The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 81.1
“…Pardon?”
“Spirit beasts only obey the master they have chosen, and their master’s partner.”
Prince Tarensiu was kind enough to repeat the explanation once more.
Leslun’s chest felt hollow, as if his heart had stopped.
He unconsciously straightened his back as he took a breath.
It sounded as though the reason Blue followed him was because he would one day become Kailos’s partner. The thought made Leslun’s entire body flinch.
Partner.
It was a word far too heavy to bear.
‘I… cannot even leave behind descendants.’
The shock kept coming. There could be many possible reasons why Blue followed him. Perhaps there were differences between spirit beasts of the Empire and those of the Kingdom.
And yet Leslun had instinctively assumed it was because of Kailos.
That realization was the most shocking of all.
Heat rushed across his face in an instant, reaching even to the tips of his ears. He told himself it was absurd, but he could not erase the words from his mind.
Kailos had said he liked him. But was that truly love? And to be the partner of the man who would ascend the throne—he had no right to even imagine such a thing.
Leslun forced himself to stand.
“If you are finished speaking… I should take my leave.”
His voice was quiet and low, but firm.
He bowed his head slightly, hoping his inner turmoil would not show, and turned to go.
After he left, Prince Tarensiu—no, Crown Prince Shaiman—muttered to himself.
“Silber likes you as well.”
It was still too soon to tell him that. Say it too early, and it would be a burden. Say it too late, and the chance might vanish.
It was a difficult problem.
Almost as difficult as the man who had just walked out.
At that moment, Leslun knocked and stepped back inside. Had he overheard what Shaiman had said?
The prince looked at him with expectant eyes.
“Um… may I take the rest of this with me?”
Leslun pointed to the half-eaten apple mousse.
***
Once outside, Leslun fanned his flushed face with the palm of his hand, trying to cool himself down.
Being alone and recalling what he had just heard only made him more flustered.
“What partner? Me, the Crown Prince’s partner? That’s absurd.”
He scolded himself to get a hold of his senses, but his hand, which had been brushing down his face, gradually slowed.
Leslun stood rooted to the spot and lowered his head in silence.
He told himself over and over that such a thing could never be, yet once heard, it was impossible to forget.
If it were something that could be dismissed lightly, he would not be standing there thinking about it so much.
Could his feelings grow even stronger?
But he was not sure if it was love. He had never truly experienced such an emotion.
People said you hear bells when you fall in love at first sight. The first time he saw Kailos, his heart had dropped to the floor. Rather than being swept away by attraction, he had only been consumed by fear.
But lately, he found he liked being near him.
Was it simply relief, or was it something else? Leslun could not tell.
Leslun stopped in his tracks as he entered the office. It was too dark.
The windows were shut tight with curtains, letting in no light at all, and the lamps were all turned off. Only a faint silhouette could be seen.
“What is going on?”
He tilted his head slightly in confusion but then froze as a memory surfaced.
This had happened once before—when he had faced the Crown Prince in his bedchamber at dawn.
Instinctively, Leslun scanned the room with his eyes.
There was no bed in the office.
That left only one place where the Crown Prince could be.
Realizing that, his gaze fell upon the figure sitting at the desk.
“…Your Highness.”
Kailos lifted his head as though he had been waiting in the dark all along.
“It is dark. Shall I turn on the lights?”
Leslun cautiously broke the silence.
“Why do you think I went to all this trouble?”
At those words, Leslun’s heart quietly trembled.
It sounded as though the darkness was not meant to hide something, but rather to serve as a stage to reveal something.
‘No way…’
Without realizing it, his hands began to tremble.
“Tsk, I will make you regret ever doubting me.”
There was a teasing lilt to Kailos’s voice.
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