The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 83

By the time Kyle had ruined the lipstick he had so carefully applied on Amel, carriages from foreign lands bearing invitations from the Hail Imperial Palace began arriving one by one in the empire’s capital.

Among them, the procession that garnered the most attention from spectators was undoubtedly that of the 3rd Prince of the Traiha Empire and his entourage.

“Do you think a member of Traiha’s royal family is really inside that carriage?”

“All the way from across the sea?”

“Well, it’s not strange for them to take an interest since Lady Diane is receiving a medal.”

The crowd, gathered in droves like clouds, murmured as they gazed at Traiha’s blue carriages, each with their own opinions.

Inside one of the carriages, Itar could also hear their voices. Unlike the excited citizens of Hail, he was far from amused.

A procession surrounded by people… So this is how they choose to exact revenge.

The Traiha royal family had no shortage of renowned alchemists. If they wished, they could have instantly traveled to the capital of Hail using their expertise. Instead, they had deliberately chosen the slow and cumbersome method of traveling by carriage, a sentimentality that Itar found laughable.

Officially, Itar’s role was to deliver thanks to the leader of Chaield for business cooperation and to demonstrate that there were no diplomatic issues between Traiha and Hail.

Under normal circumstances, he would have deemed such a journey trivial and abandoned it long ago. However, there was one reason he endured it.

…Amelia Diane.

If anyone deserved a medal, it was her—for taming the monstrous duke into a docile puppy.

Even her capabilities displayed in Keltman had been more impressive than those of most diplomats.

She intrigued him.

It wasn’t simply her distinctive appearance or charming dimples. Itar was curious about Lady Diane’s arete. He was certain she possessed abilities that could aid his plans.

But to find out, he needed to approach her first. Shifting his gaze from the carriage window, he turned to the woman sitting across from him.

“This is quite amusing. To anyone else, you’d appear to be nothing more than an ordinary old woman.”

As he said, the elderly woman seated with him looked unremarkable. Dressed in worn, nondescript clothing, she resembled someone who might excel at making soup.

However, the voice that emerged from her was unmistakably male.

“I’m not sure how it happened, but this woman’s body has been exposed to arete for such a long time that this phenomenon became possible. Normally, my elixirs or arete would only influence the mind to a limited extent.”

“Talking to a ghost possessing an old woman’s body feels utterly repulsive.”

Marabas Ridel was showcasing the results of his research, using alchemical elixirs and a necklace imbued with arete. The elderly woman, Cordelia, whom he had stumbled upon during his wanderings, was unusually receptive to arete and alchemy due to prolonged exposure.

Her body, as he discovered, was practically a magical resource—a living vessel capable of producing anything.

Using his extensive knowledge, Marabas could transform her into a timeless existence or combine elixirs and spells to turn her into something akin to a magical tool.

But Marabas’s current focus was on transforming Cordelia into a living weapon. This was why he had sought refuge in Traiha.

The only patron who would support the idea of using a human as a bomb was Itar, whose desire for destruction stemmed from losing his younger sister.

“Marabas, how effective is this woman?”

“If Cordelia were to die inside the Hail Imperial Palace, the explosion spell would trigger and reduce the entire palace to ashes. According to my research, the surrounding arete crystals would also detonate, effectively allowing us to conquer the capital.”

“With results like these, it’s no wonder you abandoned your position as a Royal Alchemist.”

“You flatter me.”

“But we won’t use her today. Today, we’ll only confirm Lady Diane’s arete.”

“A wise decision for such an occasion.”

Marabas’s voice carried a hint of amusement, and the corners of Cordelia’s wrinkled lips curved into a faint smile.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the medal ceremony commenced. Nobles residing in the capital, as well as unfamiliar aristocrats, swarmed the imperial palace. With distinguished guests from foreign lands added to the mix, Berd could only click his tongue.

“Everyone is desperate to curry favor with the Duke of Chaield.”

Amelia Diane seemed oblivious, but there were already numerous nobles who had greatly benefited simply by showing her kindness.

A noblewoman who served tarts filled with Amelia’s favorite cream cheese from Tipati’s finest tea foods had soon after acquired an expensive mansion in the capital at a bargain price.

Another noblewoman, who had shielded Amelia from the sun with a parasol, found the status gap between her and her commoner lover resolved when he was granted a minor title.

“The Duke of Chaield has truly lost his mind.”

Clicking his tongue, Berd glanced around and realized he was no different from the rest.

After all, Princess Nadia had used all the information she had gathered to decorate the imperial hall to Lady Diane’s preferences. She had even drafted invitations that made the medal ceremony seem like a monumental imperial event, sending them to foreign nations.

Sending a carriage to the Diane estate was less a gesture of sincerity and more an attempt to score points.

‘…Speaking of which, those spirits who recently awakened are attending the banquet.’

Berd caught sight of a group of spirits huddled in a corner. These were the ones who had accompanied the delegation to Keltman after hearing that the Duke of Chaield would be sponsoring the mission. They had lost consciousness during a hunting festival they attended with the Duke but had recently regained their senses at the Chaield Hospital.

There were whispers that the monstrous Duke had done something to them, but Berd didn’t pay those rumors any mind.

He knew well enough that Kylean Chaield, who worked tirelessly to win people over, would never harm someone on purpose.

‘What are they scheming to show up here, even pushing themselves like this?’

Curious, Berd moved silently and leaned casually against the pillar behind them. Being an inconspicuous emperor had its perks in moments like these.

“How can we prevent His Grace from withdrawing his sponsorship?”

“Let’s just say everything we said on that mountain was because of some strange magic or sorcery. Claim that the words came out without us meaning them.”

“That’s the only way. Seeing Keltman’s economy collapse in just a few months was enough to keep me up at night.”

“They don’t call him the monstrous Duke for nothing—uh!”

The last spirit hastily covered his mouth, only to be met with sharp glares from the others.

“If you don’t want all our efforts over the past few days to go to waste, don’t ever let the word ‘monster’ leave your mouth again.”

“We’ve already strained our voices insisting His Grace isn’t a monster. Don’t ruin it all now.”

From their conversation alone, Berd could guess what had transpired at Keltman’s hunting festival.

‘They must’ve been enchanted and ended up exposing their true feelings to the Duke.’

Just then, a loud voice announced the arrival of Duke Chaield and Lady Diane. Every pair of eyes in the hall turned toward them.

“Wow…”

“As expected, the stars of today’s event.”

Every step Amelia took made the hearts of men race. Usually like a freshly bloomed rose, today she exuded the elegant charm of an entire bouquet of lilies.

Her dress and platinum accessories, perfectly befitting the name of the Lily Medal, fluttered gently with her every movement, reminiscent of a butterfly’s wings.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Not just beautiful. The Lily Medal comes with a title, so Lady Diane is now a woman who has everything.”

“Count Diane and his wife truly raised their daughter well.”

But no man dared to covet her, let alone meet her gaze directly. This was because the one tightly holding her hand was none other than the Duke of Chaield.

The so-called monstrous Duke smiled radiantly, like a sunflower gazing at the sun. To the spirits watching, this was an encouraging sign.

“Kyle, may I step away to greet the ladies for a moment?”

“Please, go ahead.”

Conveniently, even his bothersome fiancée had vacated the area. The spirits, after some hesitation, approached the Duke with small, timid steps and greeted him.

Kyle, however, didn’t think of their names or titles first. What came to his mind were the genuine words they had once spilled.

“Chaield, the miser who only knows money.”

“You’re not even human.”

“We only followed you for the money…”

“The monster who killed his father and brothers.”

Despite recognizing who they were, Kyle’s expression didn’t falter. Hiding his emotions was second nature to him.

“I heard you regained consciousness a few days ago. I’m glad to see you’re in good health,” he said with a formal tone, turning to leave. One of them hesitantly stopped him.

“Your Grace, we have something important to tell you.”

“…What is it?”

Sensing the serious tone, the nearby crowd discreetly stepped aside, leaving Kyle to deal with the increasingly irksome situation.

Are they planning to blackmail me? he wondered. If he didn’t compensate them adequately, they might claim that the Duke had used sorcery to make them lose their minds, as Gidima had incited before. With no concrete evidence to counter, there were bound to be those who would believe such a tale.

Kyle had expected such a scenario when he had imbued them with protective arete. Yet now that it was unfolding before him, it irritated him more than he’d anticipated.

But the conversation veered in an unexpected direction.

“Your Grace, we are aware that you saved us. Back then, those strange spells made us say things we didn’t mean…”

“Even though people are spreading baseless rumors because of Gidima’s incitement, we know that it was your arete that saved us.”

“Thank you for saving our lives, Your Grace. You are my savior.”

“We don’t know how to express our gratitude… But please rest assured, we will do everything we can to put an end to the nonsense about you being a monster.”

Kyle was surprised by their warmth and support. Instead of regarding him as a monster, they were defending him, reassuring him.

“Is that all you wanted to say to me?”

“…Pardon?”

Kyle cast a cold gaze at the spirits, now frozen with dazed expressions. Their families and trades arranged themselves neatly in his mind.

Parasites were terrifying because they evolved to master the art of survival. They adapted to live more easily, more safely. Skills that a predator like Kyle, the Duke of Chaield, wouldn’t even consider.

In that sense, the spirits before him were quite clever. They knew that by calling him something other than a monster and shedding grateful tears, they could extend their existence.

But that might have worked a year ago. Kyle leaned in, closing the distance between them, his voice sharp as frost.

“If you wish to repay me for saving your lives, never appear before me again. Your act of clinging to me only works until I see through you.”

“Y-Your Grace…”

“Those who are deceitful on the inside will eventually cause trouble. The Duke of Chaield doesn’t make deals that will lead to problems.”

As shadows crossed his face, the young spirits trembled. The monstrous Duke’s kindness was reserved solely for the fiancée by his side. The beast that now had something to protect had become all the more ferocious to everyone else.

“B-but if we’re here, Your Grace’s reputation…”

Reputation? Kyle let out a soft laugh. When there was one person who truly understood him, he had no reason to care about the opinions of others.

There was only one person now.

The one he needed to protect. The one who could utterly destroy him, leaving him defenseless, as before.

“It would be best not to test my patience.”

With each word emphasized, Kyle turned away, walking toward his fiancée.

Support