I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 93

 

Kyle, having driven out the Kernels, headed home with Albert.

As they walked, exchanging lighthearted conversation, Albert’s gaze fell on an unfamiliar fruit in Kyle’s basket.

“What’s that yellow thing?”

He asked, pointing to the banana nestled among the apples.

It was an exotic southern fruit the merchant had thrown in hesitantly, knowing its high price.

“A banana, a fruit from the south.”

Kyle replied and Albert chuckled sheepishly.

“No wonder. I’ve never seen one before in our highlands.”

He then smiled warmly, adding,

“I’ll bring some home. Astrid would find it fascinating.”

He had a tender smile drawn on his face, clearly prompted by thoughts of his younger sibling.

Kyle, however, gave Albert a puzzled look.

“Do you really like your sibling that much?”

He asked, unable to fathom the sentiment.

Albert’s answer came without hesitation, as if the question itself was absurd.

“Of course! He’s my only sibling. And honestly, since he’s so much younger, it’s more like raising a child than having a sibling.”

Kyle couldn’t understand how someone could cherish a sibling so deeply. From a young age, merely seeing his own brother, Abel, filled him with irritation.

Thinking of Abel stirred a pang of resentment, and Kyle, his tone filled with unease, offered Albert a grim warning.

“Be careful. That harmless-looking kid could one day turn on you and take everything you hold dear.”

Though the words were harsh, Albert simply nodded as if he understood Kyle’s heart. Then, smiling gently, he replied.

“Even if that happens, it’s fine. If that weak, little sibling grows to surpass me, I’d be proud. Proud enough to let him take everything from me.”

Kyle stared at Albert, dumbfounded. Such a thought was utterly foreign to him. What was even more shocking was the sincerity in Albert’s voice.

Though momentarily stunned, Kyle soon recognized Albert’s conviction.

Despite being raised as an heir, Albert didn’t seem overly attached to the role of ‘leader.’ He valued people over titles—an outlook likely instilled by his uncle’s teachings.

In contrast, Kyle had grown up believing life was meaningless without power.

When that was taken from him, his world crumbled, leaving scars that would never heal.

Kyle’s gaze darkened.

‘What if I had shared Albert’s beliefs?’ he wondered.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have fallen apart so completely.

His heart might have suffered less, and he might have built a bond with his brother, like Albert and Astrid’s relationship. Abel, after all, had once been a boy who lingered around, hoping to play with his older brother.

But Kyle only remembered hating and distrusting him. That hatred still rooted deeply in his heart.

Kyle sighed, feeling conflicted.

Though Abel remained an enemy in his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret for the bitterness between them.

Back home, as Kyle approached his room, he frowned. The guards meant to watch his door were absent.

‘Where the hell are they?’

Grinding his teeth, he stormed toward the door. Yet before he reached it, familiar voices drifted through the closed door.

“Wait, you’re saying you’re the boss’s lover? Impossible!”

“Of course you are not! The boss likes someone else—”

Kyle’s patience snapped, and he kicked the door open with a resounding bang.

The door half-hung from its hinges as the twin guards inside, startled out of their wits, scrambled to their feet.

Kyle’s icy glare froze them in place.

“I swear, Boss! We didn’t mean to come in! We heard something break inside—”

“I told him not to go in! It was his idea!”

“What are you talking about? You said we should check it out first!”

Kyle ignored their squabbling, his attention drawn to Brody, who sat calmly amidst the chaos, stuffing her mouth with green grapes.

Despite already chewing two, she popped another into her mouth. Only when she felt Kyle’s piercing gaze did she look up, spotting him for the first time.

She grinned brightly and waved to him.

“Kyle!”

It was the first time he’d heard her voice in three days. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it.

Her chatter, once merely noise to him, now felt like a comforting melody.

The fleeing twins faded from his mind. His icy demeanor thawed as if touched by spring sunlight.

Brody, who had spent days lying lifelessly in bed, was now awake, her dark eyes sparkling with life as she smiled brightly at him.

Kyle felt his empty heart fill once more, overflowing with her presence.

And only now did Kyle realize just how lonely he had been during the past three days. It was an unbearable solitude, as though he had been trapped underwater with no sound, waiting endlessly for her.

Slowly, Kyle approached Brody. He sat by her bedside, intending to check her condition, but the memory of her once motionless body brought a lump in his throat, making him bite his lip to hold back the emotion.

He hesitated to touch her now fully functional arms and legs, his hands hovering awkwardly before retreating.

Suppressing his turmoil, he cleared his throat and asked in a seemingly calm voice.

“…Are you okay?”

Brody looked at him, puzzled by his odd behavior, then replied with a bright smile.

“Of course! After a few days of rest, I feel great!”

She swung her arms wide in a windmill motion, showing off her healthy state. Kyle felt a lump in his throat again but this time he smiled, his chest warming.

It finally sank in—Brody was truly awake.

“So, where’ve you been? I missed you.”

She said playfully, winking at him like she always did.

Kyle, realizing he was actually glad to see her teasing, felt a wave of embarrassment as his neck grew hot. He coughed and pretended to look around, his gaze landing on the empty fruit baskets nearby.

“You really ate a lot.”

He said, surprised, before handing her another fruit basket he had brought along.

“Here, have these too.”

“Perfect timing—I just finished the apples!”

Brody exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement as she looked at the apples and banana inside the basket.

Her reaction was so genuine it warmed Kyle’s heart. She turned her sparkling eyes to him and asked.

“Did you buy these for me?”

“Who else would I buy them for?”

He replied gruffly, though he was secretly pleased.

Brody giggled at his feigned indifference, leaning her head on his shoulder as she whispered.

“Thanks, Kyle.”

Her gratitude made his heart tingle, and before he realized it, a soft smile crept onto his face.

She quickly finished the remaining grapes, eager to start on the apples, and plucked one grape to offer him.

“Here, try this! It’s super sweet and delicious!”

“You eat it. You know I don’t like fruit.”

He said. But as he opened his mouth to speak, Brody took the chance to pop the grape in.

Kyle scowled as if ready to spit it out, but when he saw her laughing at his reaction, he gave up and chewed it.

When she fed him another grape, he made a dramatic grimace, as if chewing rocks, but still ate it without protest.

Meanwhile, outside the room, the Oswald brothers watched through the door crack, their faces pale with shock and disbelief.

“What’s wrong with the boss? Has he lost his mind?” they whispered.

They continued to spy, their expressions full of confusion as they watched Kyle interact with Brody like a couple.

“Is he really dating that bunny?”

One brother muttered.

“The boss has always ignored weak women. And she’s not even strong like a hippo or an elephant; she’s just a bunny!”

Their boss, who had shown no interest in anyone for years, had only started paying attention to Zelda after hearing about her growing strength.

Yet now, he had brought this fragile bunny woman into his life as his partner.

“Something’s off. That bunny must have something we don’t know about.”

“Even so… the boss’s behavior is just weird. He never acted like this with Zelda.”

The fruit baskets—all meant for Brody—were another anomaly.

Kyle had never done anything for anyone, let alone show such tenderness or allow anyone to feed him. He had never looked at anyone with such warmth either.

In the brothers’ eyes, this was not the Kyle Roden they knew. The drastic change left them bewildered and unsettled.

Finally, after exchanging looks of utter confusion, they came to a solemn conclusion.

“The boss… he must’ve hit his head or something.”