When the Villains Unite - Chapter 15: Trace (1)

A few days after Damian’s visit, I was busy packing for my trip. Preparing for a three-week-long journey meant I had to work quickly and efficiently. Of course, I could have had a maid handle it, but packing myself to savor the excitement of the journey didn’t seem like a bad idea.

It was my first time leaving the empire to travel with the Orca brothers, and I was bursting with excitement. From the moment the word “travel” slipped out of Belhark’s mouth, I couldn’t sit still and had been darting around ever since. Honestly, the biggest reason for my excitement was probably that there wasn’t much to do at home.

After Damian’s return, Belhark resumed his duties at the imperial palace. Although Damian had claimed he finished his work before coming back, it turned out he had abandoned Cain in the wilderness halfway through. For this, Damian was sentenced to work overtime until his vacation began. Compared to military standards, his actions were equivalent to desertion, so it was a relief he got off with just overtime.

A few days ago, he had grumbled to me that he had to spend an entire day overseeing the training of the imperial knights.

“Damian, you should be grateful your superior is the gentle crown prince. If it had been the emperor, you wouldn’t even be allowed back into the estate by now.”

“I’ll buy clothes in the Orca territory,” I said to myself.

It seemed unnecessary to pack too many imperial clothes and stand out as a foreigner. This decision drastically lightened my luggage. Besides, since the Vidos territory was under the Orca Duchy, most goods would likely be imported from the empire, so I wouldn’t lack anything essential.

Slightly disappointed that my packing ended so quickly, I gently placed my suitcase beside the wardrobe and flopped onto the bed.

“Oh, right… I need to get rid of that.”

Lately, I had been secretly disposing of my collection piece by piece, exhausted from dealing with the Orca brothers who would pounce at the mere sight of me holding anything odd. I had already tossed Damian’s fake artifact into the fireplace to melt it, and my collection of explicit novels had been burned one by one.

However, there was one thing I had overlooked—an item now practically enshrined in the annex, which had turned into a small museum: the book titled “The Art of the Bedroom.”

I had already internalized most of its knowledge, having practically embodied the contents by now… Ahem. Anyway, it was time to part ways with that book as well.

“Miss, the Duke has arrived.”

“Alright, I understand.”

My resolve to promptly carry out the burning of The Art of the Bedroom was thwarted by the news of Belhark’s arrival.

It seemed I’d have to postpone the ceremonial burning for another time.

Admittedly, I felt a tinge of regret. Despite its risqué nature, I had grown rather attached to the book. Letting it go so easily wasn’t as simple as I had thought.

But what could I do? If the Orca brothers ever found out I had been reading that book, I’d undoubtedly face a lot of trouble.

Putting off my plans to dispose of the book, I went downstairs to join Belhark for dinner.

“I just stopped by for a quick dinner,” he said. “Today, some idiot—no, I mean, one of the officials—lost a few confidential documents. I’ll need to head back to the palace to investigate.”

“When will you be back?”

“I’ll probably return after midnight, so don’t wait up. If I can’t make it back, I’ll send Damian home early instead.”

“And what about tomorrow?”

Belhark silently nodded in confirmation.

That meant I’d have some free time until tomorrow evening. I could take my time visiting the annex, and since burning one book wouldn’t take much effort, I’d still have plenty of leisure time.

Hmm… If they were going to be away from the estate tomorrow, perhaps I could spend the entire day in the annex. It might be nice to lose myself in some nostalgia for a while. Of course, many of those memories involved the Orca brothers, but that didn’t make them any less precious.

Come to think of it, there were still personal records—like old journals—left in the annex. The last time I snuck in to look at The Art of the Bedroom, I was so focused on that book that I didn’t have time to check anything else. If they were going to be out late, wouldn’t it be fine to leisurely sift through those old mementos?

“Will you be here in time for dinner?”

“No, I can eat by myself.”

As I briefly let my mind wander, Belhark seemed to misinterpret my silence. He appeared to think I was feeling neglected.

Considering the gravity of losing confidential documents—something that likely involved national security—I quickly shook my head to dispel the misunderstanding.

Belhark really worried about the strangest things. It wasn’t as if I had separation anxiety or anything. Just because he wouldn’t be home early didn’t mean I’d feel hurt by it.

“If you get too bored, I’ll call Aria over, so don’t worry about me.”

“Alright. If anything happens, just contact me through Sebastian.”

I nodded at his words as if I understood, though it was more for show. In truth, Aria was far too busy right now, up to her neck in preparations for her wedding. Meeting her was a complete fabrication—just something to ease his concerns.

Thinking of her suddenly reminded me of Ashik, who was likely preoccupied with his workplace romance.

Office romance, huh? How enviable. What must it feel like to see your significant other every day at the imperial palace?

I’d never seen the Orca brothers work properly. I recalled a time when Belhark tried working from home; he’d seemed focused at first, but before long, he’d abandoned it all to spend time with me.

Then there were the moments when he took his breaks—which sometimes involved a level of intimacy that definitely crossed professional boundaries. If that was anything to go by, office romances didn’t seem particularly conducive to work efficiency.

“Why are you smiling?”

I wasn’t sure why my thoughts had wandered in this direction, but picturing Damian seriously working by the crown prince’s side made me chuckle.

As the crown prince’s personal guard, Damian’s formal demeanor and disciplined actions always gave off an air of seriousness. But in front of me, he was nothing more than a playful, tail-wagging, oversized puppy.

“I just can’t imagine Damian being serious at work.”

“Well, he’s not exactly the serious type,” Belhark admitted.

I knew it! Seriousness didn’t suit him nearly as much as his mischievous side did.

Belhark paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before continuing.

“That said, he’s not as cheerful as he is at home, either. It’s more like… he’s bored with everything. I guess being a personal guard in a peaceful empire doesn’t give him much to do.”

“Damian? Bored? No way…”

“He just doesn’t suit being idle. He does a bit better when he has a sword in his hands, at least.”

“What about friends? Does he still have trouble warming up to people?”

With a concerned look, I asked Belhark. He chuckled faintly, as if I’d just said something completely foreign to him.

“Rose, Damian isn’t a child. You don’t need to worry about him so much. He’s doing fine.”

He was telling me not to worry, despite having fretted over me being home alone just moments ago. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

How could I not worry? The once-bright Damian apparently looks miserable the moment he steps outside the estate! Belhark didn’t explicitly say that, but if he’s making it clear that Damian’s lost interest in everything, the rest is easy to imagine.

Maybe I should visit the palace sometime soon and offer a bit of support. Those introverted Orca brothers could really use someone to balance them out. Most nobles think they have terrible personalities, and honestly, if they showed even half as much warmth outside as they do to me, people would probably think differently.

“It’s not just Damian. Do you think I haven’t heard the rumors in society? People say the Duke of Orca looks like he’s ready to kill someone with just his gaze.”

“And yet, when I smile, they seem even more terrified.”

“Seriously? How do you even smile to make that happen? Show me.”

As I skeptically spoke, chewing the turkey leg Belhark had just cut and placed on my plate, he fell silent for a moment, taking a sip of water as if to prepare himself.

“…I won’t smile at you like that.”

“Oh…”

Right. Even as I asked him to show me his so-called killer smile, I realized I wasn’t quite ready to see it myself. Accepting my own slip of the tongue, I smiled awkwardly in return.

How in the world could someone with such a handsome face manage to terrify people with a single smile? If that’s not a talent, then I don’t know what is.

“Well, I’m just glad you’re not resorting to violence anymore,” I said, brushing the subject aside.

Belhark smiled faintly, like a rose petal unfolding, and placed more food on my plate. Was it just my imagination, or was he trying to avoid answering my comment?

Honestly, there was plenty to unpack if I pressed him. But I decided to let it slide. After all, Belhark did have a history of using violence—like the time he got into it with Ashik—so maybe he felt a bit guilty.

As it turned out, Belhark’s concerns about the severity of the situation must have been justified, because he didn’t return to the estate that night.

Whoever had lost the confidential documents was undoubtedly getting a serious scolding from Belhark by now. While I felt a little sorry for them, it was their own doing. All I could do was silently offer my condolences.

Around 11 p.m., Damian finally returned to the estate. He rarely showed signs of exhaustion, but perhaps the combination of his recent expedition and the overtime hours had caught up with him. He looked visibly tired.

He immediately tried to pull me into a hug, but upon seeing me in my pajamas, he muttered something about showering and disappeared to clean up.

Had the day’s training left him drenched in sweat? I waited quietly on my bed until he returned.

“Sis, were you waiting for me?”

“Yes, a lot. Hurry up and come here.”

It had only been about 20 minutes since he’d gone to shower, but I playfully exaggerated my impatience, holding my arms open for him.

Damian approached with his damp hair dripping slightly, shaking his head to scatter the water. As he sat on the edge of my bed, I grabbed the magic-powered hair dryer and began drying his hair.

He seemed relaxed, his face softening under the warm breeze. The moment I put the dryer down, though, he pulled me into a tight embrace.

“Damian, you must be really tired.”

“…A little…”

“I can hear the sleepiness in your voice already. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

“No. Not yet. I missed you so much today—it made everything harder.”

Where on earth does he learn these cheesy lines? His muffled voice and the way he buried himself deeper into my arms made me laugh.

“Pfft. In a week, we’ll be traveling together. So for now, get some sleep.”

I shifted, pushing him down onto the bed. He lay there with a dissatisfied pout, but the plush comfort of the bedding must have been too much to resist. His eyes were already half-closed as drowsiness overwhelmed him. Even then, he held onto me tightly, refusing to let go—such a classic Damian move.

“Oh, Damian, by the way. I’m planning to stop by the palace soon. Your brother’s office is in the First Wing, right?”

“Yeah… But come to me, not him…”

“Alright, alright. Now sleep.”

Damian murmured softly, his eyes fully closed now. Occasionally, he’d stir and try to open them, but he was no match for his exhaustion.

It had been a long time since I’d watched him sleep. Stroking his faintly darkened under-eyes, a result of his fatigue, I gently patted the blanket.

“…Should I come pick you up…?”

“How far could it be? I can go alone. Besides, I haven’t even decided when I’m going—Damian? Are you asleep?”

It must have been sleep-talking because he was already breathing evenly, his eyes peacefully shut.

Smiling to myself, I carefully pulled the blanket over him, tucking him in. His warmth against me was comforting, and before I knew it, sleep overtook me as well.

The next morning, Damian left for the palace as early as usual.

Belhark, however, still hadn’t returned by dawn, which likely meant the confidential documents incident was unresolved.

Before heading to the annex, I worried that Belhark might drop by the estate unexpectedly, so I called him just in case. His calm voice reassured me, telling me to have dinner with Damian. Yet, just before the call ended, I heard a loud noise on his end of the line—it didn’t sound like things were going well.

“Today, I have something important to do. Have the staff on the third floor stand down.”

“Understood, Miss.”

I couldn’t risk the staff reporting my absence to the Orca brothers.

As I climbed the stairs, Sebastian bowed and gestured to the headmaid. Taking this chance, I quickly veered toward the opposite direction, away from the dining room.

Thankfully, Sebastian’s attention was elsewhere, and he didn’t seem to notice my sudden detour.

But just as I stepped toward the stairs leading to the basement, I froze.

Someone was standing at the bottom of the staircase, staring straight up at me. Our eyes locked.

“Gasp…! Lady…!”

“Shh.”

It was a red-haired maid with freckles—a new recruit brought in during the recent staff expansion.