I Will Become the Villain’s Childhood Friend - Chapter 53

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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53

 

Selpieus and his son Darius returned to Pelrn.

 

Though it was early morning close to dawn, the mansion stirred at news of the family head and his eldest son’s arrival.

 

As always whenever Selpieus returned, all the servants lined up in front of the mansion’s main gate in perfect formation.

 

“The gate has opened.”

 

Amid the heightened tension, the butler announced.

 

Kaileus, dressed in formal attire, stood at the very front of the assembled line with his hands clasped behind his back.

 

He was beside Violet, who was restlessly pacing in place.

 

Kaileus swallowed bitterly.

 

‘It must be because of Darius.’

 

Having often welcomed his father back from campaigns alongside his mother, Kaileus felt his mother’s vastly different reaction all the more keenly.

 

Unlike before when she would greet her husband motionlessly and formally, now she acted as if waiting for a family member separated by life and death.

 

The long procession of carriages that had passed through the gate stopped one by one in front of the main mansion.

 

Knights on horseback dismounted in unison beside the line of carriages.

 

They bowed silently before Violet and Kaileus, then the knight commander opened the door of the largest carriage.

 

A massive man stepped down.

 

His silver armor gleamed as it caught the faint light of dawn.

 

Violet offered him a formal greeting.

 

“You have arrived. I’m relieved you’ve returned safely.”

 

The servants lined up behind also all bowed respectfully.

 

Selpieus surveyed the scene impassively before finally turning his gaze to Kaileus.

 

Kaileus also bowed deeply toward his father whom he was seeing after so long.

 

“My heart swells with pride at father’s good health and victorious return. I offer my sincere congratulations.”

 

He barely managed to get the words out from his parched throat.

 

Due to the early hour and being in the midst of puberty, an unsightly cracked metallic voice emerged.

 

“…Kaileus.”

 

After staring at him for several seconds, Selpieus finally recognized his second son.

 

“Prince Kaileus. My goodness. I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve grown so much!”

 

The admiring exclamation came from his aide, Noem Wagner, who had followed behind him.

 

Selpieus still looked down at Kaileus with unfamiliar eyes.

 

When the dry greetings ended, Violet looked around.

 

“Um, where is Darius…?”

 

Before she could finish speaking, a tall figure stepped down from the carriage right behind.

 

Brilliant golden hair revealed its presence through the dim surroundings.

 

It was Darius in his Kingdom’s Army uniform.

 

Kaileus turned his head to glimpse his brother whom he was meeting after ten months.

 

“Kail! You’ve grown so much. Your voice has gotten deeper too. Have you been well?”

 

As if that gentle remark were shackles, Kaileus stiffened completely.

 

It was merely stating fact. During the ten months of Darius’s absence, Kaileus had grown over 10 centimeters.

 

In contrast, Darius was past the age of rapid growth, so the height difference between them had significantly narrowed.

 

Though there was still a gap, it was now only about a span or two.

 

Yet why did he feel like he was shrinking?

 

Kaileus quietly observed Darius, who was smiling affectionately at him.

 

His bearing showed fatigue but exuded composure and confidence.

 

His features had become more refined and handsome, and his sturdy body fit perfectly in the tailored uniform.

 

Though he didn’t seem greatly changed from ten months ago, he also felt like a completely different person.

 

Toward his frozen self, Darius showed a slight smile.

 

“Still the same.”

 

Then he lightly brushed past his shoulder.

 

Though he wanted to shout curses, his voice wouldn’t come out as if his throat were constricted. The ground seemed to give way beneath his feet.

 

“Mother, I’ve returned.”

 

Darius then gave a vigorous salute toward Violet.

 

“Yes, I’m glad you’ve returned safely. You’ve worked hard.”

 

Violet wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes before embracing Darius.

 

Darius also laughed heartily as he wrapped his arms around her.

 

The boy who had wandered with unstable eyes had returned as a reliable adult with mature eyes.

 

***

 

A few days later, a medal ceremony was held at the Royal Palace.

 

The main figures were the Diern Duke and his son who had led this expedition to victory, especially Darius who had shown unexpected prowess.

 

His unit, which had been defending the rear, had secretly captured the royal family and officials of the enemy nation who were fleeing in exile.

 

Having caught the leadership that was abandoning their country and running away was no small feat.

 

The Queen personally commended Darius’s achievements and pinned a medal bearing the royal insignia to his chest.

 

It was natural that this occasion became Darius’s solo debutante stage.

 

“Indeed, the son of the kingdom’s greatest swordsman has been exceptional from the start.”

 

“Who would have known he’d achieve such great military merit on his very first campaign.”

 

People applauded and showered him with praise until their mouths went dry.

 

“The Duke must have no worries about succession at all.”

 

Kaileus, who had attended the medal ceremony to escort his mother, felt the ground crumble beneath his feet several times.

 

Though he had brought his mother to the Royal Palace on his father Selpieus’s orders, she refused to take his arm.

 

Instead, she linked arms with Darius and strolled around among the nobles.

 

As if Darius were her only son.

 

Kaileus eventually gave up trying to escort his mother and slumped down at a corner table.

 

After that, he stared blankly at the scene of her surrounded by various people, laughing.

 

Had his mother ever smiled so brightly recently?

 

Reflecting on the past, Kaileus tilted his head back and rubbed his face wearily.

 

He had been dreaming for the past ten months.

 

Since Darius had occasionally returned to the mansion even during busy school terms, spending ten whole months alone with his mother was a first.

 

So he had hoped that during that time, his mother would gradually turn her attention to him.

 

He had grown no less than Darius and was showing excellent skills, so he thought he could take his place.

 

How naive of him.

 

The returned Darius had grown to a degree that made his own desperate training seem laughable.

 

It wasn’t just physical growth.

 

Having experienced the battlefield, faced life and death situations, and seen the wider world, he had gained experience.

 

Kaileus, who felt this instinctively upon meeting him, was deeply wounded in his pride.

 

Just when he thought he had crawled with all his might to finally close the distance, looking up, there was a person gazing down at him from an unreachably high place.

 

The maternal affection he had desperately tried to grasp, Darius had easily claimed.

 

His father’s treatment of Darius had also changed.

 

While others might still consider Selpieus the same taciturn man, Kaileus, who had observed him closely, was the first to notice the change.

 

Toward his eldest son who had distinguished himself on the battlefield, he showed a satisfied air.

 

Whereas before he had looked at his idle son with disdain or indifference, now he seemed to acknowledge him as his successor.

 

Having keenly felt that subtle change in distance over just a few days, Kaileus felt his insides churning.

 

In the Royal Palace’s banquet hall, people whispered and glanced as they passed by him.

 

Though he occasionally heard the phrase “Prince Darius’s younger brother,” no one called him by name.

 

There was absolutely no one who spoke to him or acknowledged him.

 

Meanwhile, Darius was surrounded by such crowds that only the top of his head was visible.

 

The Royal Palace, which he was visiting for the first time, was as magnificent and splendid as it was isolating.

 

A world divided into extremes like light and shadow. Isolation and alienation.

 

Kaileus, who had tasted that sensation he used to feel only during Darius’s birthday parties after such a long time, let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

 

He hadn’t realized that the one person who had stayed by his side had grown this much.

 

Thanks to her, he had lived forgetting this wretchedness and horror for several years.

 

When he was with Rieze, it felt as if they were the only two left in a separate world, creating the illusion that everything would somehow be alright.

 

This was exactly what he had worried about when he had once steeled himself to push her away.

 

Just as he had feared, the result of falling into complacency and becoming drowsily intoxicated was this pathetic state.

 

To overcome the gap of four or five years in age, he couldn’t continue like this.

 

It meant that following exactly in Darius’s footsteps would be woefully insufficient.

 

That day, when Kaileus returned to the mansion, he made a resolute decision.

 

To cut off the sweet poison.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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