A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Dispute Fortress was enshrouded in a slender, persistent rain.

Proximity to the Celestial Path mountains, the continent's nexus of aether, brought myriad effects. The excessively active elements rendered the climate and geology of the Western lands profoundly… inhospitable.

Yet, the Western lands remained the most densely populated region of the empire. What compels so many mortals to settle in such a place, despite its vast expanses of land? Few understand this mystery, and even fewer ponder it. In the empire's cultural milieu, there is little room for humanistic scholars.

Marlina stood by the window, gazing at the incessant rain and the passersby moving through the downpour, lost in thought.

"Margarete," Ansel called from the doorway, "It's time to depart."

"... Ah, my apologies, Mr. Faust."

Marlina, snapping out of her reverie, closed the window, slung the satchel from the table over her shoulder, and hurried to Ansel's side, obediently following him.

"What were you just pondering? You seemed quite serious."

Today, Ansel and Marlina were to meet someone. Earlier, Ansel had been engaged in a rather intimate... psychological and physical conversation with Miss Ravenna, and had asked Marlina to wait in her room for a while.

Ansel had expected Marlina to spend the time reading or handling intelligence matters, but instead, he found her daydreaming by the window, unaware of his approach.

This ordinary girl from a remote northern village, despite her keen mind, rarely displayed such an expression, arousing Ansel's curiosity.

Marlina clutched the strap of her satchel, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Just... trivial musings. I was simply curious why so many commoners choose to reside in the Western lands, even though it's quite unsuitable for habitation."

Ansel paused, his gaze shifting to the slender adventurer-like figure of Marlina. Her delicate features were not concealed by her plain attire, and the depth of thought in her eyes contrasted sharply with her outward appearance.

Amid their standoff with Nerilia and the Shadewell, did she still have the energy to contemplate such matters?

The young Hydral tapped his finger lightly on the hilt of his sword, saying nothing.

He realized he understood Marlina less than he thought—despite having dissected that Marlina Marlowe from memory. The Lady of the Violet who rose against all odds from the abyssal darkness, she was... and yet was not her.

To utilize someone effectively, one must thoroughly understand them. This principle led Ansel to recruit the future pact heads and subordinates early. Marlina's importance was no exception.

Her audaciousness in directly confronting Nerilia and Shadewell, her decisiveness in including Miss Ravenna in her plans, and now, her capacity to ponder such seemingly trivial matters—all these traits made Ansel feel the need to reassess Marlina deeply.

This was not a difficult task, given that the girl who idolized and pursued him held no secrets from him.

The two stepped out of the inn's main door under the respectful farewells of the receptionist. Not far away, a carriage adorned with ferocious wasp motifs awaited them silently.

Ansel, however, ignored the carriage and walked straight into the rain.

Marlina, momentarily stunned, quickly followed. Even without an umbrella, the rainwater seemed to divert away from them. She glanced back at the equally bewildered coachman and softly asked:

"Mr. Faust, why do you not wish to take the carriage?"

"Because we are not conducting a transaction, Margarete."

As his boots splashed water on the cobblestones, reflecting the fleeting glint of the chain sword at his waist, the young Hydral nonchalantly remarked, "Your new acquaintance seeks to approach me, to know me, and has extended a sincere invitation... which is fine; she is very polite."

"But."

He tilted his head slightly, observing the now-enlightened Marlina, and smiled:

"She is unworthy."

"Ah, I see. It was my oversight, Mr. Faust."

With just a few words, Marlina grasped Ansel's meaning. Adjusting the brim of her beret, she solemnly said, "Miss Yvaine does not require courtesy; she needs humility. For you are not her guest, you are her master."

After saying this, Marlina glanced surreptitiously at the disguised Ansel, imprinting another lesson in her mind.

The current Mr. Ansel was not Mr. Ansel, but Mr. Faust. Mr. Ansel, even when dealing with the lowest of nobles, would maintain decorum and follow protocol, never overtly acknowledging the disparity in their statuses.

But Mr. Faust had no such need; he was a legend, and his whims were the rules others had to follow.

Queen Bee respectfully sent someone to fetch Ansel—was this wrong? No. Was she humble enough? Likely so—but to Faust, her head was not bowed low enough.

She did not deserve to sit politely and converse with Faust over tea; she deserved only to prostrate herself in the dust, nothing more.

Brutal, arrogant, domineering... starkly different from the courteous young master of Hydral, but this was the legendary adventurer Faust.

He acted purely on his own thoughts and feelings, unbound by any external constraints.

To be so... unfettered.

Marlina found herself momentarily entranced by the thought.

Was Faust merely a facade of Mr. Ansel, or...

She stole a glance at the young man's handsome profile, his exuberant expression devoid of pretense, and murmured internally:

Or was he the unfulfilled fantasy of Mr. Ansel?

"Margarete."

Ansel's call snapped Marlina back to reality. Without turning his head, he said, "Do you know where the Executioner's Guild base is?"

"The Executioners... Mr. Faust, if you're going there, are you planning to..."

The Executioners were a renowned and powerful guild in the Western lands, with their branch in Dispute Fortress being one of the three major guilds in the area. Marlina, unsure of Ansel's intentions, instinctively asked this question.

"We agreed to meet today, but never specified the time, did we?"

Ansel chuckled, "On a whim, I just want to find something minor to do."

Marlina's initial reaction was that Mr. Ansel must have had other intentions, but in the next moment, she immediately dismissed the thought.

If it were the current Mr. Ansel, or rather Faust, it would likely be a mere spur-of-the-moment decision.

She nodded lightly, understanding, and said, "I understand, let me lead the way for you. Ah, I'll go inform the coachman of your situation..."

Ansel turned to watch Marlina trotting back to the carriage, his sea-blue eyes filled with contemplation.

The fervent desire of an ambitious person is impossible to conceal, but the usually gentle Marlina was indeed an ordinary, modest, and kind-hearted girl, delicate and poised, easily endearing.

Yet, she could take a life to achieve her goals and wager everything she had for a chance at advancement. This determination, even to the point of coldness, was not feigned.

Warm-hearted benevolence and dark ambition—are both truly you, or has your true nature yet to be revealed?

In any case, it is something to look forward to, Marlina.

As long as you don't become the most tedious version of yourself, I will keep watching you, watching your future.

"Mr. Faust! Sorry to keep you waiting. Please follow me."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Marlina ran up, clutching the strap of her bag, her face slightly flushed. "Please follow me, I'll take you to the Executioner's Guild headquarters now."

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She didn't know that Ansel was reassessing her, just as Ansel didn't know that Marlina was secretly piecing together his inner self.

The young man and woman, contemplating and scrutinizing each other, walked into the distance through the rain, their figures gradually blending into one.

*