To Love A Villain

Chapter 229: Under The Falling Sky

>>Pen

The city was alive with lights and sounds, and my heart felt like it was soaring along with it.

Festivals like these didn’t happen often, especially ones where the entire family would head into the city. I loved seeing everything—the bright stalls, the street performers, the way the air smelled sweet from all the treats being sold.

But most of all, I looked to my side and my heart bubbled up with joy.

I loved being here with Val.

We wandered through the crowded streets, moving from one stall to the next. I kept stealing glances at him, watching how his golden eyes lit up with each new thing we saw. He looked... different today. The festival lanterns made his hair shine, giving it an almost magical glow.

I could see other girls noticing too, and it was starting to make my skin crawl.

At the stall selling candied fruits, Val bought me one. He was always so thoughtful, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks when he did things like that. But while we were standing there, I noticed two girls my age watching him. One of them nudged the other and giggled, whispering something I couldn’t hear. My grip on the stick tightened. What were they staring at? Iglared at them and stepped closer to Val, trying to make it clear—he was with me.

We moved on, but my eyes kept darting around, watching how others looked at him. And it wasn’t just those girls. I noticed it more and more as we went from stall to stall. A group of girls at a jewelry booth kept glancing his way, their eyes wide like they’d just seen something amazing. One even tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and started to walk over, but before she could get close, I grabbed Val’s hand.

"Come on, Val! Let’s go check that out!" I said, a little louder than I meant to, pulling him along with me. I didn’t even look back to see the girl’s reaction. I didn’t care. If she thought she could get close to Val, she was dead wrong.

Val was mine and I would kill anyone who tried to take him from me- wait, what? Kill? I shook my head.

Begone, weird thoughts!!

Val looked a bit confused as I dragged him through the crowd, but he didn’t argue. He just followed, his hand warm in mine. For a moment, my heart was racing, but not just from the excitement of the festival. I felt like I was in a tug-of-war, except I wasn’t about to let go. Val was mine—my best friend, my... everything. And I wasn’t going to let some random girl think she had a chance with him.

We finally stopped near the main square, where a traveling circus was setting up for a show.

The performers were already drawing in a crowd, their costumes bright and colorful, shimmering like dragon scales. As we found a spot to watch, I felt myself relax just a little.

Maybe here, in this crowd, I could keep him close without worrying.

The circus performers were like nothing I’d ever seen.

One of them, a tall man with green hair and a deep red cloak, held a long staff that shimmered with blue runes. He tapped it against the ground, and suddenly, tiny sparks flew up, twirling in the air like fireflies.

Gasps of awe rippled through the crowd as the sparks multiplied, forming the shapes of mythical creatures—phoenixes with blazing wings, water serpents that swirled and danced, and even a small dragon that winked and blew a puff of shimmering smoke.

OH MY GOD!!!

A woman dressed in flowing emerald robes stepped forward next. She held out her hands, and delicate tendrils of green light flowed from her fingers, weaving together to form a living vine that twisted and turned in the air, sprouting glowing flowers that opened and closed like they were breathing.

It was pure magic, and I couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized.

I glanced at Val, who was watching with wide eyes, his face lit up with wonder. I’d seen that look before, usually when he was talking about the constellations or reading some old book about legendary heroes. He was so focused on the show that he didn’t notice the two girls a few feet away, sneaking glances at him and whispering.

I felt my jaw tighten. Did they seriously think I wouldn’t notice?

One of the girls, with her hair braided neatly over her shoulder, seemed to be working up the courage to approach. I felt something dark twist inside me, a feeling I wasn’t quite used to. If she tried to take Val from me, I didn’t care who she was—I’d kill her.

Before she could take another step, I shifted closer to Val, leaning in so our shoulders touched. "This is amazing, isn’t it?" I said, my voice a little louder than necessary, cutting off whatever she might have said.

Val turned to me, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yeah, it really is. I’ve never seen anything like it."

I forced a smile, trying to keep my focus on him and not on the way those girls kept looking at him. "Me neither. I’m glad we came."

But even as the show went on, my eyes kept darting around, looking for any more threats. I wasn’t like Val, who was probably just oblivious to the whole thing. No, I saw it clearly. They all wanted him, and it made my blood boil. Did they think they could just take him?

Val seemed to sense my tension because he leaned closer and whispered, "Hey, are you okay?"

I glanced at him and forced a smile. "Yeah, just... excited, I guess." I squeezed his hand a bit tighter, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine.

In that moment, I decided that I wasn’t going to let anyone come between us. Val was my idiot.

Mine to look after, mine to protect, and mine to love—even if I was too afraid to say it out loud.

Wait... What is wrong with me? I shook my head.

...

I had this very strong urge to actually kill...

...

>>Val

She wouldn’t say it with her mouth, but she hated it when the adults would talk about my marriage or talk about their daughters with me

But the way her cheeks would swell up, I could always tell

Pen was always there with me. We were together all the time.

We helped her mother in the kitchen, her father in the house

The thing was, Pen was pretty, with her platinum white hair and those light gray eyes, she caught the attention of everyone anywhere we went

And as we grew she started to get prettier and many boys wanted to befriend her

A bit too many.

I didn’t like that.

***

>>Pen

The city below us was bathed in the soft, warm glow of mana lamps, their light flickering gently like fireflies in the darkness. The lamps created a serene, golden haze that contrasted sharply with the clear, starry night sky above.

From our vantage point on the rooftop, the cityscape was a sprawling sea of light, with each mana lamp casting its own little pool of illumination, creating a tapestry of glowing orbs that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

Val and I were nestled against the rooftop, where the stone surface was cool and solid beneath us. We had managed to find a cozy spot where the stone was flat enough to sit comfortably. The roof was open and spacious, offering us an unobstructed view of the night sky, framed by the tall buildings that rose around us. It was our little sanctuary, high above the bustling city, where the noise of the festival had faded into a distant hum.

The meteor shower began with a slow, deliberate grace.

At first, the meteors appeared as faint streaks of light, almost shyly making their way across the sky. But soon, they gained confidence, their trails growing longer and more brilliant. They fell like glittering ribbons from the heavens, each one a delicate brushstroke in the grand painting of the night. The meteors seemed to dance, their paths crossing and intertwining in a mesmerizing display of cosmic artistry.

The mana lamps below cast a soft golden glow that illuminated the rooftop and our faces, making the scene even more enchanting. The light from the lamps created a halo around us, a magical aura that added to the sense of wonder. As the meteors streaked across the sky, their brilliance reflected off the surface of the rooftop, creating an ethereal shimmer that made the night feel alive.

Val sat beside me, his golden hair catching the light of the meteors and glowing like strands of woven sunlight. He was completely absorbed in the celestial show, his eyes wide with awe. The way the meteors illuminated his face, highlighting the softness of his features and the intensity of his gaze, made my heart ache. I wanted to capture this moment, this feeling of being so close yet so far away, and keep it with me forever.

As the meteors continued their celestial dance, I couldn’t help but notice the way Val’s expression changed with each new streak of light. He looked like a child discovering magic for the first time.

It made me wish I could be the one to give him that kind of joy every day, to be the one who made his eyes light up with excitement.

But as the night wore on, I couldn’t ignore the jealousy gnawing at my heart. The other girls who had watched us from the festival had noticed Val’s captivating presence. I had seen them glance our way, their eyes lingering on him with a mixture of admiration and curiosity. It made me feel protective and possessive, like I wanted to shield him from their gazes and keep him all to myself.

The thought of someone else trying to take him away made me feel a pang of fear and anger. I wanted to shout at them, to make them understand that Val was mine in a way that went beyond friendship. I wanted to keep him safe, both from the world and from my own fears of losing him.

As the meteors began to slow, their falls less frequent but no less beautiful, I leaned against Val, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

The warmth of his body against mine was comforting, a stark contrast to the cool night air.

I closed my eyes, letting the gentle breeze and the distant hum of the city become a soothing backdrop to my racing thoughts.

In that moment, beneath the canopy of falling stars, I felt a deep yearning. I wanted to be close to him, to share my feelings and fears, to let him know how much he meant to me. But the words were stuck in my throat, trapped by my fear of rejection and the uncertainty of his feelings.

The night was a magical tapestry of light and shadow, and I wanted to believe that somehow, amidst the falling stars and the soft glow of the mana lamps, Val might understand how much I cared.