When the Villains Unite - Chapter 5; Part 3

On the day of Bellamy’s celebration, my rapidly beating heart was not temporary. He picked me out of the crowd and smiled at me.

It’s true that both Belle and Damian are toxic to me.

After that, seeing them would make my heart skip a beat without them doing anything. What’s more… There have been more than a few nights when we’ve shared the bed and I’ve been terrified they’ll hear my heart skip a beat every time they hold me.

In the first place, it was strange that Bellamy and I were still sleeping together even though we were both adults. I’d been on the verge of announcing the separation of our sleeping arrangements for months, but Damian would stop me. He would be insistent on holding my hand, while Bellamy uncharacteristically asked if I hated him. It was all too clever.

“Haa…”

“Why are you sighing again?

The handsome red-eyed man in front of me began to counsel me on my troubles.

Since my coming-of-age ceremony two years ago, I have become quite close with Aria, who is the same age as me. But, I also bumped into Ashik quite a few times while going in and out of the Euassis manor and had tea with him.

Moreover, unlike Aria, Ashik felt like an old friend. However, that’s only because I’ve learned his secret.

A few months after my birthday, I was invited to a birthday party for the heir of the Marquis of Pessil.

Aria and I had acquired a taste for socialite parties as adults, so of course, we attended. As we walked away from the party and onto the terrace, I saw Ashik with reddened eyes and tears streaming down his face.

The moment I saw him, I wondered if that was the Ashik I knew, but then my thoughts stopped.

However, he didn’t see me; the person he saw was none other than the young master of the Marquis household, the host of the banquet.

“You must think I’m dirty too…”

He was shaking his head, and not acting like his usual self. In the original novel, Ashik was not married, but I had no idea that there was such a setting for him.

To me, he was the dignified Duke of Euassis, but the Ashik I saw that day seemed so vulnerable. In this world, homosexuality was a sin. Even in modern times, homosexuals like Ashik were forced to hide.

“I don’t think it’s dirty,” I spit out, trying to catch him before he left.

How could it be dirty for a person to love someone?

My words only enraged Ashik.

“I don’t need your pity, Princess Orca. I don’t want your understanding, anyway, but if you run your mouth to Aria, I won’t stand for it.”

“I didn’t say I understood the Duke.”

How can I understand when I’m not gay in the first place? It doesn’t make sense for society to need to recognize it. How can you deny something that already exists?

“It’s not like there’s anything wrong with being different, and it’s not like the Duke understands everyone else… I don’t pity you, I just don’t want you to think of yourself as dirty.”

“…”

“I don’t intend to tell anyone else, so you can rest assured. I’ll leave you, then…”

“Wait.”

I was about to turn away, thinking he wanted to be alone when his voice interrupted me. He looked at me as if I were strange, then spoke again.

“If it’s okay with the Princess, will you listen to my story?”

Through this connection, we gradually developed into friends who share their troubles. Although now, I feel like he’s listening to me more.

“Do you usually get jealous when your siblings tell you they’re dating someone of the opposite sex?”

“I don’t know. Usually, I’m more worried than jealous. In Aria’s case, I’m not too worried because he’s trustworthy.”

The Crown Prince’s gaze on Aria two years ago was not an illusion. Just like in the original plot, he fell in love with her at first sight. Aria had a crush on the prince in the novel, too, so she didn’t hesitate to woo him. They got engaged the moment she came of age and are now dating.

Aria’s absence from the Duchy today is for that reason. She’s probably at the palace with the Crown Prince right now.

Now that the Orca brothers, whose interference in the original story ruined the romance, were silent, the two were able to be love birds. Without the twist of the original, every day was peaceful. However, inside that peacefulness, my anguish was sprouting. To be precise, it was after that day.

The Orca brothers, who I thought would fall for Aria, didn’t pay her the slightest bit of attention, preferring to look out for me.

It was also a problem that after Bellamy received the dukedom, I no longer saw the Orca brothers as just my siblings. Their behavior towards me confused me. Just this morning, they were incredibly unhappy about the idea of me having tea, alone, with Ashik. After an argument, they agreed to pick me up at the end of tea time. They tend to be overprotective.

“Then it must be because Mr. Ashik isn’t good enough.”

Maybe what they felt for me wasn’t jealousy, but worry…?

Worry seems more like jealousy when Damian is pouting, and jealousy is ambiguous because Bellamy is always so calm.

And the object of their jealousy is Ashik. There are things they don’t know about him, so, of course, they would be worried…

“I think I’m safer than the princess’s brothers.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because the way Bellamy or Damian look at you is not simply the way anyone else looks at their sister.”

“That’s because…”

Because we have our own secrets we can never tell. We’ve suffered misfortunes together that no other noble would, and we’ve relied on each other as if it is only us three in this world. I don’t know if anyone else could understand that bond.

“I’m not sure, maybe because we’ve been together since our parents died…”

“Then what about the princess’s heart?”

“…”

My feelings for them?

At first, I was just afraid they would kill me. Then, when I was face to face with them, I felt sorrow. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone while I was with them, and from that point on, I looked forward to every day. And now…

“I feel like I’m committing a sin.”

“Since we’re committing a sin together, why don’t you hear the words of someone who said there’s nothing wrong with loving?”

I was definitely the one that said that to him. Loving someone of the same sex is just one’s inclination, but love one’s family… it’s something that deserves to be buried by society. Although my blood was different, it still felt wrong.

The more I thought about the Orca brothers, the higher the mountain I seemed to have to climb, but it was a breath of fresh air to get it off my chest.

“That’s a little different…”

“It’s not that different and nuanced at all, don’t you have to give it a try?”

His words made me smile. This was how our conversations usually ended, with both of us sharing unanswered questions. This time, though, he had some good news.

“I may be stuck, but don’t you have some good news for me, Duke?”

“Ah… that is true.”

“Why don’t you just break it to the Marquis de Pessil this time?”

The Marquis, whom he had been crushing on, broke off his engagement that his father arranged, as soon as he received the title. Ever since then, the atmosphere around Ashik felt a little fresher, but it was frustrating that he never made any move to ask the Marquis out or flirt with him.

It would be nice to see a different genre!

“Princess, do you think there is a chance between me and Dion Pessil?”

“I wouldn’t say zero, but I’d say there’s at least a fifty-fifty chance since he broke off his engagement.”

“What do you think I could do to make him fall for me?”

“Well, what do you think a man would have to do to charm another? They would need to have the looks, the money, and the ability.”

“I don’t know about him, but it sounds like I already have it all…”

“Ah…”

That’s true. An Imperial Duke, not to mention good looks, and he’s as much of a workaholic as Bellamy.

“Then, why don’t you start with a normal dinner, and then you can talk and get to know each other?”

“I’ll try… By the way, didn’t you say Bellamy and Damian were coming?”

Ashik suddenly brought up the two names I had forgotten about.

Hmph. Has it gotten this late already?

When I asked the servant what time it was, it was already past the time I had promised them.

Oh no… I’ve kept them waiting again.

I excused myself to Ashik and hurried out of the garden. I could see the Orca brothers in the distance.

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