When the Villains Unite - Chapter 14. The Golden ○○ (1)

Normally, I preferred to do my studying or work in my room or the library on the second floor.

But since Belhark was at home, there was no reason to stay apart. For the past few days, I’d taken to working in his study instead.

At first, he welcomed it. But by the second day, it became obvious that neither of us could concentrate.

Whenever I tried to focus, Belhark would sit there, staring at me. And when he worked, I couldn’t help but admire his handsome features.

Distracted by each other, our productivity plummeted, and instead of working, we spent more time chatting and procrastinating. The pile of unfinished tasks refused to shrink.

By the third day, our “work sessions” had become indistinguishable from dates. That was when an imperial palace attendant, haggard with dark circles under their eyes, arrived at the estate in tears.

It was in that moment that I resolved to give Belhark and myself a little space, if only for a while.

“I’ll finish everything and come to you. Just rest in the meantime.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“I won’t. Don’t worry.”

With a brief kiss on my forehead, he left the room.

Early in the morning, I told Belhark that I’d be staying in my room today. When he asked if we could at least spend the morning together until lunch, I agreed. We lazed around in bed before sharing a meal, and afterward, he dutifully walked me to my room.

After he left, I stood staring at the door for a moment, then climbed back into bed.

“When will he finish his work…?”

I already missed him.

Still, thanks to the care Belhark had shown me over the past few days, I’d been able to keep from feeling the absence of Damian too strongly.

But now, left to myself, I couldn’t stop thinking about Damian. By now, he was probably outside the capital, traveling around on his inspections. My longing for him grew little by little.

Looking back, I couldn’t quite understand what I’d been thinking when I once entertained the idea of leaving them.

Fearing that lying in bed all day would make me lethargic, I got up and sat at my desk, skimming through some documents.

I came across the staff work schedule while reviewing bonus payouts for those who had worked overtime. Spotting the name of a servant I’d locked eyes with at the indoor training hall the other day brought back a flood of memories.

That time… Belhark had really set out to embarrass me to death.

Just remembering it made my face heat up so much that it felt like it was on fire. I still didn’t understand why Belhark seemed convinced that I was some kind of exhibitionist who got excited by exposing myself.

Well, to be fair, no one else had caught us in either the carriage or the training hall. And if I really thought about it, those moments were oddly thrilling and electrifying in a way that sent shivers down my spine…

Belhark had obviously noticed how I felt during those moments. But did that mean I really gave off the vibe of someone who enjoyed such things?!

“Although… I wouldn’t mind doing it one more time…”

I quickly shut down that train of thought, deciding it was better not to think about it at all. Shaking my head, I started flipping through the papers again, trying to rid my mind of unnecessary distractions by keeping my hands busy.

Still, why were there so many staff applications to sort through?

It wasn’t unusual for there to be a lot, but this month seemed especially overwhelming. According to Sebastian, the competition to work in the duke’s estate was fierce because of the excellent benefits offered.

It made sense, considering most noble households didn’t bother with things like fixed working hours or employee benefits.

Just last month, I’d given a scholarship to a maid who had worked tirelessly for three days and nights straight to pay for her younger brother’s tuition. It seemed word of that had already spread.

While it was nice to have such popularity, it made selecting staff much harder.

“Ugh, this is draining…”

After what felt like an eternity, I finally narrowed it down to four applicants and stamped the duke’s seal on their forms. I’d gone two people over the number we originally intended to hire, but this decision was fueled by my resolve never to do this again.

With my tasks mostly done, I figured I’d pass the time by reading one of the books in Krivat Empire’s common language.

Belhark still had a long way to go before finishing his work—when I last saw his desk, it was practically buried under a mountain of documents. He’d looked utterly indifferent to the chaos as if it didn’t concern him in the slightest.

I carefully browsed the bookshelf and pulled out a book. Travel, it was called—a book I’d personally picked up at the bookstore.

I hadn’t had the chance to read much lately because of all the work piling up, but today felt like the perfect opportunity.

“Wow, leave it to a risqué novel to live up to its name. Why are all these foreign-language books like this?”

I’d bought it in a rush, judging it by its cover, so I was utterly unprepared for the content—a woman’s sexual diary about her solo backpacking trip. Never in a million years would I have guessed.

“[At the docks leading to Kaise Island, a fisherman immediately caught my eye. He was uninhibited, baring his skin to a foreigner like me, and his open __ revealed large __, which seemed to carry a story of their own.]”

Shocked, I instinctively flipped to the first page while grabbing the dictionary next to me to look up any unfamiliar words.

From the context, I guessed that the mysterious word might mean something like “shirt” or “shoulder,” things I already knew.

When I finally looked it up, I froze. The word turned out to mean chest opening and genitals.

How free-spirited does one have to be to casually strip off their pants at an open dock, exposing an erect penis to the world?! This is just perversion!

When I read the sentence about the woman grabbing that supposedly storied and impressive genitalia, I couldn’t help but exclaim out loud.

“Wow… this is… wow…”

Before I realized it, I had been completely sucked into the novel. Studying a foreign language through erotic literature seemed surprisingly effective—new words just seemed to stick in my brain. Of course, there was no way I could jot them down in my vocabulary notebook without feeling like a total pervert.

The story flowed effortlessly, and before I knew it, I was flipping through the final pages.

“My next destination is the Rent Empire.”

What? The Rent Empire?!

I froze as I read that line on the last page. The Rent Empire… that’s here!

If this femme fatale with her monstrous allure actually came here, it could spell disaster for the Empire. The novel described how men lost all reason and threw themselves at her the moment they met her. Would this really be okay? Should I… tell Belhark about this?

“Lady, it’s time for dinner,” a voice called from outside the door.

“Uh, yes!”

Startled, I quickly closed the book and got to my feet.

Knowing it was an erotic novel, I felt uneasy about just putting it back on the shelf as if nothing had happened.

Holding the book in my hands, I panicked for a moment, unsure what to do, until I heard the servant greeting Belhark at the door. My heart skipped a beat. I hastily set the book down on a nearby chair.

‘I’ll leave it here for now and come back to deal with it later.’

“Rose?”

“Y-yeah! Coming out now!”

Completely unaware of what was about to unfold, I stepped out of the room.

“You finished all of that?”

I’d always thought Belhark worked fast, but this was beyond anything I could have imagined. When he casually said he’d finished the mountain of paperwork in under six hours, I couldn’t hide my amazement.

“Yeah. It was exhausting.”

He looked just as composed as he had this morning. Not a trace of weariness could be seen on his face, and yet, he was saying he was tired?

I couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing full well what he was trying to do.

“Open up, brother. Ahhh~.”

I held up a piece of perfectly cut steak to his mouth. Belhark accepted it effortlessly and, in the same motion, took hold of my hand. He gently pried the fork from my fingers and laced his fingers with mine.

Now effectively one-handed, I let him feed me instead. Bite by bite, I made my way through the meal, eventually finishing even the dessert—courtesy of Belhark’s determined hand. His signature dazzling smile accompanied every bite he fed me, leaving me no choice but to eat more than I usually would.

After dinner, I told him I was heading back to my room. Ever the gentleman, he escorted me all the way to my door.

But then, as I saw his hand naturally reaching for the doorknob, it hit me—I’d completely forgotten about that book.

Panicking, I grabbed his wrist in a hurry.

“Wait! My room’s… messy.”

“I don’t mind.”

“No, no! I’ll clean it up really quick. Just wait here for a second!”

“…Alright. Take your time. I’ll wait.”

I nodded quickly, slipped into the room, and shut the door behind me. By now, the sun had already set, and the room was blanketed in darkness.

I made a beeline for my desk and grabbed the book from the chair.

But just as I picked it up, something caught my eye—a strange glow.

Turning my head, I noticed a bright golden light seeping out from between the drawers of my desk.

That golden glow… it seemed oddly familiar. But why was it coming from there?

Curious and slightly apprehensive, I set the book aside and reached for the drawer.

Is this what it feels like to witness Pandora’s box? I knew I shouldn’t open it, yet my hand moved toward the drawer on its own, driven by sheer curiosity.

Somehow, the erotic novel I was supposed to discreetly hide had ended up clutched tightly to my chest.

With a trembling hand, I grabbed the drawer handle and slowly pulled it open.

The light spilling from the drawer was already bright, but once fully open, it burst out in a blinding radiance that made me squint and shield my eyes.

As my vision gradually adjusted to the light, I finally saw the object inside.

Of course. Damian would never be the type to back down so easily.

The absurdity of the situation hit me like a headache, and I instinctively pressed my hand to my forehead.

Sitting in the drawer was a replica—a life-sized, anatomically correct artificial phallus, infused with what I could only assume was Damian’s aura.

I stared at the object, utterly dumbfounded, trying to process how and why Damian had hidden this in my room. But before I could get a grip on the situation, the cursed thing moved. It twitched on its own, reacting to the residual energy, and I completely lost my composure.

“What the hell…?! Ahhh!”

Panicking, I stumbled backward. My foot caught on the chair behind me, sending me toppling over. The next thing I knew, I was crashing to the floor with a dull thud, my book flying out of my arms and skidding across the ground.

It was then that the inevitable happened.

The door slammed open.

“Rose!”

At the sound of my fall, Belhark burst into the room without hesitation, his face filled with concern.

There I was, sprawled on the floor with the world’s most incriminating object glowing brightly from my drawer.

Belhark rushed toward me before I could even think to stop him.

I scrambled to get up, only for my legs—still shaken from the fall—to give out beneath me, leaving me slumped back on the floor.

“Stay still. I’ll help you up.”

No, no, no! Don’t come any closer!

In a panic, I shook my head furiously, but Belhark didn’t stop.

The look on his face was one of pure worry, but all I could think was: If he sees what’s in that drawer, I’m doomed!

Belhark looked at me, puzzled, before smoothly hooking an arm around my waist and lifting me off the floor in one swift motion. He set me down on the chair and began inspecting me for injuries. Only then did he seem to notice the golden light illuminating the dark room.

“O-Brother,” I stammered.

“What is this…?”

His gaze naturally gravitated toward the grotesque, glowing object in the drawer. My face burned with panic as I shut my eyes and blurted out nonsense.

“Uh, um… I think Damian was playing a prank! I’ve never seen it before! Seriously, what is this even? Haha…”

“…….”

The oppressive silence that followed made me instinctively lower my head.

After a few tense seconds, his eyes shifted to the floor where Travel, the book, had fallen.

Without a word, he picked it up, casually flipping through its pages.

“You were reading this? Interested in traveling, are you…?”

“…….”