Ascension Of The Villain

Chapter 228: The Variables

"Clyde!" Althea called after him, catching up as he stopped halfway down the corridor. "What was that about? Why did you storm out like that?" she pressed, searching his face.

Clyde huffed, avoiding her gaze, the frustration simmering beneath. "I was about to suggest something so bad I figured I would save us all the trouble and make a dramatic exit."

Althea raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Let me guess—you were going to tell Vyan to drop the whole revenge thing?"

"Not exactly," he admitted sheepishly. "I was going to suggest he, uh, kidnap Prince Easton and run off somewhere remote. You know, nice and peaceful."

She rolled her eyes. "Which is pretty much the same thing as asking him to give up, Clyde."

"I know," Clyde muttered.

"Clyde, don't you see how important all of this is to Vyan?" Althea asked, her voice softening.

"I am aware," he replied. "In fact, I have been on his side from day one. But it's just… he is happy, Athy. Really happy. Can't he just enjoy that for once? Just… relax?

Is staying out of danger too much to ask?"

"You know, he can't be at peace unless his heart knows his family was avenged, or at least, was brought to justice. He can't remain the traitor's son forever."

"Nobody even calls him that," Clyde huffed again, almost like a child trying to deny a harsh truth.

Althea gave him a pointed look, and he let out an annoyed groan.

"Okay, fine. They do. Behind his back. But they are cowards, and we all know it."

"Look, I know you are having a hard time accepting that all of this is true, that Vyan's life is truly at risk, but you have to understand why Vyan is admitting this to us," she insisted. "He is scared, Clyde."

Clyde's frown faded at that, his expression getting sad.

"Like you said, he is finally happy, and he doesn't want to give that up so soon, either," she explained patiently. "That's why he was telling us so that we can help him.

He knows that he can't do this alone, and I bet that he is pretending to be strong in front of Iyana, saying stuff like there is nothing to worry about, nothing can happen to him, pretending to be all invincible, but deep down, he is worried, really worried..."

She placed her hand gently over his wrist, her touch grounding him in the moment. "And scared. He has too many responsibilities now to just leave them behind. Nobody knows better than him what it's like to be abandoned."

Clyde's shoulders sank as he let out a shaky breath, his grip on her hand tightening. "You are right. He must be absolutely terrified. If Vyan had been told a year ago that he was going to die the next day, he wouldn't have batted an eye. But now… now he has so much he is fighting to hold onto." He swallowed hard, his eyes clouding over. "And the thought of losing it all—it must be tearing him apart."

"Yes, exactly." Althea stepped forward and enveloped Clyde in a comforting hug. "I know that you are scared, too, of losing your best friend, but I am sure if we all work together, we will find a way to protect him."

Clyde wrapped his arms around her tighter. "You are right. He can't die so soon. I have got plans, and they definitely involve him babysitting our kids when we sneak off to tours."

Althea laughed, the sound a light balm against the tension that still lingered in the air. "You do know Vyan hates kids, right?"

"Not ours," Clyde murmured, a faint smile breaking through the somberness. "Not his own, either. He will find a way to love them. And I will make sure he sticks around long enough to prove it."

She grinned. "You are probably right, though I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for him to let you babysit his children."

Clyde put a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "Excuse me? I will have you know I am destined to be the fun uncle—there will be candy, adventure stories, probably a few bad ideas, but hey, responsible too!"

"Sure, sure," she teased, giving him a playful shove. "I mean, I believe you are responsible—otherwise, I wouldn't be eyeing you for marriage, now would I?" Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin.net

Clyde squinted at her, mock-offended. "Alright, lady, big words for someone who hasn't even told me they love me yet."

Althea raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I have. Plenty of times, actually."

He looked at her as if she had just sprouted a second head. "Wait, what? When exactly?"

She rolled her eyes, grinning. "When you were asleep, obviously."

He spluttered, at a total loss. "You—wait—that's cheating! You can't just say it when I am unconscious! That totally doesn't count!"

"Oh, fine." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a gentle whisper. "I love you."

Clyde's face went bright red, and he clutched his chest like he had just taken an arrow. "Oh, my Goddess. This is not fair at all. You can't just go throwing that around without warning."

She chuckled, pulling him in for a soft kiss. "Better now?"

"Better?" He was still catching his breath, wide-eyed. "If by better, you mean that I am about to pass out… then yeah, absolutely. You are going to be the end of me, you know that?"

Althea just laughed, giving him one last kiss before pulling back. "Well, you better not pass out, honey. Someone has got to stick around to be responsible, right?"

———

After Clyde had some time to absorb Althea's confession, they made their way back to Vyan's office where they found him busy with paperwork already.

"So?" Vyan asked expectantly, not looking up.

Clyde pumped his fist in the air and said, "I will make sure you get to babysit our kids!"

Vyan looked up, clearly bewildered. "Pardon?"

"What he means is, he wants to help make sure you live a very long life, Vyan, long enough to babysit our kids," Althea clarified.

"Oh… that's, um, good to know, I suppose?"

With a confident stride, Clyde took a seat across from Vyan, folding his hands in his lap like he was about to negotiate a treaty. "Alright, let's hear this master plan of yours."

Vyan gave a dry chuckle. "You two give me too much credit. I have got no grand plan."

Althea came to sit beside Clyde and urged, "Come on, you always think of something. You can figure this one out as well."

"Well, so far what I have realized, it's that we can't make any major changes to our current plans. All we can do is," he let out a small sigh, "keep an eye out for the variables."

"And what would be the variables?" Althea prompted.

Vyan shrugged and answered, "Who else? Easton and Sienna."