The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 121.2
Despite his large build and strong features remaining the same, somehow he looked like a different person.
“How do I look? More attractive?”
It was the kind of flirtation a Crown Prince might throw out lightly, yet coming from the heir apparent, it felt strangely sincere.
Faced with the Prince’s serious question, Leslun hesitated in silence, then slowly shook his head.
“You have become frightening.”
The Crown Prince’s eyebrows twitched, as if startled by the honest reply.
“Why?”
“Hmm…”
Leslun thought carefully. The appearance was the same, and it was clearly the same man, but somehow he felt different.
“Ah…”
The Crown Prince urged him silently with his eyes to go on.
“It must be because you have grown more responsible.”
His expression stiffened.
Unsure whether he should continue, Leslun spoke cautiously.
“Your expression.”
He gestured toward the Prince’s face. When they had reintroduced themselves upon meeting again, there had still been a faint curve to his lips. But now his mouth was set firmly downward, and his eyes had grown sharper.
Back in the Empire, his shoulders had seemed light and free, but now it was as if he carried a heavy stone upon them.
“You keep wearing a frightening expression.”
When Leslun pointed at his own eyes and mouth, the Crown Prince’s eyelids quivered. He let out a long sigh.
“Even speaking a single word requires thought now. As the Crown Prince, there are things I must say and things I must not. I have to constantly consider what influence each word may have.”
Listening to him, one person came to Leslun’s mind—Kailos, the Crown Prince of the Empire.
Unlike this Prince, Kailos seemed completely at ease. He would throw out sharp words as if they meant nothing, yet every action he took was carefully calculated.
“I miss the days at the academy.”
The Crown Prince confessed honestly.
“It was peaceful then. I could attend classes, eat meals, and live without worries or burdens.”
Leslun could understand what he meant.
“I still love my country, but there are times when it suffocates me.”
He spoke with open sincerity. To him, Leslun was not a subject of the Vancor Kingdom but a classmate from the academy, someone who had shared fleeting yet genuine memories.
“So, I hope you can treat me comfortably.”
“Treat you comfortably?”
“Yes. There are only the two of us inside this carriage.”
Leslun was surprised by the request. To be asked to treat a Crown Prince as before, knowing his true identity, seemed impossible.
“…Alright.”
It was possible.
Leslun quickly relaxed and looked at the Prince again. His ease came so swiftly that it caught the Crown Prince off guard, and Leslun smiled faintly.
“When serving His Highness, I’ve learned to accept that various things may happen. It’s not difficult for me.”
Having spent so much time with the unpredictable Kailos, it was easy enough to go along with the Prince’s wishes.
When Leslun smiled pleasantly, the Crown Prince soon smiled as well.
***
Meanwhile, Kailos suddenly turned toward the window.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
At Robin’s question, Kailos muttered with an uneasy look.
“I just have a feeling Leslun’s getting along a little too well with that guy.”
Robin couldn’t immediately guess who “that guy” was, and even if he asked, he doubted Kailos would answer. So he simply returned to his duties.
Kailos’s gaze remained fixed far into the distance, toward a place he could not reach. He murmured to himself.
“I did something that ended up benefiting that man.”
He had no choice but to let them go, but knowing how the Crown Prince felt about Leslun filled him with unease.
By now, they were likely spending time talking, sharing stories, perhaps even complaining about him—and growing closer in the process.
Now that the Crown Prince’s true identity was revealed, there would be nothing holding him back. And in the Kingdom of Vancor, where same-sex marriage was even legal, who knew how far he might go?
Still, Kailos had allowed Leslun to leave because he trusted him.
“If they get too close, I might start feeling jealous.”
They should keep a respectful distance.
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