Struggling as a Villain

Sitting alone inside the carriage, Bellarine was returning home.

For the whole day, she had been wasting time in her office, contemplating and reprimanding herself for the decision she made last night.

She has literally thrown herself at Richard to cross the final line with him. She didn't know what came over her but before he could stop herself, she was sharing the pool and making him all uncomfortable by pressing Richard in a corner.

'Uuuu...just thinking about it makes me ashamed...' Thinking about last night, she covered her face.

Bellarine was conscious of her feelings toward her son and she was not embarrassed to admit them. She sees Richard both as a man and as a love interest.

However, she can't force her thought process on Richard. She likes him. She is mad at him. She is obsessed with him. However, that doesn't allow her to force herself on him.

'What happened to me last night?'

Even though she was asking herself, Bellarine knew the answer behind her wild actions.

When, during the celebration, she saw the intimate(?) proximity between the Princess and Richard...she felt a tight knot in her heart suffocating her. Every fibre of her being at that moment was urging her to just tear them apart somehow.

However, she knew she couldn't keep her Richard away from women. He is talented and handsome. In the academy, as well many girls would come to him, so it was pointless to think that she could keep him away from other women.

....however, if she really could, she would just keep her Richard for herself. This raw urge to have all his attention to herself alone was so strong that she sometimes feared herself.

She just...desires him. Nothing else mattered. If Richard could remain by her side then she could watch the world burn without a single remorse.

'Haah...what should I do?' Hugging herself she swayed from left to right while thinking about how she would talk to him after returning home.

The carriage finally came to a stop and Bellarine stepped out.

The head maid was standing near the entrance to greet the lady as Bellarine walked inside with a troubled look never leaving her face.

She relayed the message through Violet for Richard to leave for Duchy, but she suspected he had really left.

If he was here, Bella wouldn't back away from talking to him...about the matter of last night. And if he has departed then she would return home tomorrow early morning as well.

She couldn't let this awkwardness continue. The desire to talk to him completely outweighs her embarrassment that's why she steeled her heart and asked the maid,

"Have Richard left?" She, for once, wished that he indeed had left so tonight she could sort her feelings and think things thoroughly before talking things out with him tomorrow.

The question wasn't answered by the head maid but by the young girl with dark blue hair who suddenly appeared in front and relayed, "My lady, Young Master Richard has left but not for Duchy....he said he is going for a month-long trip to train with senior Lilia."

Violet's words contained the urgency and panic that showed how big of an announcement this was.

And the way Bellarine dropped the coat from her hand with her eyes widening slowly, declared that this news was indeed groundbreaking for her.

"My lady?!" The head maid panicked to see Bellarine falling to her knees as she tried to hold her but to no avail.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared constantly at nothing but open air while a single thought passed by the Duchess' mind,

'Richie...hates me...'

*********

The Sage Temple was not mentioned somewhere in the story; that's why Richard was somewhat curious about that place. The Protagonist is a gifted ether user so it explains why he never was shown training in basics.

However, along with curiosity, there was another reason why Richard decided to go on this trip.

He wanted to give his mother some time to think things through.

Last night, something happened. He assumed she wanted to take the next step in their relationship; however, today, when she disappeared and also told him to go back without her..., it broke his heart. He assumed that she must be regretting her decision to approach him last night, and that's why she was avoiding him.

He didn't want to make things difficult for her and since he had to train anyway, he decided to come with Lilia to this sacred place.

The Sage Temple was situated at a high altitude, and the horses needed rest every six hours, so currently Lilia and Richard were camping at a random location while the two horses rested by the side.

"Young master...was it truly wise to trick the soldiers and come here alone?" Lilia hesitantly asked while she prepared their dinner.

With the help of Lilia, Richard escaped the surveillance of the soldiers since they wouldn't have let Richard come here—based on Bellarine's orders.

Richard leaned his back against the boulder and rested his arm on his curled leg before asking, "In the academy, I would be all alone and without my title as a Duchess' son. Facing monsters would be a common occurrence. Do you think it would be wise to remain sheltered based on what I have to face?"

Lilia couldn't refute that. It was true that within the boundaries of the Academy, no student could utilise their ranks, nor could they ask for extra protection other than the instructors. And since the Academy focuses on developing the skills of the awakened students, it wouldn't be surprising for them to face Ambrobates regularly.

So in a way, this trip was more of a necessity rather than an optional training.

Lilia continued to cook beans and vegetables in the pot which was burning over the small campfire. The temperature was still cold, especially up here.

As the breeze passed by, Lilia shivered, even though she was sitting so close to the flames.

She hugged her body and shook a little when suddenly a warm blanket draped over her.

Looking at it, she found it was Richard's coat which he used to cover her up.

"But young master, you must be feeling cold too..."

"Nah, I am good. My natural tolerance towards cold is quite good. You can have that until you are cooking. We would eat dinner in the carriage." While lazily interlocking his fingers behind his head, he casually stated.

The gesture filled her heart with warmth as, for a long time, Lilia kept on looking at her lord, who had changed a lot these days.

Not only does he care for the people who are below him but he shows these rare gentlemanly sides from time to time as well.

She didn't know what changed him...but Lilia liked this new version of her lord a lot.

"If you keep staring at me, I might as well, take away that coat." With his eyes still closed, Richard stated; startling Lilia as she hurriedly looked away and focused on cooking.

'What am I...' With her face burning red, she reprimanded herself for staring at him for so long.

The night was beautiful and the food was quite delicious. Given the type of life he has lived with his sister after the apocalypse broke out, this food seemed a luxury.

Thinking about his sister, Richard was suddenly reminded of the system, as he asked inwardly,

'System, have I finished the quest you provided last time?'

The last quest he received before coming to the capital was to discover the main culprit behind his abduction. From Richard's perception, he seemed to have discerned the person behind it.

However, as he thought,

[Unfortunately, host, evidence is required to fulfil the requirement of the quest.]

Richard heaved a sigh. Not something he didn't expect but it doesn't mean he couldn't feel disappointed.

There was no point in going back and trying to find evidence against the Princess since the security around her always remain quite strict. Being the favourite child of the Emperor and all.

So he decided to let the quest go. There was no punishment for him. But what made him feel dejected was that hidden reward.

'System, is there any way to generate a quest?'

[Ding!]

[The host has chosen a path to become stronger.]

[In this path, several quests would be assigned which would help in Host's development.]

[And the rewards would be to the Host's decision whether to send it, share it, or keep it.]

Richard hummed lazily as he closed his eyes. The system supported his decision to become stronger, thankfully. He thought that the system had taken his sister's progress as its only priority. But thankfully it didn't.

Although Richard wanted Bella to remain safe, if he could not keep himself alive once he entered the academy, then the whole thing would become pointless.

'Haah...I hope everything goes fine from here on for both of us...'

**********

A/N:- Many people asked if he would only allow his sister to have system's benefits. So the answer is NO.

Now, drop some PS and comments. I am eager.