[BL] The Darling Villain

Chapter 45. Red

"This was where we saw her last." Azalea stated solemnly.

"We'll ambush her here, then." Lucilline nodded.

They were in front of an abandoned two-story building; its surface rotting and on the verge of complete decay. Chips of the bricks and stones were broken off, leaving hollow scrapes on the rough surface. The building was surrounded in solemnity and gloom, making one hesitate to enter.

Rather, it had the atmosphere of a cemetery.

Lucilline held his spear tighter.

"Go inside?" A slender finger tickled his palm. The black-haired nobleman was stunned, and he turned his head. He found Azalea, who was guiltily light-heartedly tickling his hand.

The white-haired boy blushed, and hurriedly retracted his hand.

"Yeah, um, as I was talking about... let's go inside?" Azalea laughed, trying to miserably cover up his earlier embarrassment.

Lucilline blinked.

He found the male lead's actions quite amusing. A smile crept onto his lips. No matter how hard he tried to push it down, his lip would unconsciously curve upwards. "Well, let's go inside." The black-haired nobleman loosened his hold on his spear. I didn't know that Azalea had such a comforting and cute side to him.

They pressed near the wooden door. It was unlocked.

There was no sound from inside.

"Stick near each other." Azalea whispered. His amethyst purple eyes lowered, appearing a bit glum at the thought of separation. "The closer we are to each other, the safer."

Lucilline agreed.

Hearing his agreement, Azalea's violet eyes had brightened, regaining a tint of light.

The black-haired nobleman pursed his lips, "On the count of three." He placed up his hand, gesturing them into a "zero" position. Silence endeavoured the surroundings, and the sound of his heart throbbing in his throat seemed louder than ever.

A finger stuck up, meaning "one".

Azalea understood immediately. He held his breath.

Two fingers.

...Three...!

In an instant, Lucilline swung open the door. Inside the abandoned building was an empty hallway, filled by the odd smell of horrid dust. Immediately, his eyebrows furrowed. He could sense that something wasn't right...

"Lucilline—" Azalea hurriedly pulled the black-haired nobleman back.

Thankfully he did so.

In the next second, a flurry of books had dropped...! They landed dextrously onto the ground, leaving a cloud of dust on its trail. If Lucilline had continued to stand there... then those books would have stabbed into his head...! He would have been dead.

"...thank you, Azalea." Lucilline gave a wry smile.

The white-haired boy nodded solemnly. He will always make sure to protect Lucilline.

"Let's continue." Azalea added. His gaze turned grim, "Be careful."

They both nodded at the same time. In the next second, Lucilline and Azalea raced inside of the building. The smell of dust was still strong, like a fervent odour permanently clinging to the walls. Cobwebs strung in between corners, softly webbed like gentle strands of cotton.

But they did not have enough time to focus on the details.

Down the hallway was where it ended. On the end, two staircases curled upwards to the second floor. The railing smelt of pungent dust. In between the two staircases was a chandelier, with the candles lit in a row of burning flames.