Guiding the Male Lead out of His Trauma - Chapter 15.2
“I didn’t expect to see you here, Brother,” Acteon greeted calmly.
But Acteon was already long gone from Cassiel’s mind.
Fixing a fierce glare on me, Cassiel sneered.
“Why? Am I not allowed to be here?”
“…Brother.”
“I didn’t expect you to come here, let alone with someone so low-class.”
“Remarks like that aren’t good for you, Brother.”
“You should be the one to watch yourself, Acteon Brondearn.”
With a scoff, Cassiel shot back, and Acteon’s brow twitched slightly.
“You don’t want to go through the same thing again, do you?”
His words didn’t just prod at old wounds, they were like a knife twisting deeper.
But Acteon, after a brief moment of silence, suppressed his feelings and retorted.
“Senior isn’t here because of Claire.”
“And why should I believe that? Just because that B-Class did you a few favors, you probably spilled every last detail to her. You’ve always been easy to sway with a few kind words, then and now.”
A barrage of harsh words followed, almost too much to bear. I let most of it go in one ear and out the other, but Acteon stepped forward and moved me behind his back.
“One day, you’ll regret this, Brother.”
“…What?”
“Even I can’t stop thinking about what happened a few days ago. It’ll be even harder for you, Brother.”
Something in those words seemed to strike a nerve in Cassiel.
His expression grew even more venomous.
But, even though Cassiel looked ready to unleash his mana at any moment, he didn’t recklessly lash out at Acteon.
Cassiel knew it too.
That even though Acteon had only just undergone his first Awakening, if something happened here, it could spiral out of control.
But for Hyacine, this standoff was threatening enough. He was now gripping my hand tightly, as if ready to shield me at any moment.
It was just as several priests, sensing the rising tension, started to approach to break up the fight—
“It’s not unusual for a cadet to come here to pray, is it?”
Prince Isadore, who had stepped away earlier, reappeared and loosened the taut atmosphere.
Cassiel, who had been about to hurl something aggressive in his direction, faltered for a moment.
“You are…”
“Isn’t your tone a bit too harsh, Cassiel Brondearn? Seems you still don’t quite understand what I just said.”
“What do you…”
Cassiel couldn’t have known why Prince Isadore was here, let alone why he was with us.
Caught off guard, he couldn’t hide his confusion and glanced back and forth at us, gritting his teeth.
It seemed he finally realized how serious the situation was.
“You seem to know your own wounds are painful, but don’t realize others feel the same. Even now, the only reason you’re letting this go is because I’m in a position of power. If, as you said, I were just a mere B-Class, I doubt you’d do the same. Isn’t that right?”
Cassiel squeezed out a reply, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“That’s not true.”
“Oh? Then let me ask.”
Neatly wrapping up the situation, Prince Isadore called on me.
“Miss Liliope Ortis. Why have you come to the Grand Cathedral today?”
Having to explain myself one by one to someone who had no intention of understanding me at all—
‘What a waste of time.’
Maybe it was because I didn’t expect him to apologize anyway, but I really didn’t want to answer. Still, I couldn’t ignore the prince’s question either.
I had no choice but to answer.
“I came to clean my late parents’ gravestones. Embarrassing as it is, this is the first time my sibling and I have come together.”
At my answer, surprise flickered across Cassiel’s face.
If only it were satisfying.
‘He’s not even worth it.’
The prince shrugged at Cassiel, as if to say, ‘Is the misunderstanding cleared up now?’
But Cassiel’s face was still twisted, showing he wasn’t ready to let things go just yet.
If I didn’t drive the point home right now, he’d probably keep making trouble.
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