Home/I Saved the Villain and Fell Asleep/ch 97

Chapter 97

"Tch."

Caelius clicked his tongue in irritation and picked up the hat that had fallen to the floor. Following the ladies toward the lounge would look bad, so he simply covered himself with Hariella's hat.

In an instant, he vanished. Moving silently, he followed behind Hariella and the Grand Duchess.

'A Grand Duchess who acts strangely. If her odd behavior were truly aftereffects, would Isaac let her wander around freely?'

He'd heard rumors that Isaac cherished his only daughter, but Caelius didn't believe them. Would Isaac create his own weakness? Never. That man would even use his own daughter.

Caelius's gaze fell on Hariella's hand, which the Grand Duchess was gripping tightly. Seeing her pale, bloodless knuckles, he clenched his fist.

Neither father nor daughter pleased him.

Click.

With the closed door between them, Caelius fell into thought. He wanted to just break the door down and go in—regardless of whether it was a ladies' lounge or not.

Leaning against the wall, he focused all his senses on the sounds beyond the door. Ordinary conversation.

'Hariella could just pretend to be crazy and hit the Grand Duchess with her club—then we'd know if she's under dark magic or genuinely insane from aftereffects.'

Sometimes Caelius found Hariella oddly sensible in unexpected ways.

'It's best not to cause trouble until the Duke finishes his investigation...'

Arms crossed, standing silently by the door, Caelius noted his approximate location in case of emergency. The ballroom in the annex was somewhat separate from the main building. As a child, he'd lived in the main building, so he had no memory of the annex.

'The end of this hallway is stairs.'

Still staring at the door, Caelius moved. A servant passed by, but didn't notice him under the hat. He just wanted to check where the stairs led—in case he couldn't go back the way he came.

"Ha..."

A large portrait covered in black cloth caught his eye. Drawn to it, he grabbed the dusty cloth. It slid off easily, revealing a painting of a harmonious family.

A couple with black hair, and a young boy with red eyes sitting between them.

Caelius's hands trembled. Curses rose in his throat. He'd thought everything had burned. How was this painting here—not stored away, but hanging on the wall?

His parents' faces, now faded, filled his vision. Longing washed over him, along with a surge of anger toward Isaac.

"What a harmonious family portrait."

A grating voice cut through the air. Caelius gritted his teeth.

"Though we can't see it now."

Caelius lowered the hat. His form slowly materialized from head to toe, but Isaac showed no surprise.

"If Lambert hadn't been so greedy, the peace in this portrait could have been maintained. But he overreached, and this is the result."

"Shut your mouth."

Isaac's slick gaze landed on Caelius's pink hair.

"Algenprina... a wise choice. If it had been any other house, I could have killed you long ago."

A hint of regret colored Isaac's voice.

"Do you remember?"

His dark red eyes glinted ominously. Caelius struggled to suppress his surging mana, fighting not to lose control.

"First it was a servant. Then a tenant, then your mother, then Lambert... by the time you realized everything was falling apart, it was already too late."

When Isaac mentioned his dead parents, flames of anger flickered at Caelius's fingertips. They caught the black cloth covering the portrait, burning it in an instant.

The fire consumed only the cloth. The portrait remained untouched.

"Lambert was a powerful mage, but you've already surpassed him. A chillingly fierce mana. Once you grow a little more, it seems no one will be able to stop you."

At Isaac's arrogant assessment, Caelius sneered. Looking with cold eyes, he saw clearly—Czerban Isaac was weaker than him.

"If only you weren't backed by Algenprina."

"...What do you mean?"

"I'll use them to capture you. Isn't it obvious? A lost child treats another's nest as his own home... and when he refuses to return, I have no choice but to destroy that nest."

A chilling killing intent flickered in Caelius's eyes—Isaac flinched, gripping the railing tighter. It was hard to believe such murderousness came from a boy of only sixteen. Isaac couldn't help but think: if that boy hadn't been sheltered by Algenprina, things might have turned out differently.

"Doesn't this seem familiar? I made the same offer to Lambert. I told him to return what was rightfully mine—the seat he was sitting in."

The reason Lambert, the second son, had become Grand Duke was simple: he was more capable than Isaac, the eldest.

"Do you know what Lambert said?"

Years of inferiority toward Lambert curdled into a sticky smile aimed at Caelius.

"He said it was too late to turn back. That he had too much to protect. So I helped him along."

Isaac was declaring that Algenprina would fall—simply because Czerban Caelius lived there like it was his home, under their protection.

"I never thought a single brat would escape, though."

Isaac's gaze swept over the Grand Duchess in the portrait and landed on Caelius.

"I'm curious to see if you'll follow the same path as your father."

"Which will come first—Algenprina's fall, or you and those vermin all burning to death? What do you think, Grand Duke?"

Caelius spoke in a cold, restrained voice.

"Do you really think Algenprina will fall to you?"

"Heh heh, you speak as if you were an Algenprina. Do you think changing your hair and eye color makes you truly one of them?"

At the cutting remark, Caelius twisted his lips.

"Algenprina... yes, they're troublesome to deal with. But you see, my nephew—those with many weaknesses are bound to weaken. Look at how the fearless eldest son of Algenprina let his guard down for his ex-lover."

"Isaac...!!"

The clear admission that he was behind Irein's attack made the temperature around Caelius spike.

"Guardian, judge, the strongest mage—all of it is meaningless before weakness. If you can't even use half of that power when your weakness is exploited, how can you call it strength?"

"I've changed my mind. I'm going to kill you right here, right now."

As the massive flames flared threateningly, Isaac twisted his lips.

"Then I'll die here. But remember—I won't be the only one. That young lady you cling to, the Duke, his heir... they'll all die too."

At that moment, seeing the precarious red flames, Isaac bared his teeth and laughed wildly.

Czerban Caelius had grown safely to sixteen under Algenprina's protection, receiving their affection—but in the end, they had become each other's undeniable weakness.

"I'll send someone soon. Come back to your place. The seat of the Czerban heir suits you better than being Algenprina's youngest master. Become my heir."

Knowing exactly why Isaac wanted him, Caelius let out a bitter laugh. Become the heir of the Grand Ducal house? He meant to become the former Emperor's shell!

If Caelius had been a naive child, he might have been swayed by Isaac's whispers.

"You're a master of nonsense."

"Heh heh, yes. This defiance seems amusing too. I wonder how long you can hold out... I look forward to it."

Aimless flames, unable to vent even as frustration, flickered in the air. Caelius glared at Isaac with bloodshot eyes.

Helplessness—being unable to do anything even with Isaac right before him—made him tremble.

Should he burn it all? Tear it all down? Leave nothing but ash?

But the faces of those precious to him surfaced in his mind, and he could only unclench his fists.

'Damn it!!'

Caelius's trembling gaze turned to the portrait. His parents, smiling gently, looked down at him.

"Kali! Run! Hurry!!"

"Come here, Kali! Keep your head and run! Don't look back!!"

His parents' desperate voices slowly rose from his memory. As Rachel's gentle voice overlapped them, he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Kali, remember—we're always by your side. You're not alone."

Caelius wanted to ask Rachel again—if Algenprina was in danger because of him, could she still say that?

Unable to bear facing Isaac any longer, Caelius turned away. As he did, a silent black mana followed at his feet.

"I'd like you to call me 'uncle' next time, Caelius."

Isaac's laughter grew louder. Caelius pretended not to notice the black mana coiling around his ankle.

'So this is why Isaac is so arrogant.'

Caelius felt the viscous dark magic and smiled coldly. That foolish belief that dark magic would work on everyone would be what choked Isaac in the end.

Caelius began quietly organizing his thoughts on what he needed to do. Without the guardian's blessing, it would have been impossible—but with it, he thought it was worth a try. Hariella would call him crazy if she knew—she'd say she wanted to poison the whole nest, not go in herself. But Hariella, you would have done the same. You would.

So just be a little sad, and a little angry—he wanted to tell her that.

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