Into the Apocalypse: Saving My Favorite Villain-Chapter 104: How do you know his name?

Rosalia — POV

As soon as Cassel finished taking the last item out of his spatial storage, the faint shimmer of light fading from the air, he turned and walked straight toward me.

There was no hesitation in his steps. No room for escape.

He stopped so close that I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. Those dark eyes—always too sharp, too calm, too dangerous—locked onto mine with unsettling precision.

"Do you feel disappointed?" he asked.

The question struck me like a blade pressed against bare skin.

"W–What?" My voice wavered despite my attempt to sound casual. "Disappointed? I’m just sleepy. I want to sleep. G–Good night."

I turned on my heel.

I fled.

That was all I wanted—to escape. Right now. Immediately.

I needed distance, air, clarity.

I needed to run before he peeled back thoughts I was desperately trying to bury.

But clearly, the idiot villain behind me had no intention of letting me run.

A firm hand closed around my wrist.

The next instant, I was yanked backward so abruptly that my balance shattered.

The world spun, and before I could gasp, my back collided with something solid—unyielding, warm, unmistakably Cassel.

My breath left me in a startled exhale.

Once again, that familiar scent enveloped me—the faint trace of metal and ozone, mixed with something clean and sharp that was uniquely his.

The warmth of his body seeped into my skin, and my head spun slightly, treacherously light.

No, Rosalia.

Wake up.

Don’t fall for beauty.

But it seemed the beauty in front of me had no patience left for restraint.

Cassel’s hand slid from my wrist to the side of my face, fingers firm yet strangely gentle, tilting my head up before I could protest.

The next moment, his lips crashed against mine.

The kiss was fierce.

Hot.

Unrelenting.

It stole every fragment of awareness I had left, burning through my thoughts like wildfire.

His lips moved against mine with a hunger that left no room for hesitation, no space to breathe.

"Mmm—"

The sound slipped out before I could stop it.

I couldn’t breathe under the force of his kiss.

Cassel kissed me like he was trying to devour me whole, swallowing every breath I took until my lungs screamed in protest.

His grip tightened, not painful, but possessive, anchoring me firmly against him.

And yet—

It didn’t hurt.

There was no sharp panic, no suffocating terror like before.

No crushing pressure that made my chest ache.

All I felt was heat.

And beneath that heat, an odd, dangerous sense of comfort.

Even as my breath was stolen, even as my thoughts dissolved, I felt... safe.

"Ca...ssel..."

My voice trembled when his lips finally parted from mine.

The world rushed back in a dizzy wave, and I clung to his coat without realizing it, my knees weak, my vision blurred.

When I looked up at him, my eyes were wet, lashes trembling.

He looked down at me with an intensity that made my heart stutter.

The words left my mouth before my brain could catch them.

"Are you a dog?"

Silence.

Then—amusement flickered across his face, brief and dangerous.

Exactly.

Otherwise, how could I explain him biting me every time he kissed me?

My lips throbbed, tender and sore, and I was certain they were swollen by now.

I didn’t need a mirror to know that.

"Why don’t you call me your villain?" he said calmly.

"What?"

The sudden shift left me stunned.

What was Cassel talking about now?

Had he finally crossed into full insanity? Or did he turn from a villain to a hentai?

I remembered that first night—the cramped bed, the tension, my entire body burning red like a cooked shrimp when I’d angrily snapped at him and called him a villain.

Since then, he’d latched onto that word with disturbing enthusiasm.

My temples throbbed as I tried to imagine a cure for this man’s twisted mind.

Cassel released me as suddenly as he’d pulled me in.

"Go take a shower," he said, his tone gentler now, as if the storm from moments ago had never existed.

Before I could respond, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

Just like that.

I melted again.

Even knowing how dangerous he was—to others, to himself, to me—my heart still betrayed me completely.

Who told me to fall in love like this?

Painfully. Permanently. Irrevocably.

"Alright, then," I replied with a small smile.

I gathered my things, which Cassel had stored in his spatial space earlier, and headed toward the bathroom.

He had brought everything.

Not just necessities—but everything.

My clothes. My toiletries. My makeup. Even my stuffed toys..

My chest tightened painfully at the realization.

This level of meticulous care... this quiet attention to detail... it was something I had never experienced before.

No one had ever thought so thoroughly about me.

Of course, I adored my villain even when he did nothing at all—but seeing him do this much made my heart race uncontrollably.

The shower washed away the exhaustion clinging to my skin, and when I stepped out, I felt lighter, calmer.

Cassel had already prepared the bed.

Everything was neat, precise, just the way he liked it.

He went to shower after me, leaving me curled up on the bed with my phone, watching an old movie I barely paid attention to.

"Put the phone down and sleep."

I startled as Cassel returned, his hair damp, his presence filling the room once more.

"You’re still injured. And after using your powers, you must be exhausted."

Before I could argue, he took the phone from my hands and set it aside.

Then he climbed into bed, pulled me into his arms, and began patting my back in slow, steady motions.

The scent of his shower gel was fresh, clean—comforting.

I shifted closer, instinctively pressing my face to his chest.

And then froze.

"...Cassel," I murmured. "Did you shower with cold water?"

His skin was cool.

Unnaturally so cold.

"There was no extra hot water," he replied smoothly. "Go to sleep."

He adjusted his collar, creating a barrier so my skin wouldn’t touch his directly.

That simple action stirred something uneasy in my chest.

Even though I’d slept through most of the journey, exhaustion weighed heavily on me now.

Wrapped in his arms, my eyelids grew heavy.

I yawned softly.

"Good night... my favorite villain," I whispered, half-asleep.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, seeking warmth, and drifted off like that.

---

Our sleep, however, was not filled with sweet dreams.

Screams shattered the night.

Loud. Panicked. Raw.

I jolted awake, heart pounding violently against my ribs.

Who in their right mind would scream at night in a world full of zombies?

Even though this place was fortified and everyone here was strong, noise meant danger.

It attracted attention—both living and dead. Who would want troubles?

When we went downstairs, the hall was already crowded. Tension hung thick in the air.

Henry stepped forward, his gaze lingering on me longer than necessary.

Confused, I followed his eyes—then realized where he was looking.

My lips.

Heat rushed to my face as memory struck me mercilessly.

"If you have something to say," Cassel said flatly, stepping slightly in front of me, "then say it."

His voice cut through the room like ice.

"The man we rescued has woken up," Henry said quickly. "He tried to leave. Joe and Liz stopped him. He was mentally unstable—yelling, attacking. He’s restrained now."

Matthew.

My chest tightened painfully.

He must have been trying to find his family.

Those people who had broken him long before the apocalypse ever did.

I had pulled him from the tree’s belly—but his true cage was the love he’d chased his entire life.

"Where is he?" I asked.

Concern flickered across Cassel’s face—and something darker beneath it.

"I just want to see how he is," I added quickly. "I won’t use my powers. I promise."

Cassel’s eyes burned.

I knew that look.

If I pushed too hard, he wouldn’t just bite my neck this time.

He would tear Matthew’s off.

Don’t ask how I know this.

Henry cleared his throat and pointed toward a door on the left.

"He’s there. Joe and Robin are guarding him."

"Tell everyone to return to their posts," Cassel ordered. "And their rooms."

Then he took my hand and led me toward the door.

His steps were measured. Controlled.

As for me, my mind raced—searching for a way to make Matthew see the truth, to help him break free from the illusion that had destroyed him.

I didn’t notice Cassel’s eyes.

Didn’t see how darkness surged within them for several heartbeats—thick, unnatural, suffocating—before sinking back into the depths of his black gaze, waiting.

Patiently.

Hungrily.

In the room, there was a man tied to a chair in the center. Robin and Joe stood on either side of him, ready for any sudden movement. Yet the man seemed to have calmed down—no, it was a strange, unnatural stillness, with not a single sign of motion.

Matthew sat frozen in place. If not for the steady rise and fall of his chest, I would have thought he was dead.

"Are you all right, Matthew?"

I spoke his name without realizing it.

The man lifted his face, staring at me with piercing intensity.

As for Cassel, he suddenly tightened his grip around my hand until it hurt. Then he pulled me toward him and, with one hand, tilted my chin up so I was forced to look at him.

"How do you know his name?"

Oh God... I had forgotten that Matthew was someone we had rescued—a complete stranger whose identity we knew nothing about.

Of course Cassel would be suspicious of me.

"I–I..."

I wanted to say he was an old colleague, or someone I had met before, or a neighbor—anything at all. But when I looked into Cassel’s eyes, blazing with anger, I couldn’t lie to him. I couldn’t meet his gaze and feed him a falsehood. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

So I changed my words.

"Cassel, I’ll tell you everything. I promise you—I swear I will, one day. I’ll tell you everything. But... please, give me more time. I beg you."

I pleaded, on the verge of tears, holding his face in both hands, rubbing my cheek against his with desperate affection and devotion.

Perhaps it was because he saw my sorrow, the tears that refused to fall.

Or perhaps it was because of how pitiful I must have looked—unable to speak about my past, my identity, the very core of my existence...

Whatever the reason, in the end, Cassel gave in.

After a long while, he pulled me into a tight embrace, then finally let go with a heavy sigh.

"...Fine. Just don’t make me wait too long."

Those were the last words Cassel whispered to me before stepping back and standing beside me—tall and composed.

There was no complaint, no anger, no dissatisfaction visible on his face.

Seeing how eager Cassel was to hear the truth, yet how he still restrained himself and refused to pressure me any further—simply because he loved me...

Because he was willing to wait, just because he cared about me...

I cannot put into words what I felt at that moment.

But I am certain of one thing:

I will never forget it for as long as I live.