Villain's Odyssey: Enslaving heroines, Conquering Villainesses
Chapter 41: The Cafeteria Interrogation

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Cafeteria Interrogation

"Auston!" "Big Bro!" The voices rang out simultaneously as a young man approached a table on the top floor of the cafeteria—an open area where the bottom floor could be viewed in all its bustling glory.

The whole place was picturesque, with huge windows making up eighty percent of the walls. As though the brilliant natural light streaming in wasn’t enough, numerous chandeliers hung at multiple strategic locations across the ceiling, with a massive opening at the center. Each fixture glittered with golden light, further beautifying an already mystifying backdrop.

"Yo, Angelica and... Nora?" Auston frowned as he took in the scene. "Where are Cassandra and Anna?"

This was strange. He always had lunch with all five of his friends—well, technically four friends and his sister. Nora was actually the one who rarely showed up, mostly because she was usually busy accompanying her own friend somewhere.

"Anna left to find her..." Nora placed a fork against her chin, looking up with a confused expression. "I’m not really sure—her cousin?"

"Friend," Angelica corrected smoothly, cutting a piece of meat with her knife before forking it and adding some marinated vegetables. She took a delicate bite, then looked up at Auston with barely concealed irritation. "Maybe you should sit down first?"

"Yeah, you’re right," Auston nodded, placing his tray on the pristine white table before pulling back a chair and settling into it.

"Um... what about Isabella and Cassandra?" he asked innocently.

Angelica slowly placed her cutlery down and looked him straight in the eyes. Even Nora seemed a bit unnerved by that stare, though she couldn’t help smiling in amusement, already anticipating the usual drama.

"Isabella is out with Anna," Angelica said with dangerous calm, "and as for Cassandra, she had some things to take care of in the student council. Now..." Her smile was absolutely ’angelic’. "Can you eat without bringing up the other girls again?"

"Sure..." Auston replied.

Angelica’s smile brightened—genuinely this time—and she picked up her cutlery to resume her meal with satisfied elegance.

Scary, Nora thought, shaking her head. She was already used to her brother’s abnormally attached friends and their territorial tendencies.

"But what about Camella?"

The question hung in the air for a few seconds.

Nora immediately rolled her eyes so hard she probably saw her own brain. Stupid brother, she thought, genuinely wanting to slap her forehead in exasperation.

Angelica’s fork froze halfway to her mouth.

"Camella," she repeated slowly.

"Yeah, I mean, she’s usually here too, and—" Auston continued obliviously.

"AUSTON." Angelica’s voice rose a bit more than normal. "Do you realize that in the span of two minutes, you’ve asked about four different girls instead of simply sitting down and having lunch with the people actually here?"

Nora winced. Here we go.

"I was just wondering—" Auston started, but Angelica held up a perfectly manicured hand.

"Wondering about everyone except the person sitting right in front of you," she said sweetly. "How... thoughtful of you."

Her eyes held no light.

Auston finally seemed to realize he’d stepped into dangerous territory. "Angelica, I didn’t mean—"

"Oh, I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by it," she replied, taking another delicate bite. "You never do. It’s just fascinating how your concern for your IMPORTANT friends’ whereabouts always seems to extend to everyone except the ones actually present."

Nora decided this was the perfect time to become very interested in her soup. Poor Auston, she thought. He really walked right into that one.

"I care about you being here too!" Auston protested. "I’m glad you’re here!"

"How romantic," Angelica said dryly. "I’m so touched."

The poor boy looked like he was drowning in quicksand and every word he spoke just made him sink faster. Nora almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

"Look, can we just have a nice lunch?" Auston pleaded. "I promise I won’t ask about anyone else."

Angelica considered this for a moment, then smiled. "Of course, dear. But next time, perhaps try greeting the people who are actually here before launching into an interrogation about everyone who isn’t."

"...Sure," Auston said with a sigh, finally picking up his fork.

Nora just shook her head, then continued her meal.

Angelica stopped eating, realizing Auston still hadn’t touched his food. He just seemed... disturbed by their earlier exchange.

She sighed internally. Perhaps she had been a little too hard on him. She already knew how he was—what a complete worrywart he could be, especially about the other girls. However, no matter how much she tried to overlook it each time, it still irritated her beyond all reasonable bounds. She never liked him talking about any other girl in front of her. The way he often did it made it seem like he didn’t acknowledge her presence, like he didn’t care that she was there.

"Isabella escorted Anna to find her friend who just got admitted today," she said, her tone softer now. "Cassandra is exactly where I said she was previously, and as for Camella..." She paused, a hint of satisfaction creeping into her voice. "Apparently, she no longer sees us as friends."

That last part came with a bit of relief. The fewer girls in their group, the better, as far as she was concerned.

However, the complete opposite expression appeared on Auston’s face. "What?" he said, his fork clattering against his tray.

Oh, brother, Nora thought, shaking her head internally.

"That’s why she’s no longer hanging around with senior Maria and Isabelle," Nora explained, genuinely surprised by his reaction. "Didn’t you notice the distance between them all? She literally hasn’t sat with us since the semester began. How didn’t you notice?"

"Why?" Auston asked, looking genuinely shaken by this revelation.

"Azalea," Angelica said simply.

At that single word, Auston’s expression darkened considerably, and he abruptly stood up, scanning the cafeteria with newfound urgency.

"Come on, brother, just forget about it for now," Nora said, trying to pull him back to reason, but he wasn’t listening. His mind was already made up—he had to fix this situation, and he had to do it now.

"There," he muttered, spotting his target. Without another word, he left their table and headed downstairs to the floor below.

Angelica remained silent, taking another measured bite of her meat. Only she knew what was really going through her mind at this moment.

"IDIOT BROTHER!" Nora finally exploded, slapping her forehead with enough force to leave a mark.

She looked across at Angelica, who was still eating with perfect composure, as if nothing had happened. "You know he’s going to make this worse, right?"

Angelica’s smile was mysterious. "Oh, I’m counting on it."