Chapter 37
At that moment, Caverion quietly gazed out the window and spoke. “Then we must focus on preventing this marriage for the time being.”
Raylenne agreed. Finding the real culprit who tried to harm her was important, but she understood that Caverion prioritizing the cancellation of the marriage was equally crucial. It wasn’t just any marriage; it was to the Crown Prince, and it would attract everyone’s attention, making it impossible to retract once it was set in motion. Therefore, under no circumstances could this marriage be allowed to happen.
“I heard from Father that the wedding has been postponed,” Raylenne said.
Caverion nodded. “Fortunately, internal issues within the royal family have delayed the wedding, but the Crown Prince will likely push for the engagement to proceed first.”
“Then… is there a way to prevent the engagement?” Raylenne asked, swallowing hard, the sound of her gulp embarrassingly loud.
Caverion’s expression remained serious. “Father has no intention of withdrawing from this marriage, so we need to make the Crown Prince cancel it himself.”
“How will you do that?”
“We need to find a weakness,” Caverion replied, implying that he intended to confront the Crown Prince directly.
“That won’t be easy. It will be dangerous,” Raylenne warned.
“Nothing in this world is easy, but we must do it,” Caverion said, his warm yet determined gaze conveying his resolve to do this for her.
Raylenne, seeing his unwavering attitude, decided it was better to join forces with him rather than try to dissuade him.
“Where can we find information about the Crown Prince’s weaknesses?” she asked.
“I’m thinking of investigating the taverns he frequents. It would be best to hear directly from someone who knows him well…” Caverion’s voice trailed off, and his eyes widened slightly. “Aiden Bedeusian.”
Raylenne coughed in surprise at the sudden mention of Aiden. Mistaking it for dust, Caverion patted her back, but Raylenne waved her hand to indicate she was fine.
“Are you seriously considering asking Aiden about Crown Prince Harbian?” she asked, incredulous.
“Why not?” Caverion’s firm response left Raylenne stunned.
In fact, as Caverion suggested, Aiden might know a lot about the Crown Prince, given their familial ties as cousins.
However, what shocked Raylenne was that Caverion would consider seeking Aiden’s help at all, as it was out of character for him. Caverion had a strong sense of pride and had always viewed Aiden as a rival. Despite Aiden’s resilience and accomplishments, Caverion had often felt a peculiar sense of defeat.
‘Even though he recently won the war, the overwhelming advantage made the victory feel hollow,’ Raylenne thought.
The heavy casualties in the war had only added to Caverion’s frustration. His cold demeanor towards Aiden upon his return as a prisoner had stemmed from this very frustration.
Caverion had disliked Aiden so much that his suggestion to seek Aiden’s help now felt incredibly radical to Raylenne.
“Raylenne, I don’t like the idea of asking Aiden for help either, but…” Caverion smiled gently at her. “For you, I would do anything.”
“Brother…”
Raylenne felt a pang in her heart. Caverion was genuinely trying to improve their relationship. Although the past was shrouded in mystery, it was clear Caverion felt a deep sense of guilt towards Raylenne and was now trying to atone for it through his actions, not just words.
“At times, I’ve wondered if Aiden truly deserved the treatment he received,” Caverion mused, his unexpected remark causing Raylenne to widen her eyes.
“Why… why do you suddenly think that?” she asked.
Caverion gazed out the window at the night sky before calmly speaking again. “Do you remember the day Helis assaulted Aiden in the underground prison?”
“Yes, I remember.”
On that day, Duke Ergen had been furious, deeming it unacceptable, and ordered Helis to punish Aiden. As a result, Aiden had nearly been forced to eat the painful Hayashin fruit.
‘Although I ended up eating it instead,’ Raylenne recalled.
“That day felt strange to me. I thought about it all day and realized why,” Caverion said, a cynical smile forming on his lips. “It was unreasonable that Aiden would be punished for Helis’s wrongdoing.”
At the time, Caverion had not objected to Aiden’s punishment. He had disappeared like the wind after the conversation, unaware that he was having such thoughts.
“And then… I realized my perspective was wrong after hearing what you said,” he continued.
“What did I say…?”
“You said Aiden was a prisoner, not a plaything, and that making him eat the Hayashin fruit was an inappropriate punishment.”
Raylenne vaguely remembered having that conversation with Caverion while walking through the training grounds.
“That day, I felt a sudden sense of shame for how I had treated Aiden Bedeusian emotionally,” Caverion admitted.
“…”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I feel sorry for Aiden, or that I think he deserves pity. He still has to face the consequences of war.”
Caverion cleared his throat. “That’s all.”
He seemed embarrassed by his confession, but Raylenne felt a sense of gratitude. Knowing there was someone in the Ergen family who didn’t blindly hate Aiden was comforting.
‘Well, well,’ she thought, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Just then, Caverion asked, “When would be a good time to visit the underground prison? Since you’re the manager, we can go whenever you permit.”
Raylenne’s joyful expression stiffened at his question, realizing it posed a significant problem.
Now that I think about it…
‘If I ask Aiden about Crown Prince Harbian, it will naturally come out that he is my fiancé.’
The thought of Aiden finding out about this made Raylenne uneasy. She felt as if she had been deceiving Aiden by keeping silent about it all this time. On the other hand, it also felt unfair. Why should she have to tiptoe around a marriage arrangement that had been forced upon her? She was a victim in this situation too.
Swallowing her complaints, Raylenne spoke. “Tomorrow. Brother, are you free then?”
“I’m free. Let’s meet at the underground prison tomorrow night. I’ll find a way to avoid the patrols and get in.”
Raylenne nodded. They needed to act separately to avoid being seen together, just as Caverion suggested.
“Understood.”
Caverion smiled faintly. A brief silence followed, and the atmosphere grew awkward. As Raylenne wondered if she should suggest leaving, Caverion brought up another topic.
“Has Helis been misbehaving with you lately?”
Caverion seemed to want to continue talking with his sister after such a long time, but mentioning Helis made Raylenne tense up for a moment. However, she quickly dismissed her apprehension.
‘No, I have nothing to be ashamed of.’
Taking the opportunity, she decided to bring up something that had been on her mind. Relaxing her stiff posture, Raylenne spoke quietly.
“He’s not been misbehaving, but there’s something I’m worried about.”
Caverion tilted his head slightly. “What is it?”
“Helis has been going out late at night frequently.”
Caverion’s expression hardened, showing that this was news to him. “Helis goes out at night? Where does he go?”
“I don’t know.”
Caverion stroked his chin thoughtfully before speaking again. “I’ll look into it.”
Given Helis’s history of causing trouble, Caverion also seemed suspicious of his nighttime outings. Raylenne felt relieved that she had shared her concerns with him.
Satisfied, Raylenne stood up, hiding a contented smile. “It’s late. Shall we head back?”
* * *
After finishing his conversation with Raylenne, Caverion was on his way back to his room when he noticed a red carriage passing through the main gate. The eagle emblem on the flag confirmed it was a family carriage. Since he had seen his father return earlier, the person now arriving must be Helis.
[Helis has been going out late at night frequently.]
Caverion, recalling Raylenne’s words, decided to speak with Helis. Approaching the spot where the carriage stopped, he watched as Helis, clad in a robe, emerged.
It was odd. Helis rarely wore robes when going out, and his hood was pulled so low that it was hard to recognize him at first glance.
“Where have you been at this late hour?” Caverion asked, his voice making Helis flinch and look up.
Helis hastily removed his hood, unable to hide his startled expression. “Brother…”
“I asked you, where have you been?” Caverion repeated.
“I… I was just inspecting the village,” Helis stammered.
Caverion scrutinized him sharply. “At this hour?”
“There have been reports of bandits attacking homes recently.”
Caverion found the excuse unconvincing but decided to let it go for now. He thought it better to observe Helis further and catch him in a more definitive act.
“If that’s the case, take the knights with you next time.”
“I will, brother.”
As Caverion turned to leave, Helis called out to him. “Brother…!”
Caverion stopped and looked back. “What is it?”
“I heard there’s talk of an engagement between the Crown Prince and our sister.”
Caverion’s gaze turned icy. “How do you know that?”
“I overheard Father talking with the steward.”
Caverion frowned. He wanted to keep the engagement talk under wraps, but it seemed the news was spreading.
“Is it true that sister will marry Prince Harbian?”
Helis’s face was tense. Not noticing this, Caverion replied curtly, “You don’t need to know.”
“So, it is true…” Helis murmured, sounding dejected.
Caverion sighed, rubbing his forehead wearily. “Nothing is certain yet. Keep this to yourself for now.”
“…”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes…”
Hearing Helis’s reluctant response, Caverion turned away. “I’ll be going in first.”
Leaving Helis standing there, Caverion headed inside. Alone, Helis clenched his hands tightly behind his back, his nails digging into his palms with such force that they left marks.
