Guiding the Male Lead out of His Trauma - Chapter 27.2
In the story I know, the crown prince ultimately abandoned Hyacine, who had been formally adopted as his heir.
Instead, he actively supported Acteon, and Acteon joined hands with the crown prince to become the new head of House Brondearn.
From the beginning, it was obvious to anyone that the crown prince intended to use Acteon as a tool.
Once Acteon saw through this and killed him, it seemed as if all problems would be resolved with his disappearance.
But the truth was, that wasn’t the case at all.
‘Even with the crown prince—the core of the faction—gone, the group of nobles he’d gathered was not a force that would just scatter easily.’
And for reasons unknown….
‘What was most suspicious was that Prince Isadore, who stood opposed to the crown prince, mysteriously went missing at the same time.’
A sick king and two children.
With the heads of the two biggest factions gone, the nation’s political situation became unstable and was greatly shaken.
It was all too obvious what would happen to a country on the brink of war, now teetering on instability.
So, at this point in the timeline, with the current flow still unfolding, there was only one person who could have orchestrated such an event with Acteon.
The one who needed a high-ranking Transcendent to do his bidding.
Crown Prince Sibellin.
The reason he drove Acteon’s second awakening into a rampage was obvious:
To further highlight the dangers of Transcendents and tighten his control over them.
Afterwards, he would personally ‘rescue’ Acteon from the ensuing crisis and, under the pretense of control, keep him under his own authority.
But when this plan failed, his attention shifted to Hyacine, who had also awakened as an S-Class.
‘It’s horrifying.’
But it would be impossible to explain all of this to Acteon.
‘Even if I’m the only one jumping to conclusions, I still need a plausible excuse…’
Maybe I could just claim I have good political instincts.
It wouldn’t be impossible to piece something together.
But just as I was about to speak, Acteon spoke first.
“There’s nothing strange about it. If you consider House Brondearn’s standing in this country and set aside a bit of prejudice, the list narrows down to one person.”
“A bit of prejudice?”
“On the surface, this household stands on the crown prince’s side,” Acteon said, flashing that familiar smile.
It was the same smile I’d seen right after he’d spoken with the duke at the mansion, the easy confidence of someone waiting patiently for the right moment.
‘Up until a few days ago, I wouldn’t have known, but now I do.’
I had once thought I could simply interpret the original Acteon’s every action as the head of the family at face value.
But the Acteon I came to know in person, from the moment he entered House Brondearn, had no choice but to harbor deep hatred for both the duke and the crown prince.
‘…It was revenge for his mother and himself.’
Even now, the memories I saw of his meeting with the duke made me feel sick.
Having entered the family with his mother and been forced to appease the duke all this time, the depth of emotion Acteon kept hidden was beyond my imagination.
I wondered what kind of expression I was making.
Suddenly, Acteon lowered his head and met my eyes.
“Aren’t you curious why I think that way?”
Swallowing my faint surprise, I replied,
“No, actually… I already know.”
A moment ago, he’d been the one acting awkward, but now the roles had reversed.
Not wanting him to notice how awkward I was, I raised my hand to cover his eyes.
“You remember, don’t you? During your first awakening, I synchronized with your emotions.”
“…So you mean…”
“This time, I didn’t just feel it. I saw it.”
What you were suffering from.
Surprisingly, Acteon didn’t seem unsettled at all.
Almost as if he’d expected it, he quietly let me rest my hand on his face. I could see his throat move as he swallowed.
“I thought that might be the case. When my consciousness was being pulled up, it felt like someone was watching me. But it wasn’t unpleasant.”
“So you were testing me?”
“I figured you’d keep it secret from the academy and the bureau, so if you wanted to keep it from me too, I was willing to pretend I didn’t know.”
“Well, it’s not exactly pleasant for someone else to pry into your past.”
“But I don’t mind. Not if it’s you, Senior.”
His eyelashes brushed my skin and made me shiver.
Looking up through the gaps between my fingers, I saw his pale silver eyes gazing at me.
“If it’s you, I don’t mind at all.”
Even though I’d initiated it, he stayed like that so long that I almost felt guilty for being the first to pull away.
Just then, I heard the voices of other students approaching.
Hurriedly, I pushed Acteon away and instinctively grabbed his arm, quickly leading him out of sight.
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