The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 108

“The return is taking longer than expected.”

Lienne muttered anxiously as she gazed out the window. But she was not the only one in the Hail Imperial Palace feeling uneasy.

The ladies-in-waiting surrounding the soon-to-be Empress, as well as Emperor Berd and his attendants seated across from her, all wore expressions of deep concern.

Berd let out a heavy sigh, carefully retracing the events that had unfolded. On the sacred day of the engagement ceremony, corpses had suddenly appeared, and Lady Diane had been abducted.

Duke of Chaeild had immediately organized a pursuit party, and Kyle had certainly taken the return scroll imbued with Arete’s power with him.

And yet, there was still no word from them.

“They will be back soon. Try to remain calm.”

Berd offered reassurance to Lienne, though in truth, he was the one feeling the most anxious as the emperor of Hail.

If Chaeild’s power were to disappear, the imperial family would crumble under its own weight. But there was an even more terrifying possibility.

‘What if something has happened to the young Count Lady Diane…?’

The thought of Amelia Diane being injured or, worse, dead, sent chills down Berd’s spine. If that happened, Duke of Chaeild would turn back into a monster.

No, he would become even more ruthless than before. A man who had learned love being forced back into the abyss—who wouldn’t become savage under such circumstances?

Just as Berd was about to sigh, his gaze landed on Princess Nadia, who remained utterly composed, flipping through a book. The fact that she could remain so calm despite understanding the gravity of the situation left him speechless.

“Nadia. How can you be turning pages at a time like this?”

“You should wait patiently, Your Majesty.”

Nadia purposefully turned another page in front of him. Recalling the shocking and scandalous scene she had witnessed in Keltman, she found herself oddly at ease.

“Kyle, it’s cold, hold me.”

After all, if the two of them had gone to such extremes for each other, this situation would also somehow end well.

Just as Nadia chuckled and refocused on her book—

“Your Majesty! We’ve received word that Duke of Chaeild and his party have successfully returned to the duchy using the scroll!”

“And Lady Diane?”

“The young Count Lady Diane and everyone in the party have returned safely. Lady Claire left immediately upon hearing the news.”

“Oh…”

Relief washed over Berd as he rubbed his face. He was grateful—but also strangely intrigued.

Amelia Diane.

There always seemed to be an uncanny stroke of fortune surrounding her.

Today wasn’t the first time she had returned unscathed after being abducted in a foreign land.

‘Just like the Harmonia Necklace incident and the events in Keltman…’

Whenever she was placed in a disadvantageous position, public opinion, led by the Hail Times, would shift in her favor.

Had Chaeild been secretly pulling strings? No… something felt off.

‘There is definitely something at play here… but what?’

With a lingering sense of unease, Berd rose from his seat. Having stayed up all night, he planned to rest before official duties resumed.

Thinking about the chaos that would erupt in the newspapers regarding the abduction of Chaeild’s fiancée already gave him a headache.

Chaeild Duchy

At last, they had returned to Chaeild Duchy.

It had only been half a day since Berd and Lienne’s engagement ceremony, yet it felt as though several weeks had passed.

“My lady! I’m so relieved you’ve returned safely!”

“We were worried about you. Would you like some warm tea?”

“Would you prefer to rest first? We’ve prepared a meal, just in case…”

The moment I stepped into the duchy, the servants swarmed around me like clouds, surrounding me with concern. They must have heard about my abduction long ago.

It felt almost awkward—as if they were more focused on me than on Kyle, the actual lord of the manor.

Frankly speaking, the one who needed special care and rest right now wasn’t me.

“I’m fine. Please tend to the head steward and Cordelia instead. They must be exhausted in many ways.”

I turned my gaze toward the two standing close together.

Now freed from Maravas’ mind control, Cordelia looked noticeably sharper than before. As her gaze swept over the manor, her eyes glistened with emotion.

I couldn’t begin to imagine how she must be feeling at this moment.

“Cordelia, I’ll assign people to help you, so please get some proper rest. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Your health comes first.”

“You are far too kind to me…”

“You are the wife of Hild, the head steward of this duchy. And you also helped me in Traiha.”

As I spoke, I stole a glance at Kyle.

“Besides, caring for the household staff is an essential duty of the lady of the house.”

As expected, Kyle’s expression softened immediately. His gaze toward Hild and Cordelia was as warm as my own.

“Perhaps the saying is true—love does return.”

“Hild, I’m granting you a week of leave. Step away from work and take some time to rest. I recommend choosing one of the vacant annexes in the duchy and spending it with your wife.”

“Your Grace, I couldn’t possibly…”

“One week. No longer. I’ll need my steward back soon to expedite preparations for next month’s wedding.”

Although Steward Hild initially refused, he eventually accepted the special leave with great reluctance. Cordelia, supported by the steward and other attendants, was escorted to rest.

It would take some time, but the spell that had forcibly aged her could be undone. Hild had been overjoyed upon hearing the news.

“Director Paul, Hild’s internal injuries must be severe. He’s been moving around quite a lot. Please check on him at the annex.”

“Of course, my lady.”

“Ah, Vanessa, you worked hard too. You saved my life. Go to the kitchen, say my name, and eat whatever you want, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

I adjusted Vanessa’s necklace so that the pendant sat properly at the center and stretched my arms. So much had happened in just half a day, and I was beginning to feel the exhaustion creeping in.

I just wanted to collapse into bed and sleep for hours—but before that, I needed to take off this uncomfortable dress, specially tailored for the engagement ceremony.

“I’ll need a few maids to help me change. Kyle, I’ll go up first.”

“Alright, sister.”

Why was it that, as Kyle nodded, his cheeks seemed slightly flushed?

Meanwhile, Kyleian Chaeild

Using a return scroll imbued with Arete’s power took a toll on the body. Given that they had traveled across the continent and back within half a day, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Kyle had collapsed from exhaustion.

Yet, he felt more energetic than ever. In fact, his heart was pounding faster than usual. Even he found it strange—why wasn’t he the least bit tired?

‘She said she’s changing into something more comfortable.’

Kyle pondered why Amel would casually mention such a critical piece of information.

As he dwelled on the thought, his mind grew clearer, his vision sharper. It was as if all his fatigue had evaporated.

He spent a brief moment catching up with Claire, who had returned to the duchy. Amel had asked to be notified once Claire arrived, but Claire refused.

“She must be exhausted. Let her rest. There’s plenty of time to talk tomorrow.”

Kyle, quickly realizing that Claire’s words were a polite way of telling him to back off, took a moment for self-reflection.

Sitting alone, he mulled things over and conceded that Amel probably was exhausted. Her stamina had always been slightly lower than what he wanted.

‘…Could she really be that tired?’

Kyle had been so thrilled about finally setting a wedding date that his excitement had completely wiped out any trace of exhaustion. But apparently, that only applied to him.

Still, the realization didn’t upset him. If anything, it seemed rather endearing. Didn’t this just mean his love was stronger?

His Amel-centric optimism was working hard today.

The Servants’ Gossip

Meanwhile, the passing servants exchanged hushed whispers, holding back their excitement. As always, the topic of discussion was their lady.

“The intelligence officers who returned from Traiha couldn’t stop praising her. Isn’t it amazing how she even thinks of the servants?”

“She said that no one’s fate is sealed—that there’s no set rule for who lives and who dies…”

“To think our lord stayed with her in a place that could have exploded at any moment. We’re truly blessed.”

“Speaking of which, the wedding date is supposedly set for next month.”

“Finally?”

A wave of excited murmurs spread through the group.

On any other day, Kyle would have scowled at such chatter. Today, however, he listened with uncharacteristic satisfaction.

Now that he looked closely, he recognized some of the maids from earlier—those who had helped Amel change.

They had briefly stepped into the lobby to fetch bath supplies.

“The duchess must be waiting. Let’s hurry back.”

“I hope she likes bathwater with flower petals.”

“Should we bring the high-grade massage oils as well?”

Kyle’s ears perked up.

He immediately stood and glanced at the small tray in their hands.

It was filled with neatly arranged red petals and several small bottles of scented oil. He vaguely recalled ordering those himself.

Feigning nonchalance, he asked,

“Where are you taking those?”

“We thought Lady Amel would enjoy a bath with petals… Oh, she’s bathing now in the private bathroom connected to the bedroom.”

“Hand them over. I’m heading to her room anyway.”

He might have answered too quickly—but this was already impressive restraint.

Kyle took the tray, ensuring that the servants were out of sight, then made his way upstairs. He nearly took two steps at a time, but forced himself to walk properly for the sake of dignity.

By the time he entered the bedroom, the sharp-eyed servants had already vanished like air escaping through a crack in the door.

Kyle took a quick glance around, ensuring there were no servants left.

Then, without hesitation, he opened the bathroom door.

The humid warmth inside made his already flushed face feel even hotter.

“Sister.”

His low voice echoed in the spacious bathroom.

There was no response.

Perhaps she had already fallen asleep.

Kyle’s gaze fell upon the small bathtub at the center of the room.

His vision was still hazy, but he could see clearly enough.

It was the glass bathtub he had gifted her long ago.

One that allowed him to see straight through the water inside.

“…….”

Click.

Kyle locked the bathroom door from the inside.

Then, he stepped forward—toward her.

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