The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 67.1
Her voice was sharp. There was no trace of pity in it, not even the kind one might feel for a small animal.
“What do you mean…?”
“Do you think it was by chance that you were alone today?”
When she heard Cassian had been alone this morning, Empress Tera immediately sensed it was no coincidence.
“At this point, a spirit beast should have come to you. So call it.”
Cassian felt as though he could not breathe at her words. The spirit beast had already gone to his older brother, Kailos.
How was he supposed to call it back?
He also did not quite understand what she meant by luring it with an injured bird.
At that moment, the Empress quietly approached. She bent down until she was eye level with Cassian.
The face that had been as cold and harsh as an icy wind slowly softened, and she smiled gently.
“Cassian, my son…”
The Empress’s hand came to rest on his head. The more her delicate fingers stroked his hair, the more tangled emotions welled up in Cassian’s eyes.
“All you have to do is what I tell you. Then you will naturally be able to become Emperor.”
Her whisper was sweet, like a temptation. Cassian cautiously asked in return:
“Will Father be pleased too?”
At that question, the Empress’s eyes widened briefly before her face bloomed into a radiant smile.
“Of course.”
She said so and stroked his hair once more.
Her touch held affection, but entwined with it were dangerous expectations and obsession.
***
Outside the window, a cat that had been watching Empress Tera and Prince Cassian from a leafy branch gave its tail a little flick before turning its body.
With a light motion, Blue arrived at the Crown Prince’s Palace—specifically, Kailos’s office where he was working.
Without so much as waiting for the gilded doors to open, Blue slipped inside through the window as if it were its rightful entrance. Its steps were utterly unhesitating, as though this had always been its territory.
At the sight, Kailos turned his head and let out a short, derisive laugh.
“Shall I just make you your own private door?”
His voice was indifferent, yet the familiar ease in his tone could not be hidden. Blue paused at those words, then slowly lifted its head.
Golden eyes looked straight at Kailos.
One side was yearning to be loved, while the other was a human who had never even been loved and had dried up inside.
Perhaps that was why.
Kailos’s smile was like a stone wall with cracks in it — the shape was there, but no warmth remained.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Kailos set down the papers in his hand and frowned. His expression seemed wary, as if to say, “What are you plotting this time?”
Blue silently looked up at him.
Its gaze felt as though it were judging something.
Was it really the right choice to have entrusted Leslun to someone like this?
Just because you sprinkle a few drops of water on dry ground does not mean flowers will bloom.
Yet this man, oblivious to how barren he was inside, stood there with a stoic face and crossed arms.
“You were thinking of taking Leslun with you again, weren’t you?”
“Wretched spirit beast.”
At Kailos’s muttered words, Blue slapped its tail against the floor.
Ever since the hawk from the Kingdom of Vancor had arrived, Blue had been forced to stay rather busy as well.
Even though it had been Blue’s own choice to entrust Leslun to Kailos so he would be cared for, there were moments it regretted it.
…Should I just take him back?
***
Prince Tarensiu, Lady Miroi, and Cal Byweiner.
And lastly, Leslun, the four of them had been grouped together.
Upon confirming the list, Leslun quietly let out a sigh. The names on the paper felt as though they weighed heavily on him.
As soon as the professor finished explaining that groups could form freely, Cal had approached him, and this combination naturally came together.
No matter how one looked at it, the group’s current makeup was awkward and complicated.
“Who will be the group leader?”
Cal spoke first.
He briefly glanced at Leslun, then shifted his gaze to Prince Tarensiu. The tone of his voice changed ever so slightly.
He had begun speaking gently, but the moment he acknowledged the Prince’s presence, he quickly switched to a more formal, polite tone.
“Would Your Highness perhaps wish to be the group leader?”
Outwardly, the question was courteous, but it already felt like he was following a predetermined flow.
Cal was certain Prince Tarensiu would refuse.
If that happened, Miroi would also decline. As a result, the role of group leader would naturally fall to him.
“No.”
Prince Tarensiu’s reply was brief. His tone was indifferent, almost dismissive.
But that single word became the first link in the chain Cal had been hoping for.
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