Chapter 75
This was the first time the rain had come down so heavily. The underground prison must have been in a terrible state. Raylenne regretted that she had been so preoccupied with Nadia’s death anniversary that she hadn’t immediately thought of Aiden. The muddled thoughts in her head quickly dissipated.
“Miss, where are you going in such a hurry?” Janie called out in surprise as Raylenne rushed down the corridor. But Raylenne didn’t have time to answer. She ran breathlessly to the underground prison.
As she descended the entrance, she saw Haele, who greeted her. “Raylenne! It’s a good thing you’re here.”
Sure enough, the floor of the underground prison was covered in water. The already cold and damp prison felt even more chilling. “When I arrived this morning, I found the water had pooled on the floor. It looks like the cells might be flooded too, and I’m worried about Aiden.”
“I’ll go check on him. You go and ask the castle manager for a way to drain the water.”
“Understood.”
Raylenne hurried to Aiden’s cell. As she walked, her shoes and the hem of her dress became soaked with rainwater.
‘How could Aiden have slept in a place like this?’ Raylenne thought, feeling a mix of sorrow and guilt as she opened the cell door.
The first thing she saw was the water covering the cell floor. The clinking of chains drew her attention, and she saw Aiden standing alone in the cold, damp cell. The water touching her feet was icy cold.
Aiden approached, looking down. His gaze stopped at Raylenne’s feet. “Your shoes are all wet,” he noted.
Even at this moment, Aiden’s concern for her made Raylenne feel a pang of frustration. “Is my shoes getting wet really the issue right now…? You…!”
Aiden responded calmly, almost as if comforting her. “I’m fine. It’s just some water.”
“…”
“I’ve been through worse. Compared to that, this is nothing…”
“No, it’s not!” Raylenne interrupted, her voice fierce.
“This is…” Raylenne couldn’t continue, closing her eyes tightly. She didn’t know how to process the whirl of emotions inside her. Aiden was right; this wasn’t a life-threatening situation. The cell hadn’t caught fire, nor had the prison collapsed from an earthquake. Compared to life-threatening war situations, this was indeed nothing.
But this was a matter of “dignity.” The rain had likely started flooding the cell since last night, ruining Aiden’s only shelter and soaking his blanket. He probably hadn’t slept all night. In a place without even a chair, sitting would have been difficult, and even if he had sat briefly, he wouldn’t have been able to stay long due to the cold.
As proof, Aiden’s pants weren’t wet; only the hem had absorbed some water. The air felt colder than usual, seeping into her lungs. Raylenne imagined Aiden, unable to sleep or sit, spending the night in this freezing prison. With Haele having left after his shift, no one would have known about the situation. Aiden had to endure it all alone, as he had done every day.
Raylenne clenched the hem of her dress tightly. She felt angry at Aiden’s situation and hated herself for not noticing sooner.
At that moment, Haele’s voice called from outside. “Raylenne! Are you here?”
Raylenne tried to calm her rising emotions and replied, “…Come in.”
Haele peeked inside and was shocked. “The cell’s a mess too…!”
Raylenne looked at Haele. “Is there a way to drain the water from the underground prison?”
“Ah, I asked the manager, but he said there are no drainage facilities in the underground prison, so it’s difficult.”
Raylenne’s eyes slowly scanned the water covering the cell floor. Her blue eyes darkened like shadows. “Then during the rainy season, we’ll have Aiden housed inside the castle.”
“…What?”
Haele was startled by her words. The idea of keeping a prisoner like Aiden inside the castle seemed unthinkable. Haele thought it was impossible.
“I’ll speak to Father and Brother about it myself.”
Raylenne made this decision without hesitation. She couldn’t leave Aiden in such a place for even one more day. Even if Aiden said he was fine, she was not.
“Raylenne,” Aiden’s voice called out. “Be rational. The Duke of Ergen will never allow it. If things go wrong, you could…”
Raylenne sensed what Aiden was trying to say. He wanted to warn her that she might be misunderstood or face unnecessary suspicion. But with Haele present, Aiden held back his words. It was true that Caverion and even the Duke of Ergen might suspect her intentions.
The real issue wasn’t the suspicion; it was the fact that if she didn’t act, Aiden would have to spend an indefinite amount of time in a cell worse than a pigsty.
“Aiden,” Raylenne met Aiden’s concerned gaze. “Don’t worry.”
Her blue eyes gleamed coldly. “This is the most rational decision I’ve ever made.”
Faced with Raylenne’s determined expression, Aiden couldn’t argue further. Her face showed more resolve than ever.
* * *
It happened that both Duke Ergen and Caverion were inside the castle. Raylenne left a brief message for Caverion to meet her in the duke’s study, then headed there herself. Caverion arrived shortly after Raylenne.
As they entered the study, Duke Ergen greeted them with a displeased expression. “What is it, Raylenne? I’m busy, so speak quickly and leave.”
“It won’t take long,” Raylenne assured him, stepping up to the duke’s desk, with Caverion standing beside her.
“Father, Brother,” Raylenne began, drawing their attention. She didn’t waste time and stated her purpose clearly. “We need to move Aiden inside the castle.”
Duke Ergen’s face immediately twisted in displeasure. “What are you talking about?”
“The heavy rain has flooded the underground prison. It’s not a place fit for anyone to stay right now.”
Duke Ergen irritably removed his glasses. “Did you come all the way here just for that?”
“My duty is to oversee the prisoners. Since there’s a problem, I’m reporting it to you, the highest authorities,” Raylenne replied without blinking.
“Stop with the nonsense and go back. If you come to me with such trivial matters again, you’ll be punished.”
“If we leave Aiden like that, he might die from hypothermia,” Raylenne said, looking directly into the duke’s eyes. Duke Ergen’s brows furrowed even deeper.
“What?”
“I said Aiden might die. The temperature in the cell is low, and the water makes it worse. With no place to escape the water, his body temperature will drop quickly.”
Raylenne’s tone was even, but her gaze burned intensely. “If it doesn’t matter if he dies, then we can leave him as he is.”
Her words, cold and slightly threatening, left Duke Ergen momentarily speechless. Though her point was valid, her attitude was extremely disrespectful, and it irked him.
At that moment, Caverion spoke up. “That would be best. It would be absurd for a prisoner we worked so hard to capture to die just because of some rainwater.”
Raylenne felt a huge relief internally; she had been worried whether Caverion would side with her. However, Duke Ergen, displeased with their united front, glared at them for a moment before waving his hand dismissively.
“Fine, do as you see fit.”
* * *
As Raylenne stepped out of the study, the tension finally released from her body. She looked at Caverion with a weary smile. “Brother, thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me?” Caverion’s tone was cool, causing Raylenne’s smile to falter.
“What…?”
“I made the decision because it would be inconvenient if the prisoner died. The same goes for you, doesn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“So, there’s no need to thank me. It was a decision based on the value of the prisoner.”
Though Raylenne found Caverion’s cold attitude puzzling, she was too grateful to him at the moment to dwell on it.
“And Raylenne,” Caverion continued.
“Yes?”
“I will decide where Aiden will stay inside the castle.”
Raylenne had no objections, as long as Aiden was inside the castle.
She nodded.
“Understood.”
“One more thing,” Caverion added, causing Raylenne to blink slowly.
“I will personally oversee Aiden’s management while he’s inside the castle.”
This decision was unexpected. Raylenne hesitated, her mouth opening and closing silently, before Caverion pressed, “What, don’t you like it?”
His piercing blue eyes seemed to be testing her, but Raylenne swallowed her questions for the time being. “No, it’s fine.”
Caverion nodded slightly. “Then I’ll take charge of Aiden inside the castle.”
