[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-villain-mmorpg-almighty-devil-emperor-and-his-se":3,"chapter-villain-mmorpg-almighty-devil-emperor-and-his-se-villain-mmorpg-almighty-devil-emperor-and-his-se-chapter-1722":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Villain MMORPG: Almighty Devil Emperor and His Seven Demonic Wives",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},662891,893,"Chapter 1716: The First","villain-mmorpg-almighty-devil-emperor-and-his-se-chapter-1722",1722,"\u003Cp>Villain Ch 1716. The First\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quiet settled between them again—but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just... full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the air knew something had shifted. Like the walls were listening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai returned with the tea—delicate porcelain cups, black with subtle silver etched around the rims. He set them down silently, then bowed again before disappearing to prep the meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura picked up her cup, letting the warmth seep into her fingers. The scent was sharp but soothing—peppermint and something floral, like crushed violet leaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sipped, then glanced at Allen again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cleared her throat. \"Are you gonna pretend that kiss didn’t happen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked once. \"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a mild shrug, like she’d asked whether or not it was going to rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you. It was to silence you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura narrowed her eyes. \"It was a kiss, not a gag order.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You looked like you’d spill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was recovering!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sipped his tea like nothing was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura put her cup down a little harder than necessary. \"You can’t just kiss someone to shut them up and then walk away like you dropped a memo!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen finally turned to face her fully, gaze dipping lower—lingering, deliberately. \"Why not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura sucked in a breath, heat crawling up her neck. \"Because it’s not normal! That’s not how people function!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re not people,\" he said, eyes darkening just a shade. \"You’re you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t say it like a compliment. He said it like a truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a claim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura’s chest tightened. The tea suddenly didn’t help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You’re playing with fire,\" she muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen smirked faintly. \"I live in it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked away, cheeks burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dinner hadn’t even started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet somehow, she already knew—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t leaving this estate unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tea cup sat untouched in front of her, the scent of violet mint rising like a spell she couldn’t breathe past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across from her, Allen leaned back with that infuriating ease, like this was just another Tuesday. Like he hadn’t just kissed her, whispered something devilish, and walked off like a man immune to consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura pressed her fingertips to her thigh under the table to ground herself. It didn’t help. Her pulse was still somewhere between do something stupid and never speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know you have feelings for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her head turned slowly—so slowly—toward him, eyes wide, mouth parting with zero prep for what just left his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t smiling now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not smirking either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was soft. Serious. But somehow still disarming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve known,\" Allen continued, voice smooth as silk sliding across a blade. \"And after tonight... the duel, the kiss, the fact that you now live near the estate...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swallowed. Loudly. Her mouth had gone completely dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to acknowledge it,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura stared at him. \"You... what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen’s gaze didn’t waver. \"You fought me. You lost—beautifully, I’ll add. You guessed right about who I am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat there, stunned, every word thudding against her chest like a heartbeat in reverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So,\" he said, voice dipping lower, \"I thought I should give you something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She blinked again, caught in the rhythm of this madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Give me something?\" she echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head. \"Allen. I’m rich. Almost as rich as a Goldborne, thank you very much. What exactly were you thinking of giving me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen smiled—slow and wicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A kiss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura gawked. \"That was the gift?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded. \"You were blushing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was stunned!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re still blushing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her jaw dropped. She covered her face with both hands, heat racing up her neck like wildfire. \"Gods, you’re the worst.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shrugged. \"I’m thoughtful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re a menace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You didn’t complain when I did it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura dropped her hands, narrowing her eyes. \"Because I was ambushed. There were no terms. No warning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen leaned in slightly, his tone silkier than it had any right to be. \"Do you want a second one? With terms?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her brain absolutely short-circuited. Right there. In front of the cursed dining table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at him, and he just smiled that infuriating Allen smile—the one that could probably undo a chastity ward if you weren’t paying attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I—no—I mean—\" she stammered, flustered and rapidly losing control of the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled, low and warm. \"See? Still blushing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura exhaled hard, pushing her hair back, then glaring at him. \"If this is what dinner with you is like, I need a five-course distraction before I combust.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen leaned back again, cool and unbothered. \"Dinner’s coming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grumbled under her breath, pretending to sip tea to avoid answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in her chest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart was chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because somehow, with one kiss and one look, Allen Goldborne made her feel seen and cornered all at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And maybe...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe that was exactly what she wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he said it—calm, steady, like he’d been holding it back until now:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I’m happy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She blinked. \"Happy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah,\" Allen nodded, resting one elbow on the table. \"Of all people... you’re the first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura frowned slightly, caught off guard. \"First to what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. \"To figure it out. Really figure it out. Not just joke about it, or throw a half-assed theory on a stream. I mean, Elio also guessed once—but he looked unsure. Like he was testing the water.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura raised a brow. \"And me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen leaned forward a little, enough for the space between them to shrink again. \"You didn’t test. You were sure. You looked at me and knew.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura felt her throat tighten. That heat behind her ribs flared again—part anxiety, part something else she couldn’t name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t know-know,\" she mumbled, suddenly self-conscious. \"I just... I recognized something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smirked. \"Same thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura rolled her eyes and leaned back, trying to gain some ground. \"You say that like it’s a compliment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is,\" he said simply. \"You see through me. I kinda hate it. But I also don’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that—his voice dropped again. Soft. Honest. Too honest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if someone had to know... I’m glad it’s you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azura looked down at her tea, which had long gone cold. Her reflection shimmered back at her—flushed cheeks, loose strands of hair, and a pair of eyes that weren’t nearly as calm as she wanted them to be.\u003C\u002Fp>",1072,"2026-06-02T07:44:38.502Z",1,"novelbin.me","ac6217502deca001360609f8bc34e193743391aa0da0c22ee399d22163883892","villain-mmorpg-almighty-devil-emperor-and-his-se-chapter-1723","villain-mmorpg-almighty-devil-emperor-and-his-se-chapter-1721",2048,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fvillain-mmorpg-almighty-devil-emperor-and-his-se-cover.jpg"]