Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 50
‘Demyr Lucille strongly supports the marriage of these two individuals and regarding any future occurrences related to it…’
Click.
I switched off the recording device capturing Demyr’s voice. Suddenly, the room fell silent. The only sound audible was the chirping of crickets.
Feeling refreshed after spending the afternoon with Helios, I held the magical recording device and headed toward the window. With the window wide open, I let in the first cool night breeze I’d felt in a long time, lost in my own thoughts.
There was a reason I asked Demyr to keep an eye on Priscilla. Priscilla was hell-bent on making her son, Macaulay, the Emperor. But with Helios alive and well, there was no way she was going to get her way. He outshone Macaulay in every aspect.
But she did have a chance. When Helios was ill, the Emperor frequently met with Macaulay. It was rumored in social circles that Helios would abdicate and Macaulay would become the Crown Prince.
But Helios recovered and regained his power, and the Emperor visited Macaulay less frequently afterwards. It was obvious, even without seeing it firsthand, that Priscilla’s plans had been derailed.
Priscilla will never give up on making her son the Crown Prince.
In the novel, she used all sorts of women to keep Helios in check. She strategically positioned young ladies in her employ to create opportunities and manipulate Helios’s companions. On the other hand, she lined up promising heiresses from prestigious families for Macaulay.
In this situation, it was obvious where Priscilla’s sword would be pointed once word of my betrothal to Helios reached her.
She’ll want to get rid of me.
That way, the seat beside Helios will be empty and open to her manipulation. Even without the knowledge of the imprinting, merely standing beside Helios meant my life was as fragile as a candle in the wind.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. I stroked my still-intact neck and crawled back onto the bed. Then, I turned on the recording device once more.
‘…I promise to keep you safe from Priscilla Ariana. Signed, Demyr Lucille.’
I chuckled. I suppose this was better than any insurance policy.
Honestly, until I met Demyr in person, I considered her an enemy. It was because Demyr didn’t like Helios. But my thoughts changed after meeting her.
Demyr wasn’t bad—she was merely selfish and practical, a give-and-take kind of person. Until now, her disdain for Helios was because she had nothing to offer and nothing to gain from him. Respect and affection weren’t what she wanted, so there was no reason to show motherly compassion. She pushed Helios’s mother away because she was an obstacle to her control of the palace.
‘Family bonds, I detest such things.’
That’s what Demyr said when she left. Although I suppose it made her easy to deal with as she wasn’t easily swayed by personal feelings. It was challenging to handle both Demyr and Priscilla. So, I utilized the less villainous Demyr to restrain the more malicious Priscilla.
Quite clever of me, if I do say so myself.
But I also had other reasons for accepting Benz as my patient. Benz and Helios’s cases had a lot in common.
Suddenly falling ill, not knowing the cause, and my ability to read and treat their illness.
There were too many similarities for me to ignore it. They say when three coincidences align, it’s fate, but between Helios and Benz, there were four commonalities. If this world had aimed for a larger narrative or didn’t have clear love interests for the female lead, I might have thought differently about Helios and Benz.
I should confirm if my abilities truly work by meeting Benz. I’m kind of nervous by the fact that he seems to have a connection to Chloe.
I wanted to confirm it.
I tucked the magical recording device into the bedside table and closed my eyes. Since Benz wouldn’t arrive immediately, I had some time to spare.
***
Time to spare, my foot.
“Good afternoon, I’m Peter from Benz, and it’s an honor to see you again, doctor.”
Demyr truly was a woman of swift action.
“Where should I stay?”
And Benz was no slouch either. I checked the number of servants carrying Benz’s luggage lined up in the corridor. It was an entire moving company.
“You’re going to live here?” I blurted out involuntarily.
“Yes. Her Majesty ordered it, didn’t you know?”
Benz looked visibly embarrassed. His downturned eyes and furtive glances made it seem like he was uncomfortable with the situation as well. Especially since the first time I saw him, he was rolling around in pain due to stomach troubles, I was starting to feel really sorry for him.
Keeping him at the palace goes beyond the level of “care” that Demyr requested. There’s a difference between hospitalization and outpatient care. But what can I do? He already packed his luggage; it’d be too harsh to send him away. Besides, people in the Prince’s Palace were all very kind and altruistic, so I’m sure they’ll take care of unexpected visitors.
“Come in then…”
“I didn’t know we had a visitor coming—and a long-term guest at that. So get out, now.”
Oh right, not everyone in the Prince’s Palace was kind and altruistic. There was one cold, crude misanthrope here.
“Y-your Highness!”
It was Helios.
