The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 44.1
With Brian’s graceful flick of the hand, the air in the room instantly froze.
Count Robert Camilo stared intently at the vial and asked quietly.
“What is this?”
Brian gave no immediate reply, only curling his lips into a meaningful smile. Instead, he rolled the vial lightly between his fingers as he answered.
“Some people make use of this sort of aid when they need just a little lift in spirits, or a brief rest. Doesn’t His Highness the Crown Prince look rather fatigued these days?”
A faint gleam lit Camilo’s eyes. Brian continued in a calm tone.
“Since he has recently accepted a guardian beast, his exhaustion must be considerable.”
Count Camilo had heard the rumors well enough. The hottest and most urgent talk circulating through the Imperial Palace right now was precisely about that mystical creature.
Unable to conceal his agitation, he clenched his fist tightly.
There was no going back under the Crown Prince now. The only way forward was for the Empress to decisively outpace him.
“If this were added to His Highness’s drink, perhaps he might set aside stray thoughts or other duties for a while. And in that gap, wouldn’t his aide naturally step away from his side as well?”
Camilo picked up the vial, lowering his voice as he asked:
“There aren’t any side effects, are there?”
Brian gave a short laugh, bowing his head slightly.
“Only temporary, and very mild. Let’s say… it merely diverts one’s focus elsewhere for a short time.”
At that answer, Camilo seemed thoroughly persuaded. He did not set the vial down again.
“Indeed, with such an opportunity, matters might be resolved far more easily.”
Their eyes met for a moment, and an odd air of conspiracy flowed between them.
“When will you put this into effect?”
“The soonest occasion… How about the Wisley Academy dedication ceremony?”
Resolve flashed in Camilo’s gaze.
***
Kailos Delroi lifted his eyes toward the sky beyond the window.
The heavens were clear after rain. Sunlight was warm, the air fresh—yet his brow was faintly furrowed.
“Leslun.”
What sort of being was he supposed to take him for?
At first, he had been nothing but insignificant.
It wasn’t that Leslun couldn’t speak, but his voice lacked force. His eyes were not dull, yet how many times had he truly met Kailos’s gaze properly?
And on top of that, he collapsed or fell ill at the slightest thing.
Kailos had thought him precariously unfit for the role of aide. But now…?
He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head.
That quiet expression concealing something elusive, the judgment hidden in his silences. And above all, that unexpectedness, those sudden, sharp insights that pierced from angles no one foresaw.
Just how much more was Leslun concealing beneath the surface? That question circled endlessly in Kailos’s mind.
[Pathetic.]
As Kailos let out a sigh, Blue’s light body dropped onto the desk with a soft tap.
In Leslun’s arms, Blue was endlessly endearing, but now she strutted across the desk with haughty steps before settling squarely in front of Kailos.
“If only Leslun could see you like this…”
Kailos showed his open disdain at her utterly un-cute behavior.
[You’d do better to look at yourself. Fool, who doesn’t even know what’s important.]
“If you’re only here to nag when I never chose you, then leave.”
At his low warning, Blue merely stretched out her body and replied with a yawn instead. Yet soon her sharp voice echoed again in his mind.
[Stop pretending to deliberate. Make your decision. Losing everything because you dither is the most pathetic of all.]
“I’ll handle it myself. I’m already tormenting my head enough with it, aren’t I?”
With a hand pressed to his forehead, Kailos sighed.
“Don’t say another word.”
[And who are you to order me? Or are you just trying to deflect?]
Kailos slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again. His gaze sharpened, narrowing like a blade. His pupils contracted and expanded, as keen as Blue’s own.
His fingers tapped the desk idly, but that brief motion carried a subtle warning.
“Do not interfere in my affairs again. If you must intrude, then become my cat.”
[You can’t face it, so you flee.]
“It’s not that—I’m telling you to make your stance clear…”
Kailos trailed off, as if giving up, and reached for a document lying to the side. The problem was—it was a report concerning Leslun.
In the end, he betrayed the fact that he could not shake thoughts of him.
“Emotions don’t matter.”
Kailos muttered the words under his breath.
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