Chapter 27

Reyes Brinita took out a handkerchief and wiped the boy’s forehead. Only standing still did Helio realize how badly his breathing had been. When the boy behaved quietly, a faint smile appeared on Reyes’s lips.

“Oh, poor thing. I never imagined such a young boy would come to a party… What scared you so much? At a joyful party, no less.”

The boy kept his lips tightly shut, as if glued. He tried to say Ashton’s name but couldn’t. It must have been the effect of the prohibition Ashton placed on him.

“What’s your name?”

He could answer that.

“…Helio…”

“Helio. I see. Don’t worry. Calm down. You should drink some water.”

Though he thought there was nothing where they stood, the next moment, a cold glass with beads of water on the outside was in Helio’s hand.

Helio drank the cold water without suspicion. Reyes gently led Helio aside and sat him in a  chair. Sitting next to the boy, he spoke in a friendly, smooth manner.

“There are only adults here, so the party can’t be fun for you, right? Who did you come with? Your guardian left you alone like this…”

It was a genuinely concerned tone. Helio’s body, which had been tense to the extreme in front of the sharp Ashton, gradually relaxed in the face of gentle kindness. The boy fiddled with the glass and shook his head.

“I just… I wandered off…”

“Still, a guardian should keep you in sight. Sometimes, unexpected dangers happen at parties like this.”

Helio smiled bitterly. It seemed he had already experienced something dangerous.

“Thank you.”

“You’re polite. And you seem mature and smart.”

Reyes Brinita’s talent was to whisper sweet but obvious compliments in an un-obvious tone. The prince saw comfort and liking slowly appear in the boy’s eyes. Making a stranger like him was so easy. Only Sabina D’Vialis had ever failed to do so.

Reyes smiled kindly at the boy. There was no way he didn’t know Helio. If it was information about Sabina D’Vialis, he would scrape it together fiercely.

“Who is your guardian?”

“Ah…”

The boy was cautious, but thought this much would be fine to say.

“Sabina D’Vialis, Sir.”

“Ah, I see.”

Reyes slightly dropped his shoulders. Helio, who hadn’t heard anything about Reyes from Sabina, looked puzzled at Reyes’s somewhat disappointed reaction. What had happened between the two?

“She dislikes me.”

“Why?”

“Well, I don’t know. She’s never told me.”

Helio couldn’t understand why such a kind and handsome man would be disliked by Sabina. He looked at Reyes with wide, rabbit-like eyes. Reyes shook his head.

“She seems to prefer the businessman from Retona.”

“Ah…”

“I’m worried, too. She’s smart, but doesn’t know much about the world. She doesn’t realize how cunning businessmen can be.”

Helio couldn’t help but agree. He had clearly seen that all of Ashton’s expressions before Sabina were fabricated. The boy nodded slightly. Reyes seemed satisfied with Helio’s agreement and smiled kindly.

“Looks like you truly care for Sabina, just like me. Then you should help keep things balanced.”

Helio nodded once more, slightly.

“We can be good friends.”

Friends?

Helio felt as if his mind cleared at that word. The man before him was certainly a noble. There was no way he could become friends with such a person.

Reyes suddenly held out his hand to Helio. The boy hesitated to take it. The sensation from when Ashton grabbed his hand lingered, making him uncomfortable. But when he glanced up, Reyes was still smiling kindly and beautifully at him.

As if he had no ill intent.

Helio’s fingertips twitched slightly.

At least, this man was not a mage of the mental attribute. Only he and Ashton possessed that attribute.

When the boy slowly raised his hand—

Someone snatched it away in the middle.

A strong man’s hand pulled Helio sharply. The boy screamed as he was dragged away.

“What are you doing?!”

Reyes shouted sharply. But his voice was drowned out by the song the invited singer had begun. The interrupter didn’t even blink at Reyes’s rebuke.

Helio, staggering, barely managed to lift his head. It was Ashton. Under the mansion’s lights, the man’s hair seemed to flash not as faded sand, but as brilliant gold.

Helio quickly pulled his hand away. His wide, wary eyes glared at Ashton. But it was useless. Ashton did not even look at Helio. His gaze was fixed on Reyes, maintaining a soft, cordial smile.

The boy’s breath caught in his throat. The atmosphere was intense. Though Helio had no idea what had transpired between Ashton and Reyes, he could immediately sense the animosity between them.

“How dare you, such rudeness…!”

The prince trembled so violently it seemed the blood vessels in the whites of his eyes might burst. He could not contain his anger. Meanwhile, Ashton, who had been sharp and irritable when alone with Helio, now wore a calm and sly face. He bowed his head slightly.

“My apologies. I must take the child.”

Finally, his gaze turned to Helio. Helio, suddenly afraid, hunched his shoulders.

“His Majesty the King wishes to see this child.”

Reyes’s face twisted.

Ashton’s added words were the perfect excuse. If Kenneth wished it, Reyes had no choice.

Reyes could not doubt Ashton’s words. He already knew Kenneth’s interest in “what happened at the last Carnival.”

If it was truly a royal summons, it would be hard to hold him accountable for interrupting the handshake.

Those staying in Brinita must always prioritize the monarch’s command over the prince’s dignity.

In the end, Reyes could only glare at Ashton, his face contorted with anger.

“Now, Helio. Greet him goodbye.”

The voice urging the boy to greet was almost gentle, making Helio suddenly feel how insincere this man was.

The moment the king was mentioned, Helio lost any right to refuse. He obediently followed Ashton’s instructions. Reyes, suppressing his trembling voice, managed to say,

“See you again, Helio.”

Though he called Helio’s name, the words were not meant for Helio. It was a declaration of war to Ashton. Reyes stared challengingly at Ashton’s face.

Soon, Reyes turned away.

Watching him leave, Helio snapped sharply,

“There was no need to be so rude to a guest.”

“Listen carefully, Helio.”

Ashton spoke in a low, monotonous tone.

“I don’t care who you make friends with. Why should I?”

He led Helio away. Helio frowned, staring at Ashton’s smug profile.

“But not today. I promised ‘to keep you from running into him.’”

There was no need to ask with whom he’d made such a promise. The clues were clear enough. Sabina disliked Reyes. So it was likely she’d demanded such a ‘promise’ from Ashton, the party’s host.

She was Helio’s guardian. If Helio had stayed with Reyes, she might have had to confront Reyes because of him.

But aside from reasonable deduction, Helio couldn’t help but question the premise.

To Helio, Reyes seemed beautiful and kind, truly concerned for Sabina. Why did Sabina, always so dull and calm, dislike him enough to avoid him?

What misunderstanding had come between them?

Helio’s gaze shifted to Ashton.

‘Why does Lady Sabina get along with this harsh man, but…’

Maybe she was hopelessly bad at judging people.

As Helio’s wary eyes lingered on Ashton’s face, Ashton’s expression changed again. Now he wore the smooth, confident look of a businessman.

Ashton taking Helio away seemed to be an effective solution. Those who’d shown interest in the boy and tried to bother him lost their enthusiasm the moment the host left with Helio. Their attention had long since shifted elsewhere.

Now, no one paid Helio any mind.

“Is it true His Majesty wanted to see me?”

“What? Ah, I don’t know the King’s true intentions. I just needed an excuse at that moment.”

“You…”

Falsely invoking the King’s command was a grave crime. But Ashton looked fearless and nonchalant.

“But I’m sure he does want to see you. We’re heading to His Majesty now, so it’s not a complete lie.”

Ashton grinned down at Helio. Helio’s eyebrows furrowed in contempt.

As Helio failed to hide his disgust toward Ashton, someone took the boy’s hand from the left. It was a small, soft hand, completely unlike Ashton’s. Only then did Helio realize his heart was pounding wildly from extreme tension. His pulse began to slow.

“My Lady.”

“Are you alright now?”

Her voice was as monotonous as ever, but full of concern.

Truthfully, there were many things that weren’t alright, but the boy nodded, not wanting to worry Sabina. Helio, being sensitive, could see the relief on Sabina’s otherwise unchanging face.

It felt as if his wariness of Sabina was ancient history. He could no longer understand why he’d ever tried to push away this small master.