Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 161

Chapter 161: The Hollow Man
“He’s right… I’m being too desperate.”

Elena thought quietly, forcing herself to breathe through her nose.

Her heart was pounding, and her hands trembled slightly where they rested on her lap.

Of course she wanted him… every bit of her wanted him but she didn’t want to seem like she couldn’t live without him.

She didn’t want to look like some clingy woman who had lost control of herself.

No, she was a Mage General, one of the strongest Awakeners in the nation.

She couldn’t let herself act like some teenage girl around Lucius… she was older than him.

‘I’ll just calm myself down,’ she told herself. She straightened her back, took a slow breath, and tried to focus on something else.

But no matter how hard she tried, her eyes wandered back to him.

Lucius was sitting across from her, one arm draped casually over the back of the couch.

His shirt fit snugly against his chest, stretching slightly across his lean muscles. Every time he moved, his biceps flexed just enough to make her throat go dry.

He wasn’t even trying to show off, and that made it worse. Just like some women who had sinful bodies that drove men insane, his did the same for her.

Her thoughts drifted somewhere she didn’t want them to go, and she shook her head hard, mentally scolding herself.

‘You’re a Mage General, Elena. Get your head in the game. He should be the one desiring you… not the other way around.’

The sound of footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts.

The second maid entered the living room carrying a remote. She walked up to the giant TV that covered nearly half the wall and pressed the power button.

The screen flickered on, the brightness so intense that both of them squinted.

“The fuck?” Lucius muttered, raising a hand to block the light. “Why is the brightness so high?”

The screen glowed pure white before finally returning to normal.

“So, what do you want to watch?” Elena asked, breaking the silence.

She needed something to distract herself. “I have a Movieflex subscription I’m not using.”

“Nice,” Lucius said with a grin, that was their version of Netflix in this world… “Let’s try Hollow Man, it’s a Horror movie.”

The maid froze mid-step and glanced at her mistress with her eyes wide.

“…Hollow Man?” she repeated, hesitating a bit.

She looked at Elena, silently pleading for her to reconsider. Everyone in the mansion knew that the Mage General despised horror movies.

Elena’s left eye twitched. “What are you waiting for? Put it on.”

She waved her hand toward the screen, forcing her voice to stay calm.

The maid nodded nervously and began searching through the menu.

Elena turned back to Lucius, doing her best to sound unbothered. “I didn’t know you liked horror movies.”

Lucius shrugged.

“Neither did I,” he said casually. Truth was, he hadn’t watched anything other than horror movies since coming to this world. “You’re not scared, are you?”

“S-s-scared?” Elena stammered, blinking.

She could feel her pride being poked, and she quickly straightened up. “Of a little movie? Please. How can I call myself a Mage General if I’m scared of a simple film?”

Just then, another maid entered the room carrying a silver tray. On it sat a pile of fried chicken wings and two tall glasses of milkshakes.

The smell filled the air almost instantly.

“Here’s your food, my lady,” the maid said, setting the tray down on the glass table in front of them.

‘That’s what she calls food?’ Lucius thought, raising an eyebrow. ‘She’s gonna get fat eating like this.’

Still, he couldn’t deny it looked good.

“Thank you,” Elena said. Then, as the maid turned to leave, she added, “Oh, and run to the store for me. Lucius needs a new phone. Get him something like mine.”

The maid blinked in surprise, then bowed.

“Yes, my lady!” She ran toward the front door but turned back before exiting. “My lady, should I use the Cathell or the Rodg—”

“Drive whichever you want,” Elena said with an exasperated sigh. “Just get it done.”

The maid’s face lit up.

“Yes, my lady!” she said again, practically skipping out the door.

Lucius turned his head slowly toward Elena. “What is she talking about?”

“Oh,” Elena said with a casual smile. “I have cars for the maids too. It’s in the second garage. She just wanted to drive one.”

Lucius blinked.

“Cars for maids? Second garage?”

He stared at her like she was joking. ‘Just how much money has this woman splurged on cars alone?’

Before he could question her more, the opening sequence of Hollow Man began playing.

The white screen faded into a dark hallway, and eerie music began to hum through the speakers.

The sudden atmosphere shift made Elena tense up immediately.

She sank deeper into the couch and crossed her legs, trying to look relaxed, but her fingers gripped her drink too tightly.

Lucius leaned back comfortably, watching her instead of the screen. He could see the goosebumps on her arm…

As for how a Mage General like her was scared of Horror movies, he didn’t know but that just made it fun.

The room darkened as the lights automatically dimmed, leaving only the glow of the massive TV.

The movie started slow and then, out of nowhere, a blood-curdling shriek tore through the surround sound speakers.

“KYAAAAAAA!”

Elena flinched so hard that the milkshake nearly slipped from her hand. Her heart was pounding out of her chest.

The scream on the television came from a face that filled the whole screen… it was cartoonish, but twisted, with bright red eyes and a mouth stretched too wide.

Lucius nearly laughed but held it in.

The eerie voice from the speakers began speaking in distorted tones.

“Welcome to Hollow Man… kekekekekekekekekekeke…”

Elena’s face went pale, and she turned slowly toward the sound.

“W-what kind of movie is this?” she whispered, trying to mask the tremble in her voice.

Lucius didn’t answer.

He just grabbed a chicken wing from the tray, bit into it with a crunch, and reached for the milkshake beside him.

It was going to be a fun watch… She was going to endure what Esme had put him through!

Elena took a deep breath.

She never really took horror well, but then again… did that really matter at a time like this?

She was already starting it, so she might as well finish it.

It was just a movie, right?

“Was that opening screen scary?” Lucius asked as he bit into his chicken.

He almost moaned at how good it was.

The skin was crispy, golden brown, perfectly seasoned. He took a sip of the milkshake and nearly melted in his seat.

The maids here were geniuses. Whoever trained them deserved an award.

“Scary? That little thing?” Elena asked with a red face, trying to hide the slight shake in her voice.

She picked up a wing from the tray and bit into it like she had something to prove. “It wasn’t even that ba—”

Before she could finish, the speakers around them rumbled.

A thunderstorm started on-screen, and the sound made the entire room feel like a cinema.

Lucius blinked, impressed. “Damn… your TV’s got surround sound?”

Elena smiled, pretending not to be startled. “Of course it does. I only buy the best.”

The screen zoomed in on two men driving through heavy rain.

Their headlights were the only light on the lonely road. The wipers squeaked across the glass as the thunder rolled.

“See?” Elena said, gesturing at the TV. “It isn’t so bad.”

She turned her head for a second, just to look confident, but something made her look back immediately.

Her instincts told her something bad was coming… And she was right.

Without warning, a knife sliced through the window and impaled the driver straight through the skull.

“Ah!” Elena flinched as the man’s head burst open, blood splattering across the passenger’s face.

The car swerved violently, spinning off the road before slamming into a tree. The screen went red for a second.

‘Why are these murderers so evil?’ she thought, pressing her lips together.

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

‘Her? Flinching?’ he thought, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. ‘Did she forget she’s killed more people than this movie ever could?’

The passenger crawled out of the wreck, limping and screaming for help.

Rain poured on him as his breath came out in cold puffs.

And help came… just not the kind of help he wanted.

A man wearing all black clothing with two knives, each glinting under the lightning, walking slowly toward the camera.

Lucius finished his chicken and reached for another piece… only to pause.

The plate was nearly empty. “What the…”

He looked at Elena. She was already holding another wing, chewing like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“Are you stress eating?” Lucius asked with a chuckle.

Elena froze mid-bite, cheeks puffed out. “No…”

Then, on-screen, the Hollow Man impaled the passenger’s leg.

The scream that followed made her jump again.

Lucius chuckled and dropped the chicken bone. He reached out casually and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her onto his lap.

“Lucius?” she said, completely startled.

Her heart skipped.

She could feel the warmth of his body through her clothes.

“You took me here to hook up, right?” he said softly, tilting his head as his hand rested on her thigh. “Let’s do it now.”

Her eyes widened. “R-Rosaline is still preparing the be—”

He leaned forward and kissed her neck. His lips brushed against her skin, and she gasped quietly.

“We can just do it now,” he whispered into her ear, his breath was hot. “Then do it on the bed later.”

The temptation hit her all at once. The voice in her head that screamed to act proper and disciplined disappeared completely.

Her body melted against his chest. “O-okay… it’s not like they’re listening.”

His teeth grazed her neck, and she let out a soft sound.

Her hands tightened around his shoulders as she rubbed her thighs together… She was finally starting to relax—

“Guh!”

The gurgling noise from the television made her whole body freeze.

Her eyes shot to the screen.

The Hollow Man was holding the victim by the jaw, sawing through his neck as blood splattered across the lens.

“Anything wrong? You froze up?” Lucius asked, pulling back slightly to look at her face.

“W-why don’t we turn off the TV first?” Elena said quickly.

Lucius tilted his head. “Nah. I want to watch the movie too.”

And then he grabbed a handful of her soft ass, making her moan.

“Besides it’s not like you’re scared of a little horror, right?”

‘Evil man! I hate you!’ She could only whimper in agreement… She had already made her bed so she might as well sleep in it.

“Good girl.”