The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away

The moment the three of them stepped together into the restaurant entrance, the density of the air in the hall shifted noticeably. The lively chatter gradually faded.

Beneath the brilliant chandelier, the long tables were filled with finely dressed students. Even so, the instant Prince Tarensiu and Lady Miroi entered, all attention turned sharply to them.

The waiter who had been pouring water into a silver tray froze mid-motion, his gloved hand suspended in the air. Someone else, spoon halfway to their mouth, stared as if petrified.

As they walked toward an empty table, Leslun muttered under his breath.

“The stares are excessive.”

When Leslun whispered, Lady Miroi only smiled as if it were something she was long accustomed to.

The three of them took seats near the window. Leslun stepped ahead to pull back Lady Miroi’s chair for her.

As she sat, Leslun glanced toward Prince Tarensiu. He was already seated. The table was soon filled with an abundant spread.

The glances from all around clung persistently to their backs and profiles. Despite that, Prince Tarensiu and Lady Miroi remained calm, showing not the slightest tremor.

Leslun wondered whether their composure was sincere or if it was a hardened layer built through years of experience.

“You will get used to it.”

Lady Miroi’s voice rang softly. There was a deep empathy in her words, the kind that could only come from someone who had received such stares countless times before. Leslun felt as if her gaze could see right through him, leaving him transparent.

“It becomes easier to accept with time. Bear with it a little longer.”

At her realistic comfort, Leslun quietly thanked her before turning to the prince.

“Are you all right, Your Highness?”

“It feels empty without it.”

Prince Tarensiu replied without a trace of a smile.

His words carried the weight of long familiarity, tinged with resignation. Under constant stares, he seemed like someone who had already mastered his own way of enduring them.

Perhaps that was why the burden, which might have felt too heavy for one person, somehow grew lighter when the three of them carried it together. A strange sense of camaraderie began to form.

On the table were foods Leslun had occasionally seen in the Count’s territory—warm, crispy bread and a rich stew filled with meat. The warmth that rose from the table briefly took Leslun back to the past.

Meals with his family as a child had been stiff and meager. Yet he remembered how they used to share even those scarce portions among each other.

The longing struck his heart. He missed his family.

The Count had acted as if he might send someone immediately, but there had still been no word. There were surely many reasons, but the biggest one must have been the Crown Prince, who made it difficult to find an opening.

“Except when he was at the academy, he was practically always by my side.”

If Leslun were to go to the Count’s territory now, it would be the same as handing over the leash around his neck entirely to him.

He had asked the Crown Prince to bring his family to him, but since he had not seen them, he was not even sure if the promise had been kept.

The more he thought about it, the more thoughts piled up endlessly, and his appetite faded along with them. Leslun was about to put down his spoon when Lady Miroi noticed right away.

“What is it?”

At her short, gentle question, Leslun shook his head slightly.

“I had a big breakfast.”

“Really? With whom?”

“Well…”

Leslun, who had been about to answer easily, suddenly stopped.

It was not a particularly special question, yet he found himself unable to say that he had eaten with the Crown Prince.

Their relationship was strained for now, but Lady Miroi was still a strong candidate for Crown Princess. Mentioning the Crown Prince in front of her felt oddly awkward.

“The Crown Prince.”

The answer came from somewhere completely unexpected. Prince Tarensiu had spoken bluntly and without hesitation, startling Leslun.

It was not exactly a secret. Still, Leslun was unsure whether it was appropriate for events in the Crown Prince’s palace to be revealed so casually.

He glanced around to make sure no one was listening. The last thing he wanted was to become the subject of gossip about the Crown Prince.

Whether Prince Tarensiu knew his concerns or not, a slight crack appeared in his usually composed expression.

“He refused.”

“What do you mean…?”

“When I asked him to bring you, the Crown Prince refused.”

Thanks to the prince’s straightforward explanation, Leslun’s eyes widened.

“The Crown Prince is not a generous man.”

And as if that were not enough, the prince added something that could have easily been left unsaid. He dropped the statement like a bomb and calmly resumed eating.

He seemed to hold some sort of dissatisfaction, though Leslun could not immediately tell what it was.

“That is true.”

Lady Miroi agreed, which only made Leslun look between the two of them in confusion until an involuntary hiccup escaped him.

Perhaps he should excuse himself first. But that would not be polite.

As he cast about the surroundings aimlessly, Leslun’s gaze fell toward the slightly open crack of the kitchen door.