The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 51.1
Leslun looked at the unfamiliar clothes.
Instead of the plain, neutral uniform, there was a vest of subtle wine color, a coat adorned with elaborate gold buttons, and even a thin belt that wrapped around the waist. It was not only refined but carried a sense of dignity.
He ought to hurry and change, but his hand, reaching toward the clothes, kept hesitating.
“They say His Highness personally chose these.”
The attendant, carefully setting down a pair of polished shoes, added,
“He also instructed that your hair be brushed back, with the neckline exposed.”
Leslun hesitated, then drew in a breath.
‘This is an order.’
Muttering to himself inwardly, he reached out again. This time, without hesitation.
The moment he felt the touch of the fabric, a cold resolve rose from deep in his chest. Piece by piece, as he changed clothes, he shed the shell of a mere aide.
By the time he fastened the last button and stood before the mirror, a stranger stood there.
‘This doesn’t feel like me.’
Such splendid garments were unfamiliar.
Even the polished buttons, the lace brushing against his fingertips, all felt like something borrowed from someone else.
Lingering before the mirror, Leslun turned his gaze away. He had already put them on; there was no retreat.
At the appointed time, the attendant quietly opened the door.
Leslun drew a deep breath, then stepped forward.
Kailos, seated on the sofa with one arm draped over the armrest, did not turn his head, though he must have heard movement. Only when Leslun approached did he slowly lift his gaze.
The Crown Prince’s eyes traveled upward along the crimson-tinged hem. Leslun could not meet that gaze directly and turned his head aside.
“Hm. At least you look like a person.”
With the corners of his lips faintly raised, he rose. Then he slowly circled once around Leslun.
His eyes traced everything—the hem, the waistline, the nape, even the brushed-back hair—as though inspecting each one by one.
“Don’t be startled when I touch you.”
Before Leslun could even hold his breath, the Crown Prince’s fingertips brushed lightly against his shoulder.
Pretending to adjust the collar, his hand brushed along the line of the neck.
“Better suited than I expected.”
The low voice resonated by his ear. Leslun stiffened. Sensing him instinctively straighten his back, Kailos smiled.
“Do you know?”
With his fingertips, he leisurely toyed with the knot of Leslun’s belt. The leather’s distinctive friction sounded, and Leslun’s shoulders tensed.
“You must have put these on alone.”
Kailos’s voice dropped lower.
“You always do everything alone. That’s why you chose these clothes.”
He set his hand near Leslun’s waist and tugged the tie once, slowly. Air slipped in through the loosened fit, raising goosebumps.
“With just a pull like this, they come off quite easily.”
At the words whispered by his ear, Leslun forcibly swallowed a breath. He could not turn his head.
He hadn’t realized this outfit was made that way…
Kailos withdrew his hand and, as though nothing had happened, said,
“It means you’re not to take them off in front of others.”
Leslun let out a bewildered breath and managed to turn his head. The lingering warmth of Kailos’s touch continued to unsettle him.
Striding forward as if he had done nothing at all, Kailos remarked,
“Even that shy expression suits you rather well.”
Meeting Leslun’s eyes, he gave a smile that might have been playful, might have been sincere. Watching Leslun gradually melt under his deliberate kindness, an idea came to him.
“It would be best on the day of the entrance ceremony.”
Even when Leslun lifted innocent eyes toward him, Kailos smiled while concealing his hidden intent. Leslun would never know that he had chosen the ceremony as the day to teach him how harsh the world could be.
Kailos grasped Leslun’s wrist and slowly led him toward the entrance.
“On that day, just like now, keep your eyes only on me. Then you’ll come to understand on your own.”
He left the room first. Remaining behind, Leslun clutched the faintly trembling collar of his clothes. Why this sensation felt so strange and distant, he could not tell.
***
The day of the entrance ceremony.
Early in the morning, Leslun received a visitor.
Before him, Prince Tarensiu stood, blocking his path.
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