Becoming the Terminally-Ill Villain Who Torments His Disciples

Since that day, Oscar had been consciously distancing himself from Cielo. The subtle scent of acacia that lingered whenever they were close made his head throb.

So he deliberately pushed his body more than usual. He thought that if he could sweat it all out and push his stamina to its limits, he might be able to forget Cielo, even just a little, and not be consumed by those thoughts.

‘I shouldn’t be acting like I’m trying to stay away like this…’

With a frustrated gesture, Oscar shook the sweat-soaked hair off his forehead.

He was only keeping his distance out of fear that he might hurt Cielo if he couldn’t suppress his lust. But he had seen it—how the hurt in Cielo’s eyes grew deeper every time they met his gaze.

And yet…

The moment he saw tears welling and falling from eyes that were looking directly at him, it felt as if his heart had plummeted and he could no longer breathe.

It wasn’t that he had acted hoping Cielo would make that kind of face.

He should have said he was sorry, that he didn’t mean for it to come across that way—but for some reason, since that day, facing Cielo had become increasingly difficult.

Before, since Oscar was the one avoiding him, the only time they saw each other was when they went to sleep in the same room at night. But now, even at night, Cielo didn’t come into the room, as if he were the one avoiding Oscar.

Eventually, Oscar, who had been waiting for Cielo to return to the room, decided to head to the infirmary himself. But Cielo wasn’t there either.

It felt wrong.

Not knowing where Cielo was unsettled him, and the idea of having to ask someone else about his whereabouts irritated him even more.

“Wow, never thought I’d see the day you’d come to me asking where Cielo is.”

“……”

“Really makes you think life’s full of surprises, doesn’t it?”

In response to Oscar’s question, Ryan only scratched his chest while grinning widely.

“I asked where he is.”

“Well, well. Kid, you wanna keep glaring at me like that?”

“……”

“Where else would he go? If he’s not in the infirmary, then he’s probably at the library. And if he’s not in the library, then he’s out walking in the garden.”

The moment Ryan finished speaking, Oscar turned on his heel and headed straight to the library.

‘Did I know his every move this well…?’

Judging by this uncomfortable feeling alone, it seemed he had.

When he finally arrived at the library, Oscar saw Cielo fast asleep, surrounded by scattered books.

His eyes were shut tight, dark circles heavy under them, as if he hadn’t slept properly in days. It looked like he had finally succumbed to exhaustion and closed his eyes.

“…Ha.”

Oscar clenched his fists.

If Cielo were someone brimming with academic ambition who had simply fallen asleep while studying, maybe he wouldn’t have felt so guilty. But the books strewn across the desk were all about “memory.”

Books about treating people who had partially lost their memories, or psychological texts on how such individuals tend to react.

‘What am I even…’

It felt like someone had grabbed his heart and was shaking it violently. Why was Cielo going this far?

Oscar stared quietly at Cielo’s face for a moment, then took off his coat and draped it over his shoulders.

Maybe the scent of an alpha that clung to it was comforting. The tension in Cielo’s sleeping face seemed to soften, just slightly.

“You called him your Master, yet it seems he never taught you how to treat someone you like.”

If he had known, Oscar would never have hurt Cielo like this.

He would have known how to manage the overwhelming emotions.

He would have known how to express them to someone he clearly liked.

But he didn’t know any of it.

“How in the world did the past me ever get close to you?”

No matter how many times he repeated the word Master like a mantra, Oscar’s memories held no trace of what sort of affectionate words he might’ve spoken to Cielo.

Had he simply stayed close as a way of showing he cared? Or had he idiotically kept his feelings suppressed and just watched from nearby?

“Cielo.”

Just saying that name in his mouth stirred a wave of affection so intense, he felt like he wanted to swallow him whole.

Oscar bent down and gently kissed Cielo on the forehead, then pulled away.

‘If I could just recover a little more of my memory…’

If he approached while still knowing nothing, Cielo might be disappointed by how much he had forgotten.

Then maybe it was better to remember even just a little more before approaching again. And if, even without his memories, he could still say—

“I think I like you.”