The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 24.1
Of course, Robin had spoken out of concern for Kailos, but Kailos found himself thinking of someone else—someone who had been carrying Blue in his arms every single day lately.
…Surely Robin wasn’t thinking of the same person?
Pushing aside the thought, Kailos handed over the document he had been studying intently to Robin.
“We’ll know soon enough, just by watching.”
“Your Highness.”
“If there’s any reaction at all, it will yield us plenty of information.”
“Wouldn’t you agree? “His voice was calm and even as always, but that very calmness made Robin uneasy.
It didn’t sit right with him—that Kailos had fastened the necklace simply because Blue wouldn’t die from it. It felt no different from Empress Tera using Blue for her own son’s sake.
“Why? Are you worried he’ll be hurt?”
“I cannot say I feel at ease.”
“My aide is too softhearted to be working in the Imperial Palace.”
Kailos’s tone carried a kind of exasperated amusement at his aide’s tenderness.
“How do you expect to survive this harsh life in the palace with such a heart?”
“If Your Highness truly worries, then let me go. I’ll return home right away, before this soft heart of mine gets bruised…”
“Home can wait. We have somewhere to go.”
Robin, unable to guess their destination, quickly scanned through the documents Kailos had been reviewing. Only then did he realize what the Crown Prince had been looking at.
“…It can’t be.”
“Wake Leslun and bring him along.”
Kailos gazed toward the slowly rising sun with a look of anticipation.
“I must go and see what is mine.”
He thought of the sweet fruit that the Empress had so greedily desired for herself. A faint smile touched Kailos’s face.
***
Even now, the fact that he had slept and awoken in the Crown Prince’s bedchamber weighed heavily on Leslun’s heart. Yet his body felt light. After tidying the bed, he stepped out of the room, and—as befitted the residence of the Crown Prince—the corridor outside was quiet.
Wondering where Crown Prince Kailos and Robin might be at this hour, a single destination came immediately to mind. Adjusting his path toward the conference hall, he soon spotted two familiar figures at the far end of the corridor.
Leslun halted his steps and moved aside.
Kailos cast him a glance but did not stop walking. As the two passed by, Leslun fell in step behind them at once.
He intended to properly convey his thanks for the Crown Prince’s healing.
“How are you feeling now?”
“I am well. Thank you for your concern.”
“That is good. And…”
Robin looked as though he wanted to say more, but his gaze brushed over Blue instead, and he let out a short, quiet sigh. Leslun could not tell what it meant, but he chose not to ask and simply followed along.
The Crown Prince proceeded straight to the colonnade leading outside. At its end lay the small garden entrance where carriages stopped.
The marble floor was spotless, and neat rows of trimmed hedges and olive trees surrounded the space. Grooms and servants moved about busily, yet none dared address the Crown Prince directly.
Without a word, Kailos entered the carriage that awaited him. The next carriage, Leslun thought, would be for himself and Robin.
But no such carriage came. Leslun’s expression turned puzzled, though Robin showed no surprise.
“Do not take your eyes off Blue today.”
Robin whispered the cryptic warning as he placed a hand against Leslun’s back. It wasn’t a shove, but there was no room to resist or refuse—Leslun found himself naturally guided toward the carriage door.
Before he had the chance to glance back, his foot was already on the step. His toe caught the edge of the smooth platform.
There was no time to marvel at the spacious interior. As soon as Robin climbed in behind him, the door shut and the carriage jolted into motion.
While Leslun puzzled over why he had been made to board, Kailos’s gaze flicked toward him and Blue, a faint amusement in his eyes.
“Your face has improved a great deal.”
“I am grateful for Your Highness’s grace.”
“You should be grateful. It is rare indeed for an aide to be carried in my arms while ill.”
Rare? No—unheard of. To be embraced by the Crown Prince… even for Leslun, it had been a first.
“Sit down.”
Kailos gestured toward the empty seat. Leslun hesitated. He had no wish to draw attention to himself, but there was no escaping within the carriage.
“You’ve never ridden in the same carriage as the Count, have you?”
The question suggested Kailos understood exactly why Leslun faltered. In truth, Leslun had never once ridden beside the Count.
When the Count traveled in his splendid carriage, Leslun followed behind in a small supply wagon. He had always accepted that as natural—so natural that now, before the Crown Prince, he didn’t even know where he ought to sit.
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