The Villainess' Son is Innocent - Chapter 36
Chapter 18.2
“Shall I apply some ointment for you?”
“No, it’s alright. I should get going.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I reassured Elena with a wave of my hand.
“Where’s Hildred?”
“He’s waiting for you in the drawing room.”
“Alright, then. I’ll head out now.”
When I descended to the drawing room, I found Hildred sipping tea, a servant holding his coat nearby. Both turned toward me as I entered.
“I didn’t think you’d wear it.”
He gestured toward the headband currently nestled in my hair.
“Well… let’s just say it’s a token of appreciation for your help.”
Hildred kept his gaze on me, clearly mindful of the servant’s presence. To others, he might have seemed genuinely pleased, but I knew better. It was just an act.
“Should I be thankful you didn’t ignore me?”
“Of course you should be.”
“In that case, I’ll have to escort you to the theater with utmost diligence.”
Retrieving his coat from the servant, he smoothly extended his arm to me. I placed my hand in the crook of his elbow like it was second nature.
I had already informed my mom about today’s outing, and Dad was practically chained to the imperial palace because of year-end work piling up…
With everything settled, we set off for the theater.
As soon as we entered the carriage, I withdrew my hand from Hildred’s arm. He let out a tired sigh, his composed expression slipping for a moment.
“Your lying has improved. One might actually believe you’re a kind and considerate person.”
“Well, I’m getting older. I ought to get better at something.”
We didn’t bother making small talk after that. It wasn’t until we were almost at the theater that we exchanged the usual pleasantries.
“Aren’t you being a bit too formal?”
“Why bother? The answer is always going to be the same.”
He muttered under his breath. Fair enough. We’re not exactly on “chatty” terms.
Even as we entered the theater and took our seats, we exchanged no trivial remarks.
Our conversation resumed only after the performance began and the lights in the theater dimmed.
“What are you planning to do next?”
Hildred was not afraid to be blunt with his words.
“Back to academics? That doesn’t seem very likely, considering you had a specific reason for attending Rilford.”
“I suppose it’ll still be related to academics, for now.”
“What are you planning to study?”
“Hmm, pharmacology.”
“That’s sudden.”
“And alchemy. Oh, and I’ll need to dive deeper into history as well.”
My immediate goal was to develop a temporary cure with Professor Rostad when he visited Castone next month.
He had explained it to me as such:
‘There’s no such thing as a perfect cure, but temporary treatment is possible. Calling it a “cure” is a bit misleading. It’s more so temporarily lifting the curse. It helps suppress uncontrollable emotions.’
Professor Rostad had also mentioned that if Emil truly was a descendant of the royal family, he would like to meet him.
Hildred frowned, clearly unable to make sense of my intentions.
“What’s the point? Are you planning to wait until he comes back?”
“Something like that.”
To be precise, I was preparing.
“…Haah.”
He seemed oddly displeased, and I was trying to figure out why when suddenly, a commotion broke out behind the seating area reserved for special guests.
“What’s going on?”
Hildred turned toward a knight standing guard in the rear corridor.
“Has another high-ranking noble arrived?”
“Yes, but…”
It couldn’t be a member of the imperial family. That left one of the three houses. Lucretius, Raymon, or Lancaster.
But neither Hil nor I had heard anything about other members of our families attending tonight.
Which meant…
“Lord Lucretius is here.”
Before the knight could even finish, someone strode toward us.
“There you are.”
A tall figure stepped into view. Even under the heavy winter coat, his broad shoulders and imposing frame were unmistakable.
It was Rastain. He had grown sharper in the years since I’d last seen him.
Arc 3. The Second Dance
I hadn’t expected to run into Rastain here.
How long had it been? After the princess’s birthday celebration, I immediately left for Rilford and hadn’t seen him since. Over four years had passed.
Rastain’s gaze lingered on me for a moment before hardening as it shifted to Hildred.
“Why are the two of you together?”
What an odd question. We arrived together, so obviously, we’re going to sit together. Separating would’ve been strange, especially since it’s just the two of us and not a large group.
Hildred echoed my thoughts back to Rastain.
“Because we came here together.”
“What I meant was—”
“We’re friends. It’s only natural that we spend time together. Don’t you agree?”
Hildred flashed his usual trademark smile, still keeping proper decorum.
That smile of his was perfectly calculated in a way that subtly provoked people. It worked on Rastain, temporarily forcing him to leave our seating area.
“The performance is about to start. Do you plan to just stand there? You know it’s considered rude to linger any longer.”
“Hildred Raymon.”
“That’s why you should’ve started off on the right foot.”
Speaking of which… While we were maintaining a relatively harmonious relationship now, in our past lives, we used to take great pleasure in making each other’s lives difficult. Hearing him say this was ironic, to say the least.
“Farewell, Lord Lucretius.”
The lights in the theater went out as the stage lit up.
Rastain seemed reluctant to leave, but he did so anyway. Just before he completely disappeared into the dark aisle, he glanced back at me.
“I have something to tell you.”
I didn’t harbor ill feelings toward Rastain, but I couldn’t forget that his actions had contributed to Emil’s departure to the Calixt domain.
Even if they were both at fault, Rastain had started the fight back then. That alone was enough for me to carry a bit of resentment for how he’d worsened the situation.
But what kind of person was Rastain Lucretius, as I remember him?
He was a man meticulous about separating business from pleasure. While he could be cold to those outside his circle, he wasn’t a villain.
‘Maybe he wants to apologize for what happened back then.’
I watched him silently. Rastain held my gaze, unwavering.
“Fine. We’ll talk later.”
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