Into the Apocalypse: Saving My Favorite Villain-Chapter 102: Troubles

Rosalia — POV

After that incident with Emily, no other problems arose.

At least, none on the surface.

Cassel ordered his men to cook more food for everyone, and the camp slowly regained a fragile sense of order.

The smell of hot meals drifted through the abandoned house, masking the lingering stench of blood, rust, and rot that clung to the world outside.

For a brief moment, it almost felt... normal.

Of course, it wasn’t because my favorite villain had suddenly grown a compassionate heart toward the group.

Cassel wasn’t that kind of man.

If anything, kindness was a language he refused to speak unless it served a purpose.

And this served one.

We couldn’t afford to turn everyone into enemies—especially now that we were technically one team and would be traveling together for an extended period of time.

Cooperation, even forced and brittle, was better than open hostility. Cassel understood that better than anyone.

He didn’t flatter them; he didn’t need to.

Authority clung to him like a second skin.

Still, there was no harm in acting civil, in smoothing the sharpest edges and avoiding unnecessary conflict—for now.

But peace was never meant to last.

"Cae," I asked softly, leaning closer to him, "are you sure the man we rescued is all right?"

The question had been gnawing at me for a while.

Only then did I finally remember the minor character—the one who had collapsed unconscious while I was treating him earlier.

In the chaos that followed, he had been completely forgotten.

Ever since I asked, Cassel had been wearing a look of clear anger and disapproval, his jaw clenched so tightly that a vein stood out along his temple.

"He’s fine," he said curtly. "Still asleep."

That was all.

Before I could press further, his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist—firm, unyielding—stopping me from standing up to check on the man myself.

The pressure wasn’t painful, but it was unmistakably possessive.

I froze.

Well... I suppose that, as his lover, I probably shouldn’t be asking about other men.

Maybe that was why he was upset.

Jealous, even.

The realization made my lips twitch despite myself. Thinking that way, I decided to let it go and stopped asking about the man altogether.

Cassel relaxed slightly, though his grip lingered longer than necessary, as if reminding me exactly where I belonged.

In any case, night had fallen some time ago.

The world outside the windows was nothing but darkness and distant groans.

After such a long and exhausting journey, everyone needed real sleep, so we could continue tomorrow with at least some measure of strength.

But when bedtime came, another problem emerged.

Of course it did.

...

"By what right do you get the large room with the bathroom on the second floor?" Cecil snapped, his voice sharp and trembling with indignation.

"My darling Mary is extremely delicate and kind—she deserves to sleep there."

I nearly choked.

Before I could even react, Frederick fired back without hesitation, his tone dripping with open contempt.

"Are you joking with me?" he scoffed.

"We’re the ones who found this house and guided you here. Without us, you’d be sleeping outside among zombies. And you still want to compete with the boss over the best room? Have you no shame at all?"

His words struck like a slap.

It was obvious Frederick had a sharp tongue—not just toward Robin, but toward everyone.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he added with mocking sarcasm, "Doesn’t your face hurt?"

"You—!" Cecil’s eyes widened in outrage. "How dare you speak to me like that? I’m your leader!"

"Excuse me?"

Shock spread across Frederick’s face.

For a moment, he genuinely looked as though he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

Then Robin burst out laughing, loud and unrestrained, while Joe merely shook his head with open pity.

This bastard—did he really still think he ranked high enough to command his brother’s men?

Seriously.

Was he stupid?

Once again, I found myself questioning the author’s choices.

The heroine was supposed to be a refined, high-grade green-tea bitch—manipulative, fragile, and adored by all.

As for the male lead...

There wasn’t a single word in my vocabulary capable of fully capturing his arrogance, shameless pride, and the sheer, unbelievable confidence he carried.

It was almost impressive in its own horrifying way.

Zen—the leader of the first squad under the first general, a man we hadn’t even met yet—finally stepped in.

"We’re all one team now," he said, his voice deep and steady.

"There’s no need to fight over something as trivial as room assignments."

Zen was dark-skinned, muscular, and solidly built.

His appearance wasn’t unpleasant, but he wasn’t particularly striking either.

Certainly not compared to Frederick—and he didn’t even come close to Cassel.

Honestly, even Cecil looked far better.

Yet despite his reasonable words, his gaze was fixed on Cassel’s team with a subtle sense of reproach, as if silently accusing us of stirring up trouble.

Naturally.

Another admirer.

Another fool ready to kneel beneath the heroine’s skirt and do anything to earn her favor.

I let out a quiet sigh, already exhausted by the sheer number of Mary’s followers and their obedient helpers.

They would be a pain in the ass sooner or later—I had no doubt about that.

Suddenly, Cassel’s hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

His fingers pressed into my nape, massaging gently yet possessively.

I didn’t know what had gotten into him lately.

He’d become addicted to holding my neck at every opportunity, as if anchoring me to him.

Maybe he thought I felt uncomfortable in this tense atmosphere.

Or maybe he was reminding everyone who I belonged to.

Either way, he finally stepped forward, abandoning his role as a detached observer.

Cassel looked at Zen.

Then at Mary.

And finally at Cecil, whose arm was wrapped securely around her waist.

Then—

He smiled.

A wide, dazzling, dangerously provocative smile.

Damn it.

He was ridiculously attractive.

So attractive it made my chest ache.

For a split second, I felt like I was falling in love all over again.

That illusion shattered the moment his voice rang out—cold, sharp, and lethal enough to freeze blood.

"You want to stay in my place?" he said calmly. "Fine. But you’ll learn—and follow—my rules."

The aura radiating from him shifted instantly.

In the next moment, everything in the room lifted.

I mean—everything.

The tables. The chairs. Bags, weapons, glass shards.

Even the couch where Henry and the children were sitting rose slowly toward the ceiling.

"Ahhh!"

"Wooo! This is so fun!"

The children laughed, clapping excitedly as if they were on a carnival ride.

The adults did not share their enthusiasm.

Sharp objects hovered dangerously close to throats and faces.

Belongings spun wildly in the air.

One wrong move—one stray thought—and it would be over.

Correction.

Cassel wouldn’t even need to move.

Just thinking about it would be enough to erase them.

"What are you doing?!" Zen shouted, fear bleeding through his anger.

"Cassel, have you lost your mind?! Is it really worth threatening all of us over a damn room?!"

Even Victor—the leader of the second team—looked tense, his raised voice failing to fully mask his terror.

Cassel tilted his head slightly, unimpressed.

"Or," he said coolly, "is your intelligence so low that you won’t remember my words unless I make them painfully clear?"

With a lazy wave of his hand, everything dropped back into place.

The sound of objects crashing echoed through the room.

"Once again. One more time..."

"Woooow,"

It was clear that the children were the only ones enjoying themselves.

Robin drawled, smirking.

"stop playing around. The boss is busy."

After their father scolded them, the twins fell silent, their shoulders slumping in disappointment.

The moment might have been funny.

But I wasn’t laughing.

Cassel’s men were already facing off against the other teams, hands hovering near weapons, eyes cold and merciless.

Every single one of them was ready to plunge the room into bloodshed at a moment’s notice. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Even Liz and Henry—who had been lounging casually just moments ago—were now on their feet, bodies tense, eyes sharp, and ready to fight.

The fragile peace had shattered.

And everyone knew it.

One wrong word—

And tonight would end in blood.