A Villain's Survival Guide

"B—but why... young master?"

Leomaris let out an exhausted sigh.

"Stop pretending to be Hazel. It’s getting annoying."

Raine was confused. Everyone was, save for Leomaris and Hazel themselves. The man cared for Hazel enough that stabbing her should’ve been the last thing he’d ever do, and yet he’d done it, bold as you like, claiming the woman wasn’t her at all.

Soon enough, Hazel tore the blade free from her guts and put a fair bit of distance between herself and the rest of them, and that was when it clicked for Raine.

Her mouth parted in disbelief. How had she managed to overlook something so glaringly important?

"Disguise. She’s very good at disguises."

Hazel let out a soft laugh. "How did you figure it out? I really thought I had you fooled."

Leomaris waved it off like it was nothing to worry about, but soon enough, his expression darkened, and what settled on his face was nothing short of deadly.

"If you think this is my butler, then you need to rethink your judgment. Do not ever take on Hazel’s appearance again."

In the blink of an eye, he was on her, hand clamped firmly around her throat, and it was plain as day she was struggling for air.

"The next time you try something this foolish, I will not hesitate to kill you. Mark my words."

He dropped her where she stood and walked back to where he’d been.

Hazel doubled over coughing, rough enough that it looked like her lungs were giving up on her.

"So I came out for your life... and you got mad about me disguising myself as your butler?"

Leomaris’s expression turned blank again. "You really don’t get it. Choosing to be Hazel was the worst option. She’s dear to me, and none of her actions are forced. I knew you were an imposter the moment you entered the mansion."

Raine turned it over in her head. She remembered Leomaris dragging Hazel out on a date the day after she’d gotten back from her mission, going on about wanting to cheer her up for some reason or another.

What she couldn’t fathom was why Leomaris would bother spending that much time with someone he knew was an imposter out to have him killed. But then, he had his reasons.

"How did you find out?"

Leomaris shrugged. "It was simple. You arrived covered in blood and exhausted from an ambush, which meant you believed Hazel’s mission involved blood; it doesn’t. Hazel also wouldn’t be taken down by low-level thugs on a mission I assigned her.

Then your behavior... everything you did was an imitation of Hazel. The makeup, even speaking when you weren’t supposed to.

I also tested you: I took you out under the scorching sun without a carriage, and you didn’t sweat once.

That still wasn’t enough. You weren’t wearing gloves yesterday, but you are today. That confirms you were the one Raine attacked."

Raine’s brow creased. A beat later, her expression darkened, and she advanced on Leomaris, anger etched into every line of her face.

"What? If you were aware of this, then why did you let me go through all that trouble?"

Leomaris flashed her a soft smile. "I wasn’t sure. No matter the reason, going against her wasn’t easy. The real Hazel feels like a little sister to me, you know?"

Raine didn’t want to, but she backed away all the same. She was in no position to say anything, and she knew it. She hadn’t said a word to Leomaris when she’d suspected Marie either.

Hazel burst into laughter.

Her voice bounced off the walls, sharp enough to draw every eye. She hauled herself to her feet, one hand still pressed to her guts.

"Well, it was nice knowing you all." Her eyes locked on Leomaris. "You and I are bound to meet someday. After all, my sister and my father died because of you."

"Wait, who are you?" Raine asked.

Hazel let out a sigh. "How rude of me."

Her hand went beneath her chin, and she began pulling a mask free, upward and off.

"This is the first time my disguises have been seen through... and considering how strong you all are, I don’t think playing rough will end well for me."

The mask came away to reveal a calm, almost innocent face, brown-eyed and soft, quite at odds with the woman wearing it.

That face — Raine knew it well enough. But it couldn’t be. She’d seen their head cut clean off, cradled in the hands of the original Hazel. They’d been declared dead for nearly two months now.

"My name is Adeline Vernal Isle... the twin sister of Emerald."

Barely had the words left her before a pool of shadows bled out beneath her feet, swallowing her up at an unhurried pace.

"Wait..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Raine and Charlotte moved to stop her, but Leomaris stepped in before they could.

Adeline let out a soft giggle. "Good decision, Apostle of Death. Unlike my late sister, I don’t bear you any ill will. But this was fun... and I will be back for more."

Her body sank the rest of the way, and the shadows closed over her, taking the pool with them.

"Why did you let her go?"

Leomaris showed nothing on his face. He just stood there, eyes fixed on the spot where Adeline had vanished.

"I don’t think she’s an ordinary Unholy Priest... someone very powerful was protecting her."

His golden eyes locked onto Raine’s crimson ones. "You know it too. If you got any closer, you could have been killed."

She frowned. ’Why does he look so dazed... did they scare him somehow?’

Leomaris moved to the back and crouched down in front of Raphi, who’d been on the floor all along. He patted her on the head, easy and calm, the way a big brother might. Or a father.

With a smile, he spoke. "We are willing to keep your secret... as long as you do not mention what happened here today to anyone."

Raphi swallowed hard. "You have my word, Calamity Leomaris... I won’t tell a soul."

Raine watched Leomaris, Charlotte, and Marie take their leave. Her feelings were all over the shop. She was glad they’d got to the bottom of it, but the unease was there too.

Every lead she’d chased had gone nowhere. Every name her investigation had thrown up was a dead end. In the end, it felt like her efforts hadn’t been worth a pinch of salt.

While she stood there, mind wandering, Leomaris paused mid-step and turned toward her. Like he’d read her mind, he spoke.

"Please do not be too hard on yourself, Raine. Adeline was not actually a cadet, but rather someone who disguises herself as others to get by. I provided incorrect details, my apologies for that. And on a positive note, this experience has prepared you sufficiently for your Glorious Mint, has it not?"

A soft smile tugged at her lips. "Is that so?"