When the Villains Unite - Chapter 2; Part 3

Count Wright and one of his servants were still in the office after Rose left. He remembered the moment when the fear in her eyes turned to greed, and the greed was not that of a child.

It was strange, too. He felt a sense of humility as he watched her desperately devour the food in front of her as if she refused to leave a scrap of meat behind. It was like…

“You look like me.”

The foolish Count Wright lost the Duke’s succession battle and was given the pretentious title of Count. He never had children of his own because the title was a disgrace to history, and he wanted to end his own family line.

But when the dukedom was bestowed upon him… it’s now a different story. Meeting Rose today made him hope that his future child will have violet hair and gold eyes.

A child with Rose’s brilliance, unlike her stupid predecessor. It will take some time, but for his purposes, he is willing to wait.

The Count laughed and the servant, puzzled, looked at him. Not everything his master said or did would make sense, but he could tell he was in a better mood than usual.

But something was off. The servant didn’t know what the Count was up to, but there was something dangerous within his eyes. His eyes resemble those of a beast rather than a man.

* * *

In the original story, Rose didn’t encounter the Orca brothers when she was first summoned by the Count. This was definitely… Like the brothers were purposefully looking for me.

Did they wake up at the sound of me throwing up?

But aside from their tired faces, their clothes and hair were neat and tidy. Especially for two boys who had just woken up.

“Oh… sorry. Did I wake you?”

Bellamy raised an eyebrow at my question as if he didn’t understand. Damian looked at me, eyes still red from crying after dinner as if he was searching for something.

“No. You were kidnapped earlier.”

What? Did you see it and just stood by and watched it?

I felt a little anger towards them, even though I knew they were just little boys who didn’t have the strength to save me. They also didn’t have the strength to subdue the two men who approached.

I nonchalantly replied, “Then let go again?”

“What did those assholes do to you, a beggar, to make you throw up?”

The words spilled from Damian’s mouth, too harsh for a child. But the meaning behind the harsh words was worry.

As with Bellamy earlier, their attitudes seemed to change a bit after I fed them. After all, Koreans are big eaters. Of course, they are not Korean, but…

“It’s because the kidnappers tortured me.”

“Torture? Do you know who the kidnappers are?”

When I said ‘torture,’ their faces crumpled. Suddenly, my mind flashed back to my conversation with the Count earlier.

“Your contract with me must never be revealed to those two. If you do, you will be treated even worse than you are now.”

“Count Wright.”

No one from the duchy has any contact with the Orca brothers anyway. So, there’s no point in lying to them. It’s better for me to share the secret than to die without anyone knowing that I’ve been communicating with him.

They were quiet when they were told the identity of the kidnapped. I expected them to ask why he was meeting me and not one of them.

Bellamy bit his lips while deep in thought. He’s going to make his lips bleed…

Damian broke the silence.

“So, what did Count Wright say?”

“That’s-”

“He wants to know what we are doing,” Bellamy cut me off.

To say that he’s quick-witted is an apt description of him. He may have already seen through the power structure surrounding the Duke of Orca and instinctively knew that Count Wright was trying to block their movements.

His sharp eyes glared at me. I slightly nodded, indicating he was correct.

“Let’s sit down and talk, not here. This is going to be a long story.”

I was determined to be on their side, so I couldn’t remain silent about what had happened and what the Count wanted to do. I led them to the dining room where we had dinner the previous day.

Slowly, I explained to them what happened while I had been kidnapped and the Count’s plan. He hadn’t told me directly, but I knew it from the novel.

“So, you’re saying the Count is going to keep us locked up for at least nine years?” Damian asked in disbelief.

If it was happening outside of a novel, I couldn’t believe it either. So, I can’t expect it to make sense to them.

A madman who would imprison the heirs to the Duke of Orca, for a power grab, is their own relative.

“I’m sure they’ve already announced that we’ve been sent to the Carmel Estate, and no one will suspect the Count before my brother’s coming of age…”

“So, we’re to spend that time here, idly wasting away. Is that what you mean?”

There was silence, and it was interpreted as an affirmative. Life shone in Bellamy’s indigo eyes.

The look in both the brothers’ eyes had changed, making me forget how old they actually were. Despite their behavior towards me, they had been gentle, cheerful children when they were with the Duke and Duchess. The sudden death of their parents had turned them into adults.

“We should escape.”

“That would be very dangerous, and it is likely that the Count has already fired the ducal staff and replaced them with his own people.”

“Then, we stay put? There’s nothing we can do here, and if we stay locked up in the annex for all these years, just as she says, we’ll only become more ignorant. The dukedom will be taken from us, just as the Count wishes.”

There was only so much they could do as long as the Count held them captive. The distance between the ducal residence and the Imperial Palace was too great. No matter how fast we ran, we would never reach the palace.

Furthermore, to escape, they would have to flee the moment the Count’s servants opened the gates to take me to the ducal residence. It would only be a few seconds before they are discovered. There is no telling what the Count will do after that happens.

They don’t need to worry about their ignorance. Hundreds of books have been stolen from the Duke’s library. Even if they do become ignorant, the Emperor will be on their side by leaving the Count’s punishment to the Orca brothers.

“Even if we can escape, it won’t be now. Our leashes are held by the Count. We can’t call for help if we get caught trying to escape. He’ll cut our wrists and ankles.”

“…”

“So, if we want to escape, we’ll need to build up some strength and come up with a plan.”

They know that if they escape now, they’ll either be fed to the dogs or killed on the spot. I could feel their desperation at their realization of being completely stuck and helpless.

Now that they know what’s going on, it’s time to put my plan into action.

They looked at each other, confused and desperate, while I started to play my role.

“There’s something you guys need to do.”

I pulled out the key to the locked rooms from the depths of my clothes and placed it on the table. I thought it would take longer to show them, but they faced the truth rather fast.

“What is this?”

“The room key.”

“…”

“Don’t you wonder what’s in the locked rooms on the third floor?”

I smirked at them. My life as a double agent was about to begin.

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