I Reject the villain’s ending.

EPISODE 2.2

The man, who had become more accustomed to being called Pink than my name, looked at my outstretched hand and was silent for a long moment.

I reached out my hand to him out of habit, then realized what I had done and hastily withdrew it.

“No, no, it’s a mistake, it’s out of habit, don’t mind me.”

I had always treated the pretty man in front of me, Iros Elijah, like a pet dog.

His fair skin, soft light-pink hair, and handsome face made me feel like a young man of twenty-three, but still a handsome boy.

His body, on the other hand, was full of hard, sculpted, delicate muscles that were trained to the limit, and I often teased him.

“Pink, unbutton your shirt and crawl over here like an animal.

Of the three honorable guardians of the temple, only Iros Elijah, who bore the title of ‘Sword’, did not hesitate to taunt me.

‘Come on, if you don’t want to see me kill someone again. Hmm? My little puppy.’

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug in, shuddering with shame as I threatened him with the lives of innocent people and he did as I commanded.

White, long fingers undid the buttons on his shirt one by one, revealing a smooth upper body, and he pawed the floor like a dog.

‘Wow. You look like you’re in a 19th-century gothic novel.’

I shook my head, trying to wipe away the lewd and humiliating images of Iros that flickered in my mind, his abs and chest muscles throbbing.

‘I don’t want to die, never will. I’ll admit I’m a bit twisted from childhood abuse, but I’m not willing to risk my life to bring the Empire down.

The first thing I had to do was get out of this crazy, black-screen villain role.

If I don’t do any more bad things and approach the imperial court, I won’t get executed, right?

If I can safely shed my evil image and live like a good saint, I’ll be able to survive for a long time.

“Okay, let’s start clearing the past.”

“Clearing the past? Saint, I don’t suppose you’ve done something else I don’t know about-”

“No! I’m just trying to live a good life.”

Iros’s disbelieving gaze pricked at my conscience as if to say, “You are?

“I mean, I’ve done a lot of killing and maiming. Hmm. Accidents.”

His voice grew quieter towards the end, as he recalled his endless list of misdeeds, one by one.

“Now that I’ve rummaged through my memories, I’m sure I’m a rare piece of garbage.

A rubbish that doesn’t burn, doesn’t rot, doesn’t even get sorted.

I smiled awkwardly and scratched my cheek.

“Can you find me some people who’ve been tortured and thrown out because of me?”

“Do you want to see blood again, I’d rather you punish me.”

“No, not that-”

Iros’s words automatically brought back memories of him being handcuffed and punished, though his body felt so good like he was about to fall to his knees.

Ouch, not this!

“Apology!”

“What?”

“I’m going to go and apologize to him, make amends, and get him reinstated!”

“You’re showing your head to the councilor after all…….”

I said energetically, fists balled into fists, full of sincerity, and Iros stepped back in annoyance.

I’m trying to cleanse my past, to be a good person, but it’s this hard from the start.

I can’t even bemoan the seeds I’ve sown…….

“I have a long way to go…….”

I’m already feeling lost.