Why Are You Becoming a Villain Again?-Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Upon hearing the news, Keirsey dashed down the corridor.

Behind her, the servants were stumbling, calling for her to slow down, but Keirsey had no intention of doing so.

"Haa... haa...!"

She soon burst open the door to Asena's office. Inside were Liana and Asena together.

Asena was engrossed in the letter she held in her hand. It seemed she hadn't even noticed Keirsey's entrance.

"O..pp...a?"

Her aphasia had improved considerably. She could now say the word 'Oppa' perfectly.

Asena's eyes moved from one side to the other, continuously. She still remained silent.

"...Oppa...?"

Unable to hold back, Keirsey approached her.

"Calm down, Keirsey."

Lady Liana said with a small smile from beside her.

"Cayden has won."

Keirsey gasped, covering her mouth with both hands, and then, overwhelmed with joy, clung to Asena. Her eyes began to scan the letter as well.

Asena's lips trembled slightly as she read the letter in a whisper.

"...reinforcements... Payne... repelled...”

Asena couldn't take her eyes off the letter for a long time, then finally exhaled a long sigh of relief and relaxed.

"A... a...m-moment...!"

Keirsey, who had not yet finished reading the letter, snatched it from Asena and began to read it thoroughly.

The letter briefly mentioned the victory at the beginning, followed by a detailed account of the battle.

Keirsey's eyes became similar to Asena's earlier when she read about the reinforcements.

But that was the last crisis of the war, and the letter also mentioned how Cayden's timely decision ended the war.

"Oppa...!"

Tears threatened to spill from Keirsey's eyes again. She had never doubted that he would return victorious, but now that it was all over, the anxiety she had suppressed became apparent.

She was immensely relieved that she no longer had to wrestle with that anxiety.

How could he appear more magnificent... How could she be prouder of him, Keirsey didn't know.

"So, did they identify who sent the reinforcements?"

Liana, now calm, asked. She seemed happy too but was trying to hide her excitement.

"No, it seems they are still investigating."

"What about the rest?"

"The Payne family... they're all dead. Except for Sharon Payne."

"...Cayden's family will have a place to rise."

Keirsey, still clutching the letter in joy, opened her eyes.

"...Oppa's... family?"

Her eyes demanded an answer, trembling.

"...Oppa won't... come back here...?"

"...I'll explain slowly. For now... let's prepare to depart for Payne's territory."

Within a few days, they arrived at the Payne's territory.

The Prysters shared one carriage, while Daisy Hexter traveled in another.

Passing through the war-torn battlefield and crossing the castle gate... they saw their allied soldiers wandering around.

What was peculiar was that some citizens rushed out and started applauding the Pryster's carriage.

Keirsey, peeking out from behind the curtain of the carriage, was taken aback by the citizens cheering for them.

Asena was just as surprised.

"...Why are they welcoming us?"

After all, they were invaders from outside; there was no reason for them to be cheered.

Neither Liana nor Asena could provide a definitive answer to that question.

Maybe they were mad. Maybe they were just flattering their new leader.

Asena, after a moment of pondering, quickly dismissed her interest in it and eagerly anticipated meeting Cayden soon.

In front of the large audience room door, four women were waiting.

Among them, those with the surname Pryster recognized the familiar faces of the soldiers.

The soldiers smiled at the twins and Liana, showing their pride.

After exchanging quick greetings, the soldiers shouted towards the closed door.

"The Duchess Asena Pryster, Lady Keirsey Pryster, Former Duchess Liana, and Lady Daisy Hexter have arrived!"

-"Open the door."

Cayden's heavy voice resonated from inside, sending chills down Asena's spine.

His voice brought both relief and overwhelming pressure. It had always been that way and would continue to be so.

She both loved him madly and feared him deeply. Being overwhelmed was just a part of it.

Sometimes it was hard to accept that he was the only thing in the world she couldn't control.

And yet, it was because of that very point that she was crazy about him.

Asena steeled her expression and entered the room.

Keirsey, Liana, and Daisy followed her inside.

The wide and long room had family heads standing on either side. The floor was covered with a carpet, and the room was filled with a warm atmosphere.

The columns supporting the ceiling were adorned with the Pryster flag.

And at the very end, in the deepest part of the room, stood a slightly elevated chair.

Cayden sat on it like a king.

He stood up with a smile when he saw Asena enter.

Asena quickly scanned him.

He wasn't injured anywhere.

He had achieved such feats in the war without even getting hurt.

Asena had to suppress her expression from breaking into joyous tears. Especially in front of so many family heads and allied family representatives, she couldn't afford to act un-Pryster-

like.

Cayden stepped down from the high seat and greeted them.

"You've come."

Keirsey, who was about to run out from Asena's side, paused for a moment.

Then, looking back, Keirsey's eyes sought Daisy.

Daisy, after a brief glance at Keirsey, as if she could no longer hold back, ran towards Cayden.

The two, soon to be united by marriage, shared a long embrace.

"I told you I'd be fine," Cayden quietly said to Daisy.

Daisy nodded, letting out a breath of relief.

Next, it was Keirsey's turn.

As soon as Daisy stepped back, Keirsey, without a moment's hesitation, flung herself into Cayden's arms.

Cayden blinked, then slowly embraced her.

The family heads around them smiled at the heartwarming sight.

Asena could sense the atmosphere in the room.

Although it was already known that Cayden had played a crucial role in the war, the respect from the family heads who had experienced the reality of the situation firsthand seemed to have deepened.

The disorderly and rude atmosphere among the family heads she had witnessed from her room as Cayden left was now well-ordered.

Even though he was a former commoner, his abilities were now recognized.

It was good news.

-Tap, tap.

Cayden signaled to Keirsey that it was okay now and to let go, but she didn't release her grip.

Asena had to suppress the rising jealousy.

She sometimes envied Keirsey so much.

Being twins... if she had been born a little later.

Keirsey would have been the family head, and in this situation, she wouldn't have had to worry. She could have been the one in his arms.

-Tap, tap.

Cayden tapped Keirsey's waist instead of her back this time, and finally, she let go.

Seeing Keirsey's tear-streaked face, a few of the family heads who had been watching with satisfaction let out small chuckles.

Next was Liana.

Liana approached Cayden, gently patting his shoulder as they exchanged looks.

Cayden smiled at her and nodded.

Finally, it was Asena's turn.

But between the two, there was no warm contact like before.

Asena knew even if it pained her deeply, she had to endure.

Cayden spoke.

Given the formal occasion, he elevated his tone.

"We have won the war. Most of the members of the Payne family died during capture, and only Sharon Payne, who instigated the war, survived. She is currently imprisoned in the underground dungeon. We've also identified the family that provided reinforcements. Several families were involved, but according to our findings, they were related to the crimes orchestrated by Payne. We've warned them of retribution, and our allied families have already set out."

As Cayden's report continued, she suddenly felt a chill at his last words. Her face twitched.

"...Another war?"

She whispered quietly, so no one else could hear.

Cayden looked at her gently and answered just as softly.

"...I have to go. Don't worry. It won't take long. Most of the soldiers were subdued in this war."

The scale of the conflict had grown larger than anticipated with the appearance of reinforcements... but judging by Cayden's expression, it seemed it wouldn't be a major problem. As he assured so confidently, it even seemed like a straightforward task to clean up the situation.

Seeing that, although she still felt some anxiety, Asena was somewhat reassured by Cayden's expression and the faces of the surrounding family heads.

She nodded and conveyed her gratitude to everyone for their efforts.

****

It was only after entering a private space that Asena hugged Cayden's back as he walked into the room.

She no longer paid attention to Liana or Keirsey.

Cayden gave a small smile and patted Asena's hand twice to calm her.

They then sat down in the prepared seats.

Only the Prysters were in the room.

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Asena was the first to ask.

"...Are you alright?"

Now that the eyes watching them were gone, Asena's voice was filled with concern.

"I'm fine. Not hurt anywhere."

"Haa... Oppa, can't you just rest now? You can leave the remaining enemies to the family heads..."

“Asena, as I said, most of the remaining enemies have already been subdued. In fact, all we need to do is go to their territories and accept their surrender.”

Cayden also relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

"Still... I was surprised when the reinforcements first appeared. Payne's influence was greater than I thought, in a bad way. You'd be shocked to know what Payne did for the families that

appeared as reinforcements... Now we need to uproot them."

"...What kind of dirty work did they do to dare show their teeth to the Prysters?"

"It's surprising, Asena. But then... It's also an opportunity. We can use this as a pretext to bring them under our control."

Liana nodded quietly.

"...Op...Oppa."

Keirsey spoke up. Cayden smiled broadly at her.

"You're speaking well now, Keirsey."

"Yes... it's getting... better."

"That's a relief."

For a moment, Cayden felt reassured that his decision had been the right one.

The group continued their conversation for quite some time. They discussed the war's dynamics, the members of the Payne family, the soldiers' conditions, the casualties, and so on.

The conversation seemed endless.

Then, Keirsey called out to Cayden again.

"...Oppa."

"What is it, Keirsey?"

"...I have a question... When we came here, some of the commoners were cheering for us... Do you know why?"

"Ah."

Cayden scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"... You already know that Payne was close to crime, right? They had gangs supporting them. But with this war, we've uprooted them, so it seems the commoners are happy about it. Not

everyone, but it's not uncommon."

Asena, listening to Cayden's words, nodded and spoke up.

"...That's good. It should help with our future plans."

"...Plans?"

"Oppa."

Asena straightened her posture and looked at Cayden.

Everyone's attention turned to him.

Seeing the eyes shift from Asena, to himself, Cayden realized that the three of them had already discussed this matter without him.

Asena hesitated briefly, then looked directly at him and asked.

"...Have you thought about establishing a family?"

Cayden's expression froze.

Asena didn't stop speaking.

"...Grandmother is from the royal family... Through her, we received permission from the royal family. We can establish a barony to replace the Payne family."

"...A barony?"

Asena pulled something out from her bosom.

Though it was the first time seeing it, Cayden quickly realized it was the emblem she was proposing for their family.

A sheep's head. A bear's paw. A snake's tail.

It was a strange-looking chimera, but still, it was a kind of mythological creature.

And what particularly caught Cayden's eye were the types of animals.

Hexter's sheep. Ice's bear. And... Pryster's snake.

Through this emblem, he understood what she was trying to convey.

Liana said nothing.

Keirsey's hand trembled as she touched Cayden's hand, which was still.

Following Keirsey, Asena also held onto Cayden's arm.

The twins looked at Cayden simultaneously.

Asena spoke.

"...This land needs a leader now. If you say the commoners are happy because we've uprooted the crime, then... Earlier, it also seemed other family heads also acknowledged you. Your

reputation at the academy was already good..."

Asena explained various reasons for establishing a family, but it was all just a pretext.

Cayden, Asena, and Keirsey all knew it.

The snake's tail in the emblem proved it.

""

Asena continued to speak, then stopped.

Finally, she revealed the true reason.

"...This is the last time. If you refuse... I will truly give up."

Cayden looked at Asena.

Her expression when she said she would give up... held not a trace of sincerity.

But at the same time, she knew that Cayden's heart was wavering.