The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away

Lady Miroi did not pretend not to know Leslun. Cold sweat trickled down Leslun’s back.

“I didn’t call you to blame you.”

Lady Miroi spoke firmly.

If it wasn’t to accuse him, then why approach him at all?

It was too strange to be words of gratitude, and far too gentle in tone to be a warning. He couldn’t discern her true intent.

“I mean it. Could we perhaps speak in private?”

At Lady Miroi’s request, Leslun blinked and turned his head. Robin, the aide, was beside him. Robin silently glanced between the two before opening his mouth.

“I shall inform His Highness the Crown Prince.”

The words were brief and precise—not quite permission, but closer to tacit approval.

Leslun lowered his head slightly, while Robin, expressionless, turned and left. Watching him retreat, Leslun felt the situation slipping into something strange.

“I will lead the way.”

Leslun moved first, his ears straining to catch the footsteps behind him. The sharp sound of shoes echoed distinctly.

Each strike of the heels against the firm floor pressed an odd weight into his back.

‘What does she intend to say?’

Leslun could hardly breathe. Meeting Lady Miroi like this was burdensome.

Her gaze was calm, but within it was something far from a simple greeting. Leslun walked at a measured pace, neither hurried nor slow, as if to shake off the heavy air that clung to his shoulders.

When they reached the door to a small garden, Leslun opened it and stepped aside. Lady Miroi exited first, then waited for him.

He approached, and after glancing around the area, Lady Miroi spoke.

“Thank you.”

The words were more ordinary than he had expected. Yet Leslun couldn’t meet her eyes, shaking his head instead.

“I do not deserve those words.”

His insides throbbed. After all, it was he who had kidnapped her.

Count Robert Camilo may have ordered it, but the fact remained that he had harmed Lady Miroi for the sake of his own safety.

He knew all too well that granting her a chance to escape did not erase his crime.

“From the beginning, the command was wrong. I knew it clearly. And still, I obeyed. I hesitated, but I locked you away, my Lady. For me to accept words of gratitude would be unforgivable.”

Speaking each word, Leslun felt certain he would carry the weight of repentance toward her for the rest of his life. But Lady Miroi did not seem to take his words as he expected.

“That was your courage.”

Leslun raised his head.

“To make another choice, in the final moment, when you stood in a place bound by orders. No one else told me to flee. No one else even dared to unfasten the shackles. But you did.”

Lady Miroi drew her gaze away for a moment, looking toward the garden.

“For someone like me, who had lived her whole life within safe walls, that day became a memory I will never forget.”

Her voice carried softly. It was an unforgettable experience not only for Lady Miroi, but for Leslun as well.

Even with her forgiveness, Leslun’s heart remained heavy.

“It felt as if someone had thrown a stone into the still waters of my life. Perhaps my decision to trust you was born of that same impulsive stir.”

Her voice was quiet, but filled with conviction.

“Because of you, I came to realize one certain truth—there are people in this world who act on more than duty alone.”

Leslun could not speak. His chest ached, and something long repressed seemed to seep out through the cracks.

“I merely… made a choice.”

His words escaped with difficulty, yet even to him they sounded hollow. Still, Lady Miroi nodded.

“That choice was precious to me. Thank you, Leslun.”

For the first time, Lady Miroi spoke his name.

That she knew exactly who he was—Leslun found himself looking at her without thinking.

The eyes he had always avoided finally met hers, and in them, he saw her sincerity.

Duty and guilt, and a human warmth long suppressed, crossed paths.

For the first time, Leslun received her smile directly.

It was as if a seed had been planted somewhere in his heart—a seed of hope, that perhaps the future could change.

And over that fierce emotion, the image of the Crown Prince flickered in his mind.

***

By the time Leslun returned to the corridor and entered his chamber, his face had gone beyond pale to the point where his veins stood out vividly.

The door closed, and with the realization that he was alone at last, the fragile balance he had barely maintained collapsed. Leslun crumpled to the floor, exhaling a ragged breath.