An Extra Who Wants To Escape The Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 35
Chapter 35
As Krua’s wound was tended under the care of Argenta’s doctor, Nias, Nira found himself alone with Diello.
The young head of Argenta, who had inherited weighty responsibilities at a tender age, caught his gaze. Considering that Krua Alors had taken his hand in commitment, it was only fitting that he needed to investigate him.
Diello was unobtrusively quiet like the rumors, yet his aura did not possess the same gentleness as the rumors might suggest.
Observing Diello as he unbuttoned his shirt one by one, Nira hesitated.
How could a simple, silent glance from him send such shivers down his spine? As the shirt’s buttons opened, revealing the black lily etched on Diello’s collarbone, Nira’s gaze was drawn to the enigmatic power emanating from the lily.
“This is an emblem of your house.”
Nira opened his mouth as he contemplated the lily with an underlying magical essence. As one who had served as an assassin of Alors, he was better acquainted with the abilities and symbols of each house than the usual members of the three great families.
“How is it? Can you conceal it?”
Diello’s voice echoed. Truly, despite being an Argenta head capable of manipulating fire, his voice remained chilling.
Nira nodded cautiously, contemplating the emblem.
“It is quite possible.”
“Then, let’s proceed. We need to see the extent of its concealment.”
Leaning back against the chair’s armrest, Diello seemed to say, ‘Go ahead, try it.’ Yet, even at a glance, this image of Diello Argenta, his new master, was far removed from the one widely known to the world.
A soft-hearted person?
Him?
Had Krua Alors, his new master, not introduced him, he would hardly believe that this person was Diello Argenta. The change in his demeanor was strikingly different from what Nira had observed several years ago.
Was it all just a disguise?
A sense of predatory ease emanated from Diello’s demeanor. Unknowingly, Nira swallowed dryly. He was undoubtedly on edge, sensing that he was within the territory of a predator.
“Although you must have received some explanation from my wife on the way here…”
As he opened his mouth, the word ‘wife’ carried an oddly gentle cadence, prompting Nira to arch an eyebrow inquisitively while Diello continued.
“Argenta is not welcoming to outsiders. That’s why you had to write the contract… and in the end, you gained a degree of trust to stay here. But that’s all.”
His cool gaze fell upon Nira.
“I’m not sure what basis my wife used to trust you though I will judge you in my own way. And should you…”
Diello whispered his next words.
“If you ever prove to be a threat to my wife or Argenta, I will not hesitate to end your life.”
In that brief moment, the intensity he displayed was authentic. Nira was certain now that the outward image of Diello Argenta, widely known to the world, was all a facade.
“Is this the true persona of Argenta’s head?”
When he asked, Diello responded with a cold chuckle.
“There’s no need for others to know about this.”
While anyone else might have lost consciousness in the presence of such intensity, he could only be silent before he eventually parted his lips.
“Does my master know about this side of you? Or, perhaps… are you deceiving her?”
He had to ask, as he needed to be prepared for how Krua would react if the man in front of him ever had to reveal his true self to her.
For a moment, Diello’s eyes widened at the question before he softened his gaze, smiling gently.
* * *
Diello regarded Nira with a mixture of intrigue and unease. The discomfort he experienced wasn’t solely due to the unveiling of his true self but also because he was now aware of whom he was deceiving.
His wife only knew him as an innocent soul. However, the notion of deceiving her felt utterly distasteful.
It was odd.
After all, he had been ensnaring countless people all this time, including those on the lower echelons of the Argenta, who were likely infiltrators from other houses and even outsiders beyond.
Not only that he had been deceiving them all for a decade or more, but he even perpetuated the act of feigning ignorance about the existence of infiltrators, all while harboring full knowledge of their presence.
“The vulnerable head of Argenta.”
“Argenta’s days are numbered.”
“Someone like that becoming the head…”
Although he knew he was being looked down upon, he had been waiting for the right opportunity, feigning vulnerability and gentleness in the stories others told of him. He had never once felt remorse or guilt about deceiving others. It had been an integral part of his self-image.
But now…
“I am Krua Argenta.”
From the moment he heard those words, a strange unease seemed to settle in him. ‘Krua Argenta,’ he unconsciously repeated the name, a genuine smile forming on his lips. It was not a fabricated smile; it was real.
Krua Argenta…
In other words, admitting that Krua belonged not to Alors but to Argenta.
While this was an expected fact considering their marriage, the way she uttered those words carried a certain resonance.
Krua’s voice possessed a gentle allure. Just merely hearing that she had taken the name ‘Argenta,’ sharing his very name and declaring herself as his wife, stirred an array of ineffable emotions within him. Following the thought, an even deeper thirst welled up.
Just once more… he wanted more.
He longed to draw closer.
But…
“Does my master know about this side of you?”
Nira’s cold voice snapped him back to his senses.
It seemed like he wanted to speak the truth, and his eyes pierced through Diello, making him uneasy. While his determination to protect his master with all his might was commendable, revealing the truth was problematic.
Diello’s mind rang an alarm bell.
What if Nira were to speak the truth? Should he have been deceiving him as well?
Still, there was no other way to verify if he was suitable for being beside Krua. His eyes narrowed at the thought. If he were to reveal that the gentle and innocent Diello Argenta he portrayed was all a lie and that his true nature was cruel, it would be disastrous.
That couldn’t happen.
His inner voice whispered to him, and he felt a peculiar mixture of emotions.
“I love you, Diello.”
Krua’s sweet whispers were indeed an act, but they still affected him.
“Lord, the madam intends to purchase the Daisy Forest. What should we do?”
Her question, and her thoughts focused solely on leaving, had disturbed him.
“Diello!”
He had been captivated by her radiant presence in the sea.
…He wanted her.
Suddenly, impatience overwhelmed him. Could he be loved as himself? Could he seduce her as his true self, not an act? These new thoughts were different from how he had always justified his acting as his true nature.
Still, he couldn’t reveal it now.
“At the moment, that’s how it is. However…”
Diello spoke before Nira could express concern.
“That’s true for my wife as well.”
Both Nira and Diello seemed to understand that much.
“Who said she’s just an ambitious woman seeking power?”
Diello offered a slight tilt of his head. What he presently perceived in her was not all that dissimilar.
Nira appeared tense as if he harbored suspicions about Diello’s stance toward Krua. Could it be that those followers of Alors, the assassins, were more devoted to Krua, whom he had heard rumors about, than Argenta?
He felt lenient about it.
Among the information network of Argenta, he had heard about those who pledged blind loyalty to Alors for unexplainable reasons. They were loyal only to Alors, despite being in Argenta, and it was unpleasant.
It was a situation where someone else’s sword had been inserted into Argenta, not just Argenta’s sword, but why was he so generous?
Moreover, he was convinced of something else.
Even though he knew Krua had deceived him, why did meeting ‘the new her’ give him more pleasure than realizing he had been deceived?
“It’s an exploration, but one thing is certain. My wife and I need each other. That’s how it started. It was my wife who first proposed this deal.”
Diello looked Nira straight in the eye.
“You will protect your master according to the contract.”
His voice was resolute, and Nira nodded lightly.
“That applies to Duke Argenta, too.”
He replied, feeling no emotion as he thought it was natural.
“There is no way my wife can be harmful to me. I have no reason to harm her.”
That was right.
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