When the Villains Unite - Chapter 13: Ashik (1)

After Damian left the mansion, I took a brief nap and then got up. A maid, who had seemingly been waiting for some time, brought water for me to wash up. After a quick wash, I went down to the dining room and began my breakfast.

“Milady, the Duke of Eurasius has sent a letter.”

Ashik?

I had just finished my meal and was leisurely sipping tea when Sebastian handed me a letter sealed with the crest of the Eurasius Duchy. It wasn’t like him to send a letter so quickly—especially since I hadn’t even replied to the last one he sent.

Previously, he had informed me that his second meeting with Marquis Fessil had gone more smoothly than expected. Since then, he had written often, updating me about their frequent encounters, his letters gradually filling with praise for the marquis.

Honestly, Ashik seemed content just to be around the marquis, regardless of what had transpired between them. Though his appearance was far from that of a sentimental romantic, he had an unexpectedly endearing side.

Using a letter opener, I sliced open the envelope and checked its contents. Inside was an invitation to the birthday party of a noble scion of the empire, accompanied by a note formally requesting that I attend as his escort. …Wait, what?

I had heard that, after the previous carriage incident, Ashik had been tormented for quite a while by our Orca brothers via letters.

Is he really okay with this?

At the end of the letter was an enigmatic phrase: “Cover operation, please.”

A cover operation? Could it be that Marquis Fessil will also be attending this party? If so, his words might make sense.

I would need to speak with Ashik to get the details, but it seemed likely that I was being recruited to act as a Cupid—someone to provoke jealousy or create situations to stir their feelings for each other.

That would mean Marquis Fessil must already have some romantic interest in Ashik… or maybe I’d need to ignite that spark at the party.

Before I realized it, I was already running various romantic strategies through my head, quickly mapping out the dynamics of the situation. Then, without hesitation, I headed to my room, wrote a positive reply, and handed it to a maid. For some reason, I had a feeling something interesting would happen today.

“I should probably let Belhark know I’ll be attending the party with him.”

I hated the idea of him fussing over me, especially since he was already working hard at the palace in the absence of the crown prince. But I dreaded the backlash if I didn’t tell him even more. Didn’t I have enough trouble calming him down after the carriage incident last time?

And considering the punches I had landed on him yesterday while I was with Damian, I wasn’t confident enough to talk to him directly. I decided to write him a letter instead.

Normally, I would just notify him with a quick phone call, but trying to write it all in a letter left me struggling to figure out how to start.

I began by mentioning that I would be attending the party as Ashik’s partner, along with a brief schedule and reassurances that I wouldn’t be away from the mansion for too long.

Somehow, reading it over made it feel stiff…

Unconsciously, I found myself adding affectionate words here and there, pressing my emotions into the letter. Then, folding the paper, I slid it into an envelope and sealed it with wax. If I kept looking at it, I felt like I might lose my nerve to send it.

“Send this one along too.”

“Understood, Milady.”

The maid took the letter and left the room.

I had no idea what kind of scenario Ashik had envisioned when he mentioned a “cover operation,” but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something entertaining was about to unfold.

Inside the rattling carriage, the striking man with silver hair slicked back and piercing red eyes had finished explaining everything and was now watching my reaction. It was probably because he felt at least a little guilty for openly admitting that he intended to use me for his plans.

To summarize: The Lady Susan Sperrin, daughter of the Earl of Sperrin, who had her engagement broken off unilaterally by Marquis Diane Fessil several months ago, still harbored lingering feelings for him and hoped to rekindle their engagement.

From what I heard, there hadn’t been any major incidents during their engagement that would have soured their relationship. In fact, from a business standpoint, their families seemed to complement each other quite well. Even so, Diane Fessil had called off the engagement.

Why?

It boiled down to this: “Diane Fessil has no romantic feelings for his partner and refuses to enter into a loveless marriage.”

Even Ashik acknowledged this, and he didn’t consider Lady Sperrin a rival for Diane’s affections.

Ashik’s reason for involving me was different. He wanted to gauge Diane Fessil’s feelings by observing his reaction to seeing me with Ashik.

So, I was supposed to act as a provocateur between Ashik and Marquis Fessil. Once his feelings were confirmed, Ashik would handle the rest himself. He also requested that I keep Lady Sperrin at bay in the meantime.

While helping him wasn’t necessarily a bad idea, there was one thing that bothered me.

To play the role of a provocateur effectively, I’d have to display some level of affection for Ashik in front of others. Given our social status, it was only a matter of time before rumors of an engagement would spread like wildfire in the noble society, where gossip moved faster than light.

The imperial newspapers, which often dabbled in high society gossip, wouldn’t let the story pass unnoticed. While the content of the articles would be filtered by higher-ups, the “higher-ups” included none other than the crown prince or the two imperial dukes.

If the rumors reached Belhark or Damian, it wouldn’t be me who bore the consequences—it would be Ashik.

“Your Grace… can you handle this?”

“Somehow. If I can confirm Marquis Fessil’s feelings today, I’ll decide whether to give up or go all in. I understand there’s a risk, but I’m prepared to take it.”

To think that the once-indecisive Ashik had grown so much… Seeing him with such resolve in his eyes made him seem like a completely different person.

Well, I couldn’t be the only one happy, could I? Even if the scandal reached the Orca brothers, I’d just have to placate them somehow.

“But the same might not be true for you, Milady. If you’re against this, I’ll respect your decision.”

“It’s fine. False rumors eventually fade away as rumors.”

Whether in the original story or the present, I was more than willing to support Ashik’s love, even if Marquis Fessil didn’t end up liking him.

After all, wasn’t this the love story that had been completely buried in the original novel by the bizarre incidents caused by the Orca brothers?

I figured the author had likely left Diane Fessil single to leave hope for Ashik’s story.

“You’ve made so much effort, Your Grace. At the very least, Marquis Fessil must feel some fondness for you.”

“The problem is that it’s not romantic affection.”

“Well, that’s not something we can know for sure.”

“…”

“Then change that today. Into romantic feelings.”

I grinned slyly at Ashik, who looked at me in disbelief before speaking.

“You’re suggesting I skip all the preliminaries and take down the final boss in one go.”

“Well, wouldn’t that be the best outcome?”

By the time our conversation ended, the carriage had come to a stop in front of an opulent mansion. Servants stood ready to assist the nobles stepping out of their carriages.

Ashik exited first and extended his hand to me. Taking his hand, I allowed him to escort me into the estate.

“Oh, by the way, where’s Aria?”

“She told me to bring you along and said she’d go ahead and wait for us.”

As expected, Aria was truly Aria.

Even after the unfortunate incident where his lips and mine accidentally touched, she never mentioned it outright. Yet, in her own mischievous way, she had drawn a tiny dowry sketch in one of the letters she sent me.

“Someday, I’ll have to tell Aria the truth. I can’t keep it from her forever.”

“I always feel sorry that I’m a brother who can’t live up to her expectations,” Ashik said with a wistful smile.

But despite saying that, he didn’t utter any self-sacrificing nonsense about giving up his love for the sake of his family. That was something I could appreciate, and as her friend, I was certain Aria wouldn’t want that kind of resolution either.

In fact, the reason neither of them had found the right timing to share their feelings was likely because both were in love with people they couldn’t easily admit to. And knowing Aria, she would feel quite embarrassed about clinging to people with no hope of reciprocation.

“I feel the same way,” I replied.

As we followed the servant into the party venue, all eyes turned toward us. It was unusual for Ashik to attend a private event with someone other than Aria, and considering he was the highest-ranking person at the party, it wasn’t surprising.

Come to think of it, while I had met him privately at his estate, I had never accompanied him to a social outing or party like this before. That was something only Aria had done.

“The attention is sharper than I expected,” I remarked.

“Because you’re stunning. The young men here can’t take their eyes off you.”

“Oh my, are we starting the lover’s act already?”

“I don’t indulge in flattery. I’m simply giving you my objective opinion,” he replied calmly.

Hearing praise from Ashik, who himself surpassed every standard of beauty, felt oddly gratifying.

As Ashik and I whispered to each other near the entrance, exuding an air of affection, a well-dressed gentleman who seemed to be approaching us hesitated and stopped in his tracks.

Sensing his presence, I turned my gaze toward him and gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment. Ashik, noticing my gesture, also turned toward him.

“Your Grace, the Duke of Euracis. Lady Orca.”

“Marquis Swanchet. Congratulations on your birthday.”

“Congratulations, Marquis,” I added with a smile.

“Thank you. With the two of you here together, it makes this year’s birthday feel even more special.”

After exchanging pleasantries with Marquis Swanchet, we handed over the gift I had hurriedly ordered earlier that day through one of the servants.

Though he had sent the invitation to Ashik, he seemed slightly flustered to see me as his partner. He even remarked that I was known for never mingling with young noblemen. Apparently, some of his friends had even tried writing to the Orca estate, only to be rejected. Of course, I wasn’t the one who had rejected them.

“The men of Orca dote on the Lady so much that anyone afraid of them wouldn’t dare to approach you so easily,” Marquis Swanchet remarked with a knowing smile.

Ashik chuckled lightly. “True enough. But then, why did I approach you first, Rose?”

“It’s not a good habit to ask questions when you already know the answer,” Ashik replied smoothly.

So, this is where the act begins, I thought to myself.

I covered my mouth and let out a shy giggle as I looked at Ashik. He responded with a bright, albeit false, smile, as if he found me utterly endearing.

Thank goodness I wore a long-sleeved dress today—because seeing this side of him again gave me goosebumps. It had been a while since I last witnessed his dual-natured performance.

“Seeing the two of you today makes me wonder if we might hear some joyous news from the Empire soon! Haha,” Marquis Swanchet teased.

“Oh my, Marquis! We’re not that kind of relationship~” I replied with a flustered tone.

“Now, now, Rose, I feel a bit hurt when you say that,” Ashik interjected with a playful smirk.

“Ashik…! We agreed to only use first names in private!”

Poor Marquis Swanchet. Right in front of him, Ashik and I turned into a pair of flirtatious lovebirds, chattering and exchanging knowing glances. It wasn’t long before the marquis, wearing a kind but slightly awkward smile, excused himself.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude on the two of you. I hope you enjoy your time together.” With that, he walked away. Clearly, he had no intention of staying too long in the midst of a ‘couple.’

As soon as Marquis Swanchet was out of earshot, Ashik and I both dropped our playful smiles, our expressions turning serious.

“Milady, you’re quite the talented actress,” Ashik commented dryly.

“And you nearly ruined the act by calling me by name so naturally, Your Grace,” I shot back.

“Ah, so that’s why your eyelids were twitching earlier?”

“Gasp… Was it that obvious?”

“No, I only noticed because I was standing so close.”

Flustered, I lightly rubbed my eyelids. Who would’ve thought that expressing affection for someone other than the Orca brothers could feel this awkward?

When had I become so accustomed to the Orca brothers?

Back when I first became part of this world, I held more favorable feelings toward Ashik—whom I had never even met in person—than toward the brothers who constantly tormented me.

But now, it was the complete opposite. Not only did I feel a profound attachment to the Orca brothers, but their absence left an inexplicable emptiness in me, as though my heart were hollow.

Case in point: despite only arriving at the party moments ago, I was already thinking about them, plagued by a strange sense of longing.

With the thought of returning to the mansion as quickly as possible, my eyes instinctively scanned the room for Diane Fessil.

While I was distracted by my search, Ashik’s gaze had already settled somewhere.

When I turned to follow his line of sight, I spotted a man with soft red hair speaking with a group of other noblemen. Even as he conversed with them, his eyes occasionally flicked in our direction.

“…Huh?”

It was faint, but Marquis Fessil’s expression had shifted into something hard to read. Just as I was about to ask Ashik if I was imagining things, I caught sight of his face instead.

The look on Ashik’s face as he gazed at Marquis Fessil was noticeably softened. Worse still, the corners of his lips were on the verge of curling upward.

Without hesitation, I stealthily stepped on his foot.

“Your Grace, your expression…!” I whispered urgently.

“Ah….”

If things continued like this, there’d be no way Marquis Fessil wouldn’t notice Ashik’s feelings.

Hearing my warning, Ashik quickly masked his expression. I glanced up at him and gave a subtle nod, signaling that it was okay now. Taking my cue, Ashik began escorting me toward Diane Fessil.