The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 89

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Male Lead’s Identity Is the Mastermind, and Only I Know — Chapter 89
The chaotic and tumultuous Foundation Festival had at last drawn to a close.
The demon beast had been captured, Filth’s power had been demonstrated, and Dust had completed his Second Growth — all major tasks accomplished, so I’d thought perhaps now we could settle into peaceful days ahead.
“What? Ate’s birthday is in two days?”
“Yes. And here is the Birthday Gift Request List that His Highness has sent.”
Sis handed me a short sheet of parchment, her smile tinged with gentle discomfort.
A Birthday Gift Request List — I’d never heard such a thing before. What on earth is this?
I picked up the parchment with a baffled expression, and there on the neat paper lay careful handwriting, slanted and precise.
[Birthday Gift Request List]
1. Accompany me on an outing to the Imperial Palace Garden.
2. Help me select a fine horse at the Stable.
3. Bring a gift prepared with genuine sincerity.
“…Is this kid seriously not a demon?”
No matter how I looked at it, he was clearly a little devil.
It sounded like “accompany,” but it really meant “tag along and attend to me.” And on top of that, he was openly requesting a gift and wanted it made with care. Picky thing!
In both my previous and current lives, I’d never met a child this brazen.
“How will you handle this?”
Sis added a comment about there being no need to overextend herself, but knowing Ate’s temperament as well as she did, she couldn’t quite bring herself to suggest we simply ignore the matter.
“Well, I’ll have to oblige. He’s taken the trouble to make out a list and send it so carefully — if I brush it aside, there’ll be hell to pay.”
I straightened the rustling parchment and scanned his demands once more, simple on the surface yet far from it in practice.
“Items one and two I can handle on the day itself… but item three is the problem.”
A gift prepared with genuine sincerity…
‘If it were anyone else, I’d have simply given them a few of my finest potions and been done with it.’
All I possessed were healing potions or various potions designed for peculiar purposes.
‘The sort that turn people into frogs, or elixirs that make you fall in love when consumed.’
Nothing appropriate for a ten-year-old child.
“Sis, now that I think of it — didn’t His Majesty send me a lovely silk handkerchief among his gifts before? The one still in its wrapping?”
At my question, Sis paused in thought for a moment before nodding.
“Yes, it remains unopened in its packaging.”
“Perfect. Then could you bring that along with thread and a needle? For genuine sincerity, needlework is the way to go!”
“Rene, are you certain about this…?”
The question came laden with unspoken layers, and I let out a soft laugh as I looked at her.
Why would she ask such a thing?
“Of course I’m not certain. I’ve never sewn a stitch in my life.”
“…Wouldn’t it be better to choose something else? His Highness enjoys books, so perhaps selecting a rare volume directly would be acceptable.”
“You know he buys books from the Library, right? He’s seen more of them than I have.”
There was no way Ate wouldn’t know something I knew. Sis reluctantly conceded and left the parlor to fetch the thread and needle.
I lifted my body from where it had been leaning against the sofa and moved toward the window.
As I opened the window slightly, cool winter air drifted in, and I caught sight of Chahil in the distance at the Annex, watering the flower beds.
Despite it being winter, delicate pink flowers bloomed brilliantly in front of the Annex, thanks to Chahil’s Heat Preservation Magic at work.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t visited Chahil since the Foundation Festival. Maybe I should call him over and get a Massage — and ask him about that Dimension Magic I’d meant to inquire about before Ibban burst in.
‘All in one visit, if I’m lucky.’
I was about to call out to him when, remarkably, Chahil suddenly turned and looked directly at me.
‘M…i…s…t…r…e…s…s!’
‘I…v…e…m…i…s…s…e…d…y…o…u!’
The moment our eyes met, Chahil began moving his lips exaggeratedly, spacing out each syllable as he silently conveyed his sentiments.
Convenient timing — I’d been about to call him anyway.
“Come here, Chahil.”
The distance was too great for my voice to reach, but if it was him, he’d certainly understand what I was saying.
Sure enough, Chahil set down the watering can at once and hurried into the building, evidently to change his clothes.
“Rene, I’ve brought the needle, thread, and handkerchief.”
Just then, Sis returned from the bedroom carrying a basket filled with everything I needed.
Inside the full basket lay various premium threads neatly organized alongside silver needles sorted by size.
“Sis, Chahil will be here soon. Send him up when he arrives.”
“Of course. By the way, what about Dust?”
“What about Dust?”
I was gathering up the handkerchief and thread when Sis hesitated and looked at me.
That expression… I always found it frightening when Sis wore that face.
Something troubling always seemed to happen right after she made that look.
“I was remembering that Dust quite disliked Chahil before. Will it be alright?”
“Ah, I see.”
Chahil had never encountered Dust after his Second Growth. The same held true for Dust himself.
‘Dust used to bite Chahil’s nose bridge mercilessly back then…….’
Sis’s complexion had darkened noticeably—she looked worried a potential bloodbath might break out.
After all, there was a difference in impact between being bitten when he was small and being bitten by a massive frame…….
“Sis, where’s Dust right now?”
“This morning, Banel took him out for ‘feeding’ on a scouting expedition.”
“So it was today.”
In the peaceful Imperial Palace, there was no opportunity for Dust to feed on the carcasses of beasts, so Banel—who regularly conducted reconnaissance with his shadows—had naturally begun taking Dust along.
Of course, I hadn’t willingly handed Dust over to Banel from the start.
‘Please trust me alone, Rene.’
‘Trust you? Banel, of all people? Absolutely not. Who knows if you’ll strip our child for organs the moment I blink.’
I’d eyed him suspiciously, remarking that Dust was just a child (?) who’d only recently stopped stammering and begun speaking properly.
‘I have no interest whatsoever in a beast’s kidneys, liver, gallbladder, or spleen.’
‘You’re being far too detailed about things you claim not to care about…!’
……There were still some unsettling aspects to it all, but regardless, Dust had been eating properly thanks to Banel since the Foundation Festival.
“He’ll probably come back around noon? It’s still morning, so we shouldn’t run into him.”
I glanced out the window for a moment, watching the bitter morning wind sweep past the glass, then turned my head and settled onto the sofa.
“Chahil has arrived, Rene.”
“Show him in.”
Sis knocked and delivered the message I’d been waiting for, just as I was struggling through some clumsy needlework.
Chahil appeared through the doorway, and unlike earlier when he’d been dressed in a neat servant’s uniform…….
‘Good heavens. How many holes does that have?’
Let me count. One, two, three….
As always, his outfit was daringly full of strategic openings—rather seductive indeed.
Below a white knit top that left his collarbones completely exposed, his thin black pants clung snugly to his firm thighs in quite an arresting way.
Meanwhile, his long white hair was tied back with a deep violet ribbon, which left his pale, smooth nape fully visible and cast an undeniably sensual air about him.
Noticing my eyes dart about busily, Chahil smiled slyly and drew nearer to me.

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