The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 6.2
His mouth hung open, refusing to close. He wanted to leave immediately, but though his fingers twitched with the urge, his body only grew stiffer.
“Wherever I took you, you looked as if you might die, so I thought—when you woke up, I’d at least hear your last words myself.”
His tone was flat, almost monotonous.
“And honestly, the idea of keeping you alive any longer amuses me. I find myself curious how far you’ll go.”
A smile curved at his lips, but his eyes did not laugh.
“Why do you keep collapsing, I wonder?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I asked for the reason.”
“I’m sor—…”
“You’re impossible to talk to. Robin!”
At last, Kailos’s voice rose as he called for someone. Soon, the sound of bootsteps followed.
“No matter what I say, you’ll only reply with ‘I’m sorry,’ won’t you? Then I’ll leave this to you. Handle it as you see fit.”
Robin, receiving the order, gave a small nod.
“They say you haven’t eaten. Did no one make sure he was fed?”
What entered his view now was not the lavish garments of a royal but a plain, confining uniform. It was the same uniform he had seen before fainting.
This man, too, was an aide. He served someone else, yes, but did the same kind of work. That realization loosened, if only faintly, the tightness in Leslun’s face.
The Crown Prince, however, continued to stare at him with an indifferent expression.
Leslun, unaware of that gaze, was instead mulling over Robin’s words.
He could hardly remember the last time he ate. Even after being released from prison and treated, even after meeting the Crown Prince, he hadn’t once had the presence of mind to feed himself. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but his own.
“Since you’ve woken, I’ve had them prepare something light, nothing burdensome. But food isn’t the only issue here.”
His tone was methodical, as though ticking through tasks one at a time. Kailos seemed used to it, unbothered. Leslun, however, was not.
Despite his dazed state, he strained to catch every word, clenching his fists, forcing his eyes wide open, unwilling to miss a single detail.
“I’ll need your answer to the problem you were given.”
Robin checked a watch he drew from his breast pocket.
“Ah.”
The Crown Prince had given Leslun two days. And while he was unconscious, those two days had passed.
“I’d like your answer quickly. We have visitors waiting.”
“Tell them to come another time.”
Kailos cut in, sounding annoyed. Robin’s composure cracked.
“That isn’t so simple, Your Highness.”
“What could possibly be difficult? I am the Crown Prince of the Empire.”
“The visitors are none other than Her Majesty the Empress, and the Duke.”
Leslun hunched his shoulders. Titans of the Empire were waiting in the same place.
“…And what of it? It’s not as if I’m the one dragging that baggage in here.”
“This is no time for wordplay, Your Highness.”
“And it’s no crisis, either.”
Caught between the Crown Prince and Robin’s sharp tug-of-war, Leslun found it increasingly unbearable to remain in the room.
“In any case, I’ve prepared several strategies. We’ll select whichever is most appropriate—”
Robin was leafing through papers of uncertain origin when he felt a light tap at his back. He turned.
“What is it?”
“The problem I was shown before I fainted. I… have a solution in mind. May I answer now?”
Not only Robin, but even Crown Prince Kailos, who until then had looked utterly disinterested, turned to stare at Leslun. The faint, steady rhythm of his own breath seemed to hitch in his throat.
He had no desire to interrupt, but this matter involved him—he couldn’t avoid it.
He couldn’t waste time on appearances either. More than anything, he wanted to voice his solution and escape this suffocating chamber.
The weight of their stares pressed more heavily upon his face.
“You were summoned for your answer. Then explain it again.”
Robin opened the documents before him, but Leslun gave a small shake of his head.
“I can answer now.”
What he carried in his mind was enough. Besides, the two of them had said they were pressed for time.
Robin, however, did not accept his intent so easily.
“All you did was glance at it briefly before fainting. And you’ve only just woken—what answer could you possibly give—”
“Robin.”
Kailos’s quiet call cut him off.
“…Speak.”
Leslun steadied his breath.
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