The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away

Kailos’s voice was gentle, but his eyes were firm, as if to say he would not let Leslun go so easily.

Leslun let out a sigh. Someone like him, who didn’t even know the taste of cake, could hardly know what answer to give.

Sorting through five thousand sheets of documents would have been easier. Then, suddenly, something came to mind.

‘My family.’

He should ask him to save his family.

‘But that’s not the answer the Crown Prince wants.’

Right now, Kailos wanted to tease him. The Crown Prince was already sensitive about the subject of family, so this time Leslun felt he should match Kailos’s mood instead.

The fortunate thing was that Leslun always had something he instinctively wanted.

Leslun glanced around carefully. He worried that someone might pass by.

Considering what was about to happen, even checking two or three times wasn’t enough.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

After his meticulous check, Leslun finally seemed to steel himself, calling Kailos with firm resolve. Kailos, who had been watching his reactions all along, answered while holding back a laugh.

“What is it?”

“I never thought I’d say something like this, but…”

Leslun clasped his hands tightly together. Until now, it had been Kailos who had shaken him, but this time it was the opposite.

Before he knew it, Kailos had erased his smile, his face turning serious as he focused. If Leslun were to acknowledge his feelings and confess that he liked him, Kailos was prepared to gladly accept.

“You are someone special to me.”

“I understand. There are many who regard me as special. Could you be a little more specific?”

“You are the first person who treated someone like me, someone who is nothing, so kindly.”

“Then would Robin be the second? That’s not important, so…”

Somehow the conversation was flowing in a strange direction. Kailos tried to steer it back, but Leslun, lost in thought over what to say next, didn’t seem to notice his effort.

“When you said you wanted to become a good person, those words pierced my heart.”

“Well, I have treated you well all this time.”

Kailos decided to keep listening. Having let go of the urge to push forward his own way, even this moment began to feel amusing and delightful.

“And so I misunderstood. I thought… you were a good lord.”

If he had only ever regarded him as a lord, things would not have turned out like this. It had been wrong from the start. His mindset as the Count’s aide and as the Crown Prince’s aide were completely different.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, to me, you are…”

Kailos looked at him with eyes full of expectation. Overhead, hawks circled, and subtle movements stirred all around—but in Kailos’s world, only Leslun existed.

“…someone special.”

“All my effort has paid off, then.”

Kailos accepted it lightly. To be called special even before he had truly done anything for him—without a doubt, Leslun had taken a step closer.

Satisfied with that, Kailos took Leslun’s hand.

Leslun showed no overt surprise, but the tips of his eyebrows trembled slightly. Then his cheeks twitched, and his eyes fell downward.

Silent yet restless.

Leslun gave a small nod before locking eyes with Kailos directly. At last, he was ready to say the words he had long delayed.

He gathered his courage.

“I want to go to the library.”

A faint crack appeared in Kailos’s expression. Seeing it, Leslun quickly added,

“The library at the Academy is more than splendid enough.”

He knew the Crown Prince had taken personal care with it. And when he had actually visited, he had been amazed at how vast and wonderful it was. But that was separate. What Leslun longed for was the Imperial Library, standing in the heart of the capital.

And besides, it had been Kailos himself who asked him what he wanted to do.

“Then… what do you like, other than the library?”

“I don’t really know.”

“If every time I ask, you only say ‘the library,’ that’s going to be a problem…”

Kailos’s mutter was so quiet Leslun barely caught it. Still, when he saw the troubled look on his face, Leslun wondered if he should give another answer.

But when he tried to think of something else to say, nothing came to mind. If anything, what he wanted most was to reach out and take the Crown Prince’s hand.

“Isn’t there anywhere better than… the library?”

“Well… to me, the library is like a cake shop.”

Kailos looked at him, clearly puzzled, while Leslun’s eyes sparkled.