Chapter 5.3

“…Why are you here?”  

Unlike Lyla, whose face brightened, Kadis clicked his tongue and frowned. To make matters worse, he shielded Lyla with his large frame.  

His wariness was evident, as if he were trying to hide his female from another male.  

“Oh my! Young Master—no, Your Grace, you are here as well.”  

A pleasant voice, as smooth as a melody. Elegant gestures like those of an actor.  

The man, who looked much younger than his actual age, was Charlier, once Kadis’s private tutor and now a tenured professor at the Imperial Academy.  

“I departed as soon as I received the invitation, but the carriage broke down, and the heavy snow delayed me further.”  

Charlier removed his hat and bowed his head.  

A gust of wind blew his hair gently. The sight of his brown hair reminded Lyla of her late father. Though such hair color was common in the Empire, it made the professor stand out even more.  

Lyla clasped her hands tightly, looking at Charlier as if she had found her savior.  

‘Professor Charlier!’  

A reliable adult, respected by all.  

To Lyla, he was nothing less than the very image of the god she had been desperately seeking.  

Misinterpreting Lyla’s sparkling gaze toward Charlier, Kadis clenched his fist tightly. So tightly that his arm muscles bulged, and the veins on his forearm became taut.  

A murderous intent he had never felt even on the battlefield surged within him. Kadis struggled to suppress the killing intent as he opened his mouth.  

“It’s been a long time, Teacher.”  

His tone carried the chill of the northern air. In contrast, Charlier was simply overjoyed.  

“Teacher? There’s no need for such formalities.”  

Charlier’s lips curved upward at Kadis’s polite demeanor, despite having taught him for only a year.  

Unaware of what had transpired between Kadis and Lyla, Charlier was lost in the nostalgia of his time at the ducal residence.  

“Well, the ball has already ended, so…”  

As Lyla tried to interject, Kadis quickly spoke.  

“Since you’ve come all this way to the North, Teacher, we cannot let you leave so soon.”  

A forced smile spread across Kadis’s cold face. But inside, he was thinking something entirely different.  

‘What perfect timing. Should I just kill him?’  

Having exiled him to the capital, Kadis was irritated to see Charlier lingering around Lyla again. He wanted nothing more than to throw him into the sea to feed the fish.  

He should have stayed in the capital, buried in his books. Why come back and cause trouble again? This damned scholar.  

Kadis recalled the not-so-distant past.  

After bringing Lyla to the ducal residence, she always wore a gloomy expression when alone. Her demeanor, speech, and gestures all revealed how much she hated being there.  

He understood.  

He, too, wanted to leave this wretched place.  

The prostitutes who served his father roamed the castle as if it were their own home, while the peasants who came seeking help were met with tightly shut gates.  

To Kadis, this place was nothing short of hell on earth.  

Every night, he felt as though the spirits of those who resented his father clung to him.  

‘Hey, Lyle. Why don’t you run away when I always torment you?’  

‘If I run away… I’d be executed for treason against the royal family, wouldn’t I?’  

‘I wouldn’t kill you, idiot.’  

‘Hehe. I was joking.’  

‘That’s not funny.’  

‘Hmm. I want you to grow into a fine adult and take care of the North. That’s why I’m staying by your side.’  

Lyla had pitied Kadis, who had been left in such an environment, and awkwardly tried to act as his protector.  

Unfortunately, regardless of her intentions, the compassion and sympathy Lyla offered only left scars on the pride of the young Kadis.  

But in the end, he had to admit it.  

‘I don’t want to lose this person. I want to keep him by my side.’  

‘Then why, Lord Kadis, do you say you’ll punish me and yet treat me so kindly?’  

‘You hate being here, don’t you? That’s the punishment.’  

‘N-no! How could I hate being at the ducal residence?’  

‘You hate it.’  

‘No, I like it.’  

‘You like it? Why?’  

‘Because you’re here, Lord Kadis.’  

‘…Hmph, liar.’  

‘I mean it!’  

Then why always the sad look when you’re alone?

Why as if being at the ducal residence was unbearable?  

Kadis thought to himself:  

‘I can’t live without him anymore, but does he feel the same way?’  

He often feared that one day, Lyle would leave him. Though he never showed it, Kadis lived each day consumed by anxiety.  

Lyla stopped wearing her sad expressions after the previous Duke had died from alcohol poisoning and Kadis had taken in a private tutor.  

‘I am Charlier. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Earl. Though I come from a fallen noble family, I will do my utmost to educate the Young Master.’  

‘The pleasure is mine, Professor Charlier!’  

Lyla seemed utterly captivated by Charlier, who was in a similar situation to her but far more mature and knowledgeable.  

‘I don’t need a tutor. You could teach me instead.’  

‘There’s only so much I can teach. More importantly, Lord Kadis, you need a protector like Professor Charlier. A real adult!’  

‘I don’t need that. You’re enough for me.’  

‘The professor is an amazing person. I can’t tell you how happy I am that he’s come to the ducal residence! Aren’t you happy too, Lord Kadis?’  

To the young Kadis, Charlier seemed suspicious. But he had never seen Lyla so delighted, so he kept his mouth shut.  

At least Charlier was an adult man, so he wouldn’t try anything foolish. Kadis planned to figure out what this “real adult” image was that had stolen Lyla’s heart and then discard him.  

That process took a year.  

At the same time, Kadis realized he could never be a universally kind and gentle fool like Charlier.  

Damn it. As long as I’m good to my woman, that’s enough.  

In any case, Kadis had housed and fed a man he didn’t even like for a year, purely for Lyle’s sake.  

Because he wanted to see him smile, even if only a few times.  

Back then, and even now, Kadis misunderstood Lyla’s feelings toward Charlier as romantic.  

‘So that bastard was your first love, huh?’  

Kadis turned his back abruptly, unable to keep watching Lyla gaze at Charlier. His movement caused a small gust of wind, making Lyla’s hair sway.  

‘Does he think I don’t have a first love?’  

Kadis smirked bitterly to himself.  

Now, both of them were adults. Moreover, Kadis, who had experienced countless battles on the frontlines, didn’t even consider someone like Professor Charlier a rival.  

If it came to it, he could just get rid of him. Without Lyle noticing. It wasn’t as if this would be the first time.  

Kadis thought of Lyle’s uncle.  

The sight of him begging for his life, terrified and sobbing, had been quite entertaining. In the end, Kadis had silenced him so thoroughly that he couldn’t even open his mouth again.  

“I’ll go on ahead.”  

“Lord Kadis…!”  

As Kadis strode away, he heard the sound of hesitant footsteps following behind him.  

Even in this situation, Lyla trailed after her master like a loyal, foolishly adorable aide.  

The thought that other men might see him the same way made Kadis want to gouge out all their eyes.  

I am a Duke, after all. Couldn’t I issue such a decree?  

But then, Lyle would cry tears of blood, so he left it as a mere fantasy.  

Yes.  

It was only a fantasy.  

But if anyone dared to touch Lyle, it wouldn’t end as just a fantasy.