Chapter 57

Raylenne instinctively leaned forward, sensing the buildup. Aiden…?

“He was very popular.”

The unexpected remark nearly made Raylenne spit out the cocoa she had in her mouth. She managed to swallow it down and spoke with difficulty.

“So… people thought well of Aiden?”

“Yes, Aiden had a very good reputation.”

Raylenne couldn’t understand something about Janie’s statement. Aiden was known to have been mistreated and emotionally scarred by his family, which made him seem taciturn and aloof. Moreover, he was rarely seen at social gatherings.

“How did people know so much about Aiden? Did he attend social events often?”

Janie shook her head firmly.

“No, Aiden rarely attended social events, but his virtue was undeniable. Such things tend to seep through the walls.”

Oh, how intriguing. The novel never properly described Aiden’s past. It only vaguely mentioned that he had lived a very hard and difficult life. So, Janie’s account felt like an unexpected bonus chapter.

“Who spoke so highly of Aiden?”

“First of all, the knights of the Bedeusian family. Aiden was the head of the knights, after all.”

Cashwood, who had taken on Helen’s trail at Raylenne’s request, was also a retired member of Aiden’s knight order.

“He truly benefited from that reputation.”

Cashwood had accepted the request solely because of Aiden’s name. Normally, he wouldn’t take on a task without knowing the client’s identity.

Even though it was a brief experience, Janie’s statement that the knights praised Aiden made sense to Raylenne.

“Aiden may have been taciturn and aloof, but they say he looked after the knights meticulously. You know, those people who seem indifferent but are actually very considerate? Aiden was that kind of person.”

Taciturn and aloof. Raylenne had thought the same when she first met Aiden. Only recently had her perception changed.

Seeing Raylenne deep in thought, possibly misinterpreting her expression as displeasure at the praise of Aiden, Janie hastily added more.

“Ah… of course, Caverion is the same! Caverion, with his kind charisma, always embraces his subordinates and treats the employees with respect.”

“…Yes, my brother is like that.”

“In fact, Caverion is even more well-regarded. Not just because of his personality but also his handsome face, courteous manner, broad shoulders, and tall stature. Noble ladies often seek him out first.”

Realizing it anew, Caverion truly had it all, like a male lead from a drama. ‘Though he’s not the protagonist,’ she thought. That was her brother’s misfortune, if it could be called that.

Wondering about Caverion’s future, Raylenne became curious.

“Was Aiden popular with women too?”

“Oh, absolutely! If we ranked by popularity, Aiden would come right after Caverion. Then it would be Crown Prince Harbian and Damian.”

One of Raylenne’s eyebrows shot up.

“Aiden was that popular…?”

“Of course. He has similar physical attributes to Caverion. It’s just a matter of preference. If Aiden were as gentle as Caverion, his popularity would be comparable.”

“…Really?”

Janie, engrossed in her story, continued quickly.

“Yes! There was a count’s daughter who was so smitten with Aiden that she visited the ducal estate every day for several days.”

Realizing she might have said too much about Aiden, Janie glanced at Raylenne nervously. Fortunately, Raylenne didn’t seem angry or upset.

But not wanting to push her luck, Janie decided it was time to leave.

“Ahem, my lady, are you feeling warmer now?”

“Thanks to you, yes.”

Raylenne placed the empty cup on the side table.

“Then I think you should visit Master Caverion’s study.”

“To see my brother…?”

As she collected the cup, Janie spoke.

“Yes, he came by early this morning and asked to be informed when you were up. I didn’t want to disturb you since you were still warming up.”

“…Alright.”

Raylenne felt a pang of anxiety knowing Caverion had been looking for her since morning. ‘Why?’ she wondered. Was it because of what happened to Aiden yesterday? Since she had asked Haele to call a physician, Caverion would know about the incident. It wasn’t something she needed to hide, but it still made her uneasy.

After a quick wash, Raylenne changed into the clothes Janie had laid out and headed to Caverion’s study.

* * *

Knock, knock—!

“Brother, it’s Raylenne.”

“Come in.”

Caverion’s voice responded immediately from inside. As she opened the door slightly and stepped in, she saw him sitting with his back to the large window where sunlight poured in. 

It seemed to be her first time in his study. The room was well-organized, just like Caverion’s personality. Raylenne walked over to the desk where Caverion was seated.

“I heard you called for me.”

“You’ve just returned from the underground prison, haven’t you?” Caverion said, still looking at the papers he was holding.

He seemed to know that she had spent the night in the underground prison.

“…Yes.”

Caverion put down the pen he was holding. Raylenne worried he might ask her to explain what happened in detail, but instead, Caverion rose from his seat without a word. Raylenne followed his movement with her eyes. Contrary to her concerns, Caverion’s demeanor was as usual.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“…Not yet.”

“Then let’s go have breakfast together.”

Caverion grabbed the coat hanging on the coat rack. Although surprised by his sudden mention of breakfast, Raylenne nodded, as her stomach, warmed by cocoa, was starting to crave food.

Caverion dismissed the servants who tried to follow and headed to the dining room with Raylenne. Though the dining room was a family space, since Helis had left the estate, Caverion was the only one who frequently used it. Raylenne usually ate in her room unless there was a special reason. 

Because the real culprit hadn’t been caught, she still had to make the effort to fetch her own food. The Duke of Ergen often dined in his study or room, or he ate outside the estate due to frequent engagements.

‘Come to think of it, there haven’t been any family luncheons recently.’

The day Raylenne came into this body, the Duke of Ergen held a luncheon. It was a monthly family event, but it had naturally been omitted at some point, as if it had never existed. The reasons were likely the Duke’s increasing busyness and the disintegrating family relationships. They were never on good terms, but the rift between Caverion and the Duke was particularly damaging. Caverion had always followed the Duke’s lead until recently, when he began to defy him. This defiance must have been both annoying and uncomfortable for the Duke. The elimination of the monthly family luncheon was likely influenced significantly by that event.

‘Not that I mind.’

Raylenne glanced at Caverion, who sat across from her. If he had something to say, it would be best if he said it before the meal arrived, but he remained silent. To break the awkward silence, Raylenne started a small talk about recent events until the soup arrived, at which point she fell silent.

‘Mm, it smells good.’

The savory aroma eased her unease. Raylenne watched Caverion, wondering if he would finally bring up the topic. Instead, he simply said, “Go ahead and eat.” With that, he began eating, and Raylenne followed suit. 

As the warm soup filled her stomach after the cocoa, she felt revitalized. She ate everything that followed—the muffins, fried eggs, and bacon. Sleeping in a cold place seemed to have taken a toll on her body.

“You look well when you eat heartily.”

When she looked up, she saw Caverion smiling kindly, having put down his utensils. Half of his food was still left on his plate.

“Aren’t you eating more, brother?”

“Don’t mind me.”

He must have thought she wouldn’t worry if he said that. Raylenne put down her utensils as well. Having eaten most of her food, she had no regrets about stopping there. 

Caverion looked puzzled.

“Why aren’t you eating more?”

“I’m finished as well.”

Raylenne called a maid to bring some tea. The skilled maids quickly cleared the table, making it spotless again. A white teacup was placed on the reddish wooden table. Raylenne lifted the teacup and savored the aroma of the tea. Caverion also took a sip and placed his teacup on the saucer.

“Has Aiden regained consciousness after fainting?”

She had expected him to bring up Aiden.

“Yes. He woke up early this morning.”

“What did the physician say was the reason for his collapse?”

It wasn’t certain, but the physician speculated that Aiden’s unawakened body had been strained by using the power of an awakened one. However, she couldn’t report this to Caverion directly.

“It seems to be because of a cold. He had a slight fever since midday.”

“That’s unexpected. He never fainted even during the fiercest battles. To collapse from something as trivial as a cold…”

Caverion said, looking down at his teacup. Raylenne replied calmly, without showing any signs of surprise.

“His body seems to have weakened due to the harsh conditions of war and this place.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Raylenne thought she had explained it naturally, but Caverion seemed to think otherwise. He lifted his gaze from the teacup and locked eyes with Raylenne.

“For someone whose body was so weak, Aiden seems to have recovered a lot.”

“…”

“Did I see it wrong?”

His blue eyes, staring into hers, were as deep and unfathomable as the ocean depths.