Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Reuniting With The Team
The doors to the theater opened with a hiss as several people stumbled out.

Their faces were completely pale and their hands pressed against their mouths.

Some were whispering to themselves and others were visibly shaking.

The eerie background music still seeped out from within the dark theater, mixing with the movie’s end credits.

It had been that kind of horror film… the type that lived rent-free in your mind even when you walked away.

Lucius walked out casually with Esme clinging to his arm.

The contrast between them couldn’t have been more obvious. She looked like she had just crawled out of a nightmare while Lucius looked calm, even refreshed.

‘Ah… I feel refreshed,’ he thought with a deep breath.

He hadn’t watched much of the movie, to be honest. The moment it started, he had used space to nullify both his sight and hearing, cutting off every sensory link to the screen.

And with that silence, he’d simply taken a nap. Esme had been too engrossed in the movie to notice anything.

‘I wonder why they’re all reacting like this,’ he mused, glancing around at the terrified faces.

“Lucius…” Esme’s voice broke his thoughts.

She leaned against him, her hand clutching his sleeve tightly. “Did you see… what the eyeball did to that girl and her brother? Or to the entire village?”

Lucius blinked slowly, pretending to recall something.

“I did,” he said, keeping his tone calm.

In truth, he hadn’t seen a single frame of it.

“It’s so bad…” she whispered, shuddering as she spoke. “I don’t think I can watch horror anymore.”

“Ah, is that so?” Lucius said casually, and in his mind, fireworks went off.

‘THIS CALLS FOR CELEBRATION!’

Finally… finally, he wouldn’t have to sit through any more of these grotesque horror abominations she loved so much. Even though he now liked horror a bit, there was a line.

But then, before he could savor his victory, Esme straightened up and declared firmly,

“No, I will. Just one movie can’t stop us…” She nodded as if convincing herself.

Lucius stared at her blankly and sighed.

They walked together along the paved walkway outside the cinema. Lucius stuck his hands into his jacket pockets, wondering what Esme planned next.

“Do you want to get breakfast?” she asked suddenly. “I didn’t eat anything apart from popcorn.”

“Same,” Lucius replied. “I haven’t had breakfast either. Same restaurant as last time?”

She smiled and nodded, her purple hair bouncing slightly. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

Just as they were about to cross the street, someone shouted from behind them.

“Boss!”

Lucius turned just as a figure dashed toward him at high speed.

Esme tensed immediately and her aura flared in reflex.

Soul energy began to form around her palm but before she could act, the person rushed past her and leapt straight into Lucius’s arms.

“Boss… you’re alright!”

It was Trisha, the brown-haired gun Awakener from his squad.

She clung tightly to him with her legs wrapping around his waist and arms around his shoulders.

From the outside, it looked… intimate. And it made her jealous…

“You had us worried,” she said softly, pressing her forehead against his shoulder.

Lucius froze for a moment, staring at her as he processed what was happening.

‘Really? Right now? In public?’

Meanwhile, Esme’s expression turned deadly.

The soul energy in her hand darkened, swirling violently. She was one breath away from turning Trisha into an explosion of light and blood.

“It’s alright,” Lucius said quickly, raising a hand in her direction. “She’s a friend.”

At his words, Esme hesitated then reluctantly dispelled her energy.

Trisha, realizing the danger she had just put herself in, immediately let go and dropped back to the ground.

“…Sorry for jumping on you,” she said sheepishly, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“No problem,” Lucius said, straightening his jacket. “Why are you around here, anyway?”

“Boss, we were organizing a meeting,” she explained quickly, glad to change the subject. “Miss Luna is here as well. We were planning to invite you once everyone arrived.”

Lucius nodded slightly. “I see.”

“Yes,” she said. “Since you can just teleport, it’d be faster to arrive first without you.”

“Alright then,” Lucius said but before he could even do anything, Esme grabbed his arm tightly.

“C-can I meet your team?” she asked, her voice slightly trembling but her eyes serious. “I’ve seen them so many times on your streams, but… I want to see them in real life too.”

Lucius blinked.

‘You mean one of the people you were about to vaporize a second ago?’

But she looked genuinely interested and he didn’t have the heart to refuse.

He sighed. “Sure,” he said finally. “Let’s go.”

Trisha smiled brightly and gestured ahead. “This way, Boss.”

They walked for a few minutes through the busy morning streets until they reached the restaurant.

From the outside, it was clear that the entire place had been rented out. The sign on the door read Closed for Private Event.

Lucius arched an eyebrow. “You really went all out for this meeting, huh?”

Trisha chuckled nervously and opened the door for him. “Miss Luna insisted.”

The three of them stepped inside.

A long table sat in the center, filled with plates of food that no one had touched yet.

The moment Lucius walked in, every single person in the room turned toward him.

“Boss!!”

Erika, Grimm, Raven, and the others all jumped from their seats and rushed toward him.

Before he could react, they surrounded him in a massive group hug.

“Ah— hold on—” Lucius muttered, his voice slightly muffled as they squeezed him tight. “You all are squeezing me to death.”

They didn’t care.

Lucius sighed and used space to teleport a few feet upward, appearing above them in the air.

“Sorry, Boss…” Grimm scratched the back of his head awkwardly, grinning. “But you risked your life for us. It’s the least we can do.”

Lucius smiled and floated back down, taking a seat beside Luna, who immediately took his hand under the table.

“Uhm…” Esme muttered quietly from behind him, catching everyone’s attention.

Lucius blinked, realizing he hadn’t introduced her yet.

“Right, this is Esme,” he said, motioning toward her. “She’s a friend and we were watching a movie together when we saw Trisha.”

Esme stepped forward, trying her best to look polite and composed… though her hand rested possessively on Lucius’s other arm.

The others exchanged curious looks.

They were all sitting around the large table now with enough space for everyone and Lucius finally tried to shift the topic.

“So… what’s this whole meeting abou—”

Before he could finish, Esme leaned forward suddenly, her purple hair brushing against his cheek.

In one smooth motion, she kissed him… a soft, quick kiss on the cheek and then took his other hand firmly.

“Thank you for introducing me to your friends,” she said sweetly, smiling at the entire team.

The room went silent.

Lucius blinked twice.

“…Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

Was that really her plan all along?