When the Villains Unite - Chapter 8; Part 2

Time passed and it was almost time for the boys to arrive back to the main residence. I closed the book and put it back in the same position as before, pretending I never read it. Only when I finished fixing the bed did I leave the bedroom.

It felt cold while leaving the room and goosebumps appeared on my skin.

When we lived in the annex, Bellamy magically heated the rooms, so I wondered if the cold temperature could be the cause of the goosebumps. However, the temperature difference between the inside and outside wasn’t that much.

What an eerie feeling…

At that moment, I saw the stairs to the third floor. I remembered when the brothers changed their minds and told me to take a break when I suggested going to the room at the end of the third floor…

I had a feeling that the secret they were hiding from me was in that room. I wanted to know what they were hiding, but somehow, I felt like I shouldn’t go up there right now.

Maybe they’ll tell me someday. I’ll wait because I trust them.

I don’t want to lose my faith in them again.

The sky is already getting dark.

I’d better hurry back. I didn’t hear the wagons outside yet, but I knew they would be here soon.

I resealed the entrance to the underground tunnel and reached the storage room. I rushed up to my room and changed into my robe, then settled back in bed in Bellamy’s room and pulled the covers over me.

The brothers arrived home shortly after and were side by side.

That was faster than I thought.

They arrive at the room as if they had an appointment. When I heard the door open, I casually looked at them and smiled.

“Hey.”

It was the perfect crime.

* * *

Since then, the close relationship between me and the Orca brothers has continued. We would often makeout after we confirmed our feelings for one another. We were siblings outside, but inside, we made love like only the three of us existed in the world.

The brothers didn’t like the idea of me going to the Duke of Euassis. They had even gone so far as to try to distract me, but when they failed, they had qualms about expressing their dissatisfaction with me meeting Aria.

This was my first outing in almost two weeks. Damian had left a hickey in very visible places, so I had to wait for it to fade. After that, I banned him from doing that. He was disappointed, but I didn’t even pretend to listen to his protests.

It’s not fair to leave marks in plain sight to prevent me from going out!

“Rose!”

As soon as I arrived at the Duke of Euassis’s estate, I stepped out of the carriage and heard a clear, gentle voice in the distance.

I turned in the direction of the sound and saw Aria running towards me, her bright, silver hair gently bouncing with her steps.

Before I knew it, she was hugging me with her arms around my neck. Normally, when we met in public, she maintained her noble, swan-like demeanor, but here, in private, she shed her aristocratic mask.

“It’s been a while, Aria.”

I smiled and tightly hugged her back. She pulled away from me with a sulky expression.

“You’re too much. How could you not come and see me after New Year’s?”

“Ahaha… things got a little crazy… But it’s good to see you after so long. How have you been?”

A lot had happened in those two weeks… What would the Crown Prince, who at least could hide his lust, do to Aria?

Aria’s mood darkened at my question. I wondered if something had happened to her since she didn’t seem like her usual self.

“Aria, is something bad happening? What’s wrong with your face?”

“Haha… It’s not something we should talk about outside like this… Let’s go inside.”

She took my hand with a serious look on her face.

We arrived in Aria’s room. Her room was snow white and tidy. The white canopy bed and delicate decorations made it feel like a princess’s chamber and reflected her kind personality.

Aria’s maids set the table with desserts and tea, then left the room. I wondered what has been bothering the normally bright and cheerful Aria.

“What’s going on? Tell me.”

“Rose, I think…”

She swallowed hard before she finished her sentence. Her eyes fluttered as if she couldn’t get the words out and she looked a little regretful.

“You can say whatever you need to, Aria.”

“Ha… you’re the only one who should know…”

“…”

“His Highness the Crown Prince… Kane… is… apparently… impotent.”

Did she just say impotent?

I’m surprised to hear such a word come out of her mouth, but I especially didn’t expect it to be about her lover.

I looked at Aria in disbelief, and she only looked back with her watery, violet eyes.

“Who said such bullshi-… I mean, a stupid thing?”

“No one said that…”

To summarize her words: one the day of the New Year’s celebration, while the Orca siblings had their affair, Aria tried to seduce the Crown Prince, who was acting like the King of Celibacy. The Crown Prince, however, refused and stopped kissing her, even though they’ve been dating for two years.

“But it’s probably because His Royal Highness cares a lot about you…”

“If he cares so much, I’d rather him declare I’m national property! Or, am I just unattractive…?”

For some reason, all her problems these days seem to be related to the Crown Prince. One is pushing, the other is pulling. They needed something to stimulate their relationship. Once they were married, their problems would go away, but that would take a few more years if the original novel was correct.

It was long overdue, but since she’s so distressed, I thought I’d give her some advice.

When I first came to Euassis Manor, I thought I was going to greet Aria and talk about the world. Before I knew it, I was enthusiastically lecturing her on how to take down her lover. It was based on the first-hand technique I learned two weeks ago.

“So, you’re telling me to go out drinking with Kane, pretend to be drunk, and touch him?”

“Not a nudge! A swipe! A swipe on the inner thigh.”

“Um, how do you do that…”

“Just pretend to be crazy and do it, it’ll totally change his attitude and…”

After telling her a few more things, I finished the lecture. It was kind of funny that I, a coward like Aria, was telling her what to do.

When she asked me how I knew these things, I couldn’t tell her I had learned it from my own experience and read about, so I looked around the room. I had to choose the right sex education book. Fuck…

Even if I did tell her the truth, I’m not sure she would use it. In the original, Aria was passive when it came to sex. So, the Prince who made her want to have sex was, in a way, admirable.

“So, we’ve been talking about me. How has Rose been doing?”

“I… I’ve been studying and just relaxing. You know, just being a socialite and all.”

I shrugged and smiled at her. It was the same thing, just a different kind of studying and a different way of relaxing.

Aside from her problem with the Crown Prince, nothing else seems to have happened. I cheered her on as I watched her resolve to seduce him this week. Then, I thought of the men in my own house.

It’s only been a few hours since we’ve been apart, but I missed them already. This is what it’s like to love. I’m sure she feels the same way. She wants to be in touch with the person she loves, and she wants to be with them…

Unlike her, who doesn’t hesitate to talk to me about relationships, I couldn’t confide in Aria my relationship with my brothers, even though we were best friends.

guys my cat snuggled with me all night last night but he said from now on he’ll only snuggle with me if you donate a dollar or two to my Kofi 🙁