KTD Chapter 2 (Part 2)

killFew nobles in the capital owned such a large and beautiful townhouse, thanks to the city’s exorbitant land prices.

However, Piviers had been designed with a dedicated garden plot from the start, a privilege afforded because the house had been a gift from the Emperor.

The Emperor had ordered the construction of this house the year his beloved younger sister married, demolishing an old building in the heart of the capital to erect a new one. He wanted her and her family to have a fine residence during their stays in the capital.

But before the house was completed, the Grand Princess eloped with her lover. Afterward, Piviers fell into neglect, ignored and unused, until it was refurbished for Jaynie’s move to the capital.

The gardener who had come during that renovation still tended the grounds. Yet, despite the gardener’s dedication to the beautifully cultivated gardens, Jaynie did not spare them a glance.

Jaynie closed the window, shut the library door, and sat in silence. He flipped through a book, but his mind was elsewhere.

What was he doing?

He had resolved to kill Leandro. And yet, he told himself he couldn’t because there was still something he needed Leandro to do.

The thought felt pathetically foolish.

Jaynie’s mind drifted. Why had he sent Leandro to school? Why was he continuing to sponsor him as he had in the past?

Just kill him.

The impulse surged. His heartbeat quickened, and a faint flush spread across his cheeks. Why not? Why shouldn’t he?

Knock, knock.

Jaynie jolted. Someone was tapping on the window.

He turned his head and spotted the intruder—a tall, broad-shouldered man outside the glass.

It was Enzo.

“Jaynie.”

From the front garden, Enzo was smiling up at him, his face radiating carefree warmth.

“Jaynie!”

“What are you doing out there?”

“Open the window.”

“Use the front door.”

Jaynie frowned. Enzo shook his head.

“Just open it!”

He grinned mischievously.

With a resigned sigh, Jaynie unlatched the window. As he slid it open, Enzo stepped back before effortlessly climbing over the windowsill.

“Has no one ever taught you to show proper manners when visiting someone else’s home?” Jaynie muttered.

“Of course they did. That’s why I brought a gift,” Enzo replied, pulling something from his coat.

It was a flower. Jaynie immediately noticed it looked freshly plucked.

“You took that from my garden, didn’t you?”

“A gift is about thoughtfulness, Jaynie,” Enzo said with a grin as he slipped the flower into the pocket of Jaynie’s waistcoat.

“It suits you.”

He smiled again, wide and unguarded.

Jaynie started to snap at him but stopped short, his words caught in his throat.

Enzo was alive.

Jaynie had never seen Enzo’s body. Though the surviving knights had brought back his remains, Jaynie hadn’t been able to bring himself to confirm it.

At the time, he hadn’t known if it was a relief. Now, he was sure it had been.

If Enzo’s final moments had been gruesome, if Jaynie had seen him that way…

He would never have been able to forget. The image would have seared itself onto his retinas, haunting him no matter how hard he tried to claw it away.

He wouldn’t have been able to look at Enzo now.

The last image Jaynie had of him was standing tall and proud as he rode out amidst cheers.

That was how he remembered him, and for that, Jaynie was grateful.

Jaynie let out a heavy breath.

“What do you want?”

“Do I need an excuse to visit? I heard you’ve been up to something interesting lately. The rumors are everywhere.”

“From whom?”

“Isota and his friends? Even if not them, people can’t stop talking about you. You’ve been holed up all season since you got back to the capital.”

“I don’t go to parties.”

“Jaynie.”

Enzo’s voice softened, dropping an octave. He placed a firm hand on Jaynie’s shoulder, and Jaynie instinctively frowned.

They’d been friends for as long as Jaynie could remember. Enzo had always acted like an older brother, patiently pulling Jaynie along despite his reserved and prickly nature.

From children’s balls to reading groups, Enzo had always found ways to coax Jaynie into attending, even when he vehemently refused.

Jaynie knew exactly what Enzo was about to say.

It was the thing he hated hearing most—and the thing that always struck home.

“You know it’s true. You need people, Jaynie. For your own sake. You know exactly what I mean.”

The Beta heir of Blurwin.

Jaynie’s relatives often whispered behind his back, calling it shameful to elevate a Beta to the position of heir. They didn’t keep their opinions private, spreading the sentiment wherever they went.

Jaynie had grown accustomed to the subtle yet charged atmosphere that followed him whenever he stepped into a social gathering. He despised it. It was dreadful. Standing stiffly in a ballroom, head held high, he often felt like a broken wind-up doll.

But even worse than that was the thought of being Jaynie who is not the heir of Blurwin.

In his first life, Jaynie had been that—he had experienced it. And the only reason he had endured everything was to ensure it never happened again.

“Go by yourself,” Jaynie muttered, slumping into his armchair and pressing his fingers to his forehead, trying to quell the pounding headache.

In his first life, Jaynie had been the Viscount of Blurwin. He managed and defended the estate on behalf of the Duke. Even through several monster waves, he had held the Blurwin territory intact. The people supported him, and his relatives couldn’t challenge his position.

But he had been deeply unhappy.

Unaware of the man Jaynie had once been, Enzo leaned casually against the armchair, draping one arm over the backrest as he spoke.

“People are saying you’ve taken Yerenia Grand Princess’s illegitimate child into your estate and are mistreating them.”

Jaynie scoffed.

“What an imagination.”

But Enzo didn’t laugh along.

“This isn’t funny. Is it true?”

“Which part? That I’ve taken in a bastard? Or that I’m mistreating them?”

“Answer both.”

Enzo tapped the backrest lightly, and the sound grated on Jaynie’s nerves.

“It’s true,” Jaynie said flatly.

“Jaynie.”

“I brought a bastard into the estate and made him do things he doesn’t want to do.”

“And that makes you feel better?”

Enzo reached out, gently brushing his hand over Jaynie’s head, his tone soft and soothing.

Jaynie sighed. If he were really twenty years old, he would have slapped Enzo’s hand away. But this Jaynie couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Enzo had always treated Jaynie like a younger sibling, even when Jaynie protested. He liked to think he resented it, but after Enzo’s death, Jaynie realized he had missed it. Perhaps he’d even liked being cared for by Enzo.

Jaynie leaned his head against Enzo’s abdomen. Enzo hesitated for a moment but then resumed stroking Jaynie’s hair.

“Enzo, have you ever been afraid of magic?”

“If it’s flying at me, sure.”

“No, I mean using it yourself.”

“My magic? It barely works, so I can’t say I’ve ever been scared of it. Why? Is there a problem with your magic?”

Enzo was a swordsman. Though he’d learned magic from the same tutor as Jaynie, he could hardly manage to light a fire. Jaynie realized he had chosen the wrong person to confide in.

“It’s not me.”

“Then who?”

A knock at the library door interrupted them. Jaynie glanced at the clock. It was the time Berner typically finished his magic lessons.

“Lord Jaynie, I’m here for you to check my homework,” came a voice from outside the door.

Enzo’s hand paused mid-stroke.

“Come in,” Jaynie called.

The door opened, and Berner stepped inside. Spotting Enzo, he froze momentarily before bowing politely.

“I didn’t realize you had a guest. Should I come back later?”

“Are you alright? How are you feeling today?”