The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 71

When Kyle woke up after a long, deep sleep, his body felt slightly heavy, but his overall condition was much better. Somewhere between dreaming and waking, he stumbled upon a peculiar realization.

“…To think such a thing as a pleasant nightmare could exist.”

Was it the curse of Marabas? Or perhaps because he had overused the Areté of Defense? Either way, it had brought back an old nightmare he had long forgotten.

In the dream, he pushed his father and brothers off a cliff with his own hands. The sensation of releasing his grip was so vivid that within the dream, he never doubted its reality.

But this time, the dream was slightly different.

As always, he held a longsword and cornered his second brother to the edge of the cliff. But just as he was about to strike, someone embraced him tightly from behind.

The arms wrapped around his waist exerted just enough force to stop his murderous intent, restraining him.

Even in the dream, the warmth of the embrace and the faint, alluring fragrance made it clear who it was.

“Kyle, it’s okay. You haven’t killed anyone yet.”
“You don’t need to turn yourself into the monster they want you to be.”

It was Amelia Diane—his lover, breaking through the grim and unyielding nightmare to offer salvation.

“Kyle, you’re not a monster.”

How long had he been yearning for someone to say those words to him?

When he woke up, still feeling her warmth and finding her peacefully asleep before him, his chest swelled with emotion.

“…Amel,” Kyle murmured softly. She was sound asleep, oblivious to the world.

He pulled her closer, holding her tightly. I don’t wish for nightmares, but if you were to wander through one, I’d want to be your savior, he thought.

Still…

As he replayed everything in his mind, he realized that although his thoughts felt clearer after waking, the situation remained tangled.

From the moment he began battling the Gargoyle Earl under Marabas’s curse, something had been amiss. It felt as though something dark flowed through his sword and seeped into him.

Had his Areté not been of the defensive kind, the situation might have turned catastrophic. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t free himself from the spell—it only suppressed the carnage within.

“What a disgrace.”

Marabas’s curse was relentless, forcing him to relive memories designed to weaken his spirit and urging him to give in. He thought he had withstood it well, but seeing Princess Nadia suddenly tipped the balance. What he thought he had buried long ago had apparently festered all this time.

“…”

Once again, it was Amelia Diane who had saved him. Although the method had been unconventional and risky, her intervention pulled him back from the brink.

There’s no time to wallow in sentimentality, Kyle told himself as he reviewed his priorities.

First: Apologize to Princess Nadia and Vanessa.
Second: Bring down Gidima.
Third: Kill Marabas.

“If Lady Claire managed to wound Marabas, he must have fled.”

He likely retreated to his homeland, Triha. If Triha decided to shield their former Royal Alchemist, then…

“War it is.”

They had the funds. And if war broke out with Triha, it would bring economic gains to Chaield.

Kyle let his mind linger briefly on their ruin, imagining it with a serene smile.

Meanwhile, Amelia, snug in his arms, felt a sudden chill. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw Kyle’s expression—a serene, chilling smile as he conjured up a vision of devastation.

What’s going on?! Is he planning to destroy everything because of Marabas?

Having narrowly avoided disaster once, she couldn’t let him go down this path. She quickly cupped his face and asked urgently, “Kyle, what are you thinking?”

“Just pleasant thoughts.”

Coincidentally, the medicine Vanessa had provided yesterday seemed to have worn off, and Amelia could now glimpse his thoughts.

She saw an image of arrows and cannonballs raining down on people’s heads. Oh, and there went Marabas’s head, soaring through the air.

“Love and peace, Kyle. You haven’t forgotten those, have you?”

“…Of course.”

His expression remained impassive—a masterful lie.

“War is not the answer. Don’t let them turn you into the monster they want.”

“You said something similar in my dream.”

“I appeared in your dream?”

“Almost always.”

Kyle smiled softly, stroking her hair before pulling the blanket higher around her. “You seem tired. Rest a little longer. I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave.”

“I can sleep in the carriage…”

But exhaustion won, and Amelia mumbled as she drifted back to sleep. She must have understood his comment as a plan to return to the White Palace.

Love and peace, Kyle mused. Those words both seemed to refer to her. Before rising, he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.

With two weeks left on the delegation’s schedule, the envoys from the Heil Empire planned to leave Kelteman by the day’s end.

“Prepare everything as I’ve ordered,” Kyle instructed.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The royal aide hurried off to carry out Kyle’s many instructions. Though obtaining Princess Nadia’s approval was a formality for the delegation’s departure, Kyle opted to meet her personally.

“…She must have been startled.”

Though not treated as royalty until after her brother Verdo’s coronation, Kyle felt as though he had taken his frustrations out on her unjustly.

Just as he started walking, a voice called out, “Oh my, are you feeling better today?”

“…”

It was Vanessa Mae Brante, likely on her way to see Amelia. Kyle’s gaze landed not on the tray she carried, but on her left arm.

The same arm he had slashed last night when half out of his mind.

“…Is your arm alright?” he asked.

“Oh… yes, it’s fine.”

Internally, Vanessa was in shock. Was Kyle Chaield actually expressing concern? After all the extra hazard pay she had demanded? Moreover, the guilt and self-reproach on his face were palpable, leaving her feeling unexpectedly remorseful.

I hit him more than he hit me…

Last night, under Marabas’s curse, Kyle had lost his senses. As his opponent, she had been free to fight him without consequence.

One hit won’t hurt, Vanessa thought to herself.

Vanessa briefly exposed her left arm, then firmly thumped Kyle on the back. At that moment, memories of every infuriating thing he had done to her rushed in like a flood.

“Does he not even remember that I hit him?”

At least his face had avoided her blows. Vanessa offered him a radiant smile, as if nothing were amiss.

“It’s fine. This isn’t even a real injury. And if you’re thinking about apologizing, that’s fine too. I was just doing my job, guarding the lady.”

And honestly, if he did apologize, I’d feel so guilty I might die.

Vanessa turned toward Amelia, leaving Kyle behind with his bitter expression. For some reason, she thought that maybe the Duke of Chaield wasn’t a monster after all.

“I believe that returning to the Heil Empire immediately to assess the current state of affairs would be strategically advantageous,” Kyle said.

“Oh… I see,” Princess Nadia replied, her attention divided. She couldn’t even tell if the tea was going into her mouth or her nose as she listened to Kyle’s proposal.

She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. The memory of his tearful expression from the previous night kept surfacing in her mind.

Of course, the stronger image was that of the Duke of Chaield looming over Lady Diane like he was ready to devour her. But what had truly shaken her was the murderous intent he had displayed the night before.

If what Vanessa said is true…

As someone especially close to Verdo, Nadia had a relatively good understanding of how the imperial family’s finances were managed. Additional budgets, annual expenses, luxuries, and other funds were all secured through similar means.

Thinking about it as an individual rather than a royal, she could understand why Kyle, having lost his reason last night, might have wanted to kill her, a member of the imperial bloodline.

And yet he hesitated. Moreover…

Just now, the Duke of Chaield had bowed deeply to her as soon as they met. The sight of the so-called monstrous duke bowing was shocking enough.

“Last night, I regretfully became involved in an unfortunate incident that threatened the imperial family and Your Highness. I sincerely apologize for my actions,” he said.

Yet Kyle had offered a clean and concise apology, as if the entire ordeal were his fault. Nadia found herself questioning it.

Why wasn’t the Duke of Chaield angry? What could someone with no reason to fear anything possibly be afraid of?

Perhaps he had calculated that feigning respect for her as a member of the imperial family would be more beneficial. After all, whenever Kyle acted, people always claimed it was based on a meticulous calculation of gains.

But to Nadia, it seemed like he was simply apologizing for something he genuinely regretted.

Vanessa said the Duke of Chaield is afraid of loss.

At the time, Nadia had dismissed it as absurd, but now she began to understand.

Kyleian Chaield feared losing people. And the Heil imperial family had been exploiting that weakness all along.

In reality, we’re the ones who should apologize.

Being in Kelteman, a foreign land, had made it painfully clear how incompetent and dependent the Heil imperial family was. The realization was both humiliating and infuriating—so much so that she wished she could disappear somewhere.

“Princess Nadia,” Kyle said, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like an answer now.”

Kyleian Chaield was eager to return to the Heil Empire as soon as preparations were complete. It was clearly a statement against Kelteman.

“If you leave now, it will damage our relationship with Kelteman,” Nadia pointed out. “It would completely go against the delegation’s purpose.”

Her concern was natural. Since Heil had already forfeited the trust of their alliance by losing the Necklace of Harmonia, Kelteman clearly held the upper hand.

“If we leave now, Heil will fail to regain equal footing with Kelteman.”

“You’re absolutely correct. If we leave now, Heil will never achieve equal standing with Kelteman.”

“Then why…” Nadia trailed off. Why do you look so confident?

“Because I have no intention of achieving equal footing with Kelteman.”

“What?”

“Heil will secure the upper hand. You seem to be worried about Kelteman’s retaliation, but I assure you that won’t happen.”

“But…”

“You have my word as a Chaield.”

Was there a stronger guarantee than that? Unconsciously, Nadia swallowed nervously before replying.

“Alright. I’ll trust the Duke of Chaield’s judgment. But may I ask one question?”

“Of course.”

“Why would you stake Chaield’s honor for Heil? It doesn’t seem like a decision that benefits you. Is it patriotism?”

“Patriotism…” Kyle echoed, almost amused by the thought.

It was a laughable idea. For Chaield, wealth and honor were the only things of value.

If there were any country that could sustain the Chaield system, it wouldn’t matter where it was. If necessary, they could even establish their own nation. They could destroy everything they disliked and start over.

And yet, he had poured every resource into this complicated, roundabout process for one reason alone.

“My lover wants peace as part of her dowry.”