I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 92

 

Before the commotion with the twins, Brody, who had been sleeping nonstop like a rabbit in a deep forest slumber, finally awoke from her short yet seemingly endless nap after three days.

The warm sunlight of Roden streaming through the window and the freshly laundered, soft, and fluffy blankets greeted her cheerfully as she opened her eyes.

As soon as she regained her senses, Brody stretched her stiff limbs, which hadn’t been used in days, letting out a refreshing yawn.

The three days of sleep had completely wiped out the exhaustion from her long journey. As a result, her body felt rejuvenated, and aside from being hungry, she was in excellent condition.

Blinking her half-open eyes, Brody smiled brightly.

“Ah, this feels amazing.”

Rolling around the plush bed for a while, she eventually sat up and looked around.

“Kyle…?”

It was undoubtedly Kyle’s room, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Before she could feel disappointed, however, her eyes widened as she noticed the abundance of fruit piled up in the room.

“Oh my goodness!”

The floor, table, and even the sofa were covered with baskets filled with various fruits.

For someone who hadn’t eaten in three days, the sight was overwhelming.

Brody’s gaze landed on a basket of bright red apples on the bedside table.

“That looks so delicious!”

Surely, these were prepared by Kyle, knowing how much she loved apples.

Picking up a shiny red apple, she polished it until it gleamed and took a big bite.

The sweet and tangy juice filled her mouth, and Brody stared at the apple in blissful delight.

She had never tasted such a delicious apple in her life and unable to stop herself, she devoured five apples in one sitting. Yet, her feast had only just begun.

Moving on to another basket on the bedside table, she began emptying them one by one.

The ‘fruit hunter’ Brody went through two baskets before leaping off the bed, her next target being the table loaded with grape clusters.

The oversized clothes she wore, presumably Kyle’s, fluttered around her, but she didn’t care.

As she was finishing off the last bunch of grapes, she accidentally knocked over a basket and a crystal bowl hidden behind it.

Crash!

“Ahhh!”

Startled by the sudden sound of shattering glass, Brody screamed instinctively. But the surprises weren’t over.

The door burst open, and two identical men stormed into the room.

“Who’s there…!”

Caught off guard for the second time, Brody froze, staring at them with wide, rabbit-like eyes.

The two men were equally stunned, their mouths opening and closing like fish out of water.

As the three stood there, dumbfounded, it was Brody who regained her composure first.

Examining their features closely, her eyes narrowed in recognition.

‘Wait… why do I feel like I know them?’

The ash-gray messy hair, the sharp, upward-tilted eyes with identical small moles beneath them, the fangs that showed when they spoke, and their mischievous air—all screamed familiarity.

Then it clicked.

The Oswald twins, Kyle’s childhood friends and the notorious troublemakers in Nort Village.

‘Oswald brothers!’

Just as she was about to exclaim in joy, she stopped herself, noticing their expressions.

‘Oh, right. They don’t know me.’

Brody quickly composed herself and, adding a layer of feigned fear to her earlier surprise, asked nervously.

“Wh-who are you?”

The twins, clueless about her act, responded in a bewildered tone.

“That’s what we want to ask!”

 

***

 

Meanwhile, Kyle, who hadn’t gone to work that day to stay by Brody’s side, had briefly stepped out to the market.

He had noticed that the basket of apples might not be enough and had gone to buy more.

Since Brody loved apples, Kyle had woken up at dawn to gather fresh fruits, selecting only the best and a variety to avoid disappointing her. And he had done it all himself, without relying on any servants.

This unannounced visit caused chaos at the market’s fruit stalls, but Kyle was oblivious.

Carrying a fresh batch of apples, he was heading home when he ran into Albert, who was returning from the village restoration work.

Surprised to see Albert on his way home at this hour—as he should have been in the village below Mount Nevo—Kyle blinked.

“Where are you going?”

Albert smiled and replied.

“I forgot something at home. Just going to grab it and head back.”

By ‘home,’ Albert was referring to the annex behind Kyle’s main residence.

Kyle, who had been feeling a slight pang of guilt for skipping work, gave Albert a begrudging look.

Such a diligent guy, annoyingly so.

Kyle wasn’t one to feel guilty or self-conscious, but something about Albert’s demeanor made him uneasy these days.

As he watched Albert, his eyes caught sight of the bandage wrapped around his wrist, and he frowned.

“What happened to your wrist?”

“Oh, I just twisted it a bit while moving something.”

Albert replied nonchalantly.

But Kyle’s expression darkened immediately.

Seeing his cousin injure his wrist while working hard for Roden, a land that wasn’t even his own, Kyle couldn’t help but reflect on himself.

Despite being a son of Roden, he hadn’t given his best even while working, distracted by his concern for Brody.

This self-awareness made him feel both grateful to and sorry for Albert, who always put in his utmost effort.

Of course, Kyle struggled to find the right words to express those feelings.

“…Why don’t you just take a break and go home?”

Kyle said curtly.

Albert let out a small laugh, catching the sentiment behind Kyle’s lowered voice and the way his eyes lingered on his wrist.

He responded with an honest smile.

“We’re family. Family helps each other when times are tough.”

His sincere words struck a chord in Kyle, who had grown up among family members who always concealed their true feelings.

Inspired by Albert’s honesty, Kyle found the courage to respond.

“Thanks.”

It was probably the first time he’d ever expressed gratitude to someone.

Realizing this, Kyle’s ears reddened slightly with embarrassment.

Albert, seeing this, burst into a hearty laugh.

“You know, I’ve been thinking—you’re so different from the stories I’ve heard about you. The rumors said you were a ruthless cold-blooded wolf.”

Kyle gave a sheepish smile. He didn’t know if he was as ruthless as the rumors claimed, but he certainly had been someone incapable of saying “thank you” until now.

Thinking back, his transformation had started when he met Brody.

Being around her, he began to mimic her actions, and his heart had gradually softened.

He, who had never been the type to give things to others, now found himself bringing back baskets of fruit for her.

As he stared at the basket of apples in his hands, Albert glanced at it as well and asked.

“How’s your girlfriend? I heard she’s been unwell and sleeping a lot lately.”

It was a question that revealed he’d pieced together the owner of the fruit—Brody, the rabbit.

Kyle was about to give a nonchalant reply when a familiar voice interrupted.

“Who’s sick? Who’s unwell?”

It was none other than Kernels, the crow often referred to as ‘Kyle’s shadow,’ flapping his wings above their heads in dramatic concern.

“And what’s with those apples? You’ve never even glanced at fruit before! Don’t tell me… you bought them for me?”

Kyle shot him a cold glare and retorted.

“Have you lost your mind?”

Kernels, unfazed, tilted his head while staring at the apples, and then suddenly let out a loud squawk as if he’d made a groundbreaking discovery.

“Wait a second! Are these for the rabbit you’ve been calling your girlfriend? Is she really your girlfriend?!”

The crow’s beady black eyes grew even darker with excitement, and he began circling Kyle, pressing him for answers.

“Is it true?! Tell me!”

“Yes, it’s true.”

Kyle replied indifferently.

Kernels flapped his wings so hard in shock that he nearly plummeted to the ground.

After recovering, he squawked louder than ever, his wings flailing in disbelief.

“That’s impossible! What kind of wolf dates a herbivore?! Especially a rabbit! You’re a wolf, Kyle, the apex predator of carnivores!”

Kernels was practically beside himself, recalling how Kyle once declared that the world had gone mad when a hyena and a deer from a neighboring village started dating.

“This can’t be real! A rabbit?! The lions from Baldwin will laugh their heads off when they hear about this! I can’t bear to watch you get mocked!”

Albert, standing calmly to the side, interrupted Kernels’s outburst with a relaxed tone.

“If they’re happy together, what does it matter? Carnivores dating herbivores isn’t unheard of.”

Albert, known for his unusually open-minded nature despite being a wolf, smiled encouragingly at Kyle.

“At first, I thought Brody was a little strange, but the more I see her, the more I like her. And most importantly, she seems to care about you a lot.”

Kernels screeched in protest.

“Strange? She’s completely out of her mind! No rabbit in their right mind would date a wolf! Unless she’s being blackmailed!”

His loud objections came with what he claimed was heartfelt advice, though Kyle simply ignored him.

Kyle’s thoughts were stuck on Albert’s words: ‘She seems to care about you a lot.’

This made him feel unexpectedly happy, so much so that Kernels’s incessant chatter barely registered anymore.

More chapters are coming up today, stay tuned ~