I Have No Intention Of Training The Male Leads - Chapter 6 Part 9
???? ?A?? ?O ???????O? O? ??A????? ??? ?A?? ??A?????
???????????
06. Curiosity Kills the Cat (9)
Translated by: ???
The air in the parlor was very heavy. The two men, who had cooled down from their heated emotions, sat facing each other in silence for a moment. After a while, Callisto was the first to speak. He spoke in a low voice, not hiding his discomfort, and showed his true expression rather than his childish demeanor.
“What are you up to?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You think you’ve found my weakness with just that? What are you going to do now? If you think you can hold and shake me with that…”
“Mr. Callisto.”
Alberic, who had been sipping his black tea in a dignified manner, said as he set his teacup down. When he glanced at Callisto’s teacup, he noticed that he hadn’t even touched the tea or the food. It was the complete opposite of the first day, where he had been rude and eaten whatever he wanted.
“I’ll give you back the footage Evelyn left behind.”
“…….”
“I truly apologize. That child… you might not have heard, but until a few years ago, she was just a naive child who grew up in an orphanage near East Plumen, who had neither the sense nor the manners of a noble. I apologize for the child’s rudeness.”
“Are you serious? You didn’t know anything about it? Do you expect me to believe that?”
“I was notified only after the incident occurred. I can hardly believe it myself.”
“……”
“I hope you can keep silent about how that stupid child behaved towards you, Mr. Callisto. If you report this matter to His Majesty, then I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Alberic smoothly finished his words and pushed a small metal box containing a video clip towards Callisto at the tea table. Lifting the lid of the unadorned, dull silver box and recognizing it as the machine he had seen the day before, Callisto closed the box and took it into his arms. For a moment, silence fell between them again.
After a long time, Callisto hesitantly spoke.
“You, something like that… Why on earth…”
“I said it was okay to tell His Majesty, but I have no intention of discussing that subject with you.”
“Is it possible for such a twenty-year-old young woman to have such a vicious and despicable nature…? Did the young Lord really not do anything?”
A hint of displeasure flashed across Alberic’s face. He threw a short remark at Callisto, who was ignoring his words.
“It’s better if you don’t cross paths with her again.”
“What?”
“You’ll regret it.”
Alberic added softly, lowering his gaze and gently lifting his teacup, covering his mouth. Alberic was talented at concealing his thoughts, but Callisto saw the fear and anxiety that flashed across his face. Only then did Callisto fully realize the hierarchy structure between them. This beautiful, intelligent man was the prey.
“…I will put the report on hold until Edward asks me directly. As it is a… private matter.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“But I’ll never forgive that wench.”
“…….”
“Obscene and vulgar… Ha. It is so outrageous that it leaves me speechless.”
Alberic, who had already checked the contents of the video, had nothing to say, so he took the teacup to his lips to cover his mouth without drinking it. If he couldn’t control his anger, he would have grabbed Evelyn by the neck, just like he did to him. To Alberic, Callisto’s behavior was like a defeated dog growling with its tail between its legs, revealing its anger.
“She has Edward’s protection for now, but we’ll see how long that lasts. I will definitely tear that wench apart and kill her.”
“Please let your wishes come true.”
“I hope you too are soon free of that madwoman’s evil hand.”
Alberic swallowed a bitter smile at Callisto’s words. If that were possible, there would be nothing to wish for. But fragments of his unreasonable thoughts scattered immediately.
Alberic quickly caught on to Eve’s intentions when she gave him the video sphere. Perhaps she wanted to drive a wedge between him and that man. Eve hoped that the two men who had discovered each other’s secrets would fight each other like chess pieces. Even if his body became her pawn, he refused to be treated like a chess piece like this.
“I have something for you to do in exchange for keeping the secret.”
“…Yes.”
“Uh… yesterday, cough. Yesterday, Evelyn, that woman, attacked me with something other than the machine that stores video. The problem is, I don’t know exactly what she did to me. If possible, find out what it was. If I turn to someone else, it will be very troublesome.”
“Can you please explain more in detail about what happened?”
“…It was something that erased the natural mana in the air. Since a magician cannot open a circle without external mana, it is very fatal.”
“So there is a way to neutralize a magician… I understand.”
Hearing Alberic’s answer, Callisto stood up as if he had finished his work. Alberic realized he was about to leave the mansion.
“Are you heading north right away?”
“Yes. Anyway, I have to check the situation of the Grand Duke’s movement. The Vermell makes me gnash my teeth. I don’t want to come here again.”
“… Please take care.”
The two exchanged a light goodbye. The small circle spread a brilliant red light, dyeing the room red. After a while, when the light faded away, there was nothing left in the place where Callisto had been.
?
After finishing her daily routine, Eve came to listen to the ex post facto report1Ex post facto is a Latin phrase that means “from a thing done afterward”12. It is used to describe laws or explanations that are made or applied after an event has already happened and tilted her teacup, saying,
“Did he already leave?”
“Yes.”
“He ran away, that bastard. Too bad. I should have played with him a little more until the end.”
“…Do you know how much trouble I went through cleaning up your mess?”
“Awww, well done. Ogu-ogu2Baby talk. An applause of praise! Clap clap clap clap!”
Alberic’s face looked like he was looking at sewage. Ignoring his contemptuous expression, Eve took a bite of her tea food.
“Next time we meet, I’ll really give him a severe lesson.”
“Haaa… You really… do not realize how tiring it is to turn a magician into an enemy.”
“Daa, there is a way.”
“Was it the power of those…… magic tools you bought from that magician in the east that subdued Callisto?”
“Uh-huh.”
Eve, whose cheeks were stuffed with butter cookies, shrugged her shoulders. From Alberic’s complexion and the utensils in the immaculate parlor, it was clear that the conversation proceeded smoothly. So it was obvious that Callisto was trying to pry information about mana severance through Alberic.
“About that, let me explain it to you next time.”
“…What exactly are you learning during our lesson? Don’t stuff more than a small bite into your mouth. Close your mouth, chew your food well and swallow it before opening your mouth. Do I have to teach you these basic common sense things again?”
Eve sipped her tea to wash down the dryness in her mouth, avoiding Alberic’s annoyed gaze. Since she had turned the conversation, she decided to bring up another topic. After swallowing all the cookies, she opened her mouth again.
“Well, at least it seems to have gone well. Honestly, I didn’t think it would have been weird to suddenly have offensive magic bombarding the room this morning.”
“And yet, I heard you slept peacefully.”
“Well, since Lady Margaret is also in the annex, I had to be careful not to get caught. That nobleman seems to be very attentive to Lady Margaret. Surely not like that… right?”
“That’s an irrelevant question.”
“Ah, how can I ask Lady Margaret about this when I’m so scared? That’s why I’m asking my older brother instead.”
“Let’s not talk about it.”
Alberic buried himself deep into the backrest, clicking his tongue in disbelief. Seeing him sit back with a relaxed posture, it seemed like today had been quite a difficult day.
“Well done on your work today. Since it’s roughly settled, shall we move on to another topic?”
“Another topic…?”
“The succession battle we discussed before. The one about the imperial family?”
Eve’s words reminded Alberic of a conversation he’d had with her a while back. Since they had already exchanged contracts, he nodded without hesitation.
“Yes.”
“The Crown Prince is at the top?”
“…Huuu. That’s right, but please watch your language.”
“I can even curse the king when he’s not around. Anyway, how did that happen?”
“What do you mean?”
“How did you end up supporting the Crown Prince?”
Eve’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. After hesitating for a moment, Alberic briefly explained in a carefully chosen words.
“Originally, the Vermell family, from generation to generation, devoted their talents to the royal family. My grandfather was the advisor of the late Emperor, and the current Count… although he did not have a particular interest in pursuing knowledge, it’s nothing special for the imperial family to want my loyalty.”
Alberic, in a composed tone, smoothly praised himself, insulted his father, and praised his family, then took a sip of the camomile tea poured into his teacup.
“Aha, that side contacted you first…”
Eve rubbed her chin and tried to recall if the game had gone similarly. Since the starting point of the game was when Eve was seventeen, she couldn’t know the exact information.
“So, Sir Margaret was sent by the Crown Prince… Ah, was it from His Majesty?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s strange. Was there a reason to go that far? Is Big Brother really that great of a talent?”
“…….”
At Eve’s words that seemed to belittle him, Alberic shot Eve a cold look for a moment. Regardless, Eve remained silent and lost in thought.
‘What’s going on? Why do I feel uneasy? Did the Crown Prince care about Alberic this much? No, they’ve never even met in the game. Was there any contact? No…’
Although the story flowed similarly to the game, something was subtly off. It felt uneasy to just brush it off, but at the same time, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what was wrong. Comparing the flow of the story was also difficult since the starting point of the game had not yet been reached.
Eve reminded herself that she had already changed many things. If the story did not flow according to what she knew beforehand because of the things she had changed, it would not be bad to turn the game completely upside down. However, she needed to prepare some countermeasures before that.
“Looks like I’ll be busy for a while.”
After organizing her thoughts, Eve smiled for the first time in a while and spoke. For now, she needed time to sharpen her claws with bated breath.
?
