49 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 49
In the meantime, the murmuring crowd began to gather one by one, bowing respectfully to Valerian and Evan.
“Commander! You’ve returned!”
“Sir Astolphe is injured. Summon Sir Restro to treat him, and as soon as Lady Rose returns, take her to Sir Astolphe’s location.”
“Yes! But who is the person next to you….”
“A criminal who escaped the camp. Mind your own business and do your job.”
With those words, Evan took off his uniform cloak and draped it over my face, obscuring my vision.
Suddenly blinded, I clenched my fists and ground my teeth. I was deep in thought about how to deal with Evan, whose attitude had become several times worse in the past six months.
At that moment, someone’s hand reached under the draped cloak, placed something in my hand, and left. It was a dagger.
“Sir Aint. I believe you are mistaken.”
And then, as if finding it amusing, that person called out to Evan, stopping him.
Suddenly, the surroundings grew cold. The voices of the bustling people vanished into silence.
Everyone seemed flustered by the sudden confrontation between their superiors. Even with my eyes covered by the cloak, I could feel their unease.
Evan, who had been dragging me away, stopped at Valerian’s words. As if waiting, Valerian continued.
“How can the Emperor’s command be compared to your words?”
“Sir Astolphe.”
“Within the camp, have you forgotten that my rank is higher than yours?”
“……”
“Whether there is guilt or not is not for you to decide; it is for me. Do not touch her, and bring her to my tent.”
With that, Valerian, with the help of his aides, seemed to disappear towards Orion’s location.
Evan’s hand around my shoulder tightened. He seemed extremely angered by Valerian’s retort, whether it was a provocation or a factual assault.
Fearing that a fight might actually break out, I grabbed his sleeve.
“Let’s go somewhere quiet, Evan. I’m really struggling.”
In the end, it was my job to sort things out again.
This is why I hated the idea of a reverse harem or anything like it. Why involve me in the middle of their power struggle? If you want to fight, fight amongst yourselves, don’t use me as an excuse.
Fortunately, Evan didn’t reply to my words, a mix of irritation and exhaustion, and we left the area.
Only after arriving at Evan’s tent was the uniform cloak covering my head removed.
And seizing the opportunity, I aimed the dagger I was holding at Evan’s throat.
“Laila. Do you really think I’d be scared of such a pathetic knife?”
Naturally, Evan was not about to be defeated by my insignificant gesture. Evan lightly pushed away the dagger aimed at him and looked at me with a sigh.
“Who said I’d stab you?”
While Evan was off guard, I shifted the dagger’s direction, intending to slash my inner wrist.
“Laila!”
But Evan was faster, this time swatting my hand away and making me drop the dagger.
“Why are you doing this, Laila!”
“Because you’re not coming to your senses.”
“……”
“Do I have to bleed for you to come to your senses?”
Evan, with a bewildered look, stared at me for a moment before letting out a long sigh. Then, he pulled me into his embrace so I couldn’t escape and patted my head.
“I’m sorry, Laila. I was just… for a moment, I think I lost my mind.”
“……”
“Laila, please. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry. Don’t do things that warrant an apology.”
“……”
“Let go. I can’t breathe.”
Only then did Evan release me, his eyes different from moments before. They were the eyes I knew. The eyes that softened only for me.
Overwhelmed by exhaustion and having performed a Guiding far beyond my capacity, I collapsed onto the floor, muttering weakly.
“Why are you acting like this towards me now? You said you’d let me go. Isn’t our connection over?”
“No, Laila. Our connection isn’t something that can be severed so easily.”
As if unable to bear seeing me sit in a dirty place, Evan, who had approached me, picked me up and sat me on his bed.
Anyone watching would think we were in love. With eyes dripping with tenderness, he tidied my disheveled hair, then knelt on one knee on the floor beside the bed, meeting my gaze.
“During the time you were gone, I endured with medicine and even received Guiding from a High-Class Guide, but I never felt complete without your Guiding.”
“……So what exactly do you want? You searched the entire world for me, then what did you plan to do?”
“Come to me as my Guide. You don’t need to enter the Academy for Guides. Just stay by my side, Laila.”
I knew that Espers were possessive of their Guides, but I never expected Evan to become like this.
I would have preferred it if he hated and despised me, like in the original story. Then, at least, I could have an excuse to be annoyed by Evan’s actions.
But the Evan before me now had the same innocent eyes and gentle demeanor as the one who always followed me around during our academy days.
I am terribly weak to that gaze. Whether he knows it and is exploiting it, I don’t know.
“Laila. Come to me.”
“……”
“Please… save me.”
Evan had been like this from the start. He wished for death more than anyone, yet outwardly pretended to want to die.
He lived for a long time in the academy, holding his breath, hoping someone would recognize his true feelings.
He was physically grown, but his mind was still that of a child.
“Evan. Get up. The floor is dirty.”
“Laila.”
I had said the same thing to Valerian earlier, but this was something I had braced myself for.
With such immature control, it was far from enough. I almost witnessed Valerian’s life being extinguished. All because I didn’t know how to Guiding.
“Laila. Then stay by my side… Cough!”
It was then. Evan, who was about to open his arms to me, was sent flying with a thud into a corner of the tent.
“Is this guy completely insane?”
The man who barged roughly into the tent began to hurl all sorts of items within the tent at Evan’s corner using his ability.
Adrian’s eyes, seen after a long time, slowly turned to me.
“It’s been a while, my Laila.”
“Aiden! You…!”
“I intended to bring you back once it was safe. But some fly has ruined all my plans.”
Clicking his tongue, Aiden approached, drenched in sweat. He must have heard the news somewhere and rushed over.
“Have you been well? I missed you, Laila.”
As if to say he was the same person who had been unleashing his overwhelming ability moments ago, Adrian, whom I met again, was as playful and affectionate as ever.
It had been like this since I first transmigrated, around the age of seven.
He never took his eyes off me, and he stayed by my side from the moment I woke up until the moment I closed my eyes at night.
It was a peculiar affection. Even in the original story, the relationship between Laila and Aiden was described as being like exceptionally close siblings, so there was nothing particularly strange about it, but the reality I faced was even more peculiar than what was written in the text.
Even though he knew I wasn’t his biological sister, he never showed it. Instead, if the Count and Countess paid even a little more attention to me than to him, he would push them away and act out.
It was to the point where I wondered if Aiden’s troublemaking and causing distress to the Count and Countess, unlike in the original story, was because of me.
“Laila. But I’m a little angry with you. How could you deceive even me and run away?”
“……I’m sorry, Aiden.”
“I’m upset, but… it’s okay because you didn’t leave because you hated me. Knowing that, I’ll let it slide.”
“Yes.”
“Let me see your face. Look up and look at me.”
Unable to resist Aiden’s pleading, I reluctantly raised my head.
Meeting Aiden’s gaze after a long time, he stared at my face silently with a tearful expression for a long while.
He opened his arms, pulled me into his embrace, and patted my back. It felt like he was congratulating me, so I remained quietly in his arms without resistance.
Adrian was the only family and friend I had in this strange land. I had always thought that the feelings we shared might be something beyond friendship and love.
“I heard you were attacked by a Monster. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“But… who did this?”
After letting me go from his embrace, Aiden’s rough hand, which had been tidying my messy hair, stopped near my lips.
The moment his hand touched the tip of my lips, it stung, and I let out a short groan involuntarily. Then, Aiden frowned and turned his head.
“Was this you?”
Evan, who had been helplessly knocked down by Aiden’s barrage of attacks, stood up with a bewildered expression.
“If this was me, would I be this intact right now? I would have gone completely mad. Just by looking, you can tell it was someone with good self-control who stopped at that level.”
“Then who… could it be…!”
“Prince Astolphe really did a number on her.”
At Evan’s words, I too widened my eyes in surprise.
Ah, right. Before coming here, I had Guiding…
Even though it wasn’t my fault, I felt guilty and covered my lips. It stung since a while ago…
“Are you two really siblings? What kind of sibling relationship is that?”
“Do you want to get hit again, Your Highness?”
“Can you even beat me if we fought properly?”
“You keep forgetting, but my ability is offensive, unlike yours, Your Highness.”
“I can read your thoughts just by looking into your eyes!”
