I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 62
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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People turned around as if they were rusted puppets, hastily hiding their exposed backs.
There, in the inherent darkness, he was.
Tilting his head slightly, he stared directly towards the Emperor, and those who caught his gaze were seized with a bizarre sense of fear.
“It was because of you.”
Though his lips moved subtly, indicating a human was speaking, the feeling of alienation was overwhelming.
Herix’s lips moved intermittently, but the dim lighting of the banquet hall and his low voice made it difficult to discern his words. Only Ivonne, who was standing close by, heard the curse-like murmurs he was making. Her pretty face grew paler by the second, she was possibly hearing unspeakable obscenities.
In the midst of a deadly murderous intent that made everyone’s skin tingle and eyes shut instinctively.
“Huh….!”
In a blink of an eye, or perhaps even shorter.
“Kkuh…”
Herix, who had been at a distance, now stood right behind the Wmperor, his presence emanating lethality close to Arnold’s neck.
“Your, Your Highness!”
“Your Majesty!”
Arnold’s green eyes trembled sideways. At that moment, Arnold experienced death. At least, that’s what he believed.
With his breath quivering, the fear of losing his life made the concept of dignity seem luxurious. Arnold could only move his eyes to see what was threatening his neck.
‘A dagger…?’
It certainly felt like it, but what Arnold saw was merely Herix’s finger, precisely pinpointing a vital spot with just his index finger. With that alone, Herix brought the fear of death to Arnold, mocking his judgment that even without the Master of the Eastern Magic Tower, Arnold was easily defeatable.
“By the way.”
The voice was ominously deep, as if a spirit had clawed its way up from the abyss with bare hands.
“Have you prepared my birthday gift?”
Asking such a mundane question while holding his father and the Emperor’s life in balance left the audience speechless. They were witnessing the reality of the ‘mad prince’ they had only heard about in tales.
“If you haven’t prepared it yet.”
Tap, tap. The long, pallid finger, which had been pressing against the pulsing vein, wandered near Arnold’s throat as he swallowed dryly.
“How about the imperial throne?”
Kuh, A laugh leaked from Herix’s dark-red lips, causing everyone to shudder. This maniacal sneer was a far cry from the smile he had offered Ivonne, marking a stark contrast in his demeanor.
His purple eyes, which had seemed almost normal for a moment, now roved around the silent banquet hall, suggesting a radical change if he took the throne.
“Changing the head means you can also replace those limbs that don’t listen.”
Herix’s gaze landed on Marquis Cyand and his daughter, Celestia, marking them as top targets for elimination.
“….Ah.”
Unable to withstand Herix’s murderous intent, Celestia eventually fainted, marking the second time such an event had occurred. Unperturbed, Herix, as if massaging his father’s stiff shoulders like a filial son, spoke.
“Just kidding, Father. It’s still too early for me.”
Though the act of patting was seemingly affectionate, the word ‘affectionate’ was non-existent at that moment.
“I’m tired, so I’ll retire early. Please continue to enjoy the banquet.”
His mention of ‘continue’ insinuated as if this banquet could be the last of their lives. Herix, looking around at the terrified attendees, drove the final nail in without any concern.
“As intended.”
This banquet was for the twentieth birthday of the Crown Prince. Thus, he implied they should not try to appease the Emperor by belittling him or interfering with those he had shown interest in, namely Ivonne.
If not, death would likely be the only end. Although Herix did not spell out this ultimatum, the nobles gathered in the banquet hall were undoubtedly unified in this thought.
As Herix exited the banquet hall, throwing off his heavy cloak with brusque strides, a profound sense of exhaustion swept through the room, causing many to collapse weakly onto the floor.
“Haa…”
“Aah…”
“My goodness…”
Everyone seemed as though they had barely climbed up from the brink of a cliff or an abyss, emitting groans of pain and deep sighs. Some were so drained they couldn’t even wipe the sweat dripping like rain. They simply propped their foreheads on their forearms.
Amidst them, Arnold stood vacantly, like a puppet dangling on strings.
‘Even if one possesses a great sword, it’s no better than a skewer if the wielder lacks skill.’
Before even wielding ‘Ivonne’ as his weapon, Arnold realized he could have been killed by Herix. Yet, he wasn’t displeased. His thoughts lingered on Herix, who had taken care of Ivonne till the end.
‘Ivonne… What a formidable sword.’
He was newly aware that the sword he held, Ivonne, was the only weapon capable of bringing down Herix.
With this realization, a madness similar to Herix’s gleamed in Arnold’s eyes.
The saying ‘like father, like son’ wasn’t for naught. How could a father, who had cursed his own son to become a beast and was now threatened by that very son’s life, be in his right mind?
