Villain's Odyssey: Enslaving heroines, Conquering Villainesses Chapter 39: Natalia

The Art of Emotional Acting

[For a mont there, I almost got fooled. You’re getting better at this,] ca the voice in Asher’s head as he maintained his composed smile, pushing the wheelchair through a corridor after they’d exited the elevator. They’d arrived at a door marked with elegant script.

"Let just get my card. I’ll be quick," Natalia said, placing her hand on the knob. A soft clicking sound echoed, and the door swung open automatically. She rolled inside while Asher waited in the hallway.

As the door closed behind her, he leaned against it casually. I’ve been thinking deeply about what you said, he thought.

[Concerning what?]

About my display of emotions... I can’t portray what I can’t feel, right?

[Right... So?]

I found a solution to the problem.

[A solution? How?] The voice sounded genuinely confused. It was certain Asher’s emotions were still fully restrained. Aside from the incident with that trigger—the young woman they’d spoken to—there should be no other way to access those feelings.

By using my past life mories as Noel to trigger certain emotions, Asher explained matter-of-factly.

[WHAT?! If you used your mories as triggers, why didn’t I sense your emotions being released? I certainly sensed it back with that woman, so why not now?]

Emilia?

[Yes.]

I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because I only felt those emotions so deeply because, for a mont, she seed exactly like Emilia from my past life, he mused. Whereas the emotions I trigger with my past life’s mories don’t elicit as much response as facing her did.

[So basically, you only feel a fraction of anger, sadness, and all that, then exaggerate it to perform these ’acts’?] The voice sounded incredulous.

The entity was baffled. This shouldn’t be possible. You couldn’t simply choose which mories to rember—once you opened that door, other mories, wanted or not, ca flooding back. If he was truly gaining sincere emotions from previous mories, it should be chaos. When soone chose to rember a sad mont, there was an 80% chance of also rembering sothing funny, thereby ruining the desired emotional state. So how was he managing this so perfectly that even the entity was fooled?

Basically, yes. It’s not as complicated as it seems, Asher continued with almost scientific detachnt. I just have to rember an intense mory—one powerful enough to act as a trigger—then focus on it, trying to recall exactly how I felt at that mont. The restrained emotions react automatically to this mory, and even though they don’t return completely, their reaction teaches how to portray the required feeling.

This explanation was confusing not only the entity but probably any omniscient observer out there!

[That’s... stupid. It makes no sense,]

I see. Well, it’s no use explaining further. Just watch .

This didn’t help. At this point, the entity had beco a re spectator—one that could be fooled just as easily and wouldn’t even realize it.

[Isn’t it better if I just unseal your emotions?]

No, this is more efficient. Even if I don’t fully feel those emotions, just those little slips of feeling were already trying to influence ...

[Azalea.]

Asher’s ntal voice grew quieter, more reflective. Even after everything, he remains hopeless. Perhaps that was my curse even in my previous life... I feel too much.

Click.

He stepped away from the door as it swung open, revealing a girl with striking blue hair and warm almond eyes, seated in her wheelchair and holding a small handbag—the kind young won carried for outings rather than school.

"Ready?" he asked with a gentle smile.

She nodded, and he moved behind the wheelchair, grasping the handles to push her forward.

"So, what would you like to know..." She trailed off, then looked back at him with sudden embarrassnt.

"S-sorry, I... forgot to ask your na," she said, sounding mortified.

"No need to apologize. I didn’t get your na either," he replied with such a sweet smile that her cheeks imdiately flushed a delicate shade of red.

Why does he have to be so cute? It’s not fair! she protested silently, keeping her expression composed.

"Asher," he said, releasing the wheelchair handles and walking around to face her. He extended his hand with a playful smile. "Nice to et you."

Natalia shook her head a couple of tis as if clearing her thoughts, then replied quickly, "Natalia Polaris." She looked at his outstretched hand for a mont before taking it, surprised by how warm and strangely soft it was. "Nice to et you too," she managed, feeling her heart racing.

This was the first boy who had been genuinely friendly with her—the first she’d felt comfortable talking to. It wasn’t that she hadn’t spoken to other boys before; it was just that they never felt ’real’ to her. Their shows of care always seed fake, calculated attempts to get close and use her connection to the na she bore.

Polaris.

One of the highest-ranked noble families involved in foreign affairs in Morntelia. They were extrely wealthy and influential—which was precisely why she never trusted anyone’s motives. This was also why she felt a flutter of genuine happiness hearing he was a new student. He didn’t know who she was, yet he acted this way, completely ignoring her condition that many would consider a burden. She wasn’t well-liked in her own house and avoided popular gatherings, so most people outside her imdiate circle didn’t know about her... well, except her classmates who knew her surna. That’s why she was certain he was clueless about her family’s status.

"Alright. Since I have no idea where to start, I’ll leave it to you. Just show the places you like to go," he said cheerfully.

He didn’t react to my na... wait, he doesn’t have a surna?! I thought he was a noble, she thought, maintaining her shy, blushing exterior while her mind raced with possibilities.

She wasn’t naive, despite her introverted nature. She knew exactly how calculating people could be.

She’d told him her na expecting so shift in his behavior or deanor, but he remained completely natural, as though the Polaris na ant nothing to him. It was... refreshing.

"Okay," she smiled, and this ti it was completely genuine.

"Let’s start with my favorite restaurant," she suggested, and he moved behind her wheelchair again, heading toward the elevator with an easy confidence that made her heart flutter all over again.