Chapter 13

Raylenne returned to her room and sent Helen away, then called for a maid named Shana. Shana entered the room with a tense expression, seemingly worried about being specifically summoned by her lady.

“Your name is Shana, right?” Raylenne asked.

“…Yes, that’s correct,” Shana responded.

Raylenne pointed to the vase where magnolias had been placed, now empty.

“Did you take care of the magnolias in that vase?” Raylenne inquired.

Shana’s eyes widened, and she shook her head.

“No, I did not.”

A slight crack appeared on Raylenne’s delicate brow. So, this was another one of Helen’s lies.

“Then who takes care of the flowers in that vase?” Raylenne continued.

Shana blinked, seemingly finding the question odd, and answered.

“Helen does.”

Shana hesitated before adding.

“When you go to bathe, Helen always changes the water in the vase. She has repeatedly instructed us not to touch the flowers in that vase, as they are expensive.”

Raylenne closed her eyes tightly, a wave of betrayal and anger washing over her. This confirmed her suspicions.

‘One of the culprits is definitely Helen.’

The next step was crucial. Should she confront Helen and demand to know who ordered her to do this? While she was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door.

Knock, knock—

Raylenne instructed Shana to keep their conversation secret and sent her out. Standing outside was Caverion.

“Brother?”

“Hmm, Raylenne, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Now? In the midst of her tumultuous thoughts about how to deal with Helen, his request was not welcome.

‘I need to figure out how to handle Helen…’

However, she couldn’t simply turn away her brother who had come all this way.

“Come in.”

With her permission, Caverion entered. Unlike before, his gait was much less stiff.

“What were you doing?” he asked.

“I was just organizing flowers after returning from the greenhouse,” Raylenne replied.

Caverion looked at her in surprise.

“…You went to the greenhouse?”

It was shocking for him to hear that his reclusive, socially anxious sister had left the ducal residence.

“Yes, I felt a bit suffocated today and wanted to get some fresh air.”

“…I see.”

He fell into deep thought and remained silent for a long while. When he finally spoke, it was with a heavy tone.

“I know that part of the reason you became so reclusive is my fault.”

“…”

Raylenne remained quiet, as she had no memories of this.

Perhaps misunderstanding her silence, Caverion sighed deeply.

“I’ve always regretted what I said to you after that accident… Yet, I was foolish and never apologized.”

Why was Caverion suddenly apologizing? Raylenne felt confused by the situation, but seeing the emotion in his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

“I’m glad to see that you seem to be moving past that time…”

“Well… One can’t stay stuck in the past forever,” Raylenne replied vaguely.

“Thank you for saying that…”

Caverion reached out and covered Raylenne’s hand with his own. Her small, white hand disappeared under his large one. Raylenne couldn’t help but think about how their relationship had deteriorated to this point.

Given his current supportive attitude, perhaps he would help her if she told him about the threat to her life. After all, Caverion held significant power in the household and was strong as an Awakener.

‘Yes, it would be much easier to catch the culprits with his help.’

Resolute, Raylenne swallowed and looked at Caverion.

“I’m happy you said that, Brother.”

Caverion’s eyes widened slightly at her gentle response. It was a good reaction.

Feeling it was the right time, Raylenne slowly withdrew her hand from his and began to speak.

“And there’s something else you should know… May I tell you now?”

Caverion’s gaze sharpened with interest.

“What is it?”

“I’ve discovered the reason behind my illness.”

“There’s a specific reason…?”

Caverion asked, his expression turning serious.

Everyone had thought Raylenne’s health had just been gradually declining without a clear cause. The culprit had been meticulous, worsening her condition very slowly.

“Yes, it was because of the magnolias in my room.”

Caverion’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Magnolias?”

“Yes, they were laced with a harmful substance, and the scent of the magnolias spread it throughout my room.”

Caverion’s face darkened even more.

“Do you still have those magnolias?”

“Yes.”

Raylenne had kept them just in case. She brought them to Caverion, who sniffed them carefully.

“There’s a faint scent different from the magnolia’s fragrance.”

“It’s the scent of Sana grass.”

“Sana grass…?”

“Sana grass is a strong sedative often used in war, only for soldiers with critical injuries. Regular doctors wouldn’t encounter it, so my personal physician didn’t recognize it.”

Raylenne continued with a tense expression.

“Because it’s such a potent sedative, it becomes toxic if used excessively.”

Caverion clenched his fist tightly, his eyes shut. The atmosphere grew tense, and Raylenne glanced around nervously. When Caverion spoke again, his voice was low and serious.

“Do you have any suspects?”

His voice and expression were both grim.

“I overheard a conversation about killing me the day I collapsed. There were two culprits.”

“Indeed. It makes sense that someone wouldn’t plot against the duke’s only daughter alone.”

Raylenne nodded.

“And today, I discovered one of the culprits.”

Caverion’s eyebrow arched in curiosity.

“Who is it?”

“It was my maid, Helen. She’s the only one who handled that vase.”

Caverion tapped the table thoughtfully.

“I see.”

Suddenly, he stood up. Raylenne’s head tilted back to look up at him.

“Where are you going, Brother?”

“We must capture this maid Helen immediately.”

“But we haven’t found the other culprit yet…!”

Caverion’s eyes were icy.

“We’ll find the other culprit through Helen.”

His voice was as cold as his gaze. Raylenne quickly grabbed his sleeve.

“How…?”

“Raylenne, there are things in this world you don’t need to know.”

That made it even scarier. He looked like he was about to bring Helen in for torture.

“Don’t worry about a thing.”

Caverion gently removed Raylenne’s hand from his sleeve.

“I’ll handle everything.”

Raylenne watched his retreating figure with concern.

‘Can I really trust him?’

* * *

Raylenne entrusted Caverion with the task of finding the culprit. While she was relieved to have handed off such a troublesome matter, the thought of his fierce expression made her uneasy.

‘What if he really tortures Helen…’

The betrayal and horror she felt upon learning Helen had tried to kill her were overwhelming, but she didn’t want to see anyone killed. She just hoped Helen would receive a just punishment.

‘Oh well, whatever happens.’

Raylenne, having woken up early, packed a lot of things to meet Aiden. As a result, her hands were full. Despite the burden, she was excited at the thought of Aiden enjoying the food she brought.

When she reached the underground prison, she saw Haele dozing off. It was still before dawn, likely explaining his sleepiness. Not wanting to wake him and cause trouble, Raylenne quietly passed by like a ghost.

She arrived at Aiden’s cell and opened the door. Usually, the chains on his shackles would clink as she opened the door, but there was no sound this time, indicating Aiden was asleep.

Creak—

She carefully opened the iron door. As expected, Aiden was sound asleep on his blanket. Raylenne unpacked the items she had brought and approached Aiden. 

She noticed the blue bruises on his cheeks were fading, and his previously gaunt face was filling out. His complexion was noticeably healthier now.

‘Up close, his eyelashes are long, and he has good skin.’

Although the bruises hadn’t completely disappeared, Aiden’s appearance was gradually becoming more presentable. As Raylenne quietly watched him, Aiden sniffled.

‘Does he have a cold?’

Though his blanket was much thicker than before, the weather had been freezing lately. Worried, Raylenne placed her hand on his forehead. However, since her hands were cold, Aiden’s forehead felt hot to her.

‘Checking with my own forehead would be more accurate.’

Raylenne leaned down and pressed her forehead against Aiden’s. Their temperatures seemed similar, indicating he didn’t have a fever.

‘That’s a relief.’

Just as she was about to pull away,

Flash—

It happened in an instant. Aiden woke up and swiftly moved, pinning Raylenne beneath him. His gray eyes, filled with menace, stared down at her.

“Who dares to attack…”

“Aiden.”

At her voice, Aiden paused. Having recently experienced war, Aiden seemed to react sensitively to any perceived threat.

“You’re…”

Once Aiden realized it was Raylenne, the hostility in his eyes quickly vanished.