The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 70

Desire among desires, after all, is lust. Kyle’s previously clouded gaze gradually regained focus as he stared at me.

…Beside him, Vanessa’s mouth hung open, her eyes trembling as if struck by an earthquake. I decided to pretend not to notice.

“Is it working now? Kyle, are you okay?”

“…”

Kyle’s gaze shifted slowly to the dagger that had fallen at his feet, then to the bl00d staining Vanessa’s arm.

Realizing what he had done, his expression hardened briefly before his eyes moved toward Princess Nadia.

“Ugh…”

“Kyle, are you alright?”

“My lady, please step back.”

As expected, what shattered Kyle’s sanity was the presence of Princess Nadia, a member of the imperial family. The moment he saw her, his mind began to crumble again. I could see the anguish as he slowly succumbed to Marabas’s spell.

Vanessa kicked Kyle’s discarded sword far away with her foot and turned to me.

“My lady, can you distract the Duke while I get Princess Nadia out of here?”

“How?”

“Well, the method you used earlier seemed effective, so just keep…”

“Vanessa, are you joking with me right now?”

“We don’t have a choice. Do you have another idea?”

“…No, I don’t.”

I couldn’t argue. Somehow, the roles now felt reversed, but Vanessa was right—there wasn’t another option.

Swallowing my embarrassment, I mustered every ounce of so-called allure and winked coyly at Kyle.

“Kyle, isn’t it hot?”

“My lady, didn’t you just say you were cold earlier? Your seduction could use some consistency…”

“Shut up, Vanessa! Does that even matter right now?”

What mattered was replacing Kyle’s desire for revenge on the imperial family with a much stronger, primal desire.

This time, Kyle momentarily forgot about Princess Nadia and instead focused on me. Damn it. It was working, and because it worked, I couldn’t stop.

I stole a glance at Princess Nadia, who was as red as a boiled octopus. Kyle noticed my diverted attention and started to turn his head toward her.

“K-Kyle!”

Vanessa was just about to lift Princess Nadia when I grew desperate. I had no choice but to blurt out something, anything.

“Didn’t you mention wanting to try something last week? Should we do it now?”

“Oh my…”

Vanessa! Are you just going to stand there and react weirdly, or are you going to leave?!

I shot Vanessa a scolding glare before turning back to Kyle.

…This was becoming dangerous in an entirely different way.

Kyle seemed to have regained partial awareness, but his rationality was still absent. At the same time, the faint rustling of Princess Nadia retreating sparked a predatory gleam in his eyes, like a beast watching its prey flee from its territory.

I quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the Princess. If he picked up that dagger again, it would be disastrous.

“I’m right here. Won’t you hold me?”

“…”

“I want you to hold me, Kyle. Right now.”

Even I cringed at my own words. Overwhelmed by embarrassment, I was about to avert my gaze when I accidentally brushed against him. In that moment, I heard his inner thoughts.

“What have I done…”
“I’ve truly become a monster now, haven’t I?”
“What is this darkness within me…”
“…Sister.”

Guilt and fear. The confusion and sorrow he had carried alone while enduring the label of “monster” flooded into me.

Gently, I reached out and stroked the back of his head and neck, which were far above me.

His once-blank eyes slowly regained clarity, signaling that he was beginning to escape the dark memories Marabas had forced him to relive.

How terrifying must it be to drown in the swamp of your own mind? I gradually closed the distance between us, speaking softly.

“It’s alright. You didn’t kill anyone.”

“…”

“You’re not a monster, Kyle.”

His expression, which had been on the verge of tears, wavered. Moisture gathered in his eyes before a tear finally slid down his cheek.

How could anyone call someone who cried so sorrowfully a monster? I gently wiped his tear-streaked cheek with my thumb.

“There’s no one else here but us. If you want to cry more, it’s okay.”

“…Sister.”

Kyle murmured the familiar term, a faint smile forming on his lips as if to say he was alright now. With that, I finally allowed myself to relax a little.

‘Thank goodness. Princess Nadia is out of his line of sight, so this should… Huh?’

Suddenly, Kyle pressed me against a pillar. His hand cradled the back of my head to keep it from hitting the hard surface.

“…Kyle?”

His once-clear eyes now burned with desire, intense and undeniable. It didn’t seem to be Marabas’s spell—it was far too familiar.

It appeared that the new desire I had awakened had fully taken hold.

“Kyle, whatever you’re planning, let’s just take it slo—”

Before I could finish, Kyle brushed my hair aside with a surprisingly tender touch and bit down on the exposed skin of my neck. The sensation was both ticklish and searing, spreading through my entire body.

Deciphering the specifics of the desire now consuming him wasn’t difficult.

“I want you to call my name.”
“I want to make you cry.”
“Tell me you love me. Please.”
“Promise you’ll stay by my side forever.”

Aside from the part about making me cry, the rest wasn’t too difficult to fulfill. I decided to grant his desires.

“Kyle, I lo—”

Before I could finish, Kyle silenced me in the same way I had interrupted him countless times before.

＊＊＊

Vanessa barely managed to escort Princess Nadia out of the tent, where the temperature had risen to sweltering levels.

“The air outside is so refreshing…”

Inside the tent, where the Duke of Chaield and Lady Diane remained, it was no different from the height of summer. Vanessa chuckled to herself, marveling at Diane’s ingenuity.

“She’s truly remarkable. Who would’ve thought of such a solution?”

To counter desire with desire—Vanessa had always admired Diane’s resourcefulness, but this time, the method had been wholly unexpected.

“Still, there’s no way my lady can handle the Duke’s intense, youthful desires forever.”

To completely dispel Marabas’s spell, they would need either a counter-spell or a potion with similar effects.

Fortunately, the Traihan envoys weren’t far away. Help could be sought.

But first, there was one more task at hand.

“Princess Nadia, are you alright?”

Vanessa spoke with a warm and gentle demeanor. Her tone was so soft and pleasant that, at a glance, she resembled an angel.

Nadia, who had been cooling her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand, became entranced by Vanessa’s beauty and nodded absentmindedly. Even to another woman, Vanessa’s elegance was captivating enough to steal one’s breath away.

“Th-Thank you. What was your name again?”

“It’s Vanessa. Vanessa Maibrante. You must be curious about what just happened. If you don’t mind, may I explain a bit?”

Her voice remained gentle, like she was speaking to a child, and her refined demeanor made her seem even more regal than the princess herself. Mesmerized, Nadia nodded again, almost in a trance.

She’s hooked. This will make explaining much easier. Let’s see… I’ll gloss over the imperial family’s involvement a bit.

Feeling more at ease, Vanessa began to explain the spell that had ensnared the Duke of Chaield. She didn’t forget to emphasize how courageous her mistress had been in taking action to address the situation.

There was only one reason for Vanessa’s meticulous explanation.

I can’t have her thinking my employers are lunatics obsessed with… certain things.

It’s often said that employees reflect their employers’ image. That was true in most cases since they carried out their masters’ orders, but Vanessa had no desire for that kind of reputation in this scenario.

“So, the Duke of Chaield acted based on his inner desires?” Princess Nadia asked.

Vanessa hesitated to respond.

The Duke clearly has a lot of resentment toward the imperial family.

It was common knowledge among Chaield staff that the Duke detested being treated as nothing more than the imperial family’s financial resource.

But there was no way Vanessa could answer with, “Yes, he lost his mind and tried to stab you out of resentment toward your family.”

After a brief moment of thought, Vanessa decided to subtly trigger the Princess’s guilt.

“As a mere servant, I don’t know the full details, but… I’ve heard that His Grace has been deeply hurt by people who treat him as though he’s just an object.”

“Ah…”

That’s right. You’re starting to understand now, aren’t you?

“When he was struggling with depression, he happened to meet my lady, and the two of them… well, that’s how things came to be.”

Vanessa had unintentionally nailed the truth about Kyle and Diane’s first meeting, though she was completely unaware of it.

Seeing Princess Nadia’s face fill with guilt, Vanessa was confident the situation would soon resolve itself.

“Then, Your Highness, allow me to escort you to Baekju Palace.”

“…No need. Lady Diane has already assigned knights to escort me. Vanessa, you should stay here.”

“But I couldn’t possibly—”

“That’s an order. Stay here and look after the Duke and Lady Diane.”

Well, that’s convenient.

Hiding her relief at having one less problem to deal with, Vanessa gracefully accepted.

Princess Nadia, seemingly having no intention of interfering further, quickly disappeared from view with her escorts.

Now the question is, how do I get the potion to break this spell…

Vanessa crossed her arms and recalled something Marabas had told her long ago.

“This potion temporarily makes the body immune to Arete. Curse-type and continuous Arete spells will be completely nullified.”

“That’s incredible… Did you make it, Marabas?”

“I developed it while I was in Traihan. The only drawback is that the user can’t use Arete themselves while it’s active…”

“And it’s beautiful. It looks like you bottled the Milky Way.”

Vanessa had praised it with a smile, and she clearly remembered how Marabas had blushed and looked away.

That bastard. Acting so pleased back then, only to betray me later for his obsession with Arete… wait.

Vanessa, who had been furiously cursing her former ally turned enemy, suddenly recalled something.

When hiding in the wardrobe some time ago, the Duke had handed her a vial. She had been too busy to discard it, but now its appearance struck her as familiar.

I thought it looked familiar… How did Princess Rien get her hands on this?

Chaield’s intelligence division had reported that Traihan envoys had been in contact with Princess Rien. At the time, Vanessa assumed it was an attempt to woo the Duke, but now it seemed the vial would prove incredibly useful.

My lady, I’m coming!

Reinvigorated with the mindset of a loyal servant, Vanessa sprinted back to the tent where Kyle and Diane were. The problem arose as she reached the entrance.

…Can I even go in right now?

From behind the curtain, sounds that were far from normal reached her ears. It was the familiar tone of her lady sighing or groaning in frustration.

“…”

If she didn’t break the spell, her lady might very well collapse from exhaustion.

But if she went in now, the Duke might kill her—or at the very least, her paycheck wouldn’t survive.

…I’ll trust my lady. She can handle this.

Deciding to protect both her paycheck and her employers’ privacy, Vanessa pulled out some paper and a pen, scribbling a quick note.

＊＊＊

“Kyle. Stop it, ah…”

Reclining on the sofa and looking up at him, I could do nothing to resist.

Not that I disliked it—it was just too exhausting. My body felt completely drained of strength.

As Kyle moved again with gentle precision, my eyes fell to a small vial rolling toward me.

That’s Vanessa’s handwriting.

The vial rolled with uncanny precision, stopping right at my feet. Despite Kyle’s weight pinning me, I managed to stretch and grab it after some effort.

I need to get him to drink this. But how…

Kyle had lost interest in everything except me. In this situation, there was only one way to make him drink the potion.

Why does every solution seem to end up like this…

I sighed softly and opened the vial, not forgetting to provoke him before tipping its contents into my mouth.

“Come here and kiss me, okay?”

Moments later.

“…”

Thud.

Kyle, who had swallowed the potion I passed to him, collapsed as if he had fainted.