When the Villains Unite - Chapter 16; Part 6

Kane carried Damian into the mansion and summoned the Imperial physician into the room. I nervously watched as he was treated.

Bellamy told me to go back to my room as he watched me cry, but how could I be comfortable as I watched Damian on the verge of death? I shook my head at his words and looked at the Crown Prince. When our eyes locked, Kane appeared to be troubled.

“What the hell is going on?”

What could have happened to make the Empire’s one and only Swordmaster so tattered? No matter how calm I tried to be, my tone was harsh. Kane let out a heavy sigh.

“Well, that’s something I’d like to ask the Duke of Orca.”

Kane slowly told me what happened.

He was working in his office, and somehow, in the early spring, an administrator sweating profusely entered the office. He was giving him a report on the staffing of the Imperial Academy, and Kane listened in silence until a sudden noise interrupted them. He pushed past the administrator and went to the hallway himself, only to find the Imperial Knights blocking their boss, the Head of the Imperial Knights.

Damian had been wearing his immaculate white knight robes for a long time. Who wouldn’t be terrified to find him in the Crown Prince’s office with a murderous glare in his eyes? The Imperial Knights stopped him at first, thinking he was about to commit treason, but it wasn’t enough for Damian, who used his aura to blow them away.

Facing the Crown Prince with Knights of the Order on each arm, Damian used the last of his energy to blow away four more knights and stand before Kane. For a moment, Kane wondered whether he should draw his sword against Damian for the first time in his life. When he reached for the scabbard at his waist, he was dumbfounded.

“Vacation…”

Kane heard the word “vacation” from Damian’s mouth, but before he could respond, he collapsed for a different reason. An administrator who followed the Crown Prince struck him down with a metal road to kill the assumed traitor. Damian was drained of his struggle that it only took a single blow to knock him down.

“I’d like to scout the palace myself to find the first offender.”

“…”

“Forgive me, I am at a loss myself. The telegram said that the Princess and Bellamy were with him earlier. Do you know anything?”

“He was still alive and well when I was there… Wait, so Damian was at the palace the whole time?”

“According to the chamberlain, yes.”

Then, the person who was in Damian’s office at the end was…

My gaze went to Bellamy who looked as if he didn’t see an issue. It wasn’t hard to find the offender. I mean, who else could beat Damian so badly? No man or beast could defeat him so easily. The circumstances left only Bellamy as the prime suspect.

Kane had a vague idea of who it was but was grateful for the feigned ignorance.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Your Highness.”

“No, it’s actually a good thing.”

“What?”

I had no business with the Crown Prince, so I bowed my head and apologized. Kane looked at me and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I thought it was regretful, and I wasn’t mistaken when he continued.

“Punishing those responsible for this would cause an uproar, so I think it is best to keep this between us. I don’t think he’ll be returning to the Templar for a while, so I’ll give a two-month period for you to work things out.”

Honestly…

Well, he deserved it. My failure to manage the Orca brothers’ mental state as of late has no doubt contributed to the tense air of the palace. Also, it was best for Damian to be put on probation in many ways.

What I didn’t expect was how quickly the news of the sibling rivalry spread through the palace. I mean, yes, Bellamy was the only one who could have hurt Damian, but still!

Is the Empire really so devoid of character?

Kane gracefully strode out of the manor despite the chaos. As usual, the male lead remained calm under pressure; he really was something else.

Since I couldn’t properly apologize to Damian in his state, I just assessed his condition.

His eyes were closed and he refused to open them. The doctor told us that the internal injuries were severe and bleeding profusely. The stitches were all in place, but he wouldn’t wake up for at least two days due to the large amount of anesthetic. No matter how rough he had been with me, I didn’t want him to get hurt like this. I couldn’t help but start crying again.

His skin was already so pale, but the blood leaving his body made it even paler. Even with all the medical attention in the world, I was afraid he would stop living. His ragged breaths were proof of his immense pain.

“Don’t cry, he isn’t dying.”

“…”

Bellamy is trying to ease my worries, mumbling quietly in the uncomfortable situation. Feeling my gaze, he realized what I wanted, but it wasn’t easy to give in. He asked me to go down for dinner and leave the room.

I know Damian is in the wrong but isn’t this too much? The long, sharp scars on his back looked more painful than anything else.

Wait a minute. Would Bellamy pull even a knife on his own brother? The only thing there in the first place was the long sword secured to Damian’s waist.

“…”

He’s crazy… How dare he hurt himself! He already disgraced himself!

Bellamy’s discipline had taken a toll on his body, but to have pushed himself to such extremes… he must have lost his mind. The tears started to soak the hem of my dress and were uncontrollable. I didn’t want to see him covered in blood, so I grabbed a towel and gently wiped away the red splotches on his body.

After the sky darkened, I continued to stare at his swollen face and fell asleep.

When I woke up in his bed, his eyes were still closed. His face and body looked more swollen than yesterday. Thankfully, he was still breathing, but his handsome face was obscured by the bruises. I wanted to start crying all over again.

Damian’s tightly closed eyes slowly began to open. I stood still, unable to move as I stared into the clear, golden orbs. When I came face to face with his eyes, I jumped to my feet.

I should call a doctor.

I was about to turn and tell Bellamy he was awake when Damian grabbed my arm.

“Ugh…”

He let out a low groan, the pain lingers in his grip with all his unhealed wounds. I pressed his shoulders back down on the bed, wincing as Damian still attempted to sit up.

“Lie still, you can’t move.”

“… Where are you going…”

A cracked voice escaped his pale lips. I sat down next to him in the same position as before. The only difference now is that we were looking at each other, but Damian turned his head away first.

The way he covered his face with his hands made me wonder if he didn’t want me to look at him. I started to cry, not even caring about anything else. As I whimpered, Damian looked back in worry.

“Hmph… No, I thought you weren’t going to wake up, and I realized how much I… Ugh…”

“It doesn’t really hurt…”

As soon as he got up, an irritated cry escaped my lips. I couldn’t believe he was pretending to be tough when it was obvious to everyone he was in pain. I tried to look at him, but my vision was blurry from tears.

“Why did you have to do that?”

It was quite a while before I calmed down. My throat was sore from crying so hard. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze, so my red and glassy eyes looked in the distance.

“If you want to hurt me, stay like this!”

“…”

“Why… No, why did you mess with the sword until it was like this…”

“… Don’t do this…”

Finally, he opened his mouth. At my gibberish, he looked straight at me with a cold voice. I flinched when I realized he had the same demeanor as he did in the palace yesterday. I couldn’t help but feel intimidated. I wasn’t really scared of him, I just wasn’t ready to face him yet.

When I asked him about his behavior, he smirked.

“I guess I made a bad choice.”

honestly i dont like damian bestie should just stay w bellamy

Kofi