Chapter 40
Aiden looked the same as usual.
‘No, he seems even more handsome than yesterday…’
This was a big problem. As the bruises on his face completely faded and his once-sunken cheeks filled out, Aiden seemed to grow more radiant by the day.
Lately, it felt like Aiden was exuding some sort of irresistible charm, making her feel captivated. If he continued to become more handsome, these symptoms would only worsen.
While lost in these useless thoughts, Aiden’s voice broke through.
“What… are you thinking about?”
Aiden tilted his head slightly as he asked. Raylenne shook her head.
“I was just thinking that you’ve recovered a lot.”
“My health has been good lately.”
It wasn’t just words; his broad shirt hinted at his firm, well-defined physique. It was evident just by looking.
‘I noticed that when I touched him too.’
There had been times when she had unintentionally ended up in Aiden’s arms or fallen on top of him. She had felt his solid build then.
Shaking off inappropriate thoughts, Raylenne asked Aiden the usual questions about his health and if he had any injuries. As always, Aiden calmly described his condition. Raylenne, squinting slightly, asked another question.
“You haven’t used any strange abilities again, have you?”
“Strange abilities, you say…”
“I mean the ability you used to move quickly, almost like teleporting, when I was about to be crushed by that tree.”
Aiden slowly closed and opened his eyes before answering.
“I haven’t tried, so I don’t know.”
“Really?”
“Yes, there’s no reason to move so quickly in this cell, and the shackles limit my movement anyway.”
Raylenne glanced at Aiden’s shackles.
“Indeed…”
That day, Aiden hadn’t been bound by shackles, so his movement was unrestricted. Raylenne suddenly imagined something. If Aiden used that mysterious power again, wouldn’t it be possible for him to break free from those shackles?
After all, his movement that day couldn’t be explained by physical means, so it wasn’t entirely impossible for him to escape those shackles.
“Even if I gained such a strange power again and could escape, I wouldn’t recklessly try to leave.”
At Aiden’s calm voice, Raylenne looked up.
“Why…?”
Aiden’s eyes slowly scanned the cell. His gaze finally settled on Raylenne.
“Because I don’t want to leave this place yet.”
Anyone overhearing this conversation would find it very strange. A prisoner in an underground prison, saying he didn’t want to leave even if he could. While Raylenne stood there, bewildered, Aiden sat down on the floor.
“Even if I leave this place, I have nowhere to go.”
Although Aiden added another reason, Raylenne already sensed something was wrong.
‘…Aiden doesn’t seem to have any intention of escaping.’
This was a huge problem. Worse, the reason Aiden didn’t want to leave was likely because of her. To confirm Aiden’s true feelings, Raylenne decided to bring up a topic she had been hesitant to mention.
“Aiden.”
“Yes.”
“Even if I get married and leave this dukedom, do you still have no intention of leaving this place?”
Aiden’s body seemed to freeze. His ashen eyes slowly moved up from Raylenne’s feet to her face.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Answer me first. If I’m not here, do you still want to stay here?”
Aiden suddenly stood up. His eyes, which had approached her in an instant, gleamed fiercely, as if they would devour her. He stopped only when the chains went taut, preventing him from moving further.
Raylenne quietly met Aiden’s gaze. Emotions swirled in his eyes. Though she asked on purpose, she realized she didn’t need his answer.
She already knew that Aiden didn’t want to escape because of her.
“Is the person Harbian?”
Raylenne’s mouth fell open in surprise.
“How did you…?”
Aiden tightly closed his eyes.
“I suspected it, but…”
Bang!
Aiden’s fist hit the wall, reverberating loudly. Even so, he didn’t seem to release his frustration, clenching his fists and hanging his head.
In a low, growling voice, Aiden spoke through his teeth.
“That man is unacceptable.”
When Aiden opened his eyes and slowly raised his face, his expression was dark. Seeing that, Raylenne felt her heart sink.
“Aiden…”
His black pupils seemed devoid of life, as if consumed by emotion. Only his faintly trembling eyebrows hinted at his struggle to suppress his feelings.
“No, even if it’s not him, I don’t want you to marry anyone.”
“…”
“Are you asking if I would stay here if you’re not?”
Aiden’s reddened hand trembled as he reached out.
“No…”
His large hand touched Raylenne’s cheek.
“Without you here, why would I want to stay?”
Aiden’s eyes, tightly furrowed in anguish, looked as if he was being tortured.
“Don’t go. Please don’t leave me alone…”
His desperate voice pierced deep into Raylenne’s heart. The pain was almost unbearable.
Raylenne approached Aiden and gently held his head to her chest. Aiden, nestled in her embrace, murmured softly.
“Without you, I wouldn’t be able to endure…”
Raylenne cradled Aiden’s head. He let out a weak breath, remaining quietly in her arms.
As Aiden’s trembling body calmed down, Raylenne slowly began to speak.
“I won’t leave you here alone.”
“…”
“I promise.”
She felt Aiden flinch. But as there was no other response, she continued steadily.
“And… I have no intention of getting married, so don’t worry.”
Aiden lifted his head abruptly. His lost eyes wavered in confusion.
“…Really, is that true?”
“Yes. It’s not a marriage I want, and I know enough about him to make that decision.”
Aiden blinked. It was fascinating how quickly his icy, sharp expression softened.
Finding his reaction endearing, Raylenne suppressed a smile.
“That’s why I need your help.”
Raylenne took Aiden’s hand. From where he had punched the wall earlier, his knuckles were reddened and bleeding slightly.
As Aiden’s rough breathing calmed down, his voice returned to normal.
“What kind of help do you need?”
“I need information about Crown Prince Harbian. Specifically, his weaknesses. I thought you might know him well.”
Aiden nodded.
“I probably know more about Harbian than anyone else.”
Good, thought Raylenne to herself as she spoke to Aiden.
“And… just so you know, it won’t be me asking the questions about Harbian. It will be my brother.”
Aiden’s expression crumpled.
“You mean Caverion?”
“Yes. Caverion is the only one in this family who can help me.”
“…”
Aiden clearly found this displeasing. Although he rarely spoke ill of Caverion, Raylenne knew he intensely disliked him. Even without the recent war, the two had never gotten along.
“If not for my brother, I would have had no choice but to marry Crown Prince Harbian. He’s the one who told me the truth about him.”
“…”
“So, my brother is very important to me. I hope you can answer his questions when he comes here.”
“…Understood.”
Raylenne smiled faintly and patted Aiden’s head. Then, remembering something, she paused.
“Aiden, how did you know I was going to marry Crown Prince Harbian?”
“The smell.”
The smell…?
As if sensing her need for a detailed explanation, Aiden continued.
“The day you came to the underground prison wearing makeup, I asked where you had been.”
Raylenne remembered that day.
[Today you look especially radiant. Where did you go]
[No, a guest came this morning, so I dressed appropriately.]
But she had never mentioned meeting the Crown Prince.
“Harbian uses a unique perfume. The scent is very distinctive, and I smelled it on you that day, so I suspected.”
“You figured out I met Crown Prince Harbian just from the perfume?”
Aiden scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
“When you come close, all my senses heighten.”
Aiden really did have an exceptional sense of smell. How did he know she had met Crown Prince Harbian just from the perfume?
“Why did you think I was going to marry him just from meeting him?”
“That was just my intuition. If Crown Prince Harbian came all the way here, I knew it had to be for a secret reason.”
A combination of senses and intuition.
Raylenne thought that even if Aiden wasn’t an awakened being, his intelligence and physical abilities were far superior to the average person.
‘If he awakens, just how much more formidable will he become…’
Lost in thought, Raylenne composed herself as she got up. She was about to leave the cell when she glanced at Aiden with a displeased expression. She realized she had forgotten something important—the wound on Aiden’s hand from punching the wall.
“It’s better to leave some disinfectant.”
Raylenne quickly went to Haele’s station to fetch some disinfectant. Haele was dozing off, explaining why he hadn’t come running when the loud noise echoed earlier.
‘That’s actually a relief.’
With a shrug, Raylenne reentered the cell.
She grabbed Aiden’s hand and, feigning indifference, applied the disinfectant.
Despite the pain it must have caused, Aiden didn’t flinch.
“Why do you treat your body so recklessly? As I said, your body belongs to the House of Ergen.”
Aiden remained silent.
Finding his silence irritating, Raylenne deliberately pressed hard on the wound while applying the disinfectant, but it was futile. His hand showed no reaction.
“Ugh, a stubborn prisoner indeed.”
No wonder his hand was so injured from hitting that solid iron wall.
Raylenne grumbled as she looked at the wall Aiden had struck.
But then,
“What…?”
She was startled by what she saw.
midori
thanks! hmmm sometimes i feel raylenne doesn’t act like someone who has knowledge beyond the present. she’s a softie for aiden, understandable, but she’s rubberbanding like crazy.
….this must be what they call a love brain