The Baby Fairy Is A Villain [EN]: Chapter 88

Karha, beaming as he pledged his loyalty to Chesha, looked genuinely happy.

He smiled, inhaling the delicate scent of the freesias.

“Where did you get the flowers?”

“Picked them up,” he replied casually.

“Really?”

Karha, who had been playfully teasing Chesha with the freesias, yawned widely.

“Ah… I’m so tired.”

Bandaged and weary, he flopped onto the bed.

Then, he turned onto his side, facing Chesha.

Karha grinned and patted the spot next to him invitingly.

“Baby, come here. Let’s sleep together, you and your big brother.”

Chesha’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was the first time Karha had ever said anything like that.

Seeing Chesha’s surprised reaction, Karha mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

“Kieren and Belzeon always hug and sleep with you whenever they get the chance.”

So, he was curious to experience it too.

Kieren was a constant presence in Chesha’s bedroom.

And Belzeon had also been secretly sneaking into Chesha’s room to sleep with him often since the runaway incident.

Because of that, Chesha rarely slept alone these days.

“Okay.”

There was no reason to refuse Karha’s invitation in this situation.

And Karha had endured a particularly tough day.

Inwardly, Chesha didn’t want to leave him alone either.

Chesha lay down, facing Karha.

Karha immediately pulled Chesha into his arms, holding him close.

The mingled smell of herbs and ointment made Chesha feel even more sympathetic towards him.

Karha buried his face in Chesha’s hair and inhaled deeply.

“You’re cozy, soft, and always… smell like flowers.”

*That’s why I like you*, Karha thought, his words slow and heavy with sleep.

Even with his eyes half-closed, Karha continued to whisper.

As if he couldn’t bear to keep the words inside any longer, as if he needed to pour out the affection that was welling up within him.

“How did a baby like you end up in Basilian? When I first heard Kieren was bringing home a sibling, I wasn’t even interested.”

Small and weak things were usually terrified of Basilian.

He had assumed that no matter what kind of baby they brought home, it wouldn’t suit the formidable name of Basilian.

“But you… I liked you from the first time I saw you. Do you remember, baby? You were looking down at us from the window.”

Chesha remembered it vividly.

The moment when the three Basilian brothers returned and they first met.

At that time, Chesha had felt a strange sensation, like an arrow piercing his heart.

It was an inexplicable and powerful feeling.

“Mother said she was pregnant with a fourth child. If it had been a girl, she probably would have looked like you.”

Realizing what he had said, Karha quickly added, trying to clarify his meaning.

“I just mean… now you are our…”

A gentle smile spread across his face.

“Family…”

His eyes slowly closed, heavy with exhaustion.

He twitched slightly, as if trying to lift his eyelids, but they remained stubbornly shut, weighed down by sleep.

Karha mumbled with his eyes closed.

“Right, baby…”

With that final mumble, Karha drifted completely off to sleep.

The sound of his steady breathing filled the quiet space.

Chesha quietly stared at the sleeping boy.

*Family.*

The word resonated within him, lingering in his thoughts.

Chesha repeated the simple word in his mouth for no particular reason.

It was a foolish act, he knew.

But even knowing it was pointless, Chesha savored the word for a long time, relishing the sweet feeling that it evoked.

Then, following Karha’s lead, he too fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

It was a pleasant, sound sleep.

***

*Slap!*

A large hand struck ruthlessly across Theo’s cheek.

The force of the blow turned his face sharply, and his body stumbled back several steps.

However, Theo quickly regained his balance and straightened his posture.

He approached the Marquis again and bowed his head in apology.

“What on earth *can* you do!” Marquis Nemea roared, his voice filled with fury.

Anger simmered beneath the surface of the Marquis’s words.

“You can’t even handle a simple job as the head of the security forces…!”

A great commotion had erupted in the capital.

Crown Prince Skaya of Skaya had engaged in a conflict with the Basilian County family and had been taken away as a heretic by the Holy Knights.

That was not an incident that a mere head of the security forces could have prevented.

But Marquis Nemea considered it all Theo’s fault.

He was furious that Theo, as the head of the security forces, hadn’t somehow mediated the situation and prevented it from escalating.

“I’m sorry, Marquis,” Theo mumbled.

Theo couldn’t even bring himself to meet his father’s eyes and could only repeat the same apologetic words.

Because that was the only thing Theo was allowed to say without incurring further wrath.

Only after slapping him four or five more times did the Marquis’s anger begin to subside.

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly and sank onto the sofa.

“Give up being the head of the security forces for the time being. You will accompany the Basilian County family as a guard during the minor saint’s prayer meeting.”

“…!”

“Build a rapport with those Basilian fellows while you’re there, and report back to me regularly.”

Theo’s lips moved, as if he wanted to protest.

He took pride in his work as the head of the security forces.

He was just beginning to build relationships with the members of his team…

To abandon his duties and become a mere guard for the Basilian County family felt like a demotion.

Moreover, while it was called a report, wasn’t it essentially surveillance?

Theo wanted to refuse the order.

But he didn’t know how to phrase his refusal in a way that wouldn’t further enrage his father.

Marquis Nemea, sitting on the sofa, was glaring at him with undisguised displeasure.

“I don’t understand how that snake-like guy [referring to Count Basilian] charmed the Emperor and the Duke… No matter what I say, it doesn’t make a difference!”

He had repeatedly expressed his suspicions about the Basilian Count and his belief that the Holy Empire was closely watching him.

But those who were usually clear-headed about other matters seemed to become inexplicably foolish when it came to issues related to Basilian.

The Emperor and Duke Ibroiel blindly sided with Basilian, ignoring his warnings.

It was driving Marquis Nemea to the brink of madness.

“I need to keep a close watch on that guy too.”

Theo, observing the Marquis’s simmering anger, simply gave up on speaking.

Nothing he said would make a difference.

He would just obey quietly, as he always did.

“I will prepare accordingly.”

“Get out.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Theo turned to leave, the sound of the Marquis clicking his tongue disapprovingly echoed behind him.

Theo quietly left the room, pretending not to hear the sound.

He was walking slowly down the hallway when he noticed someone waiting for him across the way.

“…Theo.”

It was a woman with short, dark brown hair and a muscular build similar to Theo’s.

She was the heir and eldest daughter of the Nemea Marquis family, Sione Nemea.

Unlike Theo, who seemed to drift aimlessly, Sione was steadily solidifying her position as the Lioness of Nemea, the Minor Marquis, and so on.

She had already established herself in the capital’s political circles by accepting the prestigious position of Commander of the Imperial Knights.

Theo smiled faintly, looking at someone who was so much more accomplished than him.

“Sister.”

Sione noticed the swelling on Theo’s cheeks.

Theo gently covered his cheeks with his hand.

“He was angry because I was unskilled in my work as the head of the security forces.”

“…I see.”

Sione didn’t offer any comment on his father’s actions.

Instead, she led Theo to her room and provided him with an ice pack.

“Are you going to go as a guard for the Basilian County family?”

“Yes. But everyone there is nice, so I think the guard work will be enjoyable. I’m just worried that I’ll be a nuisance.”

Theo mumbled, gently rubbing the bag filled with ice on his cheek.

“I’m… a bit slow.”

“I’ve told you this countless times, Theo,” Sione said, scolding him with a fierce look in her eyes.

“You’re not slow, you’re kind.”

“……”

“And your kind nature is the most valuable and precious quality you possess, something that cannot be compared to anything else.”

*But no one else thinks so*, Theo thought.

Theo swallowed the unspoken words that rose from within.

Everyone admired those who were brilliant and charismatic.

Like his father said, a fool like him was just an easy target to take advantage of.

“I’m worried. About Basilian…”

Sione sighed, looking at the bear-like Theo with concern.

“After all, the Count is such an eloquent speaker.”

It was a sophisticated way of expressing her distrust, a subtle curse on the Count.

She was worried that Theo would be easily manipulated by the Count with his silver tongue.

She also remembered her brief visit to the east in the past.

She knew very well what Sione was worried about.

But this time, something felt a little different.

Theo opened his mouth, recalling the kind boy and the innocent baby he had met.

“But, Sister… about the youngest daughter that the Basilian Count recently adopted…”