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Chapter 54
When I craned my neck to look, Meital tactfully shifted his body aside.
Hair as black as the night sky. Vivid red eyes. Pale skin.
“This kid’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s got the best physical instincts and basic strength,” Meital said.
“Uh… yeah.”
“So I’m thinking of taking him to the knight order and training him. With proper education, he could become a real asset.”
‘Y-yeah, I’m sure he could.’
Considering who the kid next to him actually was.
I locked eyes with the boy, whose gaze remained as rebellious as ever. Just like when we first met, he still hadn’t let down his guard—his glare sharp and feral, like a wild animal.
‘…This is bad.’
While I was busy worrying about my own survival, the original plot was quietly carrying on without me.
‘That look in his eyes… no joke.’
Euclace Reumbell.
In the original story, he was the emperor’s son who’d been kidnapped as a child—royalty. Because of that, he faced countless trials and hardships from a young age.
‘I read spoilers—he does eventually become emperor.’
But he was put through absolute hell along the way. Euclace’s life was so miserable that it hurt just to read about it.
And during that process, he inevitably ends up clashing with the underworld boss, Kazliden.
‘Damn it…’
Why did I drop the novel again?
I knew Euclace and Felix would collide eventually. It was the typical protagonist vs. villain dynamic. But because I quit the series before the end, I never found out what happens to Felix—and that uncertainty gnawed at me.
‘…Does he die?’
For a villain, the ending is usually one of two things:
Killed by the protagonist,
or the family falls to ruin.
It was almost always one of those.
But maybe because he’d been treating me nicely these past few days… the thought of him dying made my heart heavy.
“Lady Amelia!”
“…!”
Snapped out of my thoughts, I looked up just in time to see something large barreling toward me.
The moment I instinctively shut my eyes, I felt someone grab onto the cardigan I was wearing—gripping it tight.
When I opened my eyes, Meital’s startled face filled my vision.
And then—
“…?”
“A-Amelia, ma’am.”
I carefully turned around.
Euclace—who had been standing next to Meital just moments ago—was now clinging to me.
But rather than trying to threaten me…
“…”
…it was as if he were hiding from something scary.
“U-um, Assistant.”
“Y-yes?”
“Did you… maybe scold him really harshly before or something…?”
“No! Absolutely not!”
Meital shook his head so fast he might’ve snapped his own neck.
I glanced sideways at the boy hiding behind me. When we first met, he’d been glaring daggers at me in pure suspicion. But now he was shrinking behind me like he’d found a sturdy shield.
“This Meital may be rough with grown knights, but I would never do something awful to a child!”
Meital declared with righteous indignation, fists clenched.
But despite Meital calling him over several times, Euclace didn’t budge.
‘…He’s taller than I thought.’
Maybe it seemed that way only because Meital was huge, but Euclace—though skinny—was still a head taller than me.
“You know… you don’t have to be that scared.”
Kazliden was a scary place, but unless someone tried to desert or betray them, they didn’t usually force anything.
Even the guild clerks and the miscellaneous workers passing through always seemed satisfied with working there.
As long as you didn’t cause an irreparable mess or turn traitor, it was actually a decent workplace.
But Euclace was already terrified. He clung to my side like he would never let go. He held onto my cardigan so desperately that I couldn’t bring myself to push him away, and Meital seemed just as confused as I was.
“Do you… know Lady Amelia?” Meital asked.
“Nope. First time meeting him.”
We had crossed paths once before, but barely. It wasn’t even enough to count as a meeting.
I tapped lightly on the hand gripping my cardigan.
“Hey—”
Euclace looked down at me, eyes wavering slightly. Gone was the defensive posture—his gaze now soft and almost pleading.
Don’t look at me like that—you’re making me feel bad…
“S-sorry, but I really need to go now?”
“…”
“So could you maybe let g—”
Suddenly, Euclace’s head jerked up.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Low footsteps approached.
Meital stepped aside respectfully. Felix strode up to me, raising one brow.
“And who the hell is this?”
Euclace pressed himself tighter against my back. Like a cicada gripping an old tree, he clung to me. Felix’s expression soured.
“You two know each other?”
“N-no! We just met today.”
“Then why is he attached to you.”
“I—I don’t know?”
I really didn’t know.
He just kept sticking to me? Even when I told him to back off, he stayed plastered to my side like he had no intention of moving.
“Um…”
I tried poking him again, just in case, but got the same result.
‘Why is he stuck to me?’
Anyone watching would think we had some deep connection.
Honestly, the most shocked person here was me. I mean, the protagonist of the original story was clinging to me right now? Meeting him under these circumstances was already chaotic enough, and to make things worse, Felix was here too—turning this into a bizarre three-way face-off.
‘Not that it’s some weird romantic situation…’
But still—weren’t these two destined to fight to the death someday? No wonder I felt like my soul was leaving my body.
And then—my savior appeared.
“Oh!”
Gilbert spotted me from afar and skipped over happily. But the moment he saw this strange lineup—Felix, Meital, and Euclace—he tilted his head.
“…Hmmm.”
He assessed the situation for one second.
And then grinned.
‘Why… why is he smiling?’
I wondered that for exactly one second before—
Gilbert grabbed Meital.
“You. Come with me for a bit.”
“Eh? Me? Why? Where?”
“Dessert. Downstairs.”
“?”
Meital stared at him like he was speaking absolute nonsense, but Gilbert was far more shameless than expected.
…Wait, the two of them are going WHERE?!
“H-hold on!”
“I’ll see you later, Young Lord! And you too, Lady!”
“D-don’t, don’t, don’t leave—!”
Gilbert hoisted Meital away and dashed down the stairs. I watched him disappear in disbelief. A sigh sounded from in front of me.
“Unbelievable.”
Felix muttered, glaring—no, glowering—not at me but at Euclace behind me. His voice dripped with hostility, and Euclace clung to me even tighter, growling under his breath while facing Felix.
Caught between two beasts about to fight—
‘Someone please save me…’
Maybe fainting wasn’t such a bad idea.
I seriously considered it.
