I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 169
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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“Could it be? The prince with the Emperor’s mark… Maybe he’s trying to pass down the throne?”
“What? But isn’t he being raised too harshly for that? I heard he’s not even allowed to study.”
“Shh. Why all the talking? Don’t ask. It’s a mistake to know. Got it?”
Even the attendants who barely took care of Herix didn’t say anything to him.
Herix, unaware of everything, gripped a sword and endured pain so intense that his body was torn apart, his bones broken, and his fingers crushed.
Fortunately or unfortunately, he had a natural talent for swordsmanship. He possessed the same extraordinary physical abilities Arnold had. Herix, who had been holding a sword since early morning, only put it down after midnight to tend to his own injuries.
‘Magic is really convenient.’
Even if it hurts so much that you feel you could die, you can still heal and restore your body as long as you don’t die. It was during this time that Herix learned healing magic.
As Herix became renowned for his exceptional swordsmanship, with people whispering that he was indeed someone with the Emperor’s mark, Arnold came to find him again when he was ten years old.
“You’re acting like a person now.”
The words spoken by his father, who had come after three years, were surprisingly cold. Herix didn’t answer. He couldn’t even understand it.
‘Father? A father? Was I supposed to have one of those? Like a special person, like my brother?’
For the last three years, Herix had been unable to process this question. Then, Arnold gave him an order that couldn’t possibly come from a father.
“Get rid of Aiden. Kill him.”
Herix responded calmly.
“Understood.”
He had no feelings about it. Since he had no feelings, there was no place to be hurt.
‘But who is Aiden?’
When Herix stepped into the world of light, the boy who used to come to the basement calling himself ‘older brother’ had disappeared without a trace. Perhaps he had come secretly, because when Herix asked the attendants, they all claimed to know nothing.
Herix, who had learned nothing, couldn’t tell if they were pretending to not know or if they truly didn’t know.
“I’ll kill him.”
So Herix would kill Aiden. Just like a beast raised on a leash, doing what the father, who he didn’t even know existed, commanded.
“Please don’t turn me back into a fox.”
The first fear he had learned was the fear of becoming a beast.
Herix doesn’t know when the curse was placed on him. From the beginning, he simply believed that sometimes turning into a beast and being kept on a leash was normal.
‘Why do my hands change every time?’
Sometimes, they are the hands of a person, like the one who gives him food; other times, they are like the hands of an animal, not much different from a passing rat.
In the basement, where even a mirror was a luxury, Herix would occasionally glance at his body by the faint moonlight, gauging his appearance.
Only after stepping into the light did he realize that it was strange for a human to become an animal. Thus, he learned fear. For reasons he couldn’t understand, he disliked the idea of no longer being human.
No, he wanted to be human. It was a very animal-like thought.
So, without knowing the reason or even thinking to question it, Herix grabbed his sword and headed toward where Aiden was.
However, Herix should have understood.
Why Arnold wanted to kill Aiden, who Aiden was, where the boy who used to call himself his ‘older brother’ in the basement had gone, and why Aiden had to die.
He should have known all of it.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Crown Prince Aiden Nishuel Quesitago, the Crown Prince. He was incredibly intelligent, just like his father Arnold. So, it was natural for him to have doubts.
‘Why did Father harm the Empress? Why did he imprison the legitimate heir, Herix, in the basement? Why did he curse him to turn into a fox, of all things?’
At first, he didn’t believe it, but after digging and digging, he came to the conclusion that it was definitely Arnold’s doing.
‘A curse that changes one’s existence is a high-level magic and curse that Father could never do on his own. Maybe an ancient wizard could do it, though. Wait a second, ancient wizards? But none of the ancient wizards are part of the temple. How did Father get control of the most powerful Northern Wizard’s Tower? Why did Father give the temple the Northern Wizard’s Tower? What is he thinking?’
Ever since the Empress’s tragic death, Aiden had been drowning in a sea of countless questions. Among the most troubling questions was, of course, regarding his brother, Herix. How could he not care about his brother, who he had come to love as if by fate, being locked away in the basement?
‘I, as the older brother, have to step in. I have to help.’
Aiden studied and researched whatever he could. Fortunately, he was able to figure out why Arnold had cursed Herix to ‘turn into a fox.’
‘Did Father feel inferior to Herix? But this legend… it seems distorted.’
No matter how much it’s a founding myth or an ancient tale, stories passed down for so long tend to change little by little, especially if someone has interfered with them.
‘The Emperor’s mark, the purple eyes, then green eyes is a disgrace.’
