Ikemen Villain – Harrison Gray

As there are only 3 routes available for Ikemen Villain at launch, I went with Harrison because his character design appealed the most to me.

Harrison’s father was a policeman and from young he had wanted to exact justice on people who told lies. However along the way, his perspective on good and evil had been warped and he is now trapped in a place of darkness, far away from the light.

MC wakes up in the middle of the night and caught William, Harrison and Liam getting ready to head out for a mission. William invites MC to join them as her first task as a Fairytale Keeper. While William and Liam went to get the carriage ready, Harrison questioned MC’s motivation for coming along – was it really to perform her task or for gaining their trust. She replied honestly that it was both. Harrison has the curse of the lying fox so he is able to tell when people are lying. He hints MC that she may be too honest for her own good.

After witnessing Liam executing the perpetrators of human trafficking of orphans, MC is traumatised by the bloody affair and sinks to the ground in shock. Harrison walks up to her, instead of comforting her, he points a gun at her head. He tells her coldly that this is the world that she has chosen to be part of, one where she can trust no one. He told her that if she couldn’t handle the reality then she shouldn’t have joined them on the mission. According to Victor’s instructions, to prove that she can be trusted, all MC needed to do was lock herself in her room for the next 30 days. She didn’t need to subject herself to such trauma or even endanger her life.

After MC leaves with William, Liam commented that this was the first time he saw Harrison initiate a conversation. Was he interested or concerned for MC?

MC ponders over his words and decided that in order to be useful and not back away from the responsibility assigned to her, she needed to learn how to protect herself. While Victor was showing her some weapons she can use, Harrison interrupted the conversation. He looked annoyed by MC’s insistence. Victor then had a stroke of brilliance. As Harrison’s curse is the hardest to study because all Lying Foxes will lie, the best way to document their curse is to have a personal Fairytale Keeper. This way MC also doesn’t need to shuffle between all the Crown members.

Harrison was unwilling to cooperate until Victor threatened to bring in the queen. Reluctantly he told MC that he would give her 3 days to find any information about him, failing which he would call off the arrangement. MC tried her best to meet up with Harrison over the next three days to glean information from him but he either ghosted her or slipped away at every opportunity. On the last day, Alfons told MC that she would be able to find Harrison at a casino so taking her last chance she decided to go there.

She was immediately targeted by cheats and lost money which she couldn’t afford to repay. At a loss of what to do, Harrison suddenly appeared and offered to save her in return for some form of compensation. MC decided to take up his offer. Harrison wins the game of poker ‘miraculously’ and the other players couldn’t prove it as they were cheating too. In the end, MC and Harrison got away without losing any money.

MC questioned Harrison on how he managed to get a royal straight flush. He denied doing anything illegal. Later he asked MC if she thought that lying was bad. MC shared that it depended on the intention of the person who lied. Harrison decided to cash in on his repayment which turned out to be a treat at a cafe where he ordered several sweet desserts. It was ten minutes to midnight. Harrison was convinced that he had won the bet when MC told him that she found out that Harrison is someone who wouldn’t leave the helpless in the lurch and that he loved sweet treats.

Harrison laughed at her grasping at straws but in the end relented. He agreed to let her accompany him for the balance of her stay with the Crown. Victor celebrates MC’s victory over Harrison with a picnic with Elbert and Ellis. Ellis had invited Harrison to join them, and Victor was surprised that he took up the offer since Harrison tends to be solitary. MC thought that Harrison came because of her but later found out it was because of the sweet desserts available. Later she asked if she could tag along Harrison on his day job as a proofreader and mystery novel copywriter.

Both spent the afternoon combing different bookstores for research materials. Harrison loves to read to pass the time when he was young as his parents were always working and hardly around. Over the course of the next few days, MC continues to hang around Harrison to observe his various likes and dislikes. When she reported these to Victor she felt silly as these had nothing to do with his curse.

She decided that the best way to do this is to approach Harrison directly and offer compensation for information. Harrison agreed if she would help him with his copywriting work. Harrison tells MC that his curse is that he can tell when someone is lying based on their eyes, though he won’t be able to know what exactly they are lying about. He added that it isn’t always a good thing to know that people are lying to you because that can torment you. He also encouraged MC to try and find out his lies as she gets to know him better.

The next day over breakfast, Jude shared about the latest spate of murders that have taken place all around London even though the William et al had earlier taken care of the men who had committed murders to farm for organs. These bodies have been disposed in public places with a crown carved into it, as if to showcase the gruesome crime to some intended audience. The queen has assigned Harrison to investigate, and MC is happy to assist him. 

They spent several days looking for leads and interviewing witnesses but didn’t manage to make any headway in the investigation. Later while eavesdropping on a conversation between a mystery writer and his publisher, Harrison had an epiphany which enabled him to find the culprit of the murders.

Turned out it was a 12 year old boy who had been committing these murders in order to save his sister who had been held ransom by the group of human traffickers that the Crown had dispatched earlier. Not knowing that they had already been eliminated, the young boy continued to kill so that he could meet his sister again so that he could wish her happy birthday.

The boy was arrested and convicted. However since he was still a minor, his punishment would be delayed till he reached adulthood. MC is disturbed by the events leading up to the boy committing the crime. They had also found out that his sister had already died.

Harrison decided that the boy should have the choice of knowing the truth even if it would hurt him. MC decided to go with him. He enlisted the help of Liam to sneak into the prison to meet the boy. Meanwhile Liam tells Roger that he is afraid that Harrison might lose himself but perhaps MC could be the key to helping him retain his sanity.

The boy wanted to know the truth. When Harrison told him that his sister is already dead and the people responsible for it had made him commit the crimes, he was beside himself in anger. He vowed to kill these men. Harrison told him that he wouldn’t be able to exact his revenge because Harrison already killed them. Though it wasn’t Harrison’s fault, it did provide the boy some form of outlet to vent his anger. Harrison advised the boy to treasure his life that his sister sacrificed for him. Though he would need to repent for his sins, he should always keep on living.

After leaving the prison, MC is filled with sadness at how tragic things turned out. She felt like her own interpretation of life and society has been a lie all along – the reason why people do bad things may not always because they are bad themselves. She doesn’t know what to feel. Harrison told her to hold on to her own emotions because they may be the very ones that give other people hope. Later they planted sunflower seeds on a hill at the request of the young boy in remembrance of his sister. MC asked Harrison to be hopeful for life after death in heaven.

After they are done, he had to depart suddenly for another appointment. Turns out that Harrison has been reporting on the Crown activities to a mystery man whose intention is to destroy Crown. Given that Harrison’s father is a policeman, perhaps Harrison is working as an undercover agent for the police? It certainly fits the profile of a guy whose curse is to always lie. His whole life is a lie.

Later MC visits the royal palace to deliver her report on Harrison to Victor. She sees Victor in disagreement with the Privy Council pricks who don’t believe in the existence of an ‘evil’ group like the Crown.  Victor asked MC about her time spent with Harrison and how she feels about him. She shares her concern about Harrison, that there are times when he looks so sad and she wonders what’s making him feel that way. Victor wonders if her concern is the first buds of love. She tells him she doesn’t feel that way about Harrison and that it is purely just concerns as a friend.

One day MC and Harrison visits a writer together to deliver the first copy of her published book. She was delighted to receive it. Harrison passes the writer a second copy of her book surmising that her dedication note was meant for someone dear to her and she would want to pass him a copy of the book. The writer shared that this person is someone who had supported her and she loves him. However it was pointless confessing her love since he is already on board a ship leaving England for good. Not wanting the writer to regret her decision, MC told her that she should still pass the book to the person even if she didn’t want to burden him with her feelings. With encouragement from Harrison who advised the writer not to lie to herself, they rushed towards the harbour using a bicycle borrowed from the postal office. The writer made it in time to send off the love of her life.

After that, MC returns the bicycle to the post office where she finds Harrison waiting for her. They were accidentally locked inside the post office for the night so MC and Harrison accompanied each other through the night chatting. MC told Harrison that she really appreciated him comforting her after her meltdown from meeting the boy. She wanted to do something for Harrison too. Without prying too much, she offered to be there for Harrison if there is ever a time when he is really sad. He asked her if she can cover his eyes so that he doesn’t see the lies of the world. MC wonders what the world looks like to Harrison who can see through everyone’s lies.

The next morning MC and Harrison ended up sleeping on each other’s shoulders. MC observes Harrison’s sleeping self and notices how innocent he looks. In his sleepy stupor he also hugs her like a pillow which MC found surprisingly nice. Later the doors opened and after explaining what happened to the post master, MC found that Harrison had already left. She returned to the castle alone to find everyone looking very tensed. Turns out that details of a mission that Elbert and Jude had completed had been leaked and there was suspicion that Harrison was the snitch. No matter how MC tried to defend him, she realised she couldn’t be certain since he was always lying.

Using his skill, Alfons shared a vision from the past with MC, allowing her to witness the events that led Harrison to join the Crown. Unlike the others he had volunteered to join them after seeking them out. He also shared his suspicion that Harrison wanted to seek revenge against Crown as he believes that his father was murdered by Crown to silence him.

That afternoon MC and her maid Maria went for a walk around town together to cheer up. On the way home, they were abducted by smugglers and put up for a private auction. While locked up, Maria (who only pretended to be mute to get the job) told MC what Harrison really thought about her. Apparently he had lied to her about his curse, i.e. that those with his curse cannot walk with anyone side by side, only to protect her. He didn’t want people to associate her with people like him who walk on the dark side. MC suddenly thought back on all the obvious ‘lies’ that Harrison had told her. She had thought it was because he was being mean but he had done so out of kindness.

Meanwhile Harrison learnt that MC could be trouble so he brought Ellis with him to find her using his ability. When it was finally their turn to be auctioned off, MC pulled Maria behind her and took out the gun that Victor had given her. Before MC could pull the trigger, a gunshot rang out and the man before her collapsed, blood gushing out of his leg. Harrison rushed up to MC, sweating profusely, to check if she was alright. She was relieved to see Harrison again.

The rest of the Crown arrived not too soon after to subdue the whole syndicate of smugglers and their masked customers. Before the cops could arrive, the Crown members had to escape from the scene. However, Harrison fainted from exhaustion. Apparently he had maxed out his stamina trying to locate MC’s whereabouts. MC spent the next few days nursing him when he continued sleeping. She realised that it was time to confront her feelings for Harrison. People tell lies all the time to deceive other, save others or protect themselves. Rather than focus on the lies, perhaps it was time to focus on the intent behind those lies.

After Harrison woke up, he learnt from Roger that MC had been worried about him and based on her racing heart whenever she is near Harrison, it was obvious that she had feelings for him. Harrison dressed and headed out to meet with a man from the Privy Council. He wanted to know if MC’s kidnapping had anything to do with them. The man neither confirmed nor denied it. He just told Harrison that collateral damage is necessary in the fight against evil.

Later MC thanked Harrison for saving her and asked if there was anything she could do to repay him. He asked to bring her out for a date at the theatre to watch Liam perform. Harrison lied that he had been given the tickets and didn’t want to go alone hence he invited MC along. MC knew it was a lie and couldn’t help wondering what Harrison is really hiding. She had a great time at the theater. After the show as they strolled along the river, Harrison asked her point blank if she liked him. No matter how she answered he would know the truth so she told him how she felt about him.

Harrison told her that the fate of people with his curse is to die alone hence he felt it was pointless to start anything knowing that it was bound to end. He advised her to bury her feelings and focus on returning back to her life. Being with him would mean giving up everything that meant anything to her. MC asked Harrison what exactly he is hiding as she looked into his eyes. He replied that of all the people he has ever looked at, he was most afraid of looking at MC because her eyes are full of honesty. With that he turned around and left her.

The next day seeing MC so listless, Ellis offered to take her mind off things by inviting her to join him and Roger for a mission. MC agreed. What was supposed to be a simple mission to root out a bootleg alcohol dealer ended up being much worse. Ellis, Jude and MC chanced upon a mass murder scene and even before they could process what had happened, the shrill siren of police could be heard. They had been set up. As the trio tried to flee the scene, Jude was shot in the tummy while trying to protect Ellis. They managed to escape and brought Jude for treatment at Roger’s father’s clinic.

MC and Ellis returned to the castle to inform Victor of what had happened. Ellis had also picked up a faded family photo of Harrison’s family at the crime scene, further proving that Harrison had betrayed Crown. Victor told MC about his history with Harrison’s father Marco. Marco was aware of the presence of the Crown but he had always let Victor and the others scot-free when he meets them on duty. I guess Marco believed in the Crown’s mission too. However the night before Marco was found dead, Victor had received an anonymous letter for a meet up. When Victor arrived at the location, there was no one there. Victor believes that Marco had been killed by the serial killer.

MC speaks with Roger about Jude’s condition. Roger is worried that without more professional medical treatment, Jude might die. The only private doctor he knows however won’t treat the Cursed due to bad blood. Liam also tells MC that he’s worried for Harrison and he admitted that despite being good friends with Harrison, he has never been able to fully understand what goes through Harrison’s mind. William also wanted to know what MC thought about Harrison, if he was guilty of betraying the Crown. MC was confident that even if Harrison did betray the Crown, it was meant to protect rather than out of malicious or selfish intent. That was the person that Harrison is. He was always looking out for someone else.

Confident that MC cares for Harrison, William told her where she could find the doctor that Roger mentioned. He believes Harrison would be doing his best to get help for Jude. Sure enough, MC found Harrison at the closed door begging for the doctor to help his friend. It pained MC to see Harrison fighting alone so he joined him in requesting the doctor’s help. In the end the doctor relented when Harrison replied that he won’t trade his life for Jude’s because each person’s life is sacred and unique. This seemed to speak to the doctor who had lost a loved one to a Cursed.

After Jude was treated, Harrison left the castle while MC was busy. MC was worried that Harrison would disappear for good if she didn’t chase after him. Using his super hearing, Roger told MC where to go to find Harrison. She chased after Harrison and finally found him walking ahead. Looking at his lonesome figure walking, MC determined in her heart that she doesn’t want him to struggle alone anymore. She convinced him to share with her what was the secret that he had been living all these while.

Blind Love Ending

After much persuasion, Harrison rowed a boat out to the middle of the lake so they can be out of reach of spies. Harrison then told MC that he had discovered that his father had been murdered under the direction of the Privy Council and in particular three corrupt police officials under the code name Three Eagles were responsible for the deed. Harrison had lied to the Privy Council that he wanted revenge for his father’s death. In return for setting up the meeting with the Three Eagles, the Privy Council wanted him to act as a double agent to help them bring the Crown down. Harrison agreed to do so in order to know what they are planning and protect the Crown indirectly. This was the real extent of his lies, a double life he has been leading for the last 3 years alone.

However the Privy Council’s patience is wearing thin so they are speeding up the meet up to the next full moon where there will be a final showdown. MC told Harrison that she wants to accompany him at the very least. Harrison warned her again that by joining him in the darkness, she would be giving up her normal life. MC had made up her mind. On the day of the operation, Harrison tasked her with a mission. He had set up a fake mission which led 5 of the Crown members to an abandoned warehouse. He wants her to convince them to assist Harrison in exacting his revenge and thus bringing the atrocities being committed the Privy Council to light.

It was never a doubt that Liam, Roger, Elbert, Alfons and Ellis would agree to help Harrison. Using their special abilities, the group managed to sneak onto the ship HMS (I can’t remember the name) to join Harrison. They finally reached him and hid in a corner while observing the proceedings. Members of the Privy Council, three men dressed in decorated police uniform and Harrison were dining together. A member of the Privy Council tried to get the three men to talk about how they had murdered Harrison’s father – not because he did anything wrong but simply because his brand of justice didn’t suit them. In the end it was all about maintaining power and authority and stamping out anybody that threatened this. Finally Harrison couldn’t tolerate it anymore and revealed that he was here to seek revenge for his father’s death.

The Three Eagles took out their guns and shot Harrison without further delay. Thankfully Harrison had donned a bullet proof vest he ‘borrowed’ from Victor. Harrison then produced evidence of the Three Eagles condoning human trafficking, murders and other crimes while supposedly serving as police and how the Privy Council had turned a blind eye to these atrocities. This time MC joined Harrison and shared the evidence she had collected in her role as Fairytale Keeper to be written into a report for the Queen herself. Before they could react to destroy the said evidence, members of the Crown joined the fray and easily restraint them. Victor arrived and informed them that their crimes would certainly be reported to the queen. He asked Harrison what kind of punishment would he deem fit for them. Harrison simply proposed that closer partnership and trust should be established between the Privy Council, the Crown and the police force.

Finally the ordeal is over and the members of the Crown are back at the castle for a celebratory party. Victor reminded MC that her one month is up and she would be a free woman. When MC said that she broke her promise and told the Privy Council about her role but everyone pretended that they didn’t hear her say anything. Before MC could refute any further, Harrison carries her off to her room, telling others that they will have to hold off the party till tomorrow as he wants to spend the last few hours of the day with MC.

Harrison and MC declares their love for each other and consummates it. MC knows that everything Harrison had done was to protect her world so that she could still return back to it even after having spent a month with them. In that respect she didn’t try to force herself to stay or for Harrison to come with her especially since he has closed a chapter in his life and can finally look forward to helping the weak find justice. Since she managed to expose Harrison’s lie in the end, she requested to meet him even after she leaves the Crown.

Some time has passed and MC is back to her old life. Harrison has just completed a mission with Victor and he finds himself missing MC terribly. He takes off to find her. She is surprised to see him as she was also pining for him. They embrace. Harrison tells MC that he had fallen in love with her first because she represents the sun and truth which he needs to seek while he fights for justice in the darkness. She promises to always be his sun whenever he needs her.

~ Fin

Review

I personally like Harrison’s story more than William’s as it felt like it could actually happen. In terms of character design, Harrison’s minty green eyes were a winner for me together with his aloof personality which is his way of hiding the truth. However the reality is that Harrison is a very caring person who would do whatever it takes to protect those who mattered to him. In a way the story development felt less intense than William which was laced with death flags every step of the way while driven by his fatalistic view of life.

Harrison is also cursed. With his ability to always tell if someone is lying, I can imagine all the hurts he must bear. This is why meeting MC who is the epitome of honesty was a breath of fresh air for him, and the sun he needs to help him get his bearing when his own world gets too dark. I felt that in order to write a coherent story that showed Harrison’s character development and his motivations for actions, the romancing between MC and Harrison was more subtle than with William. I could feel my heart racing with William’s romance but with Harrison, it felt more like a slow burn. It’s probably entirely possible to read this story without falling for Harrison.

Harrison gives off big brother/best friend vibes and he doesn’t have any real discernible traits that would make him memorable to be honest. So unfortunately Harrison won’t be ranking high on the overall character listing even though I really like his design. I wouldn’t classify Harrison as a villain either, he’s actually a pretty decent guy who had to undercover to seek revenge for his father.