The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away

Kailos furrowed his brow with a trace of discomfort he couldn’t name.

“Thank you for coming such a long way, Prince Tarensiu.”

With Kailos’s greeting, the conversation began.

As he watched Prince Tarensiu, Leslun suddenly wondered about something.

The Prince’s speech was short. Would it remain so even before the Crown Prince? That worried him a little.

Prince Tarensiu set down his teacup and spoke.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Leslun blinked rapidly, twice. Just a moment ago, the Prince’s words had seemed strung together awkwardly, little more than a list of terms. But the polite greeting that had just left his mouth was smooth and flawless.

“For the Prince to have arrived so early, I sense his dedication to the Academy must be quite remarkable.”

Kailos added the words with layered meaning as he received the Prince’s thanks.

From the start, the circumstances behind this meeting had not been smooth. Even roughly estimating the travel time from the Kingdom of Vancor to the Empire, it was impossible to have arrived in just three days after receiving a letter.

In other words, the Prince must have already been on his way. With his words, the Crown Prince hinted that if Tarensiu gave no explanation, he was free to interpret the matter however he liked.

“I received the admission letter.”

It seemed someone had spoken to Prince Tarensiu about the Academy beforehand. As Leslun was wondering who that might be, his vision caught sight of someone clenching a tight fist.

It was Robin. Normally calm and unreadable, his reaction showed just how serious this matter was.

“This wasn’t in the original story either.”

Leslun had thought that since the Academy had a new head, the plot would change. But he had not expected that to mean the Crown Prince of Vancor himself would appear.

What would happen if it became known that he had even concealed his identity to enter? That thought worried him.

There was nothing Leslun could do but watch closely, straining his nerves so he wouldn’t miss a single detail.

“If your thoughts change after touring the Academy, you may return whenever you wish.”

Kailos offered a simple way to untangle the twisted situation. From the start, he had a certain vision of the Academy in mind, and the Prince’s presence was not part of it.

Even Leslun thought it would be best if the Crown Prince of Vancor simply returned to his Kingdom.

Prince Tarensiu did not answer immediately, as though considering Kailos’s suggestion. His expressionless face seemed so unfamiliar, it was hard to believe he was the same person Leslun had once shared cake with.

At length, Prince Tarensiu made his decision.

“I will enroll.”

For a moment, it felt as if their eyes truly met—or was that just an illusion?

Kailos’s practiced, diplomatic smile vanished.

“If the Prince enrolls, the essence of the Academy will be blurred. If you are prepared to bear that weight, then so be it.”

Even Kailos hadn’t expected his words alone to send Prince Tarensiu back home. So though he let his words fall lightly, they carried an undertone of pressure.

“What kind of Academy do you wish to create?”

Despite Kailos’s assertion that he would only be an obstacle, Prince Tarensiu remained calm and steady. Kailos’s expression never eased.

“A place of learning untouched by power.”

Kailos invoked a condition that Prince Tarensiu could never possibly fulfill.

Birth was no one’s choice. He had merely been born and found himself a Prince. And so, the Academy Kailos envisioned was an ideal forever beyond Tarensiu’s reach, no matter how desperately he tried.

“In that sense, it seems the Prince has more to do in the Kingdom than here at the Academy.”

His meaning was clear: do not waste time idling here. Bear your destiny and move forward.

And that was not the end of it.

“Still, since fate has brought us together, I look forward to the radiant future that awaits the Prince in his Kingdom.”

His tone carried the nuance that even if Tarensiu could not leave right now, eventually he would. Kailos was, in effect, gently coaxing him.

Let’s not do this here. Let’s not trouble each other.

Though Leslun had not known him long, he thought the Crown Prince was surprisingly meticulous in his persuasion.

The Prince’s very existence had no political utility for Kailos. What Leslun heard was a refusal that was both firm and kind.

Surely, Prince Tarensiu would understand his meaning even better. Yet the Prince did not bend.

“My radiant future is here. I will never oppress anyone with power.”

Was he truly that oblivious—or was he only pretending not to notice?

***

It was not only people who watched the clash between Kailos and Tarensiu.

On the windowsill sat a cat and a hawk, side by side, a strangely fitting pair. The tiny, adorable kitten and the unusually massive, intimidating hawk were nothing alike, yet each time the Crown Prince or the Prince spoke, both heads turned in unison.

As the two quarreled—“Go back to your country.” “No, I refuse.”—Blue’s eyes took on a brusque edge.