The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 18.2
“Leslun, you can eat with me.”
Robin tried to stop him, but Kailos didn’t back down.
“Then you should sit too, Robin. Let’s enjoy a cozy meal together and catch up—it’s been a while since we’ve had a proper conversation.”
“That…”
Even if they had spent time together since childhood, now he was, strictly speaking, a superior—and an uncomfortable one at that. Robin didn’t want to dine with him.
Even when Robin openly showed his displeasure, Kailos only gestured for him to sit quickly.
“Our meal time is right before the meeting…”
“Which is why we should eat together. That meeting is ultimately about how to best assist me, isn’t it?”
“Leslun, take a seat here.”
When Kailos was that insistent, there was no avoiding it. Robin stiffly guided the frozen Leslun into an empty chair, then pulled out the chair beside him to sit down.
“To think, dining face-to-face with my aides. Tell me, where could you find a superior as generous as me?”
“Cough.”
When Leslun coughed softly, Robin narrowed his eyes while handing him a water cup.
There’s definitely something going on here that I don’t know about.
“Leslun.”
Kailos tilted his head slightly. The Crown Prince’s profile under the soft glow of the lights wore its usual bland expression, but at the sound of his name, Leslun straightened his back immediately.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How is the place you’re staying? Do you like it?”
Kailos had already personally checked Leslun’s room beforehand. Leslun had no idea how he was supposed to take this question.
“Yes, I like it.”
“Good. After all, such a place could never come from someone wicked.”
At Kailos’s meaningful remark, Leslun only wanted to escape this place as quickly as possible. He tried desperately to school his expression, but it was anything but easy.
“And the food?”
“…Thank you.”
A short, precise answer. His voice carried not the slightest trace of emotion. No trailing off, no continuation.
Kailos paused, tilting his head instead of lifting his spoon.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“No, Your Highness.”
“Boring.”
With a dismissive air, Kailos raised his wineglass, only for his eyes to suddenly brighten as if struck by a thought.
“Shall I show you somewhere better?”
Leslun lifted his head, staring frozen at the Crown Prince, unable to grasp his exact meaning.
“I’ll take you tomorrow.”
With practiced nonchalance, Kailos picked up his fork again and returned to his meal. Meanwhile, Robin regarded his lord with suspicious eyes.
Only Blue, nestled peacefully on Leslun’s lap, was truly enjoying the moment.
***
The garden, perched on the highest ground in the city, was filled with rare plant species that Imperial gardeners had cultivated for centuries.
The air was strikingly clear. The grass was trimmed without a single flaw, while artificial waterfalls and flowing streams followed their orderly courses.
It was a garden that fully embodied the dignity and grandeur of the Imperial Family.
“I quite like this garden.”
Kailos sat upright on an armless metal chair, holding a teacup.
“In this place, it feels as though time itself has stopped. Nothing withers, nothing new arises.”
As he extended his cup, a maid at his side promptly took it. With practiced grace, she poured deep-red tea from a silver pot. The liquid shimmered in the cup, releasing light tendrils of steam.
Watching Kailos leisurely savor the aroma, Leslun repeated his words silently to himself.
‘Nothing withers, nothing new arises.’
Time that flows no longer. A living tableau frozen still. And the Crown Prince seated at its center.
It was beautiful, like a painting—yet somehow, tinged with sadness.
“Leslun.”
When Kailos lifted his head, Leslun stepped closer.
“This is when you’re supposed to say it’s beautiful.”
The tone implied he was disappointed with Leslun’s lack of sense for atmosphere. Leslun glanced around awkwardly, stumbling over his words.
“It is… very beautiful.”
“Are you saying I’m beautiful?”
It was only a conversation carried out while meeting his eyes—yet strangely, the meaning seemed to shift.
“No, I meant the garden…”
“Truly beautiful, then?”
Leslun fell silent at the question.
It had bloomed with brilliance, yes—but beautiful? He wasn’t so sure.
The Crown Prince might have said it as a joke, but in truth, Leslun thought Kailos was more beautiful than this garden.
“I don’t really know.”
“Well, what sort of eye for beauty could a commoner possibly have?”
Kailos accepted the answer easily enough. Leslun breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t pressed further, and began to retreat a step—
“Though for someone so blind, you do have moments where you stare blankly at my face.”
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