The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 36.2
Leslun was soon caught in a new dilemma. He hesitated, unsure whether he should report everything honestly to the Crown Prince.
When Prince Tarensiu extended his arm, the hawk instantly shifted its course and alighted upon his wrist.
The moment its sleek, steel-like talons lightly touched the prince’s arm, its feathers rippled in the wind. The sight was like that of a trained knight and his sword—moving in perfect harmony.
A colossal hawk, and a towering prince.
“It followed.”
Prince Tarensiu extended his arm toward Leslun, as though to let him see the hawk more clearly.
Whether his words meant the hawk was watching or simply accompanying, Leslun couldn’t be certain. But considering the fact that this man was the Crown Prince, it was surely closer to simple companionship.
He was not the debauched second prince, after all.
“It observes.”
The prince spoke again—two short words. How was one meant to interpret them?
The hawk, soaring high above, could look down with a vast view. It could better detect those who lurked with ill intent.
That meant its presence also carried the purpose of protection and defense.
From those words, Leslun realized something else: the Crown Prince before him was deliberately speaking ambiguously, wanting to be mistaken for Prince Tarensiu’s second prince.
He likely didn’t know Leslun had caught on. And Leslun had no intention of spoiling his effort to play another’s role.
It didn’t feel like his place to do so.
“What a magnificent bird.”
And so, Leslun chose to see him only as Prince Tarensiu.
Ah. Perhaps that was why nothing untoward had happened until now, he thought.
“What sort of man is the Crown Prince?”
As Leslun was studying the hawk, his gaze shifted to Prince Tarensiu when the question was posed. Coming from a prince of another kingdom, it was not something he could take lightly.
Depending on his answer, it could give rise to countless interpretations—or even misunderstandings about the Crown Prince.
“His Highness Crown Prince Kailos Delroi is…”
Leslun trailed off.
He was no different from how he had appeared in the book. Willful, and often spiteful.
That was not all. At times, his coldness was so chilling it sent shivers down Leslun’s spine. He was someone one could never afford to let their guard down around. And yet, to call him a cruel man would also be inaccurate.
Moreover, if Leslun gave the Crown Prince a bad impression in the eyes of this foreign prince, it might cause some unfortunate consequences. He recalled that in the original story, the two had been on poor terms, which only made the weight heavier on his heart.
He didn’t want to be the one to fan the flames of Kailos’s infamy.
After a long silence, he carefully opened his mouth.
“It would be best to meet him in person.”
By which he meant that there was nothing he himself could say.
The Crown Prince’s eyes deepened at that.
“So he is that vile man?”
The unexpected question startled Leslun into looking up.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant.”
He raised a hand quickly in denial, continuing with caution.
“At times, he can be cold—frighteningly so. But it is not out of mere mood. It depends on the situation…”
Leslun faltered, choosing his words carefully, then lowered his gaze.
“He does not treat me carelessly.”
Somehow, it felt like he had just misspoken.
The Crown Prince quarreled with his aide Robin nearly every day, yet one could tell he held a deep affection for him. When Robin died, he had grieved deeply.
It was something the book had never fully conveyed. Seeing it firsthand, Leslun realized that Kailos’s care for others was both his greatest weakness and his greatest strength.
“He is… a good man.”
Leslun was surprised at himself for saying it aloud, for voicing what he truly felt.
He knew very well who that man was. More frightening even than Count Robert Camilo, whom he had once served.
Why, then, did he call him a good man?
Was it because of what happened at the Academy?
He recalled that moment when an impossible impulse had spread through his chest—the instant his eyes had met Kailos’s. He had been seized by an emotion he could not understand.
No.
He could not be certain yet. The Crown Prince had never given a wicked order.
The decision settled in his heart left him at ease. Perhaps he had unconsciously been swayed by Kailos’s own words—that he intended to be a good man.
At that moment, the prince, who until now had only been listening silently, spoke again.
“Blonde?”
“Ah, His Highness the Crown Prince’s hair is jet-black…”
As Leslun dutifully began describing his appearance, puzzled by the question, a strangely sharp current brushed across his back.
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