I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 193

So Isaac hadn’t changed who his enemy was. He had simply added more to it.

But this is merely Aiden’s perspective. In reality, Herix still doesn’t realize that the ‘brother’ from the basement who came to him as a child is the same person as Aiden. He doesn’t know who to ask about it, and he hasn’t easily connected the fact that the Aiden he killed is the ‘brother’ from his past.

No, perhaps it’s a form of self-defense.

If he realized that the brother who first showed him affection and warmth, the one he killed with his own hands, was Aiden, he would be crushed by the fear of becoming a beast.

If he realized that he had followed his father’s orders out of fear of becoming the very thing he didn’t want to be, Herix would unravel uncontrollably.

Even at this point, they hadn’t looked back at each other, they hadn’t talked. And so, naturally, it led to further misunderstandings and failures.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

It was deep into the night. Whether it was an owl, a nightjar, or some other bird, Herix couldn’t tell. Though he didn’t know what kind of bird it was, its familiar cry kept bothering him, preventing him from sleeping.

Herix tossed and turned, then sat up. Despite being surrounded by the fine and clean bedding, something inside him felt hollow, like a hole had opened up in the center of his chest.

— Your Highness.

As he gazed around the room, filled with the bluish light of the moon, he heard a familiar, precious voice in his mind. It was Ivonne calling him.

Lately, he had developed a desire. He wanted to hear her call him not ‘Your Highness,’ but ‘Herix.’

‘If I hadn’t been the Crown Prince, would Ivonne have called me Herix, just like she calls Count Ulfest?’

Perhaps she would have. Ivonne would have surely asked for his name first and immediately called him ‘Herix,’ smiling that warm, genuine smile.

“…Mmm.”

Herix flopped onto his back, curling up into a ball. His cheeks and the back of his neck turned red in the pale darkness. His lower abdomen ached, and his body, pressing up against the gown, felt uncomfortable.

Sweat gathered in his palms, and his hands trembled slightly as he clenched and unclenched them.

Every time he thought of Ivonne, especially when he imagined her smiling at him, he felt like he was committing a sin. Yet, he couldn’t stop himself. Herix’s hand slowly moved down his body. He knew where this would lead, what kind of emptiness would follow.

‘I’ve done this… a few times.’

Indeed, his hands were much more accustomed now than they had been the first time. Back then, he had clumsily grabbed and quickly pulled away, as if burned by fire. He was awkward and pitiful then.

Once he started, there was no stopping it. His feet pushed against the sheets pitifully. The muscles in his long calves tightened, to the point where they almost felt like they would tear. The name that echoed in his mind was…

No matter how much he yelled, the name could only escape his lips as a pained groan.

“Ugh…”

The muscles in his clenched jaw bulged. His breath, leaking through his teeth, grew slightly strained, and the back of his neck now felt as hot as the rest of his body.

The rough sound of his strong arms moving and his dampening hands rubbing against the sheets was disturbingly messy. Still, the occasional groans that escaped him sounded incredibly innocent, which made it almost absurd.

“Ah…”

As a sensation rushed up from his body to his scalp and finally exploded, Herix unknowingly opened his mouth. It was a voice so captivating that it could stir the desires of many women, but to him, it was nothing but shame.

His palms were damp, and the heat was more intense than his body temperature, carrying a heavy, almost viscous weight. With it, an overwhelming sense of emptiness rushed in, as if cold water had been poured onto burning firewood. His eyes stung with heat.

He went to wash his hands, but his tears wouldn’t stop, so he splashed cold water on his head. His body shivered with a different kind of chill than before, but it was better. When he returned to the room, he muttered,

“It’s useless.”

Herix hurriedly searched for his sword, but even that was blocked. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his hand, a heat unlike the one before. The liquid, dark in the dim room, was dripping steadily from his hand.

“It’s like… rotten water.”

The man who had stabbed the back of Herix’s hand with his sword sneered.

Emerging from the shadows was a man with dark hair and striking olive-green eyes. He was slightly shorter than Herix. Strangely enough, Herix felt like he recognized that voice.

It felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Between the rhythmic drips of blood, Herix saw purple eyes. Those cold, emotionless eyes were surprisingly holding something.

“Do you remember me?”

“…Aiden.”

It was Aiden, the Aiden Herix had killed when he was young.

“You actually remember?”

“…”

“I must have taken countless names, so how do you remember mine? Ah, right. You’re still Father’s son, aren’t you?”

Aiden tapped his temple with his opposite index finger. There was a mixture of disgust and mockery in his voice.

“Is this your way of saying you’re smart?”

“…”

“Want me to guess what you’re thinking?”

Herix didn’t answer. He heard a sharp ringing in his ears, enough to make his face scrunch involuntarily.

Whether it was because of the cold water or the sudden appearance of a ghost, he didn’t know. Seeing his distorted expression, Aiden’s hand tightened, and the tip of his sword vanished into the back of Herix’s hand.