Chapter 129: Innocent Villainess
"Uh-huh," Lucius muttered, staring at the glowing screen of his phone.
He really found it hard to believe that this Esme... a Villainess in the novel that hated dressing up and usually wore simple stuff had suddenly decided to go all out with makeup and a stunning outfit.
She only did that when she was going for official parties.
Sure, she looked breathtaking, even through the screen, but like any normal guy, Lucius preferred natural beauty.
And Esme? She didn’t need makeup to look perfect... she just didn’t seem like the type to bother with it.
"So... what were you doing?" she asked, smiling a little too brightly.
Even her tone was different.
It wasn’t the usual confident Esme he’d watched a movie with.
No, this Esme was clearly trying too hard to sound charming.
Lucius sighed.
She was definitely taking orders from someone because where did this come from...?
"Well, me?" he said casually, leaning back against his pillow, "I was looking through some horror movies."
Her eyes brightened at once.
When he had a bit of free time, Lucius had done the smart thing: he’d made a list of horror movies he would absolutely NEVER watch with Esme.
They weren’t just scary... they were cursed.
There were actual reports of people fainting, hallucinating, and even dying from watching them.
Who wanted to watch that??
’Just one won’t hurt, right?’ he thought, trying to convince himself.
"How about we watch The Skulls next?" he said casually. "I saw it online and took a peek at the trailer and it was..."
Absolutely horrifying.
"...quite interesting."
Esme froze.
Then, in one sudden motion, she wiped the makeup off her face with her hands, smudging it across her cheeks.
A shocked gasp came from someone off-camera.
"Did you just say... The Skulls?" she asked, her eyes wide.
Even with makeup smeared unevenly across her face, she still looked effortlessly beautiful.
The unfairness of it all made Lucius sigh.
"Yes, The Skulls," he repeated with resignation.
He had a feeling he was going to regret this deeply.
But then again, if the great Lucius von Hohenberg couldn’t sit through a single horror film, could he really live up to that name?
"So you liked the trailer, huh?" Esme said, grinning mischievously.
It looked like the grin of someone who had found their next victim.
"I was planning for us to start slow... with low-tier horror movies but you..." she held up her phone like a trophy, "...you just recommended one from the big leagues."
Lucius blinked. "Big leagues?"
"Yup." Esme reached off-screen and pulled out another phone.
She tapped a few times, and then held the screen close to the camera.
It was a list... a long one.
And Lucius recognized every title on it.
It was his list.
The exact one he had written of "Movies Never to Watch with Esme."
"If you like The Skulls," she said sweetly, "then we’ll watch all of these too. One by one. I hope you’re ready."
Lucius stared at her through the screen, silent for a full three seconds.
Then, with a forced smile, he said, "Fine. What’s a little horror?"
He regretted the words immediately.
Esme’s grin widened.
"Oh, and in The Skulls, there’s supposed to be family drama," she added innocently.
Lucius’s eyes widened. "Wait, family drama in a horror movie? You’re lying."
"Not at all," Esme replied, far too cheerfully. "The plot revolves around an ancient family. Even I don’t know much about it."
Lucius sighed and rubbed his temples.
He felt like it wouldn’t be nornal...
Changing the subject, he asked, "Oh, by the way, who’s there with you?"
Though he wasn’t a fan of makeup, he had to admit... the outfit and styling were nice.
Whoever helped her put that look together had done a solid job.
"Oh," Esme said brightly, "this is Tinny!"
She grabbed hold of the girl beside her and dragged her into view.
"This is my personal maid."
Tinny looked flustered but bowed politely toward the camera. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Lucius."
"Tinny, this is Lucius... my movie buddy and boyfriend."
Lucius froze mid-blink. "Boyfriend?"
"When did that start?" he asked slowly.
"Yes," Esme said, nodding proudly. "Isn’t that what they call a boy who’s your friend?"
Tinny immediately facepalmed, and Lucius couldn’t help doing the same.
"You can’t really be that innocent, can you?" Lucius asked, his expression flat.
"She really is," Tinny muttered under her breath.
Lucius sighed again and took it upon himself to explain.
"Esme, a boyfriend isn’t just a boy who’s your friend. It means someone you have romantic feelings for... someone you like in a special way. You know, kissing and all that."
Esme tilted her head in thought.
"Kissing?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah," Lucius said. "And... other stuff."
Her brows furrowed. "Other things?"
He hesitated. "Like... sleeping together."
Her expression turned blank. "Sleeping together? Like laying on the bed?"
Lucius’s brain short-circuited.
’Innocence over 9000!’ he thought in disbelief.
Even Tinny had her face buried in her palms now.
"Lucius," Esme said thoughtfully, "you said ’romantic feelings.’ How do you know if you have those?"
Lucius blinked.
"You feel it," he said. "It’s... when you get nervous around someone you like, or you can’t stop thinking about them."
"Oh," Esme said, looking thoughtful. "Like how I feel before we watch a horror movie together?"
"That’s... fear, Esme."
"Oh."
Tinny turned away, trying to hide her laughter.
Esme pouted. "You don’t have to laugh at me! I’m just trying to learn how normal people talk about... this stuff."
"I’m not laughing," he said, though his grin betrayed him. "You’re just too honest for your own good."
She crossed her arms and huffed. "Then teach me, boyfriend."
He sighed again. "Not boyfriend."
"Then movie buddy?" she asked, batting her lashes playfully.
Lucius smirked. "Movie buddy works."
"Fine," she said with a sigh, then glanced off-screen. "Tinny, write down what Lucius said about romance. I’ll study it later."
Tinny blinked. "You’re making notes?"
"Of course," Esme said seriously. "How else am I supposed to become an expert at this?"
Lucius couldn’t help it... he laughed. "You’re studying romance like it’s homework."
"Well, it’s confusing!" she said, puffing her cheeks. "There are so many rules. Like, what does ’dating’ even mean? Is that like going on missions together?"
"Something like that," he said. Hadn’t she watched horror movies about dating?
"And... what’s a ’break-up?’" she asked.
"That’s when it stops being fun," Lucius replied simply.
Her face lit up. "Then I’ll make sure that never happens!"
[Author’s Note]
Edited...