Novel Full Chapter 1717: You Look Like You’re Having a Monologue in Your Head
Chapter 1717: You Look Like You’re Having a Monologue in Your Head
Villain Ch 1717. You Look Like You’re Having a Monologue in Your Head
She exhaled. Quiet. Trying not to fidget.
Across the table, Allen didn’t move. He was perfectly still, head tilted slightly, the ghost of that smug, impossible smirk still playing on his lips. Like he knew. Like he always knew.
And that was exactly the problem.
She had no defense against someone who could ruin her entire night with a kiss and then offer it as a gift. Who said things like “you fought beautifully” while still wiping the floor with her in a duel.
She took another sip of her tea, pretending it helped.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Both of them glanced up.
Emma.
Descending the stairs with the kind of energy that could only be described as post-nap chaos, she had a loose hoodie slung halfway off one shoulder, gym shorts that may or may not have been stolen from Allen’s drawer, and one fuzzy sock because the other had mysteriously vanished in the laundry void.
She yawned. Loud. Dramatic. Theatrical, even.
Then her eyes—half-lidded, mildly annoyed, and absolutely still recovering from existence—landed on the two figures sitting at the dining table.
And she stopped.
Dead still.
One foot hovering mid-step like a video game character glitching at the edge of a cliff.
Allen. Azura. Together.
Azura was blushing. Okay. Normal. Classic Azura behavior. That girl could turn red just from Allen saying “morning” in his ’I’m-bored-but-secretly-flirting’ voice.
But this time… it was different.
It wasn’t the usual flustered, hiding-behind-a-cup blush. This one was full-body. Like emotionally set on fire. Like I-just-did-something-stupid-and-it-felt-good kind of blush.
Emma squinted.
Azura was sitting weirdly stiff. Avoiding Allen’s gaze. Her tea cup looked like it had been held for too long.
And Allen? That smug idiot had that look. The one that screamed, “I know something you don’t, and I’m enjoying every second of it.”
Something was off.
Something was definitely off.
Emma’s mind started monologuing at breakneck speed.
’Did they fight? Nah, Azura wouldn’t still be sitting there if they did.’
’Did he say something mean again? Possible. But she’s not mad, she’s… weirdly soft?’
’Wait. Did he give her a gift? Oh no. Did he flirt again? Did they—’
Her eyes widened.
“Oh my god,” she whispered under her breath.
That’s when Allen turned his head slightly, just enough to catch her in his peripheral vision. “Why are you frozen?” he asked, dry amusement in his tone. “You look like you’re having a monologue in your head.”
Emma’s jaw dropped.
She was.
’Damn it.’
Then she pouted. “Stop peeking my mind, you gremlin.”
He arched a brow, amused. “So you were monologuing.”
Azura choked on her tea.
Emma stomped the rest of the way down, arms folded across her chest. “No! I mean—maybe. But not anymore!”
“I knew it.” Allen sipped his tea with maddening calm. “You paused too long. Your internal dialogue is showing.”
Emma narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re like a cursed Cheshire Cat. With eyebrows.”
He didn’t even deny it. Just gave her that little smirk that made people want to either punch him or kiss him—Azura was currently at fifty-fifty.
“Anyway,” Emma said, pulling up a chair and sitting with all the grace of a tired squirrel. “Someone explain why Azura is here looking like she just got proposed to—or interrogated. What’s with the weird air? And why is her face red?”
Azura blinked. “I—”
“She’s always red when I’m around,” Allen added mildly.
“Shut up,” Azura hissed.
Emma’s eyes flicked between them, calculating. “Oh no. Oh no, no, no—don’t tell me you two—”
“Allen just told me he’s the Devil Emperor.”
The words dropped like a bomb. Azura said them plainly, because subtlety had clearly left the room sometime between the duel and the kiss.
Emma’s jaw fully dropped.
Then she turned sharply to Allen. “You told her?!”
“I asked Dad’s permission first,” Allen said smoothly, setting his cup down. “He agreed. But yes. I told her.”
Emma stared at him, wide-eyed. “That’s not a small thing to tell someone!”
“She guessed it already,” Allen said. “And proved it.”
Emma blinked. “Proved it how?”
Azura raised her hand limply. “I challenged him to a duel.”
“You what?!”
“She won,” Allen added casually.
“You let her win?!” Emma shrieked.
“I didn’t. I just said she won. Emotionally.”
Azura groaned. “That’s not a real victory.”
“It’s the only kind I give out freely.”
Emma threw her hands up. “You two are the most frustrating pairing in this entire mansion.”
“I agree,” Kai said politely from the kitchen entrance, startling all three of them.
“Oh my god,” Azura muttered.
“I’ve added another plate, sir,” Kai said to Allen, then bowed slightly toward Azura. “Miss Azura. More tea?”
Azura nodded. “Please. Something calming. Maybe spiked.”
Emma stared at her. “Are you okay?”
Azura laughed. “Define okay.”
Emma didn’t answer right away. Her eyes narrowed again as she studied Allen. “So… you told her. About that. But you didn’t tell me you told her.”
Allen leaned back in his seat. “I was about to tell you.”
Emma frowned. “When?”
Allen tilted his head. “Now. You just found it out.”
Emma grunted. “Seriously?!”
Allen didn’t answer but sipped his tea.
Azura sighed. “Why do I feel like I stepped into a sibling sitcom?”
Emma snorted. “Because you basically did.”
She turned back to Allen, more serious this time. “So you told her. And you’re okay with that?”
He nodded. “I am.”
“And Dad’s okay?” She made sure once again since this was the important part.
“He is.”
Emma tapped her fingers on the table. “And this is staying between us, right?”
Azura held up both hands. “I’m not planning on livestreaming it or telling anyone, if that’s what you mean.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Good. Because if anyone outside finds out Allen’s been the Emperor this whole time, the Internet will explode. And then reassemble itself just to scream again.”
Allen smiled slightly. “That’s the plan.”
“Allen,” Emma said warningly.
“Relax. I trust her.”
Azura turned to him, startled. “You… do?”
He met her gaze without flinching. “I wouldn’t have told you otherwise.”
And just like that, Azura’s heart did that stupid little flip again.