Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 180

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

The Heir, the Healing, Episode 180

“…….”

Jack watched Lion in silence.

‘This man knows far more than I expected.’

The shift in how he addressed Jack was the clearest sign.
In public settings, he’d spoken down to Jack with obvious indifference, yet the moment they were alone, he’d switched to formal speech without a trace of artifice.
As naturally as breathing.

‘At minimum, he knows I’m Jack.’

And he was clearly inferring much more than that.
What sort of relationship Jack shared with Kyle.
What complications this connection might create for him.
The only mercy was that this Young Master could suspect but could never be certain.
No one else alive knew the truth of what bound Jack and Kyle together.
Claim to be an associate, and that claim became fact.

‘I’d thought him harmless, but I was wrong.’

From the moment Lion had vaulted over the trap Jack had laid—leaping it like a ditch—Jack had known better. He was no trivial opponent.
And he knew when to strike.

‘I wondered why Freyanya stayed there so long.’

It wasn’t solely because she was a virtuoso of Alchemy.
This woman was no eccentric or wastrel.
She possessed considerable strategic acumen and sharp insight in equal measure.
If Kyle brought her into his circle, the gain would be immense.
And she herself would certainly become safer than she was now.
But…….

‘The risk grows larger.’

Jack’s expression hardened for a moment, then melted back into a smile.

“Why the sudden formality? That’s strange of you.”
“I find it more comfortable this way. Feel free to speak however suits you.”

Lion glanced around, as if to say there was no one else here anyway.

“Ha.”

Jack laughed aloud and brushed his face lightly with his hand.

“Ah…….”

Then he fixed Lion with cold, mirthless eyes.
It wasn’t because of Jack’s station—he was simply drawing a line.

In public, perhaps, but in private he wanted no association with you.

‘None of my concern.’

Being disliked was as natural to him as eating, and his spirit was too hard to wound over such trifles.
If this woman prioritized Kyle’s security and well-being, he would bear her contempt gladly.
But that’s not the case.

‘His priority is…….’

Ricshel, his younger brother and the heir to House Asteri.

In truth, if you traced back through every action from the conference room until now, it all pointed to one thing—that it had been orchestrated for Ricshel Asteri’s sake.
You could see it just from how he’d passed the matter off and kept the Second Imperial Prince from making contact with his younger brother too often.
Kyle knew this fact and yet seemed determined to keep the man standing before him at his side.

‘I won’t have it.’

Kyle would only grow softer and more indulgent, and that softness would inevitably breed carelessness—of that there was no doubt.
And what carelessness meant for the Second Imperial Prince was hardly a mystery.
Death itself.
A pathetic death, the kind that left no words fit for mourning.

‘Of course, it won’t be because of Lion Asteri.’

But if even one or two more like this man appeared, Kyle’s vulnerabilities would only widen further.
What if someone cloaked in a gentle nature approached and slipped a blade between those cracks?
Kyle would be the only one to suffer for it.
His body was already bearing enough strain—his heart need not bear any as well.
In that sense, the man before him now was a poison wrapped in sweetness.
So what choice was there? Nothing but to play the villain.

“How could I possibly do such a thing? Ha, no—I’ll simply put your mind at ease. Well then, to answer your first question: we are merely associates. We join hands for a greater cause and walk forward together, nothing more. I won’t be hiding in the Second Imperial Prince’s embrace, so there’s no need for concern.”
“I see.”
“Yes. We stand united in purpose, that is all. Rest assured, I won’t be clinging to the Second Imperial Prince’s side.”

Oh dear.

‘He hates me.’

Lion stifled a quiet laugh at Jack’s sharp response.
He’d been aware that the man didn’t care for him, but he hadn’t expected it to surface quite so openly.
Though that made sense—if not now, when else would such truths spill out?
In fact, that was precisely why Lion had prodded him first.

‘What to do about him…….’

He’d said it as a question, but the answer was already settled in his mind—he’d worked it out on the way here.

‘First, I abandon any attempt at intimacy.’

This was a man who had climbed to the throne of the Underworld while barely more than a boy, bearing the weight of that crown.
To master the reading of human hearts was his very nature.
It might not be quite on Lion’s level, but he was far too sharp to be underestimated.

‘One careless answer and…….’

He would only become more obsessive, more hostile.

‘When you think about it, he and the Second Imperial Prince have rather similar temperaments.’

Or perhaps it was the other way around—perhaps the Second Imperial Prince had inherited Jack’s nature.
Either way, this was no ordinary opponent. Better to employ this method.
Lion made his decision and let the words fall.

“You’re not hiding the Second Imperial Prince away in your embrace, are you?”
“I’m afraid I don’t possess such an ability, sir.”
“Is that so?”

Lion made no effort to conceal his amusement, letting it play across his face as he answered. Then he clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk slowly, as if taking a casual stroll.
Jack fell into step behind him and pressed further with another question.

“I’m rather curious why you would think such a thing in the first place.”
“Ha. Even if I seem insignificant compared to my brother, I can manage to understand at least that much.”
“Goodness, I’m truly fascinated by where the Young Master’s information comes from! If only you’d apply that power to serve the Second Imperial Prince, how wonderful that would be!”
“Hmm…….”
“If it’s Ricshel who troubles you, then just give me a hint — just between us. I’ll present it to the Second Imperial Prince in the proper light.”

Even as Jack brought up Ricshel’s name, Lion’s gait remained unchanged.
His hands, clasped deliberately behind his back, showed not the slightest tremor, and his unhurried stride stayed perfectly constant.
Jack’s brow furrowed.
Most humans would give at least some reaction.
Denial or agreement. Displeasure of some kind.
But there was nothing. Just indifference.
Judging from the way he actually answered his questions, this man was certainly no fool, oblivious to what was being said.
If anything, quite the opposite.

‘I was only trying to assess what kind of man he was…….’

Of course, he’d intended to add a warning as well.
A suggestion that unless he wanted trouble, he should keep his distance from the Second Imperial Prince.
That he should refrain from meddling in affairs as he had been, and instead continue his leisurely, solitary existence as before.
To gently guide him to believe that such a choice would be the rational one.
And afterward, Jack had planned to investigate this man’s background in secret, thoroughly and without mercy.
That was what he did best, after all.
But the more they talked…….

‘This one won’t be easy.’

Truth be told, Jack found dealing with nobles the simplest.
They already had names, established histories, and fixed addresses.
What secrets could the head of the Underworld possibly lack about such men?
Dig up their petty hobbies, their weaknesses, their hidden scandals — expose it all and hold it in the palm of your hand. That was all there was to it.
Lion Asteri?
True, unlike ordinary nobles, he showed no obvious corruption or vice.
But didn’t it seem as though he were concealing something far greater?
Perhaps something he was about to do — something even his own family didn’t know about.
Jack had calculated that if he could seize that secret first, he would naturally be able to place this man in his grip and control him…… but.

“Have you finished speaking?”
“…….”
“Then it’s my turn to speak.”

Lion stopped walking and turned to face him.
The moment their eyes met, an instinctive wariness surged up inside Jack.
It was a reaction born from the fact that he could read nothing in Lion’s gaze.
It felt like being transported back to his inexperienced days, before he had become who he was now.
Perhaps he should simply overpower the man by force.
Such a thought was beginning to dominate his mind when——

“That’s excessive.”

With those words from Lion, Jack’s resolve crumbled.
He’d wondered what the man was about to say, but “excessive” was the last thing he’d expected to hear.

“Excessive, you say? I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Precisely as you say.”

Lion lowered his arms and gave a small shrug.
Had he faced Jack knowing nothing, it might have proved tedious, but as it stood, he’d stumbled upon the man’s past regardless.
Moreover, he’d caught wind of Jack’s objective as well.
Jack’s actions were clearly meant to protect Kyle.
It wasn’t merely a guess born from seeing them paired like brothers in the story mode.
Throughout today’s meeting, Jack had orchestrated every instance of Lion receiving praise, all the while scrutinizing the reactions of those around them.
And the person he’d observed most closely wasn’t Lion himself—it was Kyle.
More precisely, how the Second Imperial Prince evaluated the figure known as Lion Asteri.

‘The Second Imperial Prince didn’t dislike me.’

If anything, he leaned toward favor rather than the opposite.
Perhaps that was because Lion was the brother of his friend Ricshel.
But Jack, it seemed, greatly disliked the fact that Kyle held him in any regard at all.
He may have even judged Lion to be worthless.
Well, everyone had the right to judge others in their hearts, so Lion wouldn’t dwell on it—but this business of following behind and striking up conversation was something else entirely.
It looked to him like nothing but an impulse to overprotect the Second Imperial Prince.
And his methods were decidedly warped.
Correction.

‘……More than a little warped, actually.’

It was excessive.
From what he could see, Jack had purged everyone who’d proven unhelpful to Kyle.
Even if they were the eldest son of House Asteri.
He was like a hedgehog bristling with spines.

“You’re not the sort to walk hand in hand with him—you surround the Prince entirely with your body, like a guardian would. How very protective of you.”
“……What exactly are you driving at.”

The word guardian had sent a flicker across Jack’s expression.
Lion caught it but said nothing.

“Ah, nothing in particular. Just wondering whether the Prince can see what lies ahead of him if you keep blocking everything like that.”
“…….”
“Seems you understand.”

By protecting everything this way, he’d become the Second Imperial Prince’s greatest obstacle instead.
Which was to say, stop meddling in whoever Kyle concerned himself with.
In short: let it go.
But that was.

‘Lion Asteri, aren’t you doing the same thing.’

He wanted to turn the question back on him, but he couldn’t.
After all, Jack was merely the head of the Underworld and the Second Imperial Prince’s associate—nothing more.

“Ah, and one more thing. You seem to be laboring under a misapprehension.”
“Please, do tell.”
“I’m not keeping my brother locked away.”
“…….”

Lion finished his words and gave Jade—Jack—a light tap on the shoulder before turning to leave.

“It’s been an enjoyable conversation. My brother is waiting, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Jack opened his mouth as if to object against those final words, then went rigid.

……Kyle and his relationship with himself. He knew.

How?
No one knew about it—not Ricshel Asteri, not Freyanya, not even in the Underworld.
He’d killed everyone involved or manipulated the information.
So how in the world did he know?
For the first time in ages, goosebumps crawled down his spine.
Just how far did Lion Asteri’s information network extend?

“……Ha. This is something else.”

He’d thought the Young Master was just that—a Young Master. But there was no serpent quite like him.

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