Villain's Odyssey: Enslaving heroines, Conquering Villainesses
Chapter 57: Emotional Manipulation

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Emotional Manipulation

’What is happening? Why is she becoming more unstable?’ Asher could only frown as he watched Natalia’s emotional state deteriorate before his eyes. He couldn’t understand how things were derailing this much, how she was breaking down for apparently no reason. She looked utterly broken, but he had yet to do anything to warrant such an intense reaction.

’Was it tied to what happened while I was unconscious? Or is it because of what I revealed about being a senior?’ He studied her trembling form. ’No, that shouldn’t warrant such an intense reaction. Something else is wrong—something I’ve yet to truly understand.’

[I suggest you handle this carefully... I always warned you, emotions are delicate business,] the voice cautioned.

’Sighs,’ Asher now realized there was a fundamental problem with his approach. He had to account for the emotional drawbacks of his actions on his targets. He couldn’t just manipulate without considering the psychological collateral damage.

’Hmm.’

<Given the rate at which she’s deteriorating, there are chances of self-harm... especially if her actions are related to her condition and fears of my avoiding her because of it. If that’s the case, then that’s a serious problem. The probability of her condition worsening if I execute my plan of distancing myself from her is pretty high—probably around 85%. With only a 15% chance of her friend remedying her situation somehow, but I doubt that. Her actions are slowly eliminating herself from the game. After all, just after she had discovered the truth about what really happened the day she lost both her mother and her legs, she had progressively declined mentally until she finally lost. This could really turn into something more troublesome than I initially thought... Hmm. If I leave her as she is, her actions in the near future would just be a variable. I can’t calculate the future given so many possibilities. I hate variables... That only means leaving her isn’t an option. Perhaps the best course of action to take at this moment is to use this moment of vulnerability to imprint myself deeply in her psyche. Make myself indispensable to her emotional stability.>

"Look at me, Natalia," Asher said gently, pulling back to meet her eyes as he grasped her frail hands.

"I-it’s n-nothing. Just t-take me b-back to the dorm, I-I will be a-alright," she stammered, tears streaming down her face. Her whole body shook with the effort of trying to appear composed.

Asher’s grip tightened slightly, and his right hand moved to touch her face with surprising tenderness. "You know a princess shouldn’t cry, right?" he said with a kind smile.

"D-don’t call me that!" Her face flushed red with anger. The word ’princess’ made her remember her mother.

Asher’s smile faltered slightly at her reaction, and she noticed the brief flash of hurt that crossed his features.

"Wait... I d-didn’t m-mean that," Natalia said quickly, fear creeping into her voice. ’Maybe he would feel hurt and leave,’ The thought that she might have hurt him with her words... terrified her more than her own pain.

"It’s okay, calm down. I just want to know what’s wrong," Asher said softly, his voice carrying that same gentle warmth that made her feel safe.

She bit her lips, struggling with whether to voice her deepest fears.

"Will you leave me?" The question came out as barely a whisper.

"Huh? I don’t understand," he said, looking genuinely confused.

She bit her lips harder, drawing a small drop of blood. "Would this be the last time we talk?"

She understood the only reason he was still here was because he was still a new student, not yet embedded in the academy’s social system, not yet part of cliques and friend groups. When all that happened, he won’t have time for her. She would just be the broken girl in the wheelchair who was convenient when he had no other options.

"Of course not, silly," Asher said, reaching out to ruffle her hair with such natural affection.

"W-what?" she blurted, completely caught off guard by his casual dismissal of her fears.

"You are my very first friend here, and I will never forget that. Maybe my being in a higher class would bring about some distance, but you will always be my friend," he said, his rare purple eyes meeting hers with such sincerity that she felt something crack open in her chest.

Badum!

She felt her heart beat so loudly. It was subtle at first, but it grew stronger, just like the hope blooming in her chest.

’If he really feels that way about me, then maybe... just maybe...’

"R-Really?" she stuttered, hope coloring her voice for the first time in their conversation.

"Of course," he nodded, holding both her hands with surprising fervor.

She smiled then—a beautiful, radiant smile that transformed her entire face. Her cheeks flushed red, not with embarrassment this time, but with something that felt dangerously close to joy.

"I won’t leave you too, idiot," she said, punching him lightly in the chest. She felt a lightness there that she hadn’t experienced in ages. Then, acting on pure impulse, she leaned forward and hugged him.

He didn’t resist. Instead, he stroked her hair with gentle, rhythmic motions that made her feel more secure than she had in years. She liked it—loved it, even. So she hugged him tighter, as if she could somehow fuse their souls together and never have to worry about being alone again.

....

....

From a distance, two girls stood watching the scene unfold. To some, it might have appeared beautiful—a moment of genuine human connection. To others, it was merely annoying: a handsome young man wasting his time with some crippled girl.

"Is he the one?" Isabella asked, genuinely flabbergasted. She had never seen someone so... stupidly handsome. This was absolutely nonsense!

"..." Anna just watched silently, her expression unreadable.

"Anna?" Isabella turned to her friend, who continued staring at the embracing pair with an intensity that was almost unsettling.

"Let’s go," Anna suddenly said, turning to leave.

"What?" Isabella blurted, jogging to catch up. "But we’ve been looking for this mysterious friend of yours for like forever! Isn’t he the one?"

She was annoyed by Anna’s sudden retreat, but Anna just kept walking back toward their dorm, silent all through.