The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 102

The guest chambers of Hail’s imperial palace. Claire rested her chin on her hand as she gazed out the window, finding herself feeling oddly pitiful.

Amel had been kidnapped, and yet she was stuck here, unable to join the rescue. Having been granted teleportation Areté, she found it utterly useless in this moment.

If Amel’s luscious, well-kept hair so much as dried out in a foreign land, it would be incredibly upsetting. No, it wouldn’t just end with feeling upset.

To distract herself, Claire recalled the moment Amel had happily made use of her gift. The Root of Flash had ultimately ended up adorning Vanessa’s neck, but Amel had been delighted nonetheless.

It was yet another victory in her silent gift war with Kylian. Claire’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

“Lady Claire. The steward has awakened.”

Paul Remian, the chief physician of Chaield, informed her. That news lifted her spirits slightly.

Bribing the alchemists generously had paid off; the hospital staff had collaborated to provide the necessary medical treatment for Hild. It was yet another moment where Chaield’s great wealth secured victory.

“Paul, report on the steward’s condition.”

“The steward has suffered internal injuries from sorcery and significant psychological shock. He must remain in absolute rest for the time being. Walking will be difficult for him for a while.”

As if to confirm the doctor’s words, Hild winced in pain just from attempting to sit up in bed.

“Steward, your first and foremost priority is rest!”

“Thank you for your concern, Paul. You’re right—I should focus on recovering.”

Hild offered a smile no different from usual, prompting the Chaield staff to breathe a sigh of relief as they awaited orders to return to the ducal estate.

There, they would prepare warm meals, baths, and plenty of enchanted sweets for the inevitable return of their master and his sister.

But Claire, who had been watching Hild closely, gave an entirely unexpected command.

“The steward is in no condition to travel, so he should remain here and rest a little longer. The rest of you should return and prepare for your master’s arrival.”

“But…”

“Since when do my orders get questioned?”

The attendants promptly shut their mouths and moved swiftly, as if the question had never been raised. No one in their right mind would risk angering Lady Claire, especially when she was already on edge over Amel’s abduction.

Once the room was empty and only the two of them remained, Claire folded her arms and fixed Hild with a knowing gaze.

There was an unusual intensity in his expression—an unshakable determination that didn’t belong on a bedridden man.

“Lady Claire… did you know? The old woman’s true identity…”

“That she’s your missing wife, Cordelia Whale?”

Hild fell silent, then slowly nodded.

“It was Cordelia who unleashed black magic on Amel during the award ceremony. I was waiting for more certainty before telling you, but then they stormed the engagement hall with corpses.”

“……I have no idea why my wife is there. When I searched for her, there wasn’t a single trace left. Lady Claire, please—I must go to her.”

“Hild, you’ve heard the doctor. If you go now, you may not come back alive.”

Hild didn’t hesitate. His answer came immediately.

“Lady Claire, I must go to her.”

“Your wife is no longer the woman you knew. By now, she’s likely been further twisted in Marabas’ hands.”

“……”

“She’s also been involved in harming countless people. Even if you bring her back to Hail, do you think she’ll be safe?”

She had disrupted both the Imperial Lily Insignia Ceremony and the Emperor’s Engagement Banquet. Even if it hadn’t been her will, she had played a part in acts that had targeted both royalty and nobility.

Yet once again, Hild’s response was immediate.

“That’s precisely why I must go to her. If anything, now is when she needs me the most.”

Claire clicked her tongue as she watched him clutch his abdomen in pain after just a few words. What exactly did he think he could do in that condition?

“Hild, your greatest responsibility is taking care of the Chaield estate.”

“…I apologize.”

There was no hesitation in his voice.

Claire let out a long sigh before snapping her fingers. Her Areté, capable of crossing vast distances in an instant, wrapped around the steward.

“Chaield does not tolerate negligence in duty. You may leave only after ensuring a proper successor is in place.”

“Thank you.”

Despite knowing he was heading into a life-threatening situation, Hild’s face lit up.

As he vanished, Claire sat still, lost in thought.

Abandoning the Chaield estate to chase after a wife who was nothing more than a shell of her former self, dragging his weakened body into the battlefield—

‘It’s either duty… or love.’

If it was duty, she could understand. If it was love, however, she never would.

For a brief moment, the thought crossed her mind—those thrust into succession wars are all pitiful.

＊＊＊

Kyle cut down the enemy before him with precise, clean movements. Even after receiving deep wounds, the Traihan soldiers all responded the same way—they claimed they didn’t know where his fiancée was.

Displeased, he flung the fallen soldier aside and looked up at the rooftops.

Vanessa, weaving light-spears midair and eliminating enemies with ruthless efficiency, didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.

“Where the hell are they hiding her? I can still sense Cordelia’s presence in the main palace.”

“There must be a hidden space.”

Both of their gazes turned sharply toward one man.

Among the disguised Chaield soldiers, trying to blend in as an ordinary foot soldier, stood Enoch—Traiha’s crown prince, now stripped of his allies and surrounded by enemies.

Normally a pacifist, Enoch was now half out of his mind, surrounded by the acrid stench of burning debris and the sight of Traiha’s soldiers dying all around him.

On top of that, he had no idea where Leosis II was. Anxiety made his words stumble, and Kyle Chaield pressed him with a sharp gaze.

“We don’t have time. Speak quickly. Is there a hidden space in the main palace?”

“There are countless hidden spaces, but since I resided in the Crown Prince’s palace, not the main palace—”

“Spare me the useless details and tell me only what’s necessary. Your supporters must have been captured in large numbers, and there aren’t many places big enough to hold them all.”

“Oh… There are usually spaces between the top floor and the roof, and of course, every palace has a basement.”

Kyle suppressed the surge of rage within him. A part of him wanted to blow up the entire imperial palace and find Amel with his own eyes, but without knowing her exact location, that was impossible.

‘…Please, be safe.’

As long as she was alive, he would do whatever it took to rescue her. With that desperate resolve, Kyle set off toward the underground chambers.

＊＊＊

Marabas forced me into a chair, tying me down so tightly that even my ankles were restrained.

Then, he grabbed Cordelia by the hair and threw her at my feet. She swallowed a pained groan, her body exuding a misty, pale light.

Watching this, Itar fixed his gaze on me and spoke—his tone somewhere between a request and a command.

“Amelia Diane. In another chamber of this basement, there are people who know the truth about my sister Iana’s death. Not speculation, but the truth.”

“……”

“Read their thoughts and report everything to me.”

I hesitated for a moment, pretending to think, then lightly tapped the tip of my shoe against Cordelia’s trembling fingers and focused.

The moment I intended to read her mind, I started hearing not just her thoughts but those of everyone around me.

My Areté, a rippling green-hazel current, began as a quiet breeze before swelling into a raging storm.

Even Marabas and Itar frowned, visibly startled.

“Count Diane, can you hear the thoughts of those imprisoned next door?”

“I can.”

“Good. I’ll go to them and ask about my sister’s death. You are to extract every thought they have—without exception.”

With that, Itar and Marabas left the room. I shut my eyes, trying to stop my Areté, but it refused to quiet down.

The countless minds around me poured in like a hailstorm striking bare skin.

The most common thoughts were grief for the late Leosis II and curses directed at Itar, the man who had sealed his fate.

「His Majesty was so wise, yet he died so helplessly…」

「It’s no different than Third Prince murdering him. He knew full well that the emperor needed a physician…」

「A murderer. A monster. After all His Majesty did for him, this is how he repays him?」

「He deserves to die!」

None of it was directed at me, but merely hearing it was enough to make my hands tremble and nausea rise in my throat.

Continuing to listen only deepened the mental anguish, and tears welled in my eyes.

I desperately wished for someone—anyone to come and stop the Areté amplification effect caused by Cordelia.

No… There was only one person I wanted to see the most.

Kyle Chaield.

I could hear his thoughts as if he were right next to me.

「I hope she’s here…」

「What if she’s hurt…」

The concern in his mind grew louder, closer.

Once I heard his thoughts, it was like a radio tuning into a frequency—his voice was all I could hear.

Then, the door slammed open.

My Areté, now a violent storm, swirled through the room. Kyle shielded his eyes with his arm as he stepped inside.

“Noona!”

“Kyle…!”

We both called for each other, but the raging winds swallowed our voices.

Despite the sheer force making it difficult to even take a step, Kyle pushed forward, searching for me.

「I need to stop this wind first.」

「This storm carries the same energy I felt when Marabas tried to control my mind.」

My sharp-witted fiancé had already recognized that Cordelia’s power was fueling the Areté amplification.

He would quickly realize that he needed to separate Cordelia from me to stop it.

「She must be in so much pain. I was in agony back then too…」

「I don’t want Noona to go through that.」

「Last time, my fiancée saved me. This time, I’ll—」

Hearing his adorable determination made my heart clench—but then, Kyle’s thought process started veering dangerously off track.

「I remember how to break Marabas’ Areté—stimulating desire.」

「Fortunately, no one else is watching.」

「I’ll do whatever it takes to save my love.」

His hand, which had been bracing against the wall, drifted toward his tie.

Wait. Why is his hand going there?

No way…

“Noona!”

Catching my attention with a sharp call, Kyle—without the slightest hesitation—yanked off his tie and tore open his shirt.

The storm was still howling, yet his smoothly sculpted torso was revealed in an instant.

Even Cordelia, sprawled on the ground, seemed momentarily stunned—and the storm faltered slightly.

Kyle took that opening to sweep his hair back, lowering his voice to a seductive murmur.

“Noona, don’t you think it’s… a little hot in here?”

No, Kyle! That’s not it!

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