The Unfilial Heir Who Tries to Kill Me Tempts Me - Chapter 22

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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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Chapter 22

“You’re late.”
By the time I returned to where the Cabin stood, the sun had already set. Kaius was waiting outside for me.
Judging by his expression, if I’d been even a moment later, I wouldn’t have walked back on my own two feet—I’d have arrived dangling from his hands.
“What’s with the mess?”
“I was bored sitting alone, so I took a brief walk.”
“Looks like you buried someone while you were at it.”
“That’s hardly the case.”
Quite the opposite, actually.
I’d dug up something that was already buried.
I smiled contentedly, thinking of Ilaune tucked safely away in my Subspace.
Kaius looked at me as though I were mad, but I didn’t mind. My heart was full. I could afford to be magnanimous about the suspicious glare of this unfilial wretch.
When Kaius and I stepped inside, Daemon greeted us both.
“My apologies for the delayed introduction. I am Daemon Nilson.”
“I’m Charlotte Schmidt.”
“I’ve heard of you. A dedicated mage of the Grand Duchy Palace, I understand.”
“Yes, though only on a Temporary Contract basis.”
Daemon extended his hand for a shake. I wiped my dirt-covered hands haphazardly on my skirt and clasped his.
Come to think of it, Daemon had been in seclusion for eight straight years, so he wouldn’t know my reputation. Charlotte only became a headache for the Capital through Dark Magic about four years ago.
There was no need for me to volunteer information and damage my own image.
I stepped back slightly from Daemon and whispered to Kaius.
“I thought you’d be thrown out. You persuaded him well, didn’t you?”
“What do you take me for?”
“A vain despot with a polished face?”
……
“I was joking. I apologize.”
Don’t look at me like that.
It’s terrifying.
“His Highness the Prince—or rather, His Grace the Duke—said he absolutely needed me. He insisted it had to be me, and I simply couldn’t refuse. I’m ashamed and sorry. How could I abandon an old man who’s been shut away in the forest for eight years….”
“As His Grace mentioned, the Lucifenia Territory has long been a target of Dark Mages. If you take charge of the territory’s security, things will be far safer than they are now.”
“I’m not sure I’m truly adequate for the task….”
What are you saying?
There’s no one better suited than you.
“I’ll help you. Don’t worry.”
So if I happen to fail at returning to reality using the Elixir, I’ll absolutely help you search for a remedy then.
Though that won’t happen.
Ha ha ha.
“I heard it was the mage herself who suggested to His Grace that he persuade me. I do wonder where His Grace found such a remarkable person.”
Did he tell you that?
When I looked at Kaius, he shrugged.
How resourceful of him.
“I’ve long worried about him keeping women at a distance since childhood, but during my absence, he’s found such a dependable companion. I have no concerns about the position of Duchess awaiting him.”
“I… beg your pardon?”
This old man is saying something dangerous.
“Stop saying such frightening things. You’ll actually cause a catastrophe.”
“Ha ha.”
He seems to think I’m joking.
This man is capable, but he lacks a certain social awareness.
I wonder what I’ll do about that—if I’m to remain attached to the Lucifenia Territory, he’ll need to develop some tact.
“Shall we depart now?”
I asked the two of them.
I want to get back quickly.
I need to make the Elixir.
“Did you smear honey all over the Grand Duchy Palace?”
“Pardon?”
“Why are you in such high spirits?”
“Ah, was I?”
I gave myself away.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking to yourself, but I’d rather you didn’t start another commotion.”
“Another commotion? I just want to get back quickly. To my own home.”
I answered with a soft laugh, and Kaius playfully narrowed one eye at me.
“When did the Grand Duchy Palace become your home, without my knowing?”
That’s not what I meant.
It’s ridiculous, really.
Daemon, who’d been watching us with a soft smile, spoke up.
“The sun will be setting soon. I have quite a lot to do sorting through a house I’ve lived in for so long. Rather than trouble you to come fetch me again, wouldn’t it be better if we stayed the night here and departed tomorrow?”
Certainly, thinking of the distance, it would be better to make the journey in one go.
“Is there a room we could stay in?”
At my question, Daemon let out a resigned sigh. And truth be told, this Cabin didn’t look like it had been built with guests in mind.
“I hadn’t thought of that. There is a room, but….”
Daemon looked between me and Kaius with an awkward expression.
“There’s only one.”
“Ah.”
Why are my bad premonitions never wrong?
“It will be quite cramped for the two of you to share one room….”
“I suppose there’s no help for it then….”
“One night will do.”
Kaius was faster than me.
I looked up at him in surprise.
Share a room?
Even if this novel is a romance and we’re supposed to follow the clichés, surely the two of us in one room isn’t…?
The moment I was about to say as much, Kaius stepped in front of me.
“One room is fine. This mage here says the clearing out front will suffice.”
“I beg your pardon?”
What are you talking about?
I can sleep indoors just fine.
Of course, I could conjure up a place to stay for a night with magic, but that’s hardly the same thing, is it?
I looked up at him with an incredulous expression. Kaius tilted his head deliberately, a vexing smile playing at his lips.
What an insufferable wretch.

***

Still insisting that he couldn’t let a guest sleep outside, Daemon brought both Kaius and me into the house and offered us his own room.
“There’s a bed and a sofa, so you should have no trouble getting through one night’s rest.”
“Even so….”
“It’s perfectly fine. Please, get some rest.”
Daemon firmly ushered my hesitant self inside and closed the door.
I could have sworn I saw him smiling warmly through the crack in the door.
It must have been my imagination.
“I’ll take the bed. You can have the sofa.”
Kaius gestured casually toward a small two-person sofa with his chin.
“I know.”
Our insufferable wretch is nothing if not consistently devoid of chivalry. I’ve known it since he held a blade to my throat.
But I can bear even this much.
Because.
I have Ilaune.
“Hmph.”
The thought of Ilaune sleeping peacefully in the Subspace drew a stifled laugh from me.
If I have a cheat code like this, how could I begrudge this wretch one little stubbornness? I’m being remarkably magnanimous right now.
As I was laying out a blanket and arranging a pillow on the sofa, I felt his gaze on my back. Kaius was staring at me intently.
What now? What is it?
“What is it?”
“When did you start to know me?”
What kind of question is that all of a sudden?
“I’m sorry?”
“You said it earlier—’I know you feel awkward about words like that.’ I’m wondering when you came to know me well enough to say something like that.”
A twinge of guilt.
“Did I say that?”
I hadn’t paid attention to that detail because I was preoccupied with the thought of having to persuade Daemon.
Kaius opened his eyes halfway, as though pressing me for an answer.
“…I could just tell. You didn’t seem like the type who could say such things.”
“Ah, is that so? I thought you’d been watching me all this time.”
“As if that were possible.”
Needlessly sharp, this one.
Before Kaius could say anything else, I quickly cast a spell and hung a long curtain from the ceiling. I was rushing to draw it closed and turn back when his voice followed me.
“You.”
“What now?”
“If there’s anything you want, think it over. I’ll grant you a reward for your service.”
What?
Did he mean I actually helped in persuading Daemon?
The bastard’s been deflecting credit to me since earlier.
It’s the same with Robert—Kaius is surprisingly magnanimous in these moments.
“Well, I’ll give it some thought.”
I headed straight for the sofa behind the curtain, then stopped abruptly.
Wait. To produce an Elixir, I’d need a proper laboratory.
An Elixir was as complicated to manufacture as it was renowned.
Even if I could scrape together the other necessary materials, space was the real problem. My private quarters were too cramped for complex potion-making, and I certainly couldn’t openly craft an Elixir in Kaius’s office, where he keeps a watchful eye on everything.
…Should I ask him for a laboratory?
After a moment’s hesitation, I drew the curtain back.
“Your Highness, there is something I’d like to ask for— Oh my God!”
“…Oh.”
Kaius, frozen mid-motion with his shirt half-unbuttoned, let out a quiet sound of acknowledgment.
“Did the curtain serve this purpose?”
I’m losing my mind.
Why is he undressing?!

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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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