The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 64.1
Leslun did not fully understand the Crown Prince’s meaning, but he could feel the weight behind it.
He could somewhat guess at what he meant by saying, “It won’t harm you.”
Trying to gauge what Kailos had left unsaid, Leslun cautiously asked,
“Your Highness… are you worried about me attending the academy?”
Kailos did not answer. He only gave a slight shake of his head.
Before, he would have said “No” firmly, but this time he did not. He merely narrowed his eyes and looked at Leslun.
“It’s not that I’m worried…”
After a brief pause, Kailos spoke in a low voice.
“I’m worried that you’ll get sick again because you work too hard. Do you even know what time it is right now? Were you planning to head to the academy right after finishing these documents at sunrise? Hm?”
The words poured out like a scolding, and Leslun’s eyes widened slightly.
“Do you even realize that taking on hardships you don’t need to is your biggest flaw?”
It was the kind of nagging he had never even heard from his own parents. Leslun felt light-headed.
For now, he nodded slightly.
He knew this about himself very well. But he also knew that if he worked a little more, prepared a little more in advance, things might turn out less badly.
He had lived believing that such effort was not wasted. But Kailos was telling him it was.
As the moonlight was covered by clouds, the room darkened. Now, it was impossible not to notice how late it had become.
Kailos turned away.
“If you’re going to be late finishing your work, at least come and tell me.”
The words sounded curt, yet strangely warm. Leslun rose from his seat to see him off, but Kailos raised his hand to stop him.
“Just go to sleep.”
Worried that Leslun might keep working, Kailos gathered up all the documents Leslun had been organizing.
“These are confiscated.”
Without meaning to, Leslun gave him a regretful look, but Kailos left the room without hesitation.
Only after he had gone did Leslun look around the room.
How many times had the Crown Prince visited the room of a mere aide now?
That thought led to an unintended mistake when he later saw Robin a few hours afterward.
“Does His Highness secretly visit your room as well, Robin?”
“…What?”
***
The atmosphere in the Crown Prince’s banquet hall felt strangely heavy today.
Leslun kept his head down and moved his utensils carefully. He worried that even the sound of his fork and knife might reach the Crown Prince’s ears.
“…”
Fortunately, it seemed Kailos did not hear the sound Leslun made. But that was all, he simply kept picking up his fork and setting it back down again without eating.
“You insisted we all eat breakfast together, yet why aren’t you eating? Have you lost your appetite?”
Robin, seated on the other side, finally asked. Originally, this was a meal meant only for the aides, but at some point, Kailos had begun joining them, turning it into a three-person affair.
And now that Kailos acted as though he had no intention of eating, Robin could no longer hold back and spoke up.
“You both seem quieter than usual today, too.”
Even the light remark seemed to drag on oddly.
Kailos gave no reaction, and Leslun lowered his gaze slightly.
“N-no, it’s not that…”
Leslun murmured softly, but his voice lacked strength.
He felt so burdened that he wanted to leave the table altogether. The events of earlier that morning came to mind again.
“For saying that, neither of you look like you have much of an appetite.”
Robin spoke calmly as he spread some cold jam.
“His Highness is hardly eating, and Aide Leslun’s fingers look tense.”
At that, Leslun flinched and unconsciously hid his injured hand under the table. Kailos’s gaze shifted for just an instant as he noticed.
“It’s nothing.”
Kailos spoke quietly, his voice low and firm.
It was a simple statement, but it carried the weight of an unspoken order to drop the subject.
But Robin did not back down. He smiled faintly and raised his cup.
“It really is nothing special that His Highness keeps visiting his aide’s room.”
“…”
“Though I suppose he’s never once visited my room.”
Leslun could not lift his head. This was his fault.
He had never needed to ask in the first place. It wasn’t as though this was the first time the Crown Prince had appeared silently before him — he could have just adapted to it. But instead, he had asked…
Unlike Leslun, Kailos’s expression did not change.
“I wasn’t there to hear a report.”
Just as Leslun wondered what he meant, Kailos added,
“I went to ask if he returned safely.”
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