The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 10.1
When Leslun only blinked in response, Kailos leaned his face in even closer.
His breath was… far too near. The long lashes, the faint movement of his nose, and those shifting… lips.
“Next time, be precise about what you mean to do. Otherwise…”
Kailos’s voice dropped unbearably low. The novel’s description of his debauched lifestyle was, after all, true…
“…I might misunderstand.”
Leslun’s mind went hazy. He almost wished he could just faint.
***
The day after he had spent a week confined to the bed, Leslun was finally given permission to move about.
Buttoning his shirt up to his neck and putting on an outer coat made him realize he had truly survived. On top of that, he had now become the Crown Prince’s aide.
During that week, he hadn’t actually shared the Prince’s bed.
There had been one tense moment when, had he refused the aide position, he might indeed have been forced to.
No—that must have been just a joke. Hadn’t the Crown Prince said himself, on their first meeting, that he felt no special attraction to Leslun’s face?
If anything, Leslun now resembled more a new toy the Prince had recently acquired.
His offer to take Leslun on as an aide had not been made idly. So long as Leslun kept the Prince’s current interest entertained, at least he wouldn’t have to fear for his life.
“If you’re ready, come with me.”
At Robin’s nod, Leslun smoothed down his clothes one last time and followed.
Looking at the straight-backed aide ahead of him, Leslun thought about the Crown Prince.
He was the final villain of the original novel.
To take the throne, he had committed countless ruthless acts, and even after becoming Emperor, he lived up to his reputation as a tyrant.
And now Leslun had become his aide.
As soon as he’d regained his past-life memories, he’d tried to run—but in the end, he had thrown himself into the hands of an even greater villain. Once again, he found himself bound to aid in wicked deeds.
He hadn’t escaped the original storyline after all. Tugging at his collar, Leslun exhaled and then straightened his clothes again.
“A good habit,” came a voice.
Looking up, Leslun saw that Robin had stopped walking.
“For an aide, it’s best to maintain composure and neatness at all times.”
As Robin’s eyes swept over him, Leslun forced his tense body to relax and let his hands fall naturally at his sides.
“Wherever you are, you must remain dignified. That way, you can keep your thinking flexible for any command you’re given. Always keep that bearing.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Being noticed by His Highness is a once-in-a-lifetime fortune. But fortune carries responsibility.”
Robin resumed walking, instructing him in the basic virtues an aide must know before meeting the Crown Prince.
Was it really fortune to have been noticed by him?
That wasn’t what mattered right now. Before considering whether it was luck or not, Leslun had already bargained to bring his family here.
The best course is to secure their safety, then withdraw.
If he thought of it that way, yes—it was luck. He had gained access to someone far higher than the Count.
Leslun could not afford to waste this opportunity.
***
Passing through the great doors—of which he remembered entering but not exiting—Leslun saw the Crown Prince seated on the high chair atop the dais.
Even while containing Kailos’s imposing frame, the chair still seemed spacious. Staring at it, Leslun couldn’t begin to imagine what sort of terrifying grandeur the Emperor’s throne must hold.
This was his first time even seeing the Crown Prince. The Emperor was, of course, even further beyond reach. No matter that Count Camilo’s territory was closest to the capital—for Leslun, who had lived as nothing more than a rural youth carrying out the Count’s orders, the Imperial Palace might as well have been another world.
“At last, you look somewhat alive.”
At Kailos’s words, Leslun knelt.
“Has Robin taught you so little? Do aides kneel every time they offer greetings?”
He criticized Leslun by shifting the blame onto Robin, but his voice carried unmistakable curiosity.
“Thank you for sparing my life.”
Leslun couldn’t simply bow lightly.
He was still a man before he was an aide. He was no more than a subordinate who followed orders, but he had already done things that were far from innocent. On top of that, he had been insolent to the Crown Prince.
And yet he was alive. That was thanks entirely to the Prince’s caprice.
Where death was warranted, he had been kept alive out of curiosity, given an opportunity. Considering he would already be dead had Kailos not taken an interest in him, Leslun’s fate had, in fact, taken a turn for the better.
“Kneeling for such a reason—then I can hardly rebuke you further.”
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