Villain of Fate: The Tyrant System-Chapter 85: The Prop That Must Not Break

The Prop That Must Not Break

Gwen Valquin masked her emotions flawlessly as she accepted the amulet. Her fingers were steady. Her expression soft.

"Alright, thank you. I’ll wear it."

Her voice was gentle—almost trusting.

Across from her, Evan smiled wider, the curve of his lips carrying unmistakable satisfaction.

"We’re all friends here, no need to be so polite."

He sounded relaxed. Confident. Victorious.

Inside, however, calculation ran like clockwork.

As long as Gwen took that talisman home, the Black Magic disturbance inside the Valquin household would no longer harm her directly. The pressure would lessen. The nightmares would ease—at least for her.

And when that happened, she would come back.

She would seek him out.

Then he would "solve" the crisis completely.

And once the Valquin household owed him their survival...

Everything would fall into place.

He could deal with Mike Valquin at his leisure. Break him, reshape him, step over him.

The Valquin household would stand behind him.

This time, everything would go smoothly.

Bear... just wait. It won’t be long before we’re eating burgers together again.

Gwen nodded faintly and slipped the talisman into her bag with careful precision.

She wandered around Ancient Pull for a while after that, glancing at porcelain vases, ancient scrolls, and jade pendants—but her mind was elsewhere.

After a few more minutes, she left.

Evan followed her out without hesitation.

Only after the door closed did Julian D’Aurelius step out from behind the counter.

He dusted off his sleeves casually, golden eyes sharp and thoughtful.

The shop returned to its quiet rhythm—the faint clink of porcelain, the scent of aged wood and incense lingering in the air.

Julian circled around one of the glass display cases and stopped.

Inside it lay a jade talisman carved in the shape of two wings intertwined—

The Heavenly Father Blessings Wing Shape Talisman.

The carving was exquisite. The jade glowed with a soft luster under the light, the edges smooth yet sharp with intent. It looked alive. Sacred. Almost breathing.

The price tag beneath it read: 880,000 Euro.

Julian’s gaze darkened slightly.

According to the original storyline, Evan would return here very soon and buy this talisman.

It was a key prop.

It could absorb all the Black Magic disturbances within the Valquin household.

With it, Evan would step in at the most critical moment—rescue the household from collapse—and elevate himself to savior status.

A perfect display of omnipotence.

Julian stared at the talisman for a long moment.

He could take it right now. Hide it. Destroy it. Break the sequence.

His fingers even twitched slightly.

But in the end... he withdrew his hand.

He wasn’t Fortune’s Chosen.

He didn’t possess mastery over Black Magic, Ancient medicine, gambling, or metaphysics.

He didn’t have the absurd all-around proficiency the Obsidian Kings seemed born with.

Even if he bought it, he wouldn’t know how to use it.

In this script, that talisman only responded to Evan.

Still...

Just watching Evan smoothly take over the Valquin household?

A small tension crept into Julian’s jaw.

It wasn’t possible for him to just watch as everything around his brother disappeared into chaos.

A single breath holds weight, no matter whose chest it fills.

Just because the story called for loss did not require surrender.

Silence hung for moments. Then Julian breathed out slow, choosing what felt wrong deep down.

He paused, hands hovering near the glass, staring at the charm within. A soft crunching sound came from behind the counter - sunflower shells splitting open now and then. The object held his attention: shaped like wings, small, silent. His look wasn’t idle - it measured, weighed something unseen. Stillness filled the room, broken only by that steady snapping noise. Time slowed while he stayed frozen, motionless but deep in thought.

Then he spoke.

"Uncle Zain, come here for a moment."

Leaning on a stool behind the counter, Zain idled away, popping sunflower seeds one by one, flicking each shell into a tiny bowl without missing. Hearing Julian speak snapped him upright - sudden, sharp, like duty just rang out. A quick brush of his shirt cleared loose bits before he moved forward fast.

"Hey there, young Julian," he said, brushing off his palms while tipping his body a bit closer, eyes bright with interest.

For a moment, Julian stayed quiet. His finger moved toward the glass instead.

"Keep an eye on this Heavenly Father Blessings Wing Shape Talisman for me."

His eyes flicked open, then he moved nearer to the pane.

"This one?"

The talisman rested neatly on a velvet cushion, faint runes etched along its delicate wing-like frame. Even someone with little knowledge could tell it wasn’t an ordinary item.

"Yes." Julian’s tone shifted, becoming noticeably more serious. "Don’t sell it to anyone except a customer named Evan. Got it?"

Zain raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. Of all the instructions he expected today, this wasn’t one of them.

"Only to Evan?" he repeated slowly, scratching his chin as if trying to lock the name into his brain.

Julian nodded once.

"Only to him." His eyes sharpened slightly, the kind of look that left no room for misunderstanding. "No mistakes."

Zain let out a quiet whistle under his breath. "That strict, huh?"

Julian didn’t smile.

This prop had to end up in Evan’s hands.

No deviation.

No accidental purchase.

He had already seen too many things spiral out of control because of tiny variables. This cursed plot had a nasty habit of collapsing at the worst possible moment. One wrong sale... one unexpected buyer... and the entire chain of events could derail.

And right now, Julian was already walking on dangerously thin ice.

He wasn’t about to let fate improvise.

Zain noticed the seriousness in his expression and quickly nodded.

"Understood, Young Master Julian."

Julian gave a small approving nod and stepped away from the display case.

But as Zain returned behind the counter, brushing more sunflower shells aside, the name kept circling in his mind.

Evan.

He rolled the name around silently.

Why did that sound familiar?

Zain leaned back against the counter, arms crossed as he thought. A few seconds later, his eyes widened slightly.

Wait a second...

Evan... wasn’t that the man President Cillian had mentioned in the Hello messenger group chat recently?

The one who dared to compete with Young Master Julian for a woman?

Zain’s eyes flickered subtly.

So, it was him.