The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 127

Episode 127

Basilian's face, seen for the first time in days, looked quite fine, aside from being surprised.

He looked so completely free of worry or concern that it made Flora feel unfairly aggrieved.

Flora had intended to ask him calmly about the circumstances, but she couldn't hold back the surge of emotion and shouted.

"That's my line! Why, why did you leave without saying a word?"

"Ah......"

Seeing Basilian awkwardly rolling his eyes, unsure how to respond, made Flora feel even more wronged.

'This makes it seem like I was the only one worried and concerned.'

Her churning heart wouldn't calm down.

She had rushed here recklessly because she missed Basilian, but part of her was also afraid.

Because now, facing him, one assumption she had made upon coming to Eisollen wouldn't leave her mind.

'What if Basilian really is the Crown Prince?'

Even the two Lucifers, who were related by blood, had kept secrets from her, so there was no reason why Basilian, an outsider, wouldn't do the same.

In fact, the possibility was even greater.

'......If Basilian is the Crown Prince, could I really cast him out?'

Flora couldn't easily reach a conclusion.

She disliked the Imperial family even more than ducal houses, but she kept thinking, 'If it's Basilian, maybe it's okay?' while another part of her insisted, 'No matter what, I can't keep the ultimate enemy by my side.' These thoughts kept clashing in her head.

Unable to overcome her confusion, Flora poured out her hurt feelings without pause.

"You could at least tell me before you leave. Was it so hard to wait half a day? Or did you just not want to go with m..."

The torrent of words couldn't be finished.

Flora tried to continue, but seeing Basilian's state made her come to her senses.

Drops of water were dripping from his damp hair, as if he hadn't dried it properly.

'What am I doing right now?'

She saw herself, taking out the stress she'd accumulated outside on a child, and it looked utterly pathetic.

"Let's go inside and talk first. You'll catch a cold like this."

She couldn't bear to watch his thin shirt getting wetter.

Flora pulled the wide-eyed, blinking Basilian inside.

His anger suddenly turning to calmness felt unusual to Basilian, so he obediently followed her inside.

Flora found a towel and draped it over Basilian's head. Then she started rubbing it vigorously.

"F-Flora?"

The hands drying his hair without a word were rough, but far from hurting, they were quite efficient.

Instead of asking more, Basilian bent his waist lower to let her move more comfortably.

How long did they stay like that?

Not only was the moisture gone from his hair, but it had become fluffy, and by the time the dampness on his thin shirt had dried, Flora put the towel down.

Since his head was bowed and his face wasn't visible, Basilian suddenly grew worried.

'Did something happen?'

He was very happy to see Flora after so long, but separate from that, her unusually listless appearance brought on concern.

"Are you done?"

He asked casually, trying not to show it, but instead of answering, Flora impulsively hugged Basilian.

"Uh......"

Basilian was quite flustered by Flora's sudden action.

"Is something wrong, Flora?"

Staying silent and pretending not to notice was probably what Flora wanted, but he couldn't just ignore her unusual state.

At that question, Flora's lips moved.

There were so many things she wanted to say, but the one she most wanted to voice was the question about Basilian's true identity.

But she didn't have the courage to ask. To be precise, she didn't want to add another problem on top of her confusion.

'If I turn my back on everyone I dislike, that would just be avoidance.'

She didn't want to make a foolish decision, even if it made her heart heavy.

Flora steadied her ragged breath and asked.

"...You knew this was my mother's family home, didn't you?"

"...Ah, yes. I knew."

"So you did know. Then can you tell me why you kept it a secret?"

"It seemed like your family was being hush-hush about it. I thought it would be better if you heard it directly from the Duke or the Young Master. I wasn't deliberately trying to hide it; I'm sorry if it surprised you."

At his calmly delivered words, Flora didn't lift her head.

Guessing she was still upset, Basilian began to soothe her.

"They all did it out of worry for you, but it must have been hurtful, right? I should have told you myself."

"...I feel like the only fool. I came here happily, not knowing anything. If I'd known it was a place like this, I wouldn't have come."

"Flora, do you dislike this place?"

"Why would I dislike it? It just has nothing to do with me, that's all."

"Why..."

Basilian couldn't bring himself to ask 'has it nothing to do with you?'

Flora, who had been burying her face in his embrace, finally lifted her head, wearing a woeful expression on the verge of tears.

"She's the mother who gave birth to me, but she's the one who abandoned me."

"......"

"I've never even seen my mother's face. Never heard her voice, never felt her love... Dad and my oppa love her. But I can't do that."

"Flora."

"How can I just blindly love someone I don't know?"

After uttering these words, Flora laughed self-deprecatingly.

'What a fine thing to say in front of a child who was also abandoned by his parents.'

Regardless of whether Basilian was the Crown Prince or not, it wasn't an appropriate thing to say in front of him.

But Basilian was the only person Flora could confide these inner feelings to.

Even she herself couldn't grasp what these emotions were, and Janet and Pascal would be the same.

The people she knew around her were from the Lucifer household, and they were people who knew Nersha as well as Flora, so they couldn't be completely on her side.

But now, at this moment, Flora needed someone who would be on her side alone.

She wasn't looking for simple comfort.

She just needed the belief that Basilian was completely on her side.

'I've become quite human too. Getting confused over mere emotions like this.'

Swallowing a bitter laugh, Flora spoke.

"Not just Dad and my oppa, but everyone hid information about my mother, saying it was for my sake. Thanks to that, I'm so confused."

"I understand."

"So I'm going to ask you, Basilian."

Setting aside her usual nickname for him, she called him by his name and looked him straight in the eye.

"By any chance, are you hiding something from me too?"

No immediate answer came.

'Right, asking something like this out of the blue must be confusing.'

Flora asked again, kindly.

"Everyone is entitled to their secrets. But if there's something you're hiding, even if it's for my sake... I'll be okay, so please tell me."

She said it was okay to speak freely, but Flora's heart felt as heavy as if a lump of lead had settled in it.

As the question ended, Basilian moved his lips to say something.

'Right, let's tell the truth now.'

Even if he were the Crown Prince, Flora wouldn't abandon him.

She might be awkward at first, she might try to avoid it, but she would surely accept him completely.

Not as Crown Prince Basilian, but as her friend Basilian.

But even though he had resolved to do it, his lips were parched from tension.

"I am......"

Basilian parted his lips to convey the truth he had been postponing.

But the moment he saw Flora's face, his resolve was swallowed whole.

'She's trembling.'

Because their bodies were touching, he could see the change in Flora.

Flora's heart was beating faster than usual from fear and anxiety.

Her determined eyes wavered faintly, and her hands holding onto Basilian trembled slightly from tension.

No matter how many battles he'd been through, Basilian was still a child who needed adult care.

He was still a child who was clumsy at making the right decisions, a child who wanted to run away from frightening situations.

And so, contrary to his earlier resolve, he let another falsehood pass his lips.

"What are you talking about? What reason would I have to keep secrets from you?"

He deliberately laughed brightly and gently pushed her away.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

With his answer, Basilian led Flora and sat her down on the small sofa in the center of the room.

He pulled up the corners of his mouth and grinned with a calm expression.

He looked no different from usual, but Flora couldn't smile easily.

'Honestly, I was relieved. But why do I feel so uneasy?'

Since Basilian had denied it himself, the bad assumptions in Flora's head should have disappeared, but the suspicion wouldn't leave.

'...Right, he said it wasn't a lie.'

He said he knew there were some circumstances, and that there were no lies told just for her sake, so she wanted to just believe him.

"Thank you for answering, even though it was an unpleasant question."

Flora offered a cautious apology and words of thanks, forcing a bright smile.

"You're still the person I can trust the most. I'm glad you're by my side."

And she revealed her inner feelings to him, ones she was usually too embarrassed to voice.

The corners of Basilian's mouth, which had been smiling at her bright smile, trembled faintly.

'It seems I was right not to tell her after all.'

It would be much better than burdening Flora, who was already shocked, with a new worry.

Despite his seemingly fine exterior, his heart, having avoided the truth, trembled with endless fear.

Hoping desperately that this lie wouldn't be discovered, he rationalized his evasion.

"So why are you staying here all alone?"