The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 138

Episode 138

"What's wrong, Flora? Are you hurt somewhere? Look at me, okay?"

At the sound of Basilian's voice, worried about her, Flora shook her head vigorously while still hugging him.

"I just want to be like this."

It wasn't hard to lift her head and meet his eyes, but strangely, her eyes felt hot, as if tears might fall at any moment, so she couldn't help it.

"……That's a bit bland. You could do this down below too."

"I don't want anyone to see me. This weak side of me."

Not Dad, not Brother, not Grandfather.

If she showed this vulnerable side to her family, they would undoubtedly worry.

They had just resolved all the lingering issues and problems between them, saying everything was fine now; she didn't want to receive their attention again just because she felt a little unsettled.

As she was quietly emptying her thoughts, a voice came from above her head, carrying a hint of hesitation.

"……Is it okay to show it in front of me?"

"Yes, because you're you, Basil."

She had answered, but it still felt a bit ambiguous. To prevent the meaning from becoming strange, Flora added one more sentence.

"Basil is special."

I can show my weak side in front of you, I can use my demonic energy freely around you, I feel that you prioritize me more than anyone else.

'You are precious to me.'

She swallowed the words she couldn't bring herself to voice.

"Special, you say......"

It was still an ambiguous answer, but it seemed pleasant enough to hear, as he asked with a more buoyant tone than before.

"You'll only show this side of yourself in front of me, right?"

"Yep."

At the firm answer, Basilian felt so good that he had to suppress a smile.

"I feel a little lonely, but since Basil is here with me, I feel much better. It gives me strength."

"Really?"

He couldn't laugh and act clueless in such a serious atmosphere.

"So, even when you return to your parents' side, you mustn't forget me."

But at Flora's following words, the corners of Basilian's mouth gradually turned down.

"......"

He had gotten momentarily carried away by the fact that he was receiving special treatment and forgotten reality.

Basilian, holding Flora in his embrace, could only hide his desolate feelings and squeeze his eyes shut.

'He sensed that we'll have to part now that Duke Athanas has arrived.'

Until now, she always had such a nonchalant face whenever they were together that he thought she was fine with it, and he had felt secretly disappointed, but he was newly realizing that wasn't the case.

Basilian recalled the private meeting he had with Grand Marquis Eisollen a few days ago.

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It was early dawn, when everyone was asleep. He had been in the middle of his morning training, as always.

'I can grip it fairly well now.'

Since he started learning demonic energy from Flora, he had become much more accustomed to holding and swinging the Holy Sword.

He had also gained control over the madness that kept trying to consume him, which was an excellent achievement, but it still wasn't enough.

To return to the Imperial family and survive, he had to make the Holy Sword completely his own.

Basilian looked at the Holy Sword in his hand, which held a faint glow only he could see, and smiled bitterly.

Perhaps he smiled like that because he sensed that their parting was approaching.

'In a way, is it fortunate? I was born with this fate because I couldn't handle the Holy Sword, and thanks to that, I met Flora.'

As he was catching his breath, recalling the only piece of luck in his unfortunate life, a low, stern voice came from behind.

"Good morning, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Turning his head toward the source of the voice, he couldn't make out the figure of the person who had suddenly appeared due to the surroundings brightening with the break of dawn.

'Grand Marquis Eisollen......'

Flora's maternal grandfather, a man who was once the focal point of the neutral faction among the empire's nobility, someone who still held the power to influence many figures in the noble circles.

'And the person I need to make my backer.'

Basilian wiped the sweat trickling down his chin and turned his body fully toward where the man stood.

"I am Jeremy Eisollen, who once held the seat of Marquis Eisollen. It is an honor to meet you like this."

"The honor is mine to meet you, Grand Marquis Eisollen."

Despite his advanced age, the man bowed and offered a formal greeting, making Basilian feel tense, his shoulders stiffening.

Even so, he kept his composure and asked with a relaxed face.

"I didn't expect you to seek me out personally."

"How could I possibly contain my curiosity knowing there is a guest in this mansion whom I am unaware of?"

"Though, it's not exactly our first meeting, is it?"

When Basilian subtly referenced the time he had appeared with Benio, the Grand Marquis coughed awkwardly and swallowed his embarrassment.

"Be that as it may, I was unaware that you were acquainted with my granddaughter."

At the hastily changed topic, Basilian swallowed a smile.

"I have received much salvation."

From their first meeting, to the friendship built after their reunion, and even the secret only the two of them shared.

To someone else, it might just be a short few years, but to Basilian, it was an unforgettable, precious time in his entire life.

"Flora is a child with the power to make people happy."

He said it as if it were the best he could do, but it felt terribly insufficient.

"That is true. She is a truly lovely child."

The atmosphere warmed momentarily over the relatable remark. Seizing the opportunity, Basilian broached the main point of this conversation.

"So, I want to repay that favor, no, even more than I received. To do that, it's important for me to return to my original position and build my power."

"......"

"I know it's impudent to seek you out so suddenly and secretly with such a request, but I need your help."

With a serious expression, Basilian calmly laid out his story.

He told him about his younger sibling, whose birth was publicly announced as a blessing, and his childhood days when he had to flee for his life.

He continued, explaining how he had joined hands with Duke Lucifer and, with his help, had been building his strength, and concluded by revealing that his identity had been discovered by the Young Lord Bellasia not long ago. However, the Grand Marquis's expression showed little change.

"I originally intended to return with a bit more preparation, but for the reasons mentioned earlier, it has become difficult to delay any longer. However, whether I can return safely is an unknown......"

"Not just returning to the Imperial Palace, but the matters that follow will be problematic as well. The forces supporting Your Highness the Crown Prince are minimal, while those supporting His Highness the Prince are formidable."

"A difference in bloodline."

Uttering those words should have been quite a blow to his pride, but Basilian's expression remained impassive.

It meant he was either already accustomed to it and unfazed, or he had learned to hide his expression even when his pride was wounded.

In response, the Grand Marquis smiled quietly.

'He's certainly not an ordinary fellow.'

But that alone wasn't enough to shift the political direction of a neutral family. His circumstances were pitiable, but politics must be cold and rational.

"What benefit would our family gain from this?"

The Eisollen Marquisate doesn't need to restore its prestige like the Lucifers, has no ambition for the power of rising to a Dukedom, and lacks nothing in terms of wealth.

The Grand Marquis was curious what terms a destitute Crown Prince with nothing to offer could possibly put forward.

"Your cane disappeared not long ago, I hear?"

"……How did you know that?"

"Flora told me, so I have a rough idea."

While it was surprising that he knew about the cane, it seemed out of place. Unable to hide a slight disappointment, the Grand Marquis asked.

"I see. But what does that have to do with this discussion?"

Hearing the hint of regret in his voice, Basilian swallowed a smile inwardly.

'Right. This is the expected reaction.'

Basilian recalled what Flora had earnestly confided in him not long ago.

〈Grandfather's cane was strange. When it touched my demonic energy, it suddenly broke, a strange bead fell out from inside, and then it disappeared without a trace. I covered it up by saying the cane must be lost, since I used demonic energy and couldn't let it be known it was a gift from the Temple, but what in the world was the true nature of that cane?〉

She said it happened just before Basilian and Benio appeared, and that her heart nearly dropped out of fear of being discovered. He had been too busy comforting her to think of it immediately, but Basilian knew what it sounded similar to.

'It's a holy relic. To be precise, a pearl bestowed upon Executors.'

No matter how neglected a Crown Prince he was, the Imperial family couldn't neglect his education entirely.

Above all, the powers and curses that had descended upon the Imperial family and the ducal houses were related to the empire's history, so he had studied them diligently.

'And multiple powers can reside within such a pearl.'

But the Grand Marquis's attitude changed around the same time that cane disappeared? It was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.

The situation naturally led to a deduction, so he opened his mouth for the Grand Marquis who was waiting for him.

"Have you never thought that your cane was strange?"

"……The cane, you say?"

At Basilian's words, the Grand Marquis sank deep into thought.

'It's true I've felt a bit freer since it disappeared......'

He only thought that the pain in his knees had returned in exchange for his hands being freed.

He shook his head, saying he hadn't felt anything particularly strange.

"No, I haven't. If you find it strange that it disappeared suddenly not long ago, then I suppose it is strange."