I Became the Villain Alpha's Omega (BL)

Chapter 272: The Crazy Plan

OG CHERION REALLY WANTED TO KILL ZARIUS?!

The scream echoed like a thunderclap inside Cherion’s head, but outside, not a single muscle on his face twitched. He felt a sudden, terrifying spike of adrenaline, his heart hammering violently against his ribs, but he forced his body to remain utterly still. He couldn’t afford to look panicked. He couldn’t afford to look confused, or hesitant, or reveal the absolute, mind-numbing shock that had just paralyzed his thoughts.

He was standing right in front of Yerel’s aide. If he showed even a fraction of a second of weakness, Karson would tear him apart. He needed to act entirely nonchalant. He needed to dig for more information without raising a single ounce of suspicion.

Cherion let out a slow breath, his lips curving into a cold, flat line. He fixed Karson with a cold stare, keeping his voice as detached as humanly possible.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, Sir Karson."

Karson raised a hand, casually scratching the edge of his eyebrow as his calculative eyes narrowed. A low, mocking hum escaped his throat. "Oh? So now you want to pretend you forget? You want to act like you never personally proposed that brilliant idea to me in this very palace?"

Cherion let out a sharp, dismissive scoff, a harsh tch sound, and looked away, rolling his eyes as if he were listening to the most ridiculous, tedious nonsense in the world.

But internally, Cherion was practically on his knees, begging the man to keep going. Yes, yes! Think that I forgot! Think that I’m just being arrogant! Keep talking, you green-haired creep, tell me more so I can "remember" it! Give me all the details!

"You came to me," Karson continued, taking a slow step forward. "You practically begged for an audience. You stood right there and swore that if you managed to kill the Duke of the North, His Highness would finally be happy. You said the Crown Prince would finally see how loyal, how useful, and how deeply devoted you truly were to his cause."

Really? There was actually such a thing? Cherion’s internal monologue was a chaotic mess of disbelief. Oh, God. The original Cherion was just a pathetic, jealous villain who got face-slapped by the leads, so when the hell did he turn into a full-blown assassin?

Feeling the suffocating weight of Karson’s gaze, Cherion turned completely away from him. He forced his legs to move naturally, walking past him and stepping out onto the small, secluded stone balcony. The cool night air hit his face, a welcome relief.

As soon as his back was turned to Karson, Cherion’s mouth dropped open. He silently mouthed a massive, horrified Wow... into the empty air, his eyes wide with utter exasperation.

Omg, OG Cherion, he thought, gripping the stone railing of the balcony tightly. You were seriously willing to commit high-profile murder just to get a shred of affection from a man who definitely didn’t have any interest in you? Are you actually insane? What kind of unhinged, desperate toxic behavior is this?!

Hearing the soft rustle of fabric behind him, Cherion instantly smoothed his expression back into an elegant, bored mask. Karson followed him out onto the balcony, leaning his hip against the railing, his sharp eyes analyzing Cherion’s side profile.

"Maybe the cold weather in the North did something to your memories," Karson mused, his tone carrying a strange, mocking edge of curiosity. "Or perhaps... you simply got carried away with your new life. I must admit, it quite surprises me. Was it really that easy for you to completely forget about His Highness? The man you spent years crying over?"

Cherion turned his head slightly, shooting Karson a sharp, dangerous glance over his shoulder.

"I think it is highly beneficial for everyone involved if we forget all of that, Sir Karson," Cherion said. "Certainly, someone was not in my right mind back then. A temporary lapse in judgment, nothing more."

Karson let out a soft chuckle, a low, sinister sound that made the hairs on Cherion’s arms stand up. "A temporary lapse in judgment? Oh, come now, Lord Cherion. You were pretty delightful when you proposed the idea. You were practically glowing with ambition. I even had to secretly praise your confidence for thinking a delicate noble like yourself could actually manage to kill the monstrous Duke of the North."

Not confidence. Stupidity, Cherion corrected bitterly in his head. Pure, brainless stupidity.

"I was actually quite curious, waiting to see what you would do," Karson continued, tapping his fingers against the railing. "And honestly, it seemed like even heaven itself was on your side when the perfect chance later presented itself. The King suddenly betrothed you to the Duke. I thought you had the ultimate advantage."

Karson shifted his weight, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "But instead... you ended up playing house with him. You’ve been acting like a devoted, blushing fiancé. What caused such a sudden change, I wonder?"

Cherion turned around completely, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the balcony railing. He looked down at Karson with a lazy smirk, letting his inner drama queen take the wheel to deliver a reply.

"People change their minds, Sir Karson," Cherion answered. "Not to mention when they finally open their eyes and realize there is a vastly better man out there who actually treats them the way they are supposed to be treated. Zarius is a thousand percent better man than Yerel could ever hope to be. Why should I waste my time on trash when I have a diamond?"

Karson’s expression didn’t change, though his gaze grew noticeably colder and more precise as Cherion looked away. "Really? Is that the truth, Lord Cherion? Or is this all just a brilliant, elaborate part of your plan? Playing house with the Duke, making him trust you blindly... will there be a massive, bloody surprise for us all later down the line?"

Cherion’s eyes snapped toward Karson, all traces of his lazy smirk instantly vanishing, replaced by an intense, freezing glare that perfectly mirrored Zarius’s signature terrifying aura.

"I am so incredibly sorry that you had to come all the way out here to talk about this nonsense, only to find out that no such thing is going to happen," Cherion hissed softly. "You better forget every single word of that old plan, Sir Karson. Because my fiancé and I are going to live our lives exceptionally happily together. Do not try to look for a plot where there isn’t one."

For a long, tense moment, the only sound was the distant, muffled music of the orchestra from the ballroom.

Then, Karson chuckled again. He stood up straight, waving a dismissive, elegant hand in the air. "Oh, please, Lord Cherion. Do not put such a nervous expression on your beautiful face. I merely came out here to check on you. I am genuinely glad to see that you seem so content and satisfied with your life now. This is certainly a much better look for you than when you were trailing desperately behind His Highness like a lost stray."

The words were polite on the surface, almost refined, but Cherion paid them no mind.

"If you say so," Cherion said stiffly, offering a cold, minimal nod.

Without waiting for permission, Cherion turned around and began to march away from the balcony. He needed to find Ezek and Reiner immediately. He needed some company before his sanity snapped.

"Lord Cherion."

The sudden, quiet call of his name stopped Cherion dead in his tracks. He froze, his back still facing the green-haired man, his muscles tensing automatically.

Karson stood by the balcony, the dim lighting catching the sharp, emotionless smirk on his face.

"Well..." Karson murmured, his voice carrying an incredibly chilling, hidden warning beneath the polite words. "I truly wish you a long, happy life with the Duke."

Cherion took a slow, deep breath, refusing to turn around and show his discomfort.

"Thank you," Cherion replied, sounding neither offended nor pleased.

With that final word, he forced his legs to move. He stepped away from the balcony and into the maze of intersecting hallways, disappearing around a corner and leaving the Crown Prince’s aide behind.