The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away

In the meantime, their gazes still felt like they were missing each other, like an instrument that had not been tuned.

Kailos was the first to speak.

“Take your time submitting the report.”

It was a short and crisp order.

Leslun’s hand paused for a moment. He realized Kailos was bringing up the reason he had been in the study yesterday. Without lifting his head, he replied cautiously.

“Yes, understood.”

Kailos quietly set down his teacup and gestured toward one of the dishes on the table.

At that single gesture, the attendants moved with precision. Without making so much as a rustling sound, they skillfully placed on Leslun’s plate some lightly smoked lamb, figs simmered in honey, and a thinly sliced cheese omelet.

Leslun blinked, then quietly lowered his head. He picked up his fork and brought a piece of lamb to his mouth.

The smoky flavor melted softly on his tongue, and the subtle sweetness of the figs spread through his mouth. Before he realized it, Leslun was chewing more diligently than he had intended. The pace at which he put food in his mouth gradually grew faster.

Only after swallowing the last piece of omelet did Leslun realize he had been focusing entirely on eating.

***

Brian’s heavy boots echoed against the marble corridor.

“Brother.”

At the sound of the familiar voice from behind him, Brian stopped in his tracks. The man standing at the end of the arched corridor turned his head indifferently.

The man looked down at the one who had called to him. His features resembled Brian’s, but his face was much younger.

It was Brian’s younger brother, Cal. Brian recalled that he had recently started attending the academy. He shook his head in annoyance, then remembered something.

In the meantime, Cal had approached, his face carrying the look of someone with something urgent to say.

“What is it?”

Brian’s voice was firm. Cal bit his lip for a moment. The cold air around Brian made him feel as though he might sink into the ground.

Keeping his eyes on the floor, Cal cautiously stepped closer.

“Um… today, I…”

When Cal hesitated, Brian motioned impatiently.

“Spit it out. Don’t waste my time.”

He cut him off with a bored urging. He already had a rough idea of what Cal wanted to say.

In that moment, resolve seemed to form on Cal’s face.

“I was paired with Prince Tarensiu and Lady Miroi.”

Brian’s eyes narrowed briefly, then returned to normal.

“And you dragged this out just to tell me that?”

Cal flinched at Brian’s cold reply.

“If I can just get along with the two of them…”

“Pathetic.”

“Brother…”

“No, were you always this way?”

Cal’s shoulders hunched smaller and smaller. He had expected praise from his brother, but what came back was unexpected criticism.

“I only thought that if I associated with them, it could become a valuable connection…”

“At best, it’s just a foreign prince and a caged young lady.”

Brian cut both people down at once, then asked the question he truly wanted answered.

“Tell me why you stole my medicine.”

The corners of Cal’s eyes twitched. Count Camilo must have really told him everything.

“I didn’t steal it. The Count dropped it, and I just picked it up.”

Cal flailed his hands, panicked. Admitting fault here felt like it would be disastrous, so he denied it to the end.

“Or was it because of that twisted taste of yours?”

At Brian’s words, Cal visibly faltered. His cheeks flushed hot, and his lips trembled.

An awkward silence fell over the hushed corridor. Brian, not hiding his sneer, slowly stepped closer to his brother.

“Be glad you’re not the firstborn. If you were, I would never have overlooked such a taste.”

He brushed off the collar of his neatly pressed uniform and patted Cal’s shoulder two or three times. There was not a trace of affection in the gesture.

“You’re not even someone who can inherit the spirit beast of the nation. How exactly do you plan to plant seed in a man’s belly?”

Brian looked past him down the corridor, an ominous smile playing at his lips.

“And that aide—was he really so tempting?”

Brian’s sharp gaze raked over Cal’s face. The color drained from it in an instant.

“I know you took the medicine to try to claim the Crown Prince’s aide.”

Well. If nothing else, discovering that the medicine had actually affected that aide was a new finding. The drug had been used in an unexpected way, but at least the opportunity hadn’t been completely wasted.