Saving the Villain

"I am her suitor! Anyone who likes Cozie will be my rival."

There was a long silence that enveloped the entire classroom after Luke's declaration. Cosette was mortified as she looked at him blankly and with wide eyes.

He had lost his mind...

But the reaction from the crown was different from what she expected. Although they were initially shocked, darting their eyes between the two of them... they looked perfect. Cosette was the uncrowned muse in their class — even the school bell could not compare to the tip of her hair.

Since she was beautiful, there was no need for debate about who could be her escort. Maxen was an 'eyesore', but no one could tell her that. But it had been a silent agreement that there was no need for an escort since no one deserved the title.

Now... Luke suit the position.

He was charming and even when he was arrogant, there was just something in him that was so appealing. Maybe it was his angelic smile, his bright mood, or just his carefree aura. Whatever it was, one fact remained;

Luke and Cosette would be a good pair.

"Hah! So, I don't have a rival? That's good. Waha!" Luke laughed loudly and planted his hand on his hip. Everyone seemed to have given up their fantasy about Cosette. Just as he expected, it was better to keep a close watch on those who were eyeing his future 'fiancee.'

As Luke's laughter resonated across the classroom, Cosette flinched when something slid in front of her. She raised her brows and gazed to her left.

"I'm not hungry," Maxen explained in his usual indifferent tone as he offered his lunchbox, which Cosette brought for him.

"But I brought it for you."

"I'm not hungry," he repeated, knowing Cosette preferred eating the lunch box she made so she could improve her cooking. As a person who had eaten the first lunch box she prepared, he could tell her skills had improved significantly. But Cosette still wanted to improve, and she also enjoyed eating what she was feeding her father and friend.

Cosette frowned and grabbed his arm when he picked up his bag. She knew him, and she definitely knew Maxen would leave.

"It's fine," she reassured, sliding the lunchbox in front of him. "Even if you're not hungry, you need to eat."

"Eyy... what the --" Just then, Cosette flinched while Maxen's expression grew sour when they heard Luke's voice once again. "Hey, you. Cozie is being kind here, but you kept taking her efforts for granted. Never mind, though. This young master will eat --"

Luke couldn't even finish his sentence when Maxen placed his hand on top of the lunch box. Not the one Cosette made for him, but the one Luke brought for her. The latter kept his eyes on Luke and made sure that the arrogant brat would see how he would eat the lunch he brought for her.

"Let's switch." Maxen snapped his eyes and looked at Cosette. "I haven't eaten anything this luxurious."

"Oh..." Cosette blinked as she now had Maxen's lunchbox and then in front of him was the one Luke brought for her.

"Hey!" Luke pointed at Maxen in disbelief. "That is for her! How dare you snatch it away from her, you opportunist!"

"She has a sensitive tastebud, and yes, I'm shameless, and an opportunist. So what? Aren't you the generous young master?" Maxen shrugged nonchalantly as he opened the lunchbox. The food inside was well-put as if a professional chef prepared them. However, no matter how pretty it appeared, it didn't make his mouth water.

If anything, he lost his appetite. That corny smiling face decoration on the lunchbox she made was a hundred times better than this. But well... he was petty. Something Maxen never thought he had in him.

"You...!" Luke's face turned red in anger as Maxen frowned the second he saw the food. Not only did he snatch the lunch for Cosette, but he had the audacity to make face?! How ungrateful!

Cosette, who was a little baffled at how things were unfolding, shook her head mildly. She looked around and their classmates were eating while watching the two banter. It was as if they were watching a Telenovela with how invested they looked.

"Gosh..." she sighed before she tugged Luke's hand, waiting for him to look down at her. "I am a little sensitive and anything can trigger my allergy. That's why I bring my own lunch."

Cosette smiled kindly, extending her patience so they could eat in peace. For goodness' sake! The lunch break was only an hour, and they had wasted a lot of time! It was not like she was lying... but she has already gotten used to eating what she cooked. Moreover, eating what Luke brought for her would eventually become a routine.

'I feel like I am having a taste of my own medicine.' The corner of her lips twitched at the thought but still maintained her smile. "Luke, let's eat since we only have one hour break."

"Tch!" Luke glared daggers at Maxen before he plopped his butt down on the chair. "He should be thankful he is Cozies friend, or I had already  --"

He coughed when he felt death staring at him from the side. He glanced to his left and saw Cosette smiling at him.

"Luke, let's eat, shall we?" she smiled as if she didn't just give Luke a death stare just now.

"Sure sure..." Luke huffed to calm himself down. He then proceeded to open the lunchbox he snatched from Cosette and frowned. It looked childish and corny, but he knew Cosette was making her own lunchbox, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

However, when Luke finally took a bite, his face instantly went blank. He tried to chew it, but eventually throw it up, catching everyone's attention.

"Luke, are you alright?" she asked in a panic as he coughed.

"Cozie, what the hell is this poison!?" he gasped, making her flinch in surprise.

"Is it... bad?" she inquired and, seeing how he scrunched his nose up, she frowned. "Really?"

Cosette pursed her lips and took the spoon to eat from her own lunchbox. Both lunchboxes were prepared and cooked the same, so she would know. However, she tasted nothing bad from it, which made her brows furrowed as she looked back at Luke.

"Hey, don't eat it!" Luke panicked while she was chewing, but Cosette looked fine as she swallowed it down. Before she could talk and taste the food from his lunchbox, Maxen spoke.

"If your expensive tastebuds can't eat home-cooked, just switch with mine. Don't waste food." Maxen cast him a side-eye as he hadn't touched the food yet.

"Ew!"

"Luke, I think you should switch with Maxen," Cosette backed Maxen up, as that only made sense. Luke was someone who only ate first class. Something this simple wasn't enough for his tastebuds. "Max barely touched the floor — actually, I don't think he had eaten yet. Just switch with him since it will be troublesome if you forced yourself --"

She flinched when Luke replied with a loud, "no!"

"Luke..."

"I will eat it!" Luke grumbled and clicked his tongue in irritation, glaring at Maxen. His expression grew even bitter when Maxen shrugged nonchalantly.

"Cozie made this so I will eat it without leaving a crumb!" he announced and shoved a spoonful inside his mouth.

Everyone watched Luke's expression change with every passing second and with every chew. Fortunately, he was bringing a bottle of water and drank it from time to time.

"The power of love..." whispered Amie to Fay as she watched the three eat in silence. "I didn't know Maxen had been eating poison every single day."

"Poor Luke." Fay shook her head as she felt sorry for Luke. "His rival had accepted the challenge."

"I don't think sister Cozie was aware, though..." Sarah also whispered, and their murmuring soon traveled around, keeping it low so it wouldn't make the already awkward atmosphere more awkward. Despite this futile attempt, it still reached Cosette's ears, nearly making her choke on her own food.

'Just what sort of drama did I get myself into?' she wondered as she looked down to hide the horror plastered on her face. 'I don't recall this happening in the novel. But then again, this is ten years prior to the start of the novel. STILL! Luke didn't switch schools.'

The more she thought about it and with the pressure on her with the current situation, it heightened her fear!

'I think... I'm not just changing volume 2 now.' Her eyes dilated in horror, knowing Luke was already part of volume 1 of the novel while Maxen was in volume 2.

Wasn't her plan for the novel to end in volume 1? Because Maxen would only appear in the novel in volume 2 and that would change everything. But with Luke's entanglement in her business and it seemed this was only the tip of the iceberg, there was this sense of dread creeping into her heart.

It scared her... but in another sense, deep in her heart, she only hoped nothing major would change in the novel with her interference. BUT, she had already thought about this possibility and she still went for it. Because at the end of the day, the novel could be a wholesome one with only life lessons without going for the bloody path.