How an Omega Villain Survive chapter 20

* * *

The journey continued peacefully, except for the first night spent camping.

Fortunately, they were able to secure accommodations afterward, and they bought supplies at every stop, ensuring their days were free from shortages.

It was a very peaceful time, to the point where some might have found it dull.

“Nothing is happening.”

William muttered while looking at the clear sky.

It would have been nice if it had rained, but the weather remained clear for several days, as if blessing their journey.

William couldn’t hide his boredom as he gazed down from the cloudless blue sky.

“Edwin isn’t doing anything either…”

Though Edwin had entered the carriage a couple of times while Henry was sleeping, it was only for a very short time.

It seemed he merely looked at Henry’s sleeping face and then left.

And an unexpected discovery was Sir Teher’s thorough guard.

With insight that rivaled the palace knights, he even removed hidden risks beforehand.

William, who wondered where such a person was found, soon lost interest in Sir Teher.

He had no use for boring people.

Lately, there was someone else who captured William’s attention.

“Have you learned about that person?”

“He is said to be a person with an unclear background who takes commissions from nobles.”

William gazed at the man with the red hair swaying in the wind.

Although he sometimes wore a hat to hide his face, when he did reveal his face, he was quite an attention-grabbing figure.

Contrasting with Henry’s neat appearance, his intense color often drew unintended glances.

Moreover, when their eyes met occasionally, he had a bold, long-lasting smile.

Where did such a character come from?

While his principle was not to keep people with ambiguous identities around, William changed his approach after being inexplicably affected by Henry.

He decided to investigate this man named Hook.

However, the information brought by his knight was less than satisfying.

William tasted the bitterness of disappointment.

The man’s identity was unclear.

This meant it wouldn’t be surprising if the man turned out to be an assassin.

For now, William asked his knight questions based on the publicly known information.

“Do you not know anything about his background?”

“Everything is shrouded in mystery.”

“Then he must be very good at hiding his identity.”

That meant the man named Hook was not to be underestimated.

“What kind of tasks does someone working for nobles usually do?”

“They typically either procure desired items or investigate someone’s background.”

When he mentioned someone, a certain person came to mind immediately.

It seemed Henry had used Hook to investigate Edwin.

“So what is the relationship between Henry and Hook?”

“It’s said that among those who make requests to Hook, Young Master Henry Timothy has the greatest influence. He seems to trust Hook a lot, given how many personal items he orders from him.”

“Even though he didn’t know who he is, Henry trust him?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s strange.”

William shifted his gaze from Hook to Henry.

Even though they were inside a carriage, Henry’s profile appeared and disappeared repeatedly through the open window as the carriage moved.

William’s gaze, fixed on Henry, was filled with suspicion.

While Hook himself was peculiar, William was even more curious about Henry’s thoughts, who wasn’t hiding his relationship with Hook.

Normally, one would expect him to keep such matters tightly concealed.

“Do you feel anything different when you look at Henry?”

“I’m sorry.”

The knight, unable to provide the answer William wanted, expressed his feelings indirectly.

To the knight, Henry, who had always been the aloof Duke’s son, seemed unchanged.

However, William’s doubts remained.

“Even if Henry associates with Hook, he’s not the type to openly reveal it.”

From what William had seen of Henry, he was someone who valued his status above all else.

Except for his fondness for Edwin, Henry’s personality was so particular that William himself sometimes found it peculiar.

It was strange that Henry was not hiding his association with Hook, even bringing him along.

The reaction Henry had towards Edwin had also changed.

He now seemed genuinely displeased, and this inconsistency made William wonder whether Henry was pretending or genuinely displeased.

“It looks like I’ll need to confirm this properly.”

William instructed the knight to come closer and whispered in his ear.

As soon as William’s orders were given, the knight nodded briefly and spurred his horse to increase speed.

Despite the knight’s solitary action, no one in the party paid him any attention.

“It’s important that we achieve results since we’ve gone through such rough terrain.”

William’s influence became evident that evening.

The knight, having received the room keys from the innkeeper, presented them to William and informed him that there were only a few rooms left.

“Even if we send some people outside, there aren’t many rooms left.”

William held up exactly three keys in front of Henry.

Henry’s previously elated expression after a bath stiffened immediately.

“For now, Henry, you’ll have to share a room with Edwin.

Here’s a key for a double room.”

“A room together?”

“Then what? Are you suggesting I should share a room with a servant?”

William’s question made Henry look desperately at Sir Teher, as if to ask for his support.

But Sir Teher, despite Henry’s demand, couldn’t give a response.

After all, it wasn’t proper for a noble and a knight to stay in the same room.

As Sir Teher hesitated, Henry turned his attention back to William.

At this moment, William seemed more favorable than Edwin.

“Your Highness, ah!”

Just as Henry was about to call out to William, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck and screamed.

Before he could see who was responsible, Edwin’s arm, reflected in the window, was seen touching the back of his neck.

“Edwin! What’s the meaning of this?”

“Cut it out.”

“‘Be reasonable,’ you say. Fine, but let go of this for now. Edwin.”

Henry tried to pry Edwin’s hand away, but it felt like it was stuck in iron and wouldn’t budge.

It wasn’t until he was dragged into the room that he was finally released, coughing and glaring at Edwin.

“Is it really acceptable to drag someone here like this?”

“You should also be reasonable.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We still need to be together in the future, and among the nobles here, it’s just you and me. Sharing a room with a knight who is a lesser noble isn’t ideal.”

Henry knew this well, even though he hadn’t been in this world long.

In a society strictly divided by status, a lesser noble was still not considered a true noble.

So, if he had to share a room, it was only right to share it with Edwin, as he said.

But Henry also felt wronged.

“You know it too. The Crown Prince is doing this on purpose. He’s trying to match-make you and me, but if we keep going along with it, we’ll just end up suffering.”

Henry straightened his wrinkled clothes and looked up at Edwin.

“Do you want to keep being involved with me?”

“……”

“You knew it too. You knew I liked you, and you found it uncomfortable and bothersome. So, I’m saying I won’t feel that way anymore.”

Henry decided to confront the issue directly. He had said something similar in the costume room, but this time he spoke with more sincere feelings.

“I no longer have any feelings for you. But since the situation keeps getting awkward, I’m struggling even more because you might still think I have feelings for you. To me, you’re just the heir to the Lorenz family.”

He should have done this from the beginning.

Rather than vaguely denying the misunderstanding, he should have calmly explained his changed feelings.

The misunderstandings he had accumulated were frustrating, but now that he could speak honestly, Henry looked at Edwin with a lighter heart.

“So, let’s accept that today can’t be helped. But from now on, try to show that you really dislike me as much as possible.”

“……Why should I do that?”

“What?”

Henry looked up at Edwin, wondering if he had heard correctly.

“I don’t care what you do with me.”

“Doesn’t it make you uncomfortable?”

“Why would it? I don’t have any feelings for you.”

“Oh……”

Henry nodded, understanding.