Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 1.6

“I’m not pretending. I’m just trying to wash you. What did I even do to deserve this?”

“You’re going to do something! In the future!”

“Did you have a nightmare or something? Has anything you dreamed of actually happened yet?”

“….”

Of course, it hadn’t. As I busied myself washing the soot off his face, I spoke in a soothing tone.

“Don’t judge me based on a dream. Who knows? Maybe I’ve turned over a new leaf.” “What’s ‘turning over a new leaf’ mean?” “Never mind. Forget I said anything.” Grumbling, I continued scrubbing his face.

As the soot washed away, a clean and lovely face emerged. His sunken cheeks, however, still tugged at my heart. If he could just put on some weight, he’d look so much healthier.

Clicking my tongue, I muttered, “You really need to eat more. You’re too skinny. If you don’t eat properly, you won’t grow tall or strong.” For a brief moment, Callisto stayed quiet, but then his eyes narrowed into sharp slits.

“You just want me to get stronger so you can use me as a slave, you demon!”

Oh, right. Etienne did do that in the original story.

“Seriously, what didn’t he do?” The same author who insisted Etienne deserved happiness had written him as a child-abusing villain. H, what were you thinking? And why am I the one stuck cleaning up this mess?

No matter how he acted, I knew I had to try harder to change Callisto’s perception of me.

Even if he was prickly and distrustful, I resolved to stay kind. Would he ever trust me?

Who knew?

While I silently wrestled with my thoughts, Callisto continued to glare at me with his sharp eyes.

Fine, I’ll do my best! I looked down at his adorably infuriating face and forced a smile. Callisto’s eyes widened.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you go crazy?”

“…”

I can do this… I think. After finishing his bath, I wrapped him in a robe and carried him out.

Elsie beamed at us, clearly pleased.

“You two look like you’re getting along so well. I never imagined you’d dote on your little brother like this, my lord.”

“Who’s your brother?” Callisto snapped, his temper flaring. But neither Elsie nor I paid him any mind. After bathing the child, a new problem arose—what to dress him in. The tailor hadn’t yet visited the estate to make new clothes, and the clothes Callisto had arrived in were filthy, covered in dust and soot.

I picked up the tattered garments with two fingers, grimacing in distaste. “Be honest with me—did you actually crawl into the fireplace?”

“What’s it to you?”

“You little—!” I glared at the sullen child sitting cross-legged on my bed, pouting as if he hadn’t done anything wrong. I contemplated briefly: should I just let him roam around in his underwear? No. What if he ends up resenting me more and kills me even faster in the future? As I struggled to calm myself, Callisto kept squirming and whining.

“I’m clean now, so let me go! You villain!” My patience was hanging by a thread.

The temptation to flip him over my knee and spank him was strong, but I resisted. Friends of mine who had children always said kids were angels only when they were asleep, and I was starting to believe it.

Taking a deep breath, I silently repeated my mantra: He’s the protagonist… If I don’t stay on his good side, I’ll get killed…

“Callisto, you still need to wear clothes,” I said, forcing calm into my voice.

“I don’t care! Don’t touch me! Go away!”

By now, my mental peace was in shambles. Before I realized it, I was yelling back at him.

“So, what? You want to walk around like that? Why not just go naked?”

“You villain! How are you any different from the monster in my dreams?

You’re exactly the same!”

“You brat!” “Master Etienne…” Elsie’s calm voice broke through the chaos.

I turned my head sharply toward her, indignant.

“He started it!”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them, and I immediately felt embarrassed. What was I doing, arguing with a child? “Master, you’re five years older than him.

Be kind, won’t you? You’re the older one, after all.” Five years older?

More like twenty years older! I wasn’t just his older brother, I could’ve been his uncle.

If I’d married young, I might’ve had a son his age. Realizing this, I felt a wave of shame creep up my neck. I muttered awkwardly, my face flushed.

“Fine… But he doesn’t have anything to wear. Elsie, could you fetch some of the clothes I used to wear when I was younger?”

“Of course, Master. You’re so kind.” Elsie smiled warmly and left the room. Callisto, looking surprised, glanced up at me. “What?” I asked, and he quickly shook his head, falling silent.

His expression soon turned contemplative, as if lost in thought. I watched him curiously and suddenly remembered a scene from the original novel. When Callisto first arrived at the Winyeates estate, the Count had also called for a tailor to make him new clothes.

However, the tailor didn’t arrive for several days, and the clothes took even longer to make. During that time, Etienne humiliated Callisto, mocking him in front of the staff for having nothing to wear.

He even stopped Elsie from mending any of Etienne’s old clothes for him. Later, when the tailor finally delivered the new garments, Etienne deliberately ruined them, forcing Callisto to continue wearing his old rags from the slums.

Callisto was probably recalling that memory or dream, as it were. The level of detail he seemed to know was unsettling.

While Callisto remained silent, Elsie left the room to fetch the clothes.

“Callisto, please stay here with the young master. I’ll be back shortly.”

“No! I want to go with you!”

“Your hair’s still wet, and you’re only wearing a robe. I’ll be back soon, alright?”

“No! Etienne’s going to torment me!”

“He won’t, will you, Master Etienne?”

“Of course not! When have I ever tormented you? Come here, Callisto. Let me dry your hair.”

Though my tone was exasperated, I motioned for him to come closer. Callisto, however, whined and clung to Elsie. She gently pried him off and reassured him. At moments like this, Callisto was every bit the child he appeared to be.

From what I’d observed over the past few days, he only acted hostile toward me. With the Count and Elsie, he was nothing but sweet and docile.

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