The Villain's End Is Pregnancy - c40
In fact, Ryan didn’t have a talent for finding things. Since there were always people around to do it for him even if he couldn’t, and he never had an attachment to any item to desperately want to find it.
Sometimes his family would say they were worried the youngest was too unambitious and docile, but they willingly gave their things to the lovable child.
So there was no way Ryan, who lacked the knack for finding things as he lived with almost no materialistic desires, would find the items carefully hidden in the garden.
“Where on earth are they?”
Wandering around here and there yet shaking his empty hands, Ryan grumbled.
“I’m hungry…”
All he ate was the snack Peter prepared as soon as he arrived at the palace. That had been digested and gone long ago.
With aching legs and drained energy, Ryan hesitated looking at the bench with white dust settled on it, then eventually plopped down.
The desire to rest took precedence over dirtiness.
“But where did the other guys all go?”
He was sure he saw a few nearby in the beginning, but at some point, he couldn’t sense any presence around.
Could it be that they were eating something delicious leaving him alone? Suspicion blossomed in Ryan’s mind.
‘They really might be doing that!’
Since they weren’t that close usually, they might not think to take care of him too. Ryan, who didn’t have materialistic desires but never skipped meals, jumped up.
He burned with motivation to quickly find them before the guys ate everything, but that feeling soon fizzled out.
“I think I’ve been here before too…”
What started to take its place was anxiety. All he could see was a dirty garden with thick weeds.
Neither Liam who brought him here nor the other kids were in sight.
“Liam! Hey!”
The calling voice trembled faintly. Looking up at the sky, the sun that was above his head had tilted more.
Rustle. Rustle.
Then a small sound was heard as if stepping on something.
“Who is it?”
Ryan brightened up and quickly turned his head that way. Through the short trees with grass and leaves jumbled together, a black head poked out slightly.
“What… A cat?”
At most, it would be the size of his two fists put together. The cat tilted its small head and suddenly looked up at the opponent it encountered.
Seeing the round, black eyes, a smile slowly hung on Ryan’s lips.
“Kitty. What are you doing here?”
Crouching down and reaching out his hand, the round eyes quietly looked at him. Ryan patiently waited for the cat to let down its guard and approach.
How long had it been like that?
Finally, the cat fully pulled its body out from the tree and slowly approached, standing in front of Ryan. Then it lowered its body and stuck out its tongue to lick his fingertip.
“It tickles.”
Speaking with a small laugh, the small head rose and met his eyes. Discovering the prettily folded corners of its eyes, the cat’s silver whiskers twitched up and down.
It was as if greeting him, so Ryan laughed again.
He felt a bit more courage as he wasn’t alone. Before he knew it, the black cat was nestled in Ryan’s arms.
How long had he wandered like that?
“Hey, is it really okay to go like this?”
“Yeah. The prince might scold us.”
“We can just say we kept looking but couldn’t find him.”
“That’s true, but…”
“It’s not like we intentionally separated him, he got lost wandering somewhere, right? Let’s go now.”
“Is that alright…”
He heard them muttering. However, Ryan couldn’t approach them.
“You said you didn’t like him usually, so let him suffer a bit this time.”
“That’s right. Acting cocky because he’s a viscount’s son. Let him struggle all he wants finding a treasure that doesn’t exist!”
Because he couldn’t not know who the viscount’s son they were talking about, the target they wanted to give a hard time, was.
Ryan muffled his footsteps and carefully approached the direction the conversation was coming from. Fortunately, there were garden trees up to his chest with long grass growing, suitable for hiding his body.
He saw a few unfamiliar faces greeting Liam and another person then moving away. Soon only the two were left there.
“Anyway, Liam. You’re unrivaled when it comes to planning nasty things.”
“It’s just a treasure hunt without treasure and we got separated without meeting, that’s all.”
“Still, be careful. Fitzroy is the youngest that people dote on. Wouldn’t it be big trouble if he gets hurt or something?”
“My family is also a count family trusted by the king!”
“Eh, that’s not what I meant. I’m just saying it would be bothersome.”
Ryan’s complexion had already darkened. After quietly listening to their conversation, he retreated his body again, making sure no presence could be heard.
He planned to go back after they left first. So he heavily sat on a nearby bench.
“This is too much. It means they brought me from the start to give me a hard time.”
Of course. No wonder that guy who disliked him so much suddenly said he would include him in the game.
“I shouldn’t have readily accepted… Of all things, because it was Hendrick’s items.”
He couldn’t help but take the bait when such an attractive lure was thrown. But the result was finding out the treasure hunt itself was a lie.
“How should I pay them back for this?”
The docile and lovable youngest of Viscount Fitzroy flashed his eyes. Despite his appearance, his belief in giving back what he received was firm.
It was also something his father, brother, and sister emphasized, saying it was necessary for living.
Immersed in thoughts, Ryan finally remembered the cat he had placed on his lap at the feeling of it tapping his thigh.
“Sorry. I forgot about you. Kitty, come with me to my home. Okay?”
Ryan’s eyes, who quickly grew very fond of the cat in just a few minutes, drew pretty crescents. Smiling brightly, he lifted the small body and brought his lips to its moist nose.
A lovely sensation. It would become his closest friend from now on.
“Let’s go home for now. I walked a lot and wandered today, so I should rest well.”
Revenge came next. Perhaps because he had a hard time, his body felt more like a wet towel than before. His cheeks, forehead, and nape felt damp.
Ryan wiped the sweat with his palm and stood up. No, he tried to, but for some reason, his legs had no strength, so he sat back down.
“What?”
Ryan’s surprised voice trembled. The cat looks up at him as if asking why.
“It’s nothing.”
He was just tired, that’s all. Forcibly ignoring his anxious heart, Ryan raised his body again. It seemed better than before, so he was relieved and about to show a faint smile, but this time, a strange feeling rushed up from his lower abdomen.
“Hng!”
Ryan’s round eyes widened.
“What…”
Even to his ears, that was an embarrassing moan. No, that wasn’t why he was flustered.
“Uh, uh…”
He looked down with at a loss eyes. It seemed no different from usual, but the inside wasn’t. It felt wet as if he had urinated.
At that moment, Ryan smelled a sweet and thick scent.
“Ah… eung…”
His body trembled, and the sensation of his stomach being stirred was felt again.
“Th-This, this…”
The young boy didn’t realize what was happening to his body. He only felt fear at the heat rising and the constant sweet scent enveloping his whole body.
Ryan’s reddened face looked around in disarray. Then he started to walk unsteadily. A small creature followed behind, but he failed to notice even that.
‘Dangerous. Dangerous. Have to hide.’
Instinct was commanding him. To go somewhere safe. To wait there for someone who could help.
Why he had to do that, and for what reason his body was acting like this.
He had no capacity to ponder such things.
He walked and walked, then found a tree with thick grass. In fact, it was a landscaping tree Ryan had encountered several times, but his hazy mind failed to recognize even that.
“Haa, haa, ha…”
Hot breaths spilled from his open mouth. His whole body boiled with warm heat. His head was dazed and his mouth was parched.
Yet his entire body kept tingling and was covered in damp sweat.
“Eung, uh… eung.”
His body finally collapsed and he sat on the ground. Letting out moans, he crawled into the shrubbery. He buried his head between his knees while crouching.
Meow. Meow.
It was then that he heard the cat’s cries in his deafened ears.
“Kitty…”
At the call, the cat finally approached his feet and sat curled up. Ryan, feeling a bit relieved, smiled faintly.
He desperately wished for this unwholesome time to pass quickly. However, contrary to his wish, the situation kept worsening.