeared on her face.

Then suddenly the smile disappeared, her expression became blank.

"Wait."

She looked toward the bed.

"I need to feed Julius too."

She had completely forgotten.

Rosalina walked over to him and stared down at his sleeping face. Julius remained completely unconscious, his breathing steady and peaceful despite everything his body had endured. Seeing him like that softened her expression immediately.

"You poor thing."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

One kiss became several, and several quickly became far too many to count. Rosalina seemed to lose track somewhere around a few hundred kisses, but she certainly wasn’t complaining about it.

Eventually, she straightened herself and gently brushed a strand of blonde hair away from Julius’s face.

"I’ll be back soon."

She gave him one final kiss before turning toward the door.

Her stomach was beginning to remind her that she had spent quite some time in the lake, and more importantly, Julius would need something to eat.

Rosalina sighed.

"Now I have to cook for that idiot too."

She walked out of the room and headed toward the tiny kitchen she had created earlier.

The kitchen itself was barely large enough to deserve the name, but it would have to do. She had already constructed a chimney, which was arguably the most important part of the entire setup, so at the very least, the place was bearable.

Rosalina entered and looked around.

"Hmm."

She placed her hands on her hips.

It wasn’t much, but it was hers.

And if Julius was going to recover here, she would make sure he was comfortable.

She glanced toward the ingredients she had gathered earlier, particularly the meat she had deliberately set aside for him.

There was quite a lot of it.

Even if all four of them ate properly for two days, there would still be plenty left.

Rosalina smiled.

"Good."

She rolled up her sleeves.

Cooking wasn’t exactly one of her greatest talents, but she wasn’t completely helpless either. Her childhood training had included the basics of cooking, along with identifying edible plants, preparing meat, and recognizing which things could safely be consumed in the wild.

Back then, those lessons had been taught as matters of survival rather than domestic skills.

And after watching Julius cook countless times, Rosalina had picked up quite a bit more.

She wasn’t going to pretend she could match him.

Not yet of course..

But she was confident she could at least make something edible.

And for Julius, that would be enough.

With that thought in mind, Rosalina began preparing the ingredients.

She had no idea that, somewhere in the back of her mind, she was already looking forward to the moment Julius finally woke up and discovered that his wife had cooked for him.

That alone made the entire effort worthwhile.

Of course, there was also another reason she had chosen that particular meat.

Rosalina glanced toward the red meat she had harvested earlier.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"...This one is for him."

She had deliberately saved it because of its special benefits for men.

Her cheeks grew slightly warmer as her imagination wandered toward what Julius might be like after recovering his strength.

Hopefully, he would have enough vigor to put all that energy to good use.

Rosalina’s expression became increasingly dreamy.

Then she shook her head.

"Focus."

She returned her attention to the ingredients. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Right now, Julius needed food.

And she intended to make sure he got it.