The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away

“It’s always the secretary who corners someone else while putting all the blame on me.”

At the Crown Prince’s muttered words, Leslun’s body froze. The sudden tension sent a stab of pain shooting through the soles of his feet, nearly making him collapse, but he forced himself to endure it.

“Look at him. Doesn’t he flinch?”

“Tsk.”

Leslun swallowed hard, struggling to suppress his trembling.

He’s watching me.

Though he told himself he had to endure, one of his legs buckled, making him sway. His mind felt like it was being covered in a thick fog.

“And I haven’t even laid a finger on him, yet he’s this frail…”

At the Crown Prince’s tone of displeasure, Leslun hastily straightened his faltering leg. Whatever his circumstances, there was no one here who would sympathize or understand.

“Before you collapse, deliver it quickly.”

“Yes, understood.”

So that’s why the secretary had come here as well. A pair of spotless shoes appeared before Leslun.

“Take this.”

Leslun accepted the document the secretary held out. As his eyes skimmed the densely written words, he froze in shock.

“It’s an official report listing your crimes.”

While Leslun stood mute with shock, the Crown Prince’s voice flowed out, sounding almost delighted.

“As you can see, with crimes of this magnitude, you should be put on the guillotine and have your neck chopped.”

Everything he had done under the Count’s orders was listed there. Worse still, there were even crimes he had never committed. His head spun.

“For the Count, erasing all those offenses with the cost of a single life—yours—would have been the simplest solution.”

Kailos’s voice rose theatrically.

“You must testify that you only acted on the Count’s orders. In addition, you’ll need to deal with this as well.”

Another document was placed on top of the one Leslun was holding. This time, it was something unfamiliar. Almost involuntarily, Leslun raised his head.

For the first time, he clearly saw the man standing before him. Though not to the Crown Prince’s level, his handsome features and air of refinement made it obvious he, too, was a noble.

“Originally, Leslun, you should be in prison.”

At the secretary’s words, Leslun bowed his head again.

He kept being spared, only to be condemned again. Even for someone as powerless as him, his heart was starting to pound violently. Since recalling his past life, it felt as if his very temperament had shifted.

Somehow, he could no longer focus on the voices of the two men who were weighing his life on a scale. The more he thought, the more his vision wavered.

“It was His Highness the Crown Prince who chose, on his own, to release you. But for that to be overlooked without consequence, justification is required.”

“Justification?”

“Precisely. For example, that you possess the ability to resolve a troublesome matter. Do you understand?”

Leslun realized what the document in his hands was. A kind of test—to see if he had value enough to be spared.

If he failed this test, his life would not remain intact. Perhaps because of the unspoken pressure, every word sank into his mind, yet he could not easily open his mouth.

Justification… Yes, that was exactly what he needed most.

A good excuse that would allow everything to end with him alone, without his family being touched. But he worried, would this really be settled cleanly with just his life?

“If I resolve this…”

Leslun paused, hesitating, wondering if he should go this far. But his resolve did not change.

“Would you grant me one condition?”

“How strange. As I recall, a condition was already set—that Your Highness would spare you. Is that not enough?”

Robin’s displeasure seeped into his voice. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince said nothing, the corner of his lips quirking upward as if he were enjoying the scene.

Despite the two men’s opposing reactions, Leslun did not back down. He wanted to stand firm and settle this somehow.

Perhaps he had endured too long—his breathing grew ragged.

“I will give you two days. By then, you must come up with a solution to this problem—”

For the first time, Robin faltered mid-sentence.

The frail man listening to him had collapsed sideways. As his body fell heavily to the floor, the papers in his hands scattered into loose sheets that fluttered down over him.