When the Villains Unite - Chapter 2; Part 5

The first time they meet Aria is probably at the New Year’s Party… two years later?

Aria is the same age as me and will debut at the New Year’s Ball. When she appears with her brother, the Crown Prince, and the Orca brothers are magically drawn to her.

I saw her in the illustrations and she was pretty. Aria has long, silver hair that falls to her waist, and violet eyes that look like they’re set with amethysts.

At her side was her brother, Ashik, who was equally as handsome.

Since the first Duke, the eldest son of Euassis has been born with silver hair and red eyes. Euassis’s successor, Ashik, also had silver hair and red eyes, as a result of his lineage. In the novel, he was described as a demonic beauty, but how handsome was he in person?

If I were to escape this annex one day, I too would marry someone as an Orca Princess. Of course, when I was younger, Bellamy said he would throw me out of the Duke of Orca’s registry, but now I’m confident he won’t.

If I were to marry… the most likely candidate would be Ashik von Euassis. I don’t remember him having a love interest in the original. He was too focused on saving his sister Aria from the villainous Orca brothers.

Aria was a really pathetic character. The Orca brothers are the main cause, but…

Knock, knock.

I was organizing materials when I became distracted by the knock at the door. After eight years of living with the two, I can tell who is who by the sound of the knock.

“Come in.”

I could see his neatly trimmed, navy blue hair through the open door. All we did was stay locked inside, so it was okay for it to be disheveled, but he always made sure it was perfect.

“What have you been doing?”

He pulled a chair from the corner and placed it in front of my desk, sitting down.

Seventeen-year-old Bellamy made me feel like I was looking at the childhood of the dead Duke, and there was a certain atmosphere emanating from him that proved he was the reincarnation of the Duke. But his eyes, which seemed to pierce through people as if they were facing a ferocious beast, were definitely not the same. Of course, after all these years together, he looked at me like a lion at peace.

“I was just organizing my stuff.”

He glanced towards my desk.

“If you’re just organizing your stuff… Why did Damian run out like that?”

“Um, I don’t know. Maybe he’s mad at me or something.”

He looked at me with his serene eyes and signed. I tilted my head, wondering why, and he shook his head like it was nothing.

What a reaction. Is there some secret you two are keeping from me?

I wanted to ask, but he was faster. He’s good at reading others, after all.

“What’s this book, anyway?”

Oops, I forgot to hide it.

“Ahaha, it’s nothing. It’s useless!”

I don’t know why Count Wright would give me something like this. Even when I received it, a cold sweat ran down my back as I pretended not to understand the words written in the book.

Spiritualism.

A book of techniques written by ancient beauties who were said to have seduced Emperors and brought down several countries.

The Count added, “If you’re going to be a future duchess, you’re going to have to learn this.”

The Count looked at me with a stickier gaze, year after year. He often said that I was going to be a duchess and with that scheming mind of his, he might be planning to marry me off to Ashik, who was most likely to be the next Duke.

Does he think I’ll be able to get through that sis-con?

Bellamy watched me closely, then turned his attention to the book. He began to talk about the escape we had been preparing.

“It’s going to be done ahead of schedule.”

“You mean… you completed it?”

Wow, crazy. What the hell is the limit of what a sub-male lead is capable of?

He nodded in confirmation. We were planning our own revenge on the Count, too. The Orca brothers had lost too much to just kill him.

Bellamy had succeeded with the magic of the seventh circle. He’s only been using six-circle magic for a short time, but he already advanced. The seven circles of binding magic, required for the plan, will turn humans under its spell into immobile, vegetative-state humans. However, their minds will remain intact.

The Count cannot be unbound, nor can anyone kill him, unless the caster breaks the spell. We will use the spell on him and imprison him for life in the dungeons of the ducal estate.

It is cruel in a way, but what if the Orca brothers had just stayed locked up without my help? They would have done nothing but go insane, just like the original. I am in no position to object to this plan.

“You are so amazing… How did you do that, genius?”

“In words?”

To my pure admiration, Bellamy gave me an uncharacteristically crooked grin and stood from his chair. Then, he leaned forwards, hands on my desk, and locked eyes with me.

What, what? You’re blinding me!

When I tried to pull my head away, thinking he was too close, Bellamy stopped me.

“Give me a pat on the head for a job well done.”

What? What did I hear?

Just when I thought Damian was the only weird one, Bellamy throws me for a loop.

I’m too embarrassed to look him in the eyes, so he tilts his head.

“Huh?”

It’s clear he knows he’s handsome, and that I have a weakness for good-looking people! How many times over the years have I been mesmerized by Damian’s catlike looks that won’t get out of my bed…

As if he wouldn’t go away without being pet, I lifted my hand and stroked his head.

Despite my initial awkwardness, his hair is softer than I expected, so I kept touching it. What kind of silk is his hair made of?

As I continued to stroke his hair, Bellamy opened his blue eyes that focused on me once more.

When I removed my hand from his hand, Bellamy rearranged his clothes, then turned and pulled the chair back to its original place.

“The plan is that in two weeks, when the Count’s servants come to pick you up, you will see him for the last time.”

“…”

“Then, get some rest.”

“Uh, yeah. You too.”

After that, Bellamy left the room and his actions caused my heart to race. I should have gotten used to it by now, but I guess I’m just… addicted to beauty.

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