[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-young-master-s-pov-woke-up-as-a-villain-in-a-gam":3,"chapter-young-master-s-pov-woke-up-as-a-villain-in-a-gam-young-master-s-pov-woke-up-as-a-villain-in-a-gam-chapter-173":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Young Master's PoV: Woke Up As A Villain In A Game One Day",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},500625,755,"Chapter 173: Cold","young-master-s-pov-woke-up-as-a-villain-in-a-gam-chapter-173",173,"\u003Cp>It was raining the night they brought Juliana to the Theosbane estate, situated in the Golden City of Luxara.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thing she noticed about their mansion was how cold it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just the marble floors or the high walls made of actual gold — but the very air itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the kind of cold that crawled beneath your skin, settled deep into your bones, and made you feel like you would never be warm again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was around eight years old when they dragged her through those luxurious halls — barefoot, wrists bound in iron shackles, and her dress tattered from days spent in a cell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scent of damp stone and candle wax filled the grand corridors, but beneath it, she still smelled the smoke. Her home. Her family. Burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That scent clung to her skin and hair, no matter how many times the servants scrubbed her raw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had expected death when they dragged her before Arthur Kaizer Theosbane — the man who personally massacred her father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat upon a throne-like chair, his impassive golden eyes as cold as everything else in his city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was so small. A scrawny, trembling thing. Yet he looked at her the way one might look at an insect that had wandered indoors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't kill her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he made them throw her into the mansion like a stray dog. Stripped of title. Stripped of all status and meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn't made a servant immediately. And she was not a noble anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was just… there. An object for the household to use as they pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maids tormented her, venting their frustrations on her, calling her the traitor's daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nobles sneered, finding amusement in her suffering. Even their children treated her like filth beneath their shoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none among them was as cruel to Juliana as her — Duke Arthur's own flesh and blood. His daughter, Thalia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samael's twin sister had the Theosbane family's trademark golden eyes. She had also inherited their father's effortless charisma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was radiant. Beloved by her people. A girl of sun and fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the fire is often uncaring of what it burns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Thalia was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>•••\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana could hardly remember what had set Thalia off that day. But it didn't matter. It never did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Theosbane princess did whatever she wished, without even the slightest care for consequence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because there were no consequences for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She owned the world, and by extension, everything in it was for hers to break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana gasped as she hit the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had learned early not to cry. Not to scream. Showing pain to her tormentors only made them more vicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that day, no matter how fiercely she bit her tongue, no matter how tightly she clenched her jaw, she couldn't help it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her small body quivered, shoulders heaving as she lay curled on the ground. A thin trickle of blood ran from her split lip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thalia crouched beside her, tilting her head. Her golden eyes were gleaming with a child's curiosity, but that curiosity was too detached for someone her age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're more stubborn than I expected,\" her voice was light. Almost amused. \"Most children would have begged by now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana didn't answer. She stared at the marble floor, fingers curling into fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp pain bloomed in her ribs as Thalia prodded her with the tip of her boot. \"I wonder how long you'll last.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had started with a simple command. Thalia had wanted her to kneel. To bow like a proper dog in front of her mistress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana had refused. Maybe out of pride. Maybe because some fragile, grieving part of her couldn't stomach bowing to a Theosbane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Thalia had decided to teach her manners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had taken Juliana to the old music hall, the one no one used anymore, where the chandeliers were covered in dust and the grand piano sat untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no servants. No watchful eyes. Just a golden-eyed girl and her broken plaything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the door suddenly slammed open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samael burst through, breathless. His hair was a mess. He must've run there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes widened as he took in the scene, darting from Thalia to Juliana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing?\" he questioned. His voice was still a boy's voice. Higher. Not yet roughened with age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you see?\" Thalia scoffed flatly, rising to her feet. \"I'm teaching her a lesson. Someone has to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samael clenched his jaw. \"Leave her, Lia. She hasn't done anything to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thalia let out a soft laugh. \"Oh, look at my baby brother trying to play the hero. Didn't Ali teach you? Weaklings get punished for speaking up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana could barely focus. Her vision was swimming. But even through the haze of pain, she saw it — that shift in Samael's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew his sister was right. Knew he wasn't strong enough to stand against her. Thalia was already an Awakened, even at such a young age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even so, he said it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A simple word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A foolish one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, uttered with more conviction than anything Juliana had ever heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thalia blinked, then smiled. \"Are you serious right now, brother?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, before Juliana could process what was happening, Samael lunged — not to strike Thalia, but to shield Juliana from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His arms came around her, his thin frame pressing close, as if his body alone could protect her from Thalia's wrath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence stretched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-eyed girl sighed. \"You really are an idiot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she didn't stop after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana never knew if it was out of amusement or frustration, but Thalia turned her attention to her brother instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was smaller than her. Weaker. The heir in name only.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she struck him. Hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana flinched as Samael crumpled beside her, blood welling at the corner of his mouth. He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Thalia stepped on his hand, pinning him with lazy grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get it through your thick skull,\" she murmured. \"Weaklings. Get. Punished.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then — right there, in front of Juliana — she broke him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not with pain. Not like she'd tried with Juliana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With words sharper than any blade. She called him weak. Useless. A disgrace. Said Father would never look at him as long as she was alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she punched him again. And again. Until he fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Juliana, who had sworn never to bow to a Theosbane, trembled with rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>•••\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the only one kind to her after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the beating. Despite the shame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samael never spoke of that incident ever again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never asked for gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from that day on, he became the only warmth in that cold, lifeless mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brought her food when the servants starved her and made sure no one ever bullied her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He whispered reassurances when the nights grew too long. Dragged her to play with him. Sat beside her in silence under the stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected anything in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a Theosbane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…But he was human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was soft-spoken, meek, shy, and scared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was loud and bright and wore his heart on his sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don't talk much, do you?\" he once asked, grinning that boyish grin that always made her feel so safe. \"That's okay. I talk enough for the both of us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was… the warmest thing in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was her anchor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered whispering once that she wanted to eat something sweet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very next second, he stole a raspberry pastry from the kitchen and gave it to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't even like raspberry. But after that day, no other flavor ever compared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She never told him how grateful she was for him just for existing. But she was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without him, she wouldn't have survived that place. That time in her life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was kind. Thoughtful. Sweet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when she was made his Shadow, she wasn't worried about it because she knew he'd never be cruel to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he was her savior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Until he wasn't.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It happened slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samael's father turned cold to him. Even colder than before as time went on and he couldn't Awaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And his sister's brilliance cast him in shadow. They dueled in a Rite of Valor for the title of the next Duke or Duchess of Luxara, and she won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, he grew quiet. He became withdrawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he grew restless. Reckless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He started picking fights, chasing danger, pushing boundaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought he was doing it all to awaken his Origin Card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even after he did… even after he Awakened, he didn't stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, he became worse. He became… scary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drinking, doing drugs, mingling with the wrong kind of people. He was completely different from the warm boy she once knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, one night, he changed completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana had never disobeyed him before. She'd had no reason to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that noble party, when he gave her a simple command — something so trivial she couldn't even recall — she didn't respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't do it out of defiance. She simply didn't hear him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in front of his peers, it didn't matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They laughed at Samael. They mocked him for not even having his Shadow under control. They already saw him as weak and incompetent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he finally snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his voice at her for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when they returned home… he made her pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tortured her by activating the BloodWorm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She screamed and cried and begged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tried to explain. But he didn't listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been the only human among the monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why — why did he have to do something so… monstrous?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, she realized the boy who once saved her was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she hated him for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because of his last name. Not because he was his father's son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because he had been the only one who ever made her feel safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he had taken that away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>•••\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, years later, they were facing one another — unrecognizable from the children they used to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juliana, still on her knees, stared at the hand Samael was offering her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same hand that had once pulled her up from the dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same hand that had shoved her back down a hundred times since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lump formed in her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was giving her a deal, asking her to work with him to kill the Golden Duke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart twisted and ached in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How dare he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How dare he pretend he hadn't been the reason she learned how to hate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a Theosbane. A monster like the rest of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just another name on her kill list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers trembled at her side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now — even after everything — some broken part of her remembered the boy who once stood up for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy who'd taken the pain for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who bled for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She drew a slow breath and raised her gaze to match his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His golden eyes weren't soft anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not reckless or cruel either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just cold. Calculating. And lost from the innocence he once held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiding a storm of emotion behind a logical façade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So much like her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clenched the fingers of the hand she could still move, nails cutting deep into her palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice, when it came, was a whisper. But it cut through the silence anyway. \"...Fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1926,"2026-05-30T12:03:22.768Z","2026-06-01T04:31:10.979Z",1,"novelbin.me","ad64d9c59c88bdd20c2243af4c56e5f8102591b2f9b8240d4bfde9b8b88870d4","young-master-s-pov-woke-up-as-a-villain-in-a-gam-chapter-174","young-master-s-pov-woke-up-as-a-villain-in-a-gam-chapter-172",407,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fyoung-master-s-pov-woke-up-as-a-villain-in-a-gam-cover.jpg"]