The Do-Over System:My Beloved is the Villain! - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: 02/03-Love Confession

Skye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement despite the pain. He let out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head. “Wait, what do you mean ‘confess’? As in confess my sins or a love confession?” he taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he eyed Leona.

Leona narrowed her eyes, still catching her breath, the energy of her overdrive mana humming through her veins. “You tell me,” she shot back, gripping her staff tighter. “Because I don’t have time for games, Skye.”

Lucian took a step forward, standing beside Leona, his patience wearing thin. “Enough with the riddles,” he growled. “Your deceit runs deep, but if you think you can play with our minds, you’re mistaken.”

Skye tilted his head, feigning innocence, though his smirk never wavered. “You wound me, truly. I’m merely clarifying,” he said, placing a hand over his heart mockingly. “If you’re asking me to confess my sins, well, darling, that would take all night. But if you mean a love confession—” He let the words hang in the air, watching Leona’s reaction with keen interest.

Leona rolled her eyes, frustration boiling over. “Spare me, Skye.”

Aeliana, still keeping her protective aura strong, stepped forward, glaring at the fallen trickster. “Enough stalling. Your illusions have failed, your poison didn’t work, and now you’re left grasping at empty words.”

Skye sighed dramatically, running a hand through his tousled silver hair. “Tough crowd,” he muttered. “Fine, fine. I’ll admit, this didn’t go exactly as planned, but you can’t blame a man for trying, can you?”

Kael, standing a few feet away, scoffed. “Oh, we can and we will.” He turned to Lucian. “What do we do with him?”

Lucian studied Skye for a long moment, his crimson eyes unreadable. He knew better than to trust a word that left Skye’s lips. This was a man who thrived on deception, weaving lies as easily as breathing. Whatever he was truly after, Lucian doubted they had seen the full extent of his schemes.

Skye, sensing the weight of their gazes, raised his hands in surrender. “Come now, let’s not be too hasty,” he said smoothly. “We all know I’ll slip away eventually, so why not make this easier on everyone?”

Leona stepped closer, her voice cold. “You’re not walking away from this.”

Skye held her gaze, something unreadable flickering in his expression. Then, suddenly, he grinned.

As the music resumed, albeit shakily, Leona took a deep breath, steadying herself. The weight of what had just transpired pressed heavily on her chest. Skye Drakonis had not only infiltrated the masquerade but had also poisoned Lucian and left behind cryptic words that still echoed in her mind. A love confession? From him? She wasn’t sure if it was a twisted joke or something far more dangerous.

Lucian, still recovering, sat in a chair near the edge of the ballroom, his hand pressed against his ribs. Aeliana hovered beside him, concern etched across her face, while Kael stood nearby, arms crossed. “We can’t just let this slide,” Kael muttered. “Skye didn’t come here just to cause trouble—he wanted to send a message.”

Leona clenched her jaw. “Then we need to figure out exactly what that message was.” She turned to Lucian, who met her gaze with his usual stoicism, though there was an unmistakable flicker of pain in his crimson eyes. “Rest for now. We’ll regroup at dawn.”

Lucian gave a slow nod, but as Leona turned away, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. If Skye Drakonis had declared himself an enemy once more, then the worst was far from over.

A collective gasp rippled through the ballroom as Queen Celithe brought a hand to her chest, her golden eyes widening in shock. The Oracle’s mother, regal and composed even in the face of chaos, rarely displayed such open surprise. But tonight, the unexpected had become the norm.

“Oh, my queen,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper as she surveyed the scene before her. The masquerade ball, once a grand and elegant affair, now stood in disarray—the scent of poisoned food still lingering in the air, Lucian barely standing with Aeliana’s support, and Skye Drakonis having just vanished like a phantom in the night. The guests, once captivated by the dazzling performances and the Oracle’s divine blessing, now whispered among themselves in hushed, frantic tones.

“Was that truly Skye Drakonis?” one noble murmured, gripping his wine glass tightly. “The exiled prince of the dragonkin?”

“Impossible! He vanished years ago—banished from our lands!” another gasped.

Leona clenched her jaw, gripping her staff so hard her knuckles turned white. She was still reeling from what had just transpired, her mind a storm of emotions she refused to name. The fact that Skye had dared to infiltrate the gathering was outrageous enough, but his parting words left an uneasy knot in her stomach.

“Queen Celithe, we need to tighten security,” Lucian rasped, his voice still strained from the poison lingering in his system. “If Skye was bold enough to enter here under disguise, there’s no telling what his next move will be.”

The queen turned her sharp gaze toward him, eyes filled with both concern and calculation. “You are right, Dark Lord,” she admitted, her voice regaining its commanding strength. “This event was meant to be a celebration, not a battlefield. I will not allow this to stand.”

Kael, still looking as if he hadn’t fully recovered from choking on his drink, leaned toward Leona with a skeptical smirk. “So… was that really a love confession back there, or was he just messing with you?”

Leona shot him a glare. “Not the time, Kael.”

Aeliana let out a short, nervous laugh before quickly composing herself. “Regardless of his intentions, we should focus on what matters. Skye came here with a plan, and I doubt this was the end of it.”

The queen nodded in agreement. “We will regroup in the morning and discuss our next course of action. But for now, I must address my people and put their fears to rest.” She turned gracefully toward the guests, raising her hands to command their attention. “Everyone, please remain calm. The situation is under control. Continue to enjoy the night—our guards will ensure your safety.”

But as the music hesitantly resumed and guests slowly returned to their masked festivities, Leona couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

A stunned silence filled the ballroom as Skye’s voice, dripping with amusement, cut through the tension. He placed a hand over his chest with exaggerated dramatics, his golden eyes locked onto Leona’s.

“A love c-confession, my dearest Leona,” he said with a smirk, drawing out the words as if savoring their weight. His tone was teasing, yet something in his gaze flickered with an emotion she couldn’t quite place.

Leona stiffened, her fingers tightening around her staff. “Don’t play games with me, Skye,” she warned, her voice steady despite the heat rising to her face. She didn’t know what irritated her more—the way he always acted so smug or the way his words sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine.

Skye took a slow step toward her, his movements measured, deliberate. “Oh, but I never play games when it comes to you, Oracle.” He tilted his head slightly, as if studying her reaction. “Tell me, does the idea really surprise you that much?”

Lucian, who had been silently watching, took a step forward, his crimson eyes dark with suspicion. “Enough,” he said sharply, cutting through the charged air between them. “You expect us to believe a single word out of your mouth, Skye? After everything?”

Skye chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “Believe what you will, Dark Lord, but my feelings for Leona are quite real.” His smirk deepened as he turned his attention back to her. “I’m simply choosing the most dramatic moment to reveal them, as any man of taste would.”

Kael coughed, nearly choking on his drink. “You’re actually serious?” He looked between Leona and Skye, his face a mix of disbelief and amusement. “This has got to be the worst possible time for a confession.”

Leona scoffed, shaking her head. “You’re right, Kael. And even if he was serious, it doesn’t change anything.” She leveled Skye with a cold stare. “You tried to poison Lucian, you infiltrated this gathering, and now you’re standing here, thinking you can throw sweet words at me and walk away unscathed?”

Skye’s smirk faltered for the briefest second, so quick she almost thought she imagined it. Then, with a slow exhale, he spread his arms out. “Fair enough, my dear Oracle. But tell me this—if I hadn’t done any of that, if we had met under different circumstances… would you have listened?”

Leona opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Her heart pounded as she struggled to form an answer, but before she could speak, Skye’s body tensed, his eyes darting toward the shadows.

With a knowing smile, he took a step back. “A question for another day, perhaps.”

And before any of them could react, he vanished into the darkness once more, leaving Leona standing there, gripping her staff, her mind racing far more than she wanted to admit.