The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 4.1
Hesitating over whether he dared step inside, Leslun noticed a man standing by the door give him a look that seemed to say come in.
It wasn’t the Crown Prince—it was someone Leslun had never seen before.
Just as the Count always had a knight escorting him at all times, this man must be the same for the Crown Prince. More frightening than the man’s angular face was the sword at his waist, so Leslun quickly moved inside.
Once he was able to take in the room in detail, Leslun could not help but marvel again. None of the decorations, tables, or sofas were ordinary. Even if this were given to him as payment for his labor, he would never feel cheated for having seen such precious things.
And among them, the most precious of all was surely the one seated on the chair inlaid with gold and jewels.
Wow…
His mouth fell open on its own.
The Crown Prince’s appearance under the bright light was worlds apart from what Leslun had seen in the gloomy underground prison.
They said no flower could compare to the Crown Prince in beauty, and no jewel could shine as brightly as he did.
So straightforward were the metaphors praising the Crown Prince that even children could understand them, and they spread throughout the Empire.
More beautiful than flowers blooming by the hand of God, more radiant than gems that would glitter for an eternity—such praise seemed excessive for a human destined to live at most a hundred years.
Only upon seeing him in person did Leslun realize how narrow his own prejudice had been. Though human, the Crown Prince seemed like someone from another world.
His jet-black hair looked as though it trapped the light, and his radiant face was even more sublime than it had appeared in the prison.
The graceful brows, the deep eyes beneath them, the high nose, and even the red lips—there was nothing that wasn’t a masterpiece. The Crown Prince’s very existence revealed that humans, too, were one of God’s creations.
Now dressed in lighter garments, he exuded an even more sacred, unapproachable aura.
The Crown Prince’s lips, red as pomegranate as though drenched in divine favor, parted.
“How is it, seeing my face? Does it compare to a flower?”
At the thorns hidden within that mellifluous voice, Leslun immediately fell to his knees.
“My apologies.”
For any reason, to gaze directly upon a royal’s face was forbidden. For that alone, he would deserve whatever punishment came. He had already met the Crown Prince once, and yet had foolishly lost himself in awe.
“You, on the other hand, look utterly unimpressive even in the light.”
Oddly enough, those words were a relief. He had no desire to draw the Crown Prince’s attention with his appearance.
Well, if His Highness had intended to toy with him, he would not have been brought here openly to the bedchamber in the first place.
“I heard nothing of you for so long, I thought you would at least have been washed clean before being brought. Or perhaps you lost your way?”
Realizing that the Crown Prince had heard of his every move, Leslun grew even more tense. Sweat pooled in the palms pressed to the floor, forcing him to clench his fists, but he could not hide the trembling.
“How does it feel to have saved your life with that clever tongue of yours?”
“I thank Your Highness for your grace.”
His voice cracked like rusted metal, perhaps from keeping his mouth shut so long.
“Yes, you should be grateful. Since it was my curiosity that spared you, you should be all the more thankful.”
From Kailos’s indifferent tone, Leslun could sense that not a single one of his curiosities had yet been satisfied.
“The Count Camilo I’ve observed is a man of little ability but great greed.”
Even hearing slander against the very lord he had served until yesterday, Leslun could not react. To speak up would only see his head roll.
And since he already knew Count Robert Camilo was a villain, there wasn’t even room for protest.
“Yet surprisingly, that man managed to get things done rather well.”
The Crown Prince’s guarded words were starting to peel away.
“The tasks Count Camilo ordered… you were the one who carried them out, weren’t you?”
Leslun squeezed his eyes shut. The orders may have come from the Count, but following them did not absolve him of guilt.
“I ask only to confirm. If it was some other aide and not you, you may say so.”
Would that give him some sort of chance? Even so, it would not erase the deeds he had committed…
“It was… me.”
With that reluctant admission, the corners of Kailos’s lips relaxed softly.
“Good. Honesty suits you. I was just considering whether to send you back down after all.”
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