The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 78

After finishing preparations to welcome Luwen, I looked in the mirror. I pulled the purple ribbon tail towards my chest and carefully checked one last time to make sure there were no areas where the color had faded.

‘Good. Perfect.’

Next, it was time to check the letter that had arrived for me. It was a reply to the letter I had written to the Second Prince last week after sending Luwen off.

I had considered requesting information from merchants or the thieves’ guild, but I was concerned about the Escardo county being close to the academy. There was a possibility they had extended their influence to this area. After all, there was even an opera house here.

I had also thought about the Kans, but they were such careless people that there was a risk of information leaking, and I couldn’t freely roam the village due to my status, so they were ruled out.

In the end, I needed someone who could act as my hands and feet and would never betray me, and that could only be the Second Prince’s subordinates.

When I broke the sealed wax, familiar handwriting greeted me.

[A mysterious flower blooming underground, you say. I have heard rumors of a pitiful flower blooming. I suppose it could be different depending on one’s perspective.

I understand your desire to secretly find the flower out of consideration for Irene. Indeed, surprises are no fun if revealed in advance. Don’t worry about this point. There’s no chance of information leaking from me.

Actually, I too had heard rumors of the flower and tried to find its habitat, but it proved elusive and I was disappointed. It’s a shame I don’t know who purchased the flowers, or I could at least ask them.

So if you discover a group of these flowers, I’d appreciate it if you could send me a few. As I’d like to see them in a fresh state, I’ll select and send a capable gardener to manage the flowers. Don’t worry about not having a trustworthy gardener for such rare flowers.]

I had sent a letter mentioning that they had raided the opera house several times but came up empty-handed after it had been changed to a storage warehouse, and fortunately, the Second Prince was already aware of this.

If there was only one opera house, it would have been easy, but the problem was that there were several. Especially in places with many mercenaries or adventurers, there was almost certainly one. They were all places where it wouldn’t be strange for people to go missing.

It seemed that the locations for slave auctions also changed irregularly, so I needed people to figure out which opera houses in which regions these events were happening.

‘They’ll come as early as next week, or at the latest, the week after.’

I burned the letter and got up from my seat. I had taken the risk of information about me attending the academy potentially leaking through the Second Prince’s subordinates, but judging from the letter, it seemed likely he would keep it from my sister.

‘He’s not stupid enough to not realize the information came from within the academy.’

Still, it was far less risky for the Second Prince to find out I was attending the academy than for the Count to discover I was investigating him, so I had no choice.

Moreover, he doesn’t overprotect me like Irene and Luwen do. Even if war breaks out later and I volunteer as a military doctor as Norman, he wouldn’t worry. He wouldn’t have time to worry about me anyway.

‘Well then, today I can relax comfortably with Luwen.’

Thinking about the upcoming schedule naturally improved my mood.

I opened the terrace window and looked outside, then left the room wanting to greet Luwen personally. The head maid waiting in the corridor followed me. I told her to let the gardener into the mansion if he arrived while I was away, then went down to the first floor.

“You’ll be alone now, so you can go.”

“Please call me anytime if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

After sending the head maid away, I looked around the mansion feeling unburdened.

‘They’ve managed it well.’

It didn’t feel desolate and was clean. It was impossible to notice my absence, so if they continue to work like this, I might give them a bonus during the autumn harvest festival.

‘Anyway… I wonder how far Luwen has come.’

There was still an hour left, but he came early last week, so he might do the same today. I wandered around the lobby, quietly feeling expectant.

However, after waiting for quite a while, there was no sign of him.

‘When is he coming? Why isn’t he here?’

He’s not the type to break promises. Unable to bear the needless anxiety, I went out to the garden. While walking along the path, I looked beyond the iron fence to the street.

Since the pretext was rest for recuperation, the mansion was in a quiet outskirts area. The surrounding area was full of expensive mansions, so the distance between buildings was far, and since most people traveled by carriage, there were no pedestrians in sight. Only occasionally could one see merchants’ carriages loaded with goods passing by.

‘I hope nothing’s happened. Like getting hit by a carriage or getting caught up in some trouble…’

Although still a student, Luwen is skilled in swordsmanship. He’s not dull enough to get hit by a carriage, and even if he got into trouble, there are practically no ruffians who could subdue him.

‘I know. I know well, but… he’s late.’

If something else had come up, he would have sent me a letter. But the only letter I received was from the Second Prince.

‘Did something come up after the date for sending external letters had passed?’

That would make sense, but I couldn’t shake off my uneasy feelings. Moreover, I couldn’t go to the academy to check. All I could do was stand still in front of the iron gate and wait.

As I was sighing more frequently due to frustration, I spotted a tiny figure in the distance. It looked as small as a fingernail, but I recognized it as Luwen at a glance.

Finally feeling relieved, I quickly rubbed my cheeks to change my expression to a smiling face and waited for the child. The fingernail grew rapidly. When he got close enough for me to see his face, I could smile naturally without effort.

“Young master!”

His cheeks were flushed, probably from hurrying. When the gatekeeper looked at me, I nodded before he could ask, and he immediately opened the iron gate. Luwen slipped inside.

“Why are you outside? What if you catch a cold? You shouldn’t let your guard down just because it’s spring.”

Worrying about catching a cold in a season when butterflies are flying and flowers are in full bloom? He wasn’t this cautious when we lived together. A small question arose, but thinking it was because we had been apart for a long time, I calmly responded.

“The sunlight was warm, so I came out for a walk. But why were you late? Did something happen?”

“I had to stop by somewhere and ended up waiting longer than expected… I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Don’t worry. I really was just taking a light walk.”

“You’re lying again, aren’t you?”

“I’m not lying.”

As I denied it again, Luwen placed his hand on my cheek. The warmth of his body temperature felt good. It felt like all the stress I had received at the academy was melting away at once.

“Fortunately, you’re not cold. Next time, don’t wait outside.”

“You don’t believe me?”

Luwen smiled as he removed his hand from my cheek. As the healing-like body temperature moved away, I suddenly felt a sense of regret. I wish he would touch me a little longer…

“You must be hungry because of me.”

“I’m fine, but Luwen must be hungry. Let’s go eat first.”

“You need to eat a lot today too. Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

That’s strange. When I looked in the mirror, it didn’t seem much different from usual. Is something showing? I was taken aback because I’ve been deliberately overworking myself recently, but as always, I deflected and started walking.

“Is it because I’ve been staying inside? But my physical condition is good.”

It’s true that I’ve only been indoors, and my condition is good today, so it’s not a lie. I just didn’t provide additional explanation. I smiled brightly to hide my true feelings. For a fleeting moment, Luwen froze, but then followed me as if nothing had happened, with familiar footsteps.

* * *

After thoroughly enjoying Luwen’s presence, talking together, having lunch, and finishing a short walk, we moved to the reception room to talk more, and before we knew it, it was dinner time.

I didn’t feel like having dinner because we ate so much for lunch, but Luwen was worried, so I had no choice but to eat. Should I really gain some weight? I’m aware that I’m thin, but I haven’t really cared and just lived casually, but it seems I should gain some weight for the child’s sake.

‘That way, he’ll worry less, and I’ll be able to refuse when I don’t want to eat.’

Because I ate too much, my body felt heavy and I got tired instead. Feeling like I wanted to relax comfortably, this time we moved to my room.

I plopped down on the sofa and patted the seat next to me. Luwen, who was about to sit across from me, hesitated for a moment before approaching.

“Why are you hesitating? You’ve always been by my side.”

“I’m a servant and you’re the master. It’s different from when we were young.”