Chapter 8: There’s More Than One Obsessive Man (2)
“Odelia!!!”
Even when Vaizen shouted, it hadn’t hurt my ears this badly. But Ian’s deep, booming voice was enough to make them ring.
I clicked my tongue, annoyed by the unpleasant ringing in my ears.
“Yes, I’m right here. Since I’m right in front of you, could you lower your voice a little? You’re going to scare the servants outside.”
Would it kill him to speak more quietly? As I dug at my ear and frowned, Ian seemed flustered and stumbled a bit.
Vaizen might be used to me by now, but for Ian, this version of me had to be utterly foreign.
After all, the original Odelia was nothing like me. She was sweet, gentle, and ridiculously kind—so much so she couldn’t say a harsh word to anyone, couldn’t blame anyone. If no one protected her, she might as well have been an endangered species on the brink of extinction.
I was her complete opposite.
“The only reason I contacted Your Highness was because I was worried I might be in danger. But honestly, right now it feels like I’m in more danger with Your Highness.”
I’m a dog. If I need to survive, I’ll wag my tail and act cute for my master. But I’m also prepared to bite and snarl at any threat. So if you don’t want to get bitten, act accordingly.
Ian, clearly shocked by the unfamiliar side of me, ran a hand through his hair with a grim expression.
“I shouted because I was flustered. Your letter was soaked with tears and full of pleas for help. And now you’ve changed your attitude so suddenly—it’s incomprehensible to me.”
“I apologize, but I’d like to withdraw that request.”
“You said you’d go mad if you stayed here any longer… Have you really gone mad?”
Grit—his teeth ground together with a chilling sound. Even Vaizen seemed to sense the threat and gently pulled me behind him.
Pressed close to Vaizen’s back, I clung to him. Feeling that, Vaizen seemed to relax, reassured.
Oh? You’re letting your guard down even though I’m right behind you? Feeling mischievous, I lightly tickled his side.
“Odelia… Please read the room.”
“Hehe, okay.”
I grinned and fell quiet. Watching us, Ian’s face started turning red—was he actually jealous?
“Odel—”
“I’m sorry. But as you can see, this house is no longer dangerous for me. If anything, you feel more dangerous. I don’t know why, but I keep getting this urge to tease you. So… could you escort yourself safely back to the palace instead? How about it, Oppa? Want to go stay at the palace for a bit?”
At my giggling suggestion, Vaizen quickly mumbled, “No thanks.”
Ian glared at us with a contorted expression so intense it showed all his teeth.
He grabbed the scattered papers on the desk. They were the letters Odelia had sent. The writing was jagged, the paper stained with blotchy tear marks—and in some spots, faint traces of red.
To anyone, it would’ve looked like a desperate cry for help. But I decided to take a break from that narrative.
“Besides, couldn’t letters like that just be a prank?”
“…What?”
“Something like this, for instance.”
I scribbled a line from a familiar chain letter that had fallen to the floor and handed it to Ian.
“This letter originated in England and brings good luck to those who receive it, completing a full circle once a year, yadda yadda… Let’s stop here—if you read the whole thing, you’re supposed to send it to seven more people. So you see? It could’ve just been a joke.”
“But the letter was stained with your tears. How do you explain that?”
“Do I have to explain that to you?”
“…What?”
Did he seriously just say that?
Odelia and Ian were never anything special.
They had debuted in society the same year, ran into each other at court, and Ian had fallen in love at first sight with the beautiful Odelia. That was it. A cliché.
Odelia didn’t only send a rescue request to Ian. Plenty of nobles had received her cries for help. Ian was simply the only one foolish enough to answer. The others had wisely decided not to meddle in someone else’s family matters.
“Are you under the impression we had something between us?”
“…Hah!”
I placed the half-written chain letter back on the desk and sighed.
To me, Ian wasn’t important. He wasn’t family like Vaizen, nor could he be a friend—his status was too high. You can’t casually befriend someone destined to be emperor.
Someday, when Odelia returns to her body, Ian is someone she’ll need to keep at arm’s length.
“Odelia!”
Suddenly, Vaizen’s urgent voice called out. Then—whip!—my wrist was yanked violently. A sickening crack came from the joint.
“Ah!”
“You dare… How dare you!!”
Before I knew it, Ian had rushed in and grabbed my arm. “Grabbed” was too gentle a word—it was more like assault.
I twisted my wrist in protest, but Ian only gripped harder. With a loud crack, pain shot through me and my knees gave out.
“Your Highness, let go!”
Just when I thought he’d break my wrist, Vaizen stepped in—just like he did in the original story, protecting Odelia. Good job, big bro!
Vaizen grabbed Ian’s wrist. And judging by his build, he was clearly the stronger one.
Thanks to that, I broke free. My wrist was already red and swollen—definitely not broken, but any more pressure and it might’ve been.
Trying to break someone’s arm because they don’t behave the way you want? Yep, obsessive male lead #2, confirmed.
“Let go!”
“That’s enough. Odelia is hurt.”
Ian, caught in Vaizen’s grip, tried to shake him off. Once free, he wrapped himself around me and snarled at Vaizen.
“Do you know who you’re defying right now, Marquess?”
With his face twisted in rage, Ian reached for me again.
But I wasn’t stupid enough to get caught twice. I slipped behind Vaizen’s large frame. With my human shield in place, Ian shouted again.
“Odelia!”
“Oh my god, why do you keep calling me?! I said I’m hurt! I don’t want to go near you because you keep harassing me!”
“…You’d better listen to me. I can either destroy or spare this family. I’m the crown prince of this empire!”
Wow. Every word reeked of power-tripping. Where does that slimy confidence even come from? Shameless. Garbage. A complete personality failure.
I screamed every insult I could think of—in my head, anyway.
Ian hurled threats at Vaizen, promising to crush our family and other such nonsense.
Watching Vaizen endure that humiliation just to protect me was unexpectedly touching. Sure, he had killed people before, but lately he’d mellowed out. No more impulsive murders, at least.
I saw a flicker of hope again—that he could be reformed. I decided to forgive him. After a solemn moment of internal prayer, I raised my head.
On that note, Ian clearly needed some character development.
I wondered if there was a way to get rid of Ian immediately—and then Vaizen popped into my head.
Right. Doesn’t matter how, as long as he’s out of the picture. I smiled lightly and strode up to Ian.
Startled by my sudden advance, Ian’s twisted expression turned blank. As I stretched my hands, Vaizen noticed something and reached out—but I was quicker.
I grabbed Ian by the waist. Unlike Vaizen, who was well-muscled, Ian’s slim frame was padded under fine clothes.
“W-What… is this…?”
“Ah, just as I thought—”
I sighed as I felt his straight but slender build.
“Your Highness, you should work out more.”
“What the hell…?”
“And your complexion’s terrible. You don’t have a picky diet, do you? That’ll stunt your growth.”
“Odelia! Stop! Stop it!!”
Ian’s brain seemed to shut down at the absurdity. He stared blankly at his own chest while Vaizen quickly grabbed my arm.
“What? I just helped lighten the mood—”
“How is that lightening the mood?! You just escalated it!”
“We haven’t even started yet.”
“Don’t even think about starting!”
As I confidently declared it, Vaizen shouted in despair.
Even while blocking Ian earlier, Vaizen hadn’t bowed. But now, he lowered his head deeply—still holding me tightly with one arm. Guess strong muscles make holding a person one-handed easy.
“I apologize, Your Highness. Odelia’s been mentally unstable lately…”
“Did you just say I’m insane?”
“Even the doctors couldn’t figure it out—”
Vaizen’s excuse made me recall the doctors who’d been coming and going for the past week.
No wonder the rumors about me being crazy spread more than the ones about him calming down!
I glared at Vaizen, face full of betrayal.
Ian, looking between us, shook his head in denial. His face was still flushed.
“No… Ahem! I suppose that can happen. Sudden madness is unfortunate…”
“I’m so sorry. Truly sorry!”
“Madness? That’s what you’re going with? You hurt my wrist—ugh!”
Before I could finish, Vaizen quickly covered my mouth. But instead of resisting, I simply licked his salty hand. If someone blocks your mouth, just remove the hand.
As expected, Vaizen flinched and backed off with a weird noise.
“Try that again, and I will bite.”
I bared my teeth as I said it. Vaizen, pale-faced, quickly hid behind Ian. Was this really the guy who just protected me a second ago?
Ian didn’t look much different. Seeing Vaizen hide his hand, he backed away too, shoving his own hands behind him.
