The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 4.2
Leslun unconsciously clenched his fists tight.
The Crown Prince was different from Count Camilo, whom he had served until now. Even if his words sounded light, they could not simply be brushed off—they carried a tension that made people wary.
The Count would kill everyone around Leslun, but the Crown Prince could wipe out the entire Camilo domain without leaving so much as a blade of grass. That was why he could not afford to let down his guard.
“The ability to faithfully carry out the Count’s orders, the heart to let Lady Miroi escape in the end, and the boldness to bargain so brazenly—you are quite amusing.”
Amusing? Was it truly amusing to him?
“I think I’ll have to make use of that ability for myself.”
At last, Leslun began to understand why the Crown Prince had spared his life.
He had to force down the nausea that rose in his chest. He had survived, but perhaps this was not salvation—it was punishment.
His fate had been swept into a new current. Having fallen into the grasp of someone even more dangerous, he could not begin to imagine what filthy deeds he would be ordered to commit.
“Withdraw.”
“…Pardon?”
The command was unexpected. A hollow relief, almost unbelievable, welled up in him.
Before the Crown Prince could change his mind, Leslun hastily lifted his body from the floor, offered another bow, and turned to leave. The Crown Prince’s heavy gaze pressed down on him, making him want to hurry, but there was nothing he could do—his feet, still healing from frostbite, had not yet fully recovered.
***
Even after the footsteps faded, Kailos continued to think of the frail young man who had just left.
From beginning to end, his appearance had been nothing remarkable. Not terribly ugly, but in this castle there were plenty of aides more handsome, and so in Kailos’s eyes, Leslun looked all the more lacking.
Even if that shaggy hair were trimmed and oiled, even if he were bathed daily in rosewater, the result would not be much different.
“Why did you not mention it?”
A man stepped out from the corner—his face so handsome it could not even be compared to Leslun’s.
With precise, disciplined movements, he placed the documents he carried onto Kailos’s desk. Though dressed in a stifling high-collared formal uniform, there was no hint of discomfort in his demeanor.
“Mention what?”
“That he received treatment from a physician who serves only the Imperial family. Had it not been for that, he likely would not be walking on two feet at all. If he had known, he would surely have been overwhelmed with gratitude.”
“That is why I dislike it.”
“…Dislike it?”
Robin, the chief aide, repeated the words as though unable to understand his lord.
“Did you not see just now? His feet are covered in scars, yet he shows no sign of it. Do you think someone like that would bow their head just because of who treated him?”
To Kailos, the man named Leslun was surprisingly steadfast compared to his plain exterior. Even with death before him, he had not let slip a single desperate plea.
Even after revealing that he had freed Lady Miroi, he had not once begged to be spared using that as an excuse.
“Perhaps he has good instincts. Or perhaps it was mere chance.”
Kailos let out a cold sneer.
It was indeed Count Camilo who had abducted Lady Miroi. But behind him, watching it all unfold, had been Kailos himself.
“He disrupted Your Highness’s plan. If you do not intend to recruit him, it would be better to eliminate him.”
Keep him, or discard him. Robin offered a simple choice, but Kailos shook his head.
“He must not be killed yet. She would dislike that.”
Kailos furrowed his brow. He could not ignore the request of the princess who had saved him.
“I lost one, but I gained another—so it is no loss.”
The benefit he had hoped to extract by abducting Lady Miroi was gone. Yet, because he had received her request directly, it was not a complete failure either.
As Leslun had said, it was not something to be grateful for—but it was true that he had obtained a better opportunity than expected.
“Put him to the test.”
“If he fails, shall I kill him?”
“What shall we do…”
Kailos imagined Leslun’s neck being severed. That slender neck, the body collapsing as the blade struck…
And only then did he notice something worthwhile in that otherwise unimpressive man.
“Let him try and wriggle out on his own.”
That pale skin looked as though it would suit crimson blood well.
“Etchoo!”
Leslun’s sudden sneeze echoed down the empty corridor as he hurried along, but the sound faded before it could reach the Crown Prince’s office.
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