Is it not permissible for a villain to enjoy rolling [16]
“What about you?”
Naran said coldly, staring at Arkle with lowered eyes.
“Has Sister Martha decided where Lizzie will stay? To my knowledge she has not.”
“True, but it didn’t specify...”
Arkell slowly opened his mouth and said:
“If she changes her place, let it be... next to me.”
Arkle muttered in a low, stammering voice for some reason, and the tips of his ears seemed to turn a little red.
Naran looked at him with cold eyes and said:
"It's too late. I said first. Lizzy is staying in the room next to me."
“No, on my side.”
“Don't argue with me stubbornly, it gets on my nerves.”
“You are the one who is stubborn, Naran.”
“I said me first.”
“So what do you want to do?”
‘…Is this just a petty quarrel between brothers?’
I had become nervous from the heavy atmosphere, but it turned out that their conversation was no more than a childish quarrel.
So I thought, but...
"Shut up! Don't say my name. It disgusts me."
Naran shouted with a frightening face, and the atmosphere froze in an instant.
“…….”
As for Arkell, he just looked at him without showing any emotion.
“You won't look away?”
“You are still as fearless as ever.”
“This fucker…”
A cold air that was incomparable to what was a moment ago spread out, and their pressure was enough to stifle the breath.
Naran and Arkle stared at each other as if they were going to devour each other at any moment.
“…….”
I swallowed, looking at the two in turn.
‘This…’
It's really interesting.
Normally, if I were in a situation like this, the idea of resolving the conflict would have occurred to me, but I was different.
Of course I should have intervened, but the opportunity to witness the quarrel of the Cayenne fraternity up close made me reluctant to open my mouth.
“Back off, Lizzy, get away from that disgusting bastard.”
“Don't get involved, stay away.”
The two said it almost simultaneously.
She backed down without objection.
It seemed that they were really about to pounce without hesitation.
I wondered again if I should intervene...
Don't they say that brothers grow up quarreling?'
I didn't want to hinder their growth, so I closed my lips.
“Pretend to think honestly, and do not pretend to be in vain.”
“Have you finished speaking?”
“Ha, that's really—”
A frightening gleam flashed in Naran's eyes, smiling sarcastically, and he was about to attack Arkle just then.
“My good sir—!”
Huan rushed madly, opening his arms and standing between two fires and a kick.
“Please calm down!”
“Step aside, Huan.”
“…….”
“Do you intend to demolish the palace over our heads?”
“…….”
“…….”
“You realize that your fight will turn this place into rubble... So please, stop! Stop staring like that! I will count to three, and then you both look away. One, two... I said stop staring! Okay, again. One, two, three...!”
Despite Huan's desperate pleas, Naran and Arkle wouldn't stop staring at each other as if they were going to devour each other.
As he stood between them, sweating, Hwan turned to me with pleading eyes.
'Please help me...!'
As if he was uttering a desperate hope.
No way.
I was about to enjoy an exciting scene, but Huan's face looked like it was going to break down in tears, so I couldn't ignore it.
“Don't quarrel.”
With that word, the two's gazes turned towards me.
'What should I say now...'
I scratched my cheek while thinking, then spoke cautiously:
“Um…what if you two hurt yourselves?”
Naran and Ark's bodies trembled at the same time.
“…Lizzie.”
“…….”
Naran's sullen face suddenly changed into a bright smile.
“You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
“No, I have to.”
Arkell was quick to respond.
Naran looked at him with disbelieving eyes.
"Are you crazy? Why is Lizzie worried about you?"
However, Arkal, without turning to him, focused his gaze on me and said:
“I understand. I won’t fight. I’m sorry if I made you nervous.”
"I didn't worry about you! Don't you understand what you're being told, you idiot?!"
Naran shouted angrily, but at least the quarrel seemed to be over.
“Thank you both.”
I said with a bright smile, clasping my hands as if I was deeply affected.
The two's bodies trembled again.
“Lizzy is truly an angel!”
"…No thanks necessary."
Naran exclaimed with a sweet laugh in his eyes, while Arkell muttered in a low voice as he looked away.
I just smiled quietly.
While Huan was alone, he looked at us with a face shocked by the strangeness of the situation.
“I'm only putting up with it for Lizzie's sake. I don't want to make her sad.”
"Me too."
The two said it coldly to each other, as if each of them refused to lose.
“Okay, okay. There is something I must inform my master.”
Huan intervened between them again, and turned to Arkell and said:
“It concerns Duke Calin.”
“…….”
“……!”
Arkel and Naran's features froze together when they heard his words.
“Is uncle coming back?”
Arkle asked, and Huan turned to Naran for a moment before answering carefully:
“Let's go to the office and talk there.”
Arkle nodded silently, then turned his gaze to Naran.
“As for where Lizzy lives, I will think about it again.”
“You're still saying that? There are no vacant rooms other than the guest room on the second floor—”
“Lizzy Alheim is not a guest who has come for a walk. She is a hostage.”
Naran's body trembled at Arkel's words.
“The reason our sister Martha brought Lizzy Alheim here ready to go to war… is because of me.”
Arkle said in a low voice, looking at me with mysterious eyes.
“So I can only take responsibility and protect her... until the time comes for her to be returned safely.”
“…return it?”
Naran's gaze trembled.
"Like I said, Lizzy Alheim is a hostage. We kidnapped her."
Arkel said with a face devoid of emotion.
“If the Imperial Family holds us responsible for this, or attacks Aliheim because of it, we will have nothing to say in defense. In fact, there are rumors that Aliheim is gathering mercenaries.”
“Ha—My sister Martha is really stupid. Don’t you realize that you are such a coward? Now you are trembling because of just petty mercenaries—”
“Naran Kaien-”
Arkle's red eyes sparkled with a deadly gleam.
The pressure this time was nothing compared to before.
“Wake up well. It seems that you no longer see anyone in front of you because of all this pampering.”
“…….”
Naran's face convulsed as he gritted his teeth, but he couldn't utter a word.
Deep down, he felt that if he challenged him now, he might actually lose his life.
“I may be untouchable. But you...are different.”
“…….”
“Even if you are from the House of Kaien, if you face a great army there will be bloodshed. Didn’t it ever occur to you that you might be one of the ones who will fall?”
“...just showing off, disgusting.”
Naran muttered through clenched teeth, the veins on his forehead popping out as he held back his anger.
As for Arkel, he kept looking at him with cold eyes devoid of any feeling.
“Do not gossip about what you cannot prevent. War is not what a child like you imagines it to be.”
“…….”
“Lizzy Alheim will be brought back. I am tired of seeing blood shed in vain.”
Arkel said it in a voice close to self-talk, then he looked back at me.
“It may be ridiculous for a kidnapper to say like this, but… I apologize. I will bring you back soon.”
“But your magic energy...”
“It doesn't matter.”
Arkle replied as if it did not concern him.
“I never hoped to be completely free of it.”
“…….”
"There were no hopes from the beginning. This is something I just have to take and live by."
He spoke coldly, but I remembered his face that I had seen before in great pain, when he looked up at me pleadingly:
“Please, have mercy on me, Saint.”
With those desperate eyes.
'Anyway, if he brings me back, I'll come back.'
It's true that I loved life in Cayenne Palace, but if they don't want me, there's no help.
Then I had decided to just hold out until Jin Alheim came to get me.
I accepted the situation without much emotion, but Naran seemed different.
His trembling eyes were still fixed on me.
“Lizzy is leaving...?”
He whispered, his voice sounding like that of a frightened child.
I had seen different faces of Naran before, but like this face for the first time.
When his ever-present, calm smile disappeared, a frank, childish fear appeared.
He muttered as if he was addressing himself:
“…Again, there’s nothing I can do?”
“…….”
“Because I'm weak?”
Neither Arkell nor Hawan said a word.
Even I couldn't say anything.
The reality is that in the end, I am someone who will leave here.
“True... I am at fault because I intervened forcefully and to no avail.”
“Two fires.”
He turned and left, not even caring about my call.
I looked at Arkell and Huan, but they seemed to have no intention of stopping him.
I sighed secretly as I watched his back walk away.
I thought life at Cayenne Palace would only be fun and luxurious...but it turns out that's not all it seems.
Huan raised his glasses slightly and said to Arkel:
“Let us now go to the office. I will give you a detailed report on the previous matter.”
"…Good."
“Wait a minute.”
They both stopped and turned to me.
“A moment ago, you said that Duke Kallin is returning, right?”
"Yes."
Calin Cain… someone I know well.
“And when will he arrive?”
“According to the telegram, he is supposed to arrive tomorrow morning...”
Huan said, looking at me strangely, as if wondering why I cared.
“Does my uncle interest you?”
Arkle asked coldly.
'It's Cali Cayenne… Of course it interests me.'
This could be a good opportunity to make money as well.
❖ ❖ ❖
Naran returned to his room, still almost absent-minded.
Lizzy Alheim is leaving.
It was natural that this would happen one day.
Basically, all the kindness he showed her was so that Cain would later win Eliheim's favor after she left.
It was a plan based only on her departure.
But, why then….
'No...no, it can't.'
Why does he have this fear?
Even Naran himself did not know the reason for his disturbance.
Unconsciously, he put aside this vague and confusing feeling, and held on to one clear truth:
That Lizzy Alheim must be prevented from leaving.
“If only I had the strength...”
Naran muttered, clenching his hand tightly.
At that moment, the words of the conversation between Arkell and Hwan came back to his mind:
“It concerns Duke Calin.”
“Is uncle coming back?”
Naran's dark eyes shook uneasily.
‘If uncle… that way.’
Only then would he be able to obtain strength no less than Arkell's.
That was the moment two different plans were born in the depths of the night.
***
Translated by: Snow
Publish the chapters in the Telegram group first. It is possible that if my account is banned, you will find me there
Just write in the Telegram search: snowestellee
Or take a picture of this link and enter it from Google Lens: https://t.me/snowestellee