Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 179

Chapter 179: Delivery Man
“Mama… what are you looking at?”

A young boy of about ten years old tugged at his mother’s legs as she sat cross-legged in the living room of their small apartment in Northcrest City.

The woman’s eyes were glued to her phone screen, and she didn’t even notice how her son was looking up at her with a curious frown.

“I bought a new toy for you.” She smiled, brushing a lock of brown hair behind her ear as she scrolled through Luna’s latest post.

Her heart fluttered a little… after all, it wasn’t just Luna she was interested in.

Luna was dating Lucius von Hohenberg, one of the most desirable men alive. His name was constantly trending, debated endlessly online as the most beautiful man in the world.

The only other man people compared him to was Adam Skywalker and even then, it seemed the current Lucius was more handsome than him now. The world just needed a clear shot…

She sighed dreamily. ‘I wish he would just get me already… A single mother can dream, right?’

Her son blinked. “A toy?”

“Yes, you said you wanted drones for your birthday, remember?” She gently lifted him up to sit beside her on the couch. “The drones just got launched, so I’m waiting for them.”

“‘Launched?’ Like into the sky, mama?” The boy tilted his head. “Will they launch the drone to this place?”

She laughed at his innocence, shaking her head. “No, baby. It means they’ve just started selling them. Someone will bring it to us.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

“Well,” she said, smiling as she stood, “let’s get the door, shall we?”

The boy ran excitedly beside her, his bare feet tapping against the tiled floor.

They reached the front door together, and she opened it… only to freeze instantly.

Standing there, framed perfectly by the sunlight, was Lucius von Hohenberg himself.

For a second, her breath caught in her throat.

Her son blinked, looking between his stunned mother and the tall man at the door.

Even dressed in a delivery uniform… a plain, fitted set of black clothes and a delivery hat that clung to his form in all the right ways, Lucius still looked like someone who belonged on a magazine cover rather than anyone’s doorstep.

“Erm…” she began weakly with her heart pounding in her chest.

Lucius gave a polite nod.

“You’re Laura Wallman, right?” he asked in a professional tone.

He held out a clipboard with smooth fingers. “Please sign here and receive your premium drone package.”

She stared for a moment longer before her brain finally caught up.

Biting her lip, she took the clipboard, scribbling her name with shaky hands. Her signature came out a little crooked, but it didn’t matter.

This was Lucius.

The Lucius von Hohenberg.

She was the fifty-ninth person he’d visited that day and somehow that only made her feel more special.

“Well, here’s your package.” Lucius handed her a large white box, neatly sealed with Luna’s company logo embossed on the side.

The edges glowed like silver. He passed it to her carefully, and she in turn gave it to her son.

“Aiden, here’s your gift,” she said warmly, smiling at the boy. “Take it inside but wait for me before you open it.”

“Yes, mama!” Aiden grinned and ran back toward the couch, clutching the box like it was the greatest treasure in the world.

When she looked back, Lucius was holding out another, smaller parcel toward her.

“This is for?” she asked, blinking in surprise.

“You were one of the first sixty customers to buy the premium drones,” Lucius explained. “So I’m giving you a little compensation… about a hundred thousand royals inside. Thank you for the patronage. Come get some more next time.” He winked.

Her heart stopped and her cheeks went red instantly. “Th-thank you…” she managed to stammer, taking the parcel from him.

“Wait, Mr. Lucius, my son i—”

Before she could finish, Lucius vanished right before her eyes.

The space where he stood glowed, and the gust of displaced air made her hair flutter and her dress sway in the wind.

He was gone… Just like that.

She froze for several seconds before exhaling shakily.

‘He… he was right here… he looked even more handsome in person,’ she thought, clutching the parcel closer to her chest. ‘I can’t believe I just talked to him…’

…

Lucius appeared in an alleyway several kilometers away and exhaled.

‘Damn, being a delivery man is tough work,’ he thought tiredly.

He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the next address on the System… apparently this was a System mission and he could earn SP from it.

The Council had already handled the majority of deliveries since Luna launched her product about an hour ago.

Most of the complicated ones… about twenty thousand plus were the international orders, which were currently being teleported overseas by high-level operators.

That left only sixty deliveries within the country.

‘So I’m handling these,’ he mused, stepping out onto the street. ‘If I deliver them myself and toss in a few surprise rewards, they’ll all post about me online. “Lucius personally delivered my drone” and that’ll boost Luna’s brand for sure.’

He smirked. ‘It’s all a matter of advertisement.’

The next address blinked onto his screen, and he appeared a moment later in front of a massive iron gate.

The mansion behind it was huge… one of those ridiculous estates with towering spires and fountains everywhere.

He sighed. “It’s always the rich ones…”

He could have easily teleported inside, but that would’ve been creepy and breaking and entering wasn’t good for PR. So instead, he stepped forward and pressed the buzzer.

A small drone floated out from the top of the gate, its lens glowing red.

“Identify yourself…” came a mechanical voice.

“Delivery man,” Lucius replied, showing the drone his face. The sensor scanned him from head to toe before the red light turned green.

「Lucius von Hohenberg, Entry Permitted…」

The gate buzzed loudly and slid open, parting like a curtain of steel.

Inside the front yard, several maids were trimming hedges and sweeping the marble walkway.

Every single one of them wore the classic black-and-white maid uniform with frills at the edges.

Lucius blinked. ‘Does everyone have a maid fetish or something? Where the hell are all the butlers?’

He started walking forward, taking in the pristine lawn and overly ornate statues scattered across the yard.

The mansion’s front door swung open before he could knock.

And out she came… running full speed.

Her hair trailed behind her like a wave of light, and the hoodie she wore couldn’t hide her figure.

She stopped abruptly in front of him, breasts rising and falling as she caught her breath.

When her eyes met his, her lips parted slightly in shock.

“Lucius…” she breathed out. “Did you finally come to see me?”

Lucius blinked. “Eh? Do I know you?”

The girl froze mid-smile. For a moment, her brain refused to process it. Then she gasped, pointing at herself. “You… you don’t remember me? It’s me! Liora!”

Lucius tilted his head. “Liora…?”

He didn’t remember.

“Yes, we met when you came to that café,” she said, smiling slightly as she tilted her head. “You gave me your number.”

‘Eh… I think it’s that girl that took my number without my permission,’ Lucius thought as he tried to recall.

“Oh, I remember now… Liora Romanoff,” he said at last, tapping the side of the clipboard. “You were testing me, right?”

“Yes,” she said and crossed her arms. “You didn’t pick up any of my calls, though.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t try taking numbers without the other person’s permission,” Lucius replied flatly, handing her the clipboard. “Anyway… sign here.”

“Sign?” She looked from his face to his uniform, raising a brow. “Wait… are you delivering the drone?”

“Yeah,” he said casually.

Liora took the clipboard and started to sign, her elegant handwriting flowing smoothly across the paper.

But she couldn’t help glancing up at him again.

“And I’m the sixtieth person you met today? All of them women?” she asked. “Don’t you think that’s a bit suspicious?”

Lucius exhaled. “Just sign, Liora.”

She grinned and handed the clipboard back. “You’re so cold.”

Lucius gave her a polite smile before reaching into his delivery bag.

“Thank you for your patronage,” he said as he handed her the package. “Here’s your Premium Drone unit… and this…” he pulled out a smaller parcel “is an added reward. One hundred thousand royals. It might not be much for you, but it’s for being one of the first sixty premium buyers.”

Liora blinked, caught off guard by the gesture.

“A hundred thousand?” she repeated. “That’s surprisingly generous of you. Maybe you do have a soft side.”

Lucius ignored her teasing. “Just company policy.”

Still, she took both packages and clutched them against her chest.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

An idea sparked in her eyes. “Say… will you be the one delivering all of the premium packages within the city?”

“Probably,” Lucius said.

He had already turned slightly, ready to leave. “Why?”

“No reason,” she said quickly, smiling a bit too innocently. “Just curious.”

Lucius stopped halfway through stepping away and glanced over his shoulder. “Right… why were you calling my number again?”

Her cheeks colored faintly.

“I wanted to organize a date,” she admitted without hesitation. “Something small. I even had a restaurant reserved.”

Lucius blinked. “A date?” he asked, almost amused. “Aren’t you, like, the richest woman in the country or something? You don’t really need—”

She pinched his arm before he could finish.

“Alright, alright,” he said, laughing quietly. “Just text me the details, and I’ll try to get there.”

She tilted her head, grinning victoriously. “Promise?”

He gave her a simple nod. “Promise.”

And before she could say another word, Lucius vanished, leaving a rush of air behind.

Liora stood there in silence for a few seconds, still holding the box tightly.

Then, realizing what just happened, she whispered, “Th… thank you,” under her breath.

She quickly turned around and ran back inside, her face flushed pink.

‘I need to make more orders,’ she thought frantically, already pulling out her phone. ‘If I buy enough, maybe he’ll have to come again even if he avoids the date!’

…

Lucius reappeared in the basement of the mansion.

He glanced around, rubbing his neck as he spoke.

“Alright, how’s the launch?” he asked.

Luna looked up from the table where she sat, tapping away on her phone with a focused expression.

“It went great!” she said, grinning. “There are already tons of people who’ve received their drones.”

She swiped across the screen to show him live statistics. “Look… our site’s trending again, and everyone’s posting about the packaging, the delivery, the functions, and—” she smirked “—about you.”

Lucius sighed. “What about me?”

“You went out delivering yourself, didn’t you?” she teased. “Well, your plan worked perfectly. There are already several posts saying ‘Lucius personally delivered my Premium Drone!’ People are losing their minds.”

He chuckled softly, leaning against one of the tables. “Guess marketing still works better when I’m the product.”

She shook her head. “Anyway, orders for the Premium package have shot up again. We’ve already hit ten thousand more just within the last hour.”

“Good,” Lucius said, finally pulling off his delivery cap and tossing it onto the counter.

The weight on his shoulders lightened slightly. “What about Villy and Elara? I don’t see them anywhere.”

“Villy went to the upper floors to check the rooms. Elara said something about preparing your bed with her. Alexia’s been taking calls, so it’s just me down here for now.”

Lucius nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense.”

Just as he started to stretch his arms, Luna’s phone pinged again, and her eyes widened. “Wait… we just got fifty thousand more orders from someone named Liora Romanoff,” she said slowly.

Lucius’s hand froze mid-motion.

“Wait, that Liora Romanoff?” she asked, scrolling through the screen again. “The richest woman in the country? The one who sponsors half the Council?”

Lucius rubbed his forehead. “Yeah. That woman.”

“What’s she doing ordering fifty thousand drones?” Luna exclaimed. “Is she trying to start her own delivery business?!”

‘Damn woman,’ Lucius thought with a tired groan.