Chapter 100
Whether it was due to her honest confession or not, Aiden seemed to handle his power with much more ease during the next training session. Although he appeared exhausted afterward, it was clear that he had made significant progress.
‘…Who would’ve thought the words from the dream Raylenne would actually work?’ Raylenne felt a bit embarrassed. Seeing Aiden change so noticeably because of her words left her feeling both bewildered and lightly tingling with excitement.
Raylenne walked into her room with a lighter step. Soon, a knock came at the door, followed by Janie’s voice from outside.
“Miss, it’s Janie.”
“Come in,” Raylenne responded.
Janie entered, holding a pristine white envelope.
“A letter arrived for you from the imperial palace, miss.”
“From the imperial palace…?”
“Yes, I was surprised too, but the seal confirms it’s from the palace.”
Raylenne took the letter from Janie. ‘Is it an invitation to a ball…?’ she wondered. The palace was hosting a ball to celebrate the New Year, so it could be an invitation for that. But she’d know for sure once she read it.
With anticipation, Raylenne opened the letter and was greeted by elegant handwriting. Her eyes widened as she read the first line.
“Hello, Miss Raylenne. This is Merian Garnet.”
Raylenne quickly read the rest of the letter, curious about why Merian had written to her.
“I apologize if this sudden letter surprises you. With the situation in the empire settling down, as I mentioned before, I would like to invite you to the imperial palace. Please bring Aiden along, and we will make sure to give you a warm welcome. Looking forward to seeing you.”
The date was set for this weekend.
It seemed Merian’s suggestion for Raylenne to visit the palace during the party wasn’t just a casual offer. Raylenne folded the letter and placed it back into the envelope.
‘I’m happy to be invited, but…’
This wasn’t a decision she could make on her own. Aiden had recently become adept at controlling his power, so a long journey should be manageable. However…
‘The problem is Caverion.’
She wasn’t sure if Caverion would permit such a long outing with Aiden. He always became tense about anything involving Aiden, and Raylenne found her brother’s emotional reactions somewhat disconcerting.
Of course, she understood why. Caverion knew Aiden had feelings for her, and that alone seemed to irk him deeply. It was as if he thought, ‘How dare you have feelings for my sister?’
Raylenne couldn’t blame Caverion for feeling that way. The two families had been at odds for a long time, with a long-standing enmity between their houses. It was only natural for him to be wary. However, his meticulousness, bordering on obsession, when it came to anything involving Aiden was exhausting.
‘If Caverion learns that Lady Merian invited me, he’ll definitely ask why…’
Then, she’d have to reveal that Merian had helped Aiden when he was a prisoner. He would be curious as to why Merian was favoring her.
Raylenne could already imagine how Caverion would react. She pressed her temples, feeling a headache forming.
‘No matter how tiring, I’ll need to get his permission.’
She knew that, despite everything, Caverion would ultimately yield to her request, just as he had allowed Aiden to stay here. With the letter in hand, Raylenne headed towards Caverion’s office.
* * *
Caverion reorganized the room previously used by the former Duke Ergen, removing all traces of the previous decor. He discarded all the belongings, replaced the wallpaper, and changed the flooring, as if wanting to erase any remnants of the past. Raylenne, observing the new interior design, turned her attention to Caverion, who was engrossed in reading a document, seemingly unaware of her presence.
To catch his attention, Raylenne cleared her throat and approached him. “Brother, what are you reading so intently?”
Only then did Caverion lift his gaze from the paper. “It’s a report on our father’s monitoring.”
The former Duke Ergen had been exiled to another country by Caverion’s decision. The place was a small kingdom, surrounded by desert, known to be resource-poor and impoverished, plagued by banditry and poor security. Raylenne wondered how the former duke was adapting to such conditions.
“What does it say?” she asked.
“It says he’s gone missing,” Caverion replied nonchalantly, folding the paper in half.
Raylenne’s mouth fell open in shock. “Is that really true?”
“Yes. It’s the consequence of his sins,” Caverion stated, his expression seemingly relieved, or perhaps even satisfied as if things had gone exactly as he wanted.
Raylenne felt uneasy, trying to dispel a troubling thought. ‘…Surely not.’
She couldn’t help but wonder if Caverion had insisted on exile instead of imprisonment to covertly eliminate the former duke. But she quickly dismissed the idea.
“So, what brings you here, Raylenne?” Caverion asked, snapping her back to the present. Raylenne gently placed the envelope she was holding onto the smooth, newly ordered mahogany desk.
“It’s an invitation from the imperial palace,” she explained.
“From the palace…? Isn’t it too early for a ball?” he questioned.
“Lady Merian personally invited me,” Raylenne clarified.
Caverion’s eyes briefly sharpened. “Why?”
“She wants to invite me for a meal, having learned that I helped Aiden during his captivity,” Raylenne replied.
Caverion likely had some inkling that she had secretly assisted Aiden, though he didn’t want to acknowledge it. Otherwise, why would Aiden have developed an affection for her? As expected, Caverion couldn’t hide his discomfort.
“Raylenne,” he called, his voice low.
“…Yes?” she responded nervously.
“What else did you help Aiden with besides trying to assist in his escape?”
Raylenne hesitated before confessing, “I installed better lighting for him.”
“And?”
“I also gave him new clothes and blankets…”
“And?”
“I snuck him food as well,” she admitted, her heart pounding with anxiety. ‘At least I didn’t mention eating the Hayashin fruit instead of him.’ If she revealed that, Caverion might really consider harming Aiden.
Caverion spoke in a stern tone, “So that’s why Aiden, unaware of his own situation, has feelings for you.”
“Brother…”
“Raylenne, I cherish and love you, and I support you in everything else, but Aiden is an exception,” Caverion sighed deeply. “It’s not just because I dislike Aiden. I want you to have a more ordinary partner. He doesn’t meet those criteria.”
Under the light, Caverion’s blue eyes shone coldly. “As you know, Aiden has killed countless people in past wars. As the Empire’s strongest awakened, he might be called upon again. He has too much blood on his hands to live a peaceful life.”
“…”
“Would you be okay with such a person as your husband?”
As Caverion said, Aiden’s life was far from ordinary, and the future held no guarantees of peace. With great power comes great responsibility, and as the Empire’s strongest, Aiden would be the first to be called upon in times of war. However, Raylenne didn’t want to dwell on such worries. What good would it do to fret about the future? She was more surprised at how far ahead Caverion was thinking.
Trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, Raylenne spoke cheerfully, “Brother, I only came to ask for your permission to visit the palace.”
“With Aiden, I presume,” Caverion said, eyeing her keenly.
Raylenne nodded cautiously, sensing that Caverion had anticipated this. He knew that Aiden couldn’t be left alone due to his inability to fully control his powers yet. Caverion, with a stern face, looked at Raylenne for a moment before sighing deeply.
“Do you like Aiden?” he asked.
Raylenne, choosing to be considerate of Caverion’s feelings, didn’t respond, but her silence spoke volumes. Caverion took a deep breath once more.
“When you go to the palace, take some knights with you,” he finally said.
Raylenne smiled inwardly. As expected, Caverion couldn’t refuse her request.
* * *
Raylenne immediately informed Aiden of the news. She had been worried that he might be hesitant about such a long journey, but Aiden agreed without hesitation. It was clear that he had become quite adept at controlling his power through consistent training.
As the weekend arrived, Raylenne and Aiden set off from the ducal estate, heading towards the imperial palace. The thought of leaving the ducal territory for the first time in a long while filled Raylenne with excitement and anticipation. However, this was short-lived as she remembered they were going to meet Lady Merian.
‘If Aiden and I were to get married, Lady Merian would become my mother-in-law…?’ Raylenne, realizing she was getting ahead of herself, suddenly felt extremely nervous about meeting Merian.
“Lady Raylenne, are you alright? You don’t look well,” Aiden asked, noticing her pale complexion.
Raylenne discreetly wiped her sweaty palms on her dress. “It’s nothing…”
