The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 45.1
No sound came from within. Leslun considered knocking again, but instead, he grasped the doorknob.
Since the Crown Prince had asked for him, it should be fine to go in before hearing a reply.
When Leslun opened the door and entered, the attendant who had vanished earlier appeared again and promptly shut the door behind him.
“Your Highness?”
Leslun glanced around the room, searching for the Crown Prince. The only light came from a few lit candles, leaving the chamber dim.
“Where are you?”
“I am here.”
When he instinctively turned toward the voice, Leslun silently froze in surprise. He had found where the Crown Prince was, yet for some reason his feet refused to move forward.
“……Your Highness?”
“If you can’t hear me well, why don’t you come closer and speak?”
Kailos lay on the bed, draped with red lace curtains, beckoning him closer.
Leslun was no stranger to the Crown Prince’s chambers. More than that, he had even lain in that very bed before, receiving treatment and resting.
But this was the first time he had seen those red lace curtains. Though the room was familiar, it somehow looked different, and a strange tension filled the air.
The overly blatant atmosphere made cold sweat trickle down his back.
“What are you doing there?” Leslun asked stiffly.
“What else? I was waiting for you, Leslun.”
Kailos called his name with a gentle tone.
“Leslun, I stayed awake, waiting for you……”
He broke off mid-sentence, faintly furrowing his brow at some unspoken thought. Leslun, unable to read his expression, remained silent.
Yet strangely enough, just standing there as usual, the mood made his whole body feel restless and prickly.
“I don’t like it.”
At the sudden negative remark, Leslun flinched.
“You’ll have to come see me often from now on, but I can’t keep having my attendants sneak you in every time.”
Though he didn’t understand, Leslun listened carefully to the Crown Prince’s words.
“Next time, why don’t you just signal me openly where Robin is present? That way, we’d need a discreet signal between us.”
The words Is that even necessary? rose to the tip of his tongue.
He wanted to ask what business the two of them could possibly have without Aide Robin present, but he swallowed it down firmly. He felt that if he voiced it, matters would snowball beyond what he could handle.
Meanwhile, Kailos let his tongue play idly with whatever came to mind.
“Leslun, Leslun, Lessi, Leni, Len, Levit, Lun.”
Was he trying to invent a pet name? Even his parents had stopped calling him by nicknames once he grew older, and now Leslun’s face burned with discomfort.
Oblivious to Leslun’s unease, Kailos kept trying different variations of his name, calling him this way and that.
“Hmm. None of them roll off the tongue.”
Kailos propped his chin on his hand, his gaze wandering lazily.
“While I’m thinking about it, why don’t you also come up with a nickname for me?”
“……That won’t be necessary.”
How could he dare address the Crown Prince of the Empire with a pet name? The very idea was utterly disrespectful.
Leslun had no desire to do such a thing.
He couldn’t fathom why the Crown Prince was acting this way. If it were like the other day, when Kailos brought him to the study, that would make more sense.
But regardless of Leslun’s confusion, Kailos, as always, interpreted his silence however he pleased.
“I’m glad you’re fine with it. For the record, it can be very long if you like. Dazzlingly Beautiful Kailos would be perfectly acceptable. Call me whatever you wish.”
“Just addressing you as Your Highness the Crown Prince is more than sufficient……”
Besides, titles for the Crown Prince already abounded throughout the Empire.
The Empire’s Little Sun, its Radiant Jewel, its New Light……
And the Prodigal of the Century.
That last one, he had only read in a novel—but it was still a title referring to the Crown Prince.
Leslun’s thoughts began straying further and further away. This conversation was becoming increasingly burdensome.
Could it be that the Crown Prince summoned him just to create a private form of address, used only between the two of them?
Leslun imagined calling him “Dazzlingly Beautiful Kailos” in front of Aide Robin. His fingers curled instantly in embarrassment.
“Then let’s negotiate. For example, if I say ‘moonlight,’ you say ‘starlight.’ How about that?”
At the absurd proposal, Leslun turned his head slightly aside. Whatever it was, he could only ever call him by one title.
“Leslun.”
As though reading his thoughts, Kailos sat up slightly. He picked up the wineglass resting on the side table and swirled it in slow circles. The wine inside stirred into a small whirlpool.
Kailos lifted the glass to his lips and tipped it back slowly. But his gaze remained fixed on Leslun.
“A name that’s easy to call is necessary. Once it becomes familiar on the tongue…… one can’t help but call it often.”
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