Chapter 86
Since Caverion had taken on the task of dealing with Duke Ergen, Raylenne decided to focus on Aiden’s escape.
For weeks, Raylenne meticulously planned how to help Aiden escape. The room where Aiden was held was on the third floor, but if there was a rope or something similar, he could get out through the window. She also had the key to the shackles around Aiden’s ankles, so it would be a matter of giving him the key in advance to free him.
Once out of the room, Aiden would need to avoid the patrols and make his way to the main gate. Knowing the patrol routes in advance and informing Aiden would help avoid detection, so there shouldn’t be significant difficulties there.
‘The problem is getting out through the main gate.’
At first, she considered secretly placing Aiden in a carriage and having him leave the castle that way. Since she had bribed Kelvin, it would be easy to erase the traces of the carriage Aiden used.
However, the real issue came after that. Knights checked on Aiden every hour, so they would quickly discover if he had escaped. If the escape was discovered, the knights would start pursuing him, and an hour wouldn’t be enough to get far from the castle.
On the other hand, in the evening, the knights checked Aiden’s room every three hours. Therefore, Aiden needed to leave the castle during the evening to ensure he wouldn’t be caught immediately.
The challenge was that there were very few carriages going out in the evening, so the guards at the main gate would conduct thorough inspections.
‘If that’s the case, sneaking Aiden out in a carriage will be difficult.’
Instead, she planned to attract the attention of the main gate guards and help Aiden slip out while they were distracted. She hadn’t yet decided how to draw their attention and would need to scout around the gate starting the next day to find a way.
Once Aiden had successfully left the castle, he would quickly distance himself from the Duke’s castle on a horse that Raylenne had prepared.
When others discovered Aiden’s escape, the knights would likely start their pursuit. Caverion had agreed to help with the pursuit, but Raylenne wasn’t entirely at ease.
Even though Caverion had promised to assist, it only meant that Caverion would not be directly chasing Aiden. Out of caution, Caverion would have to pretend to be searching for Aiden, and if Aiden was caught during that time, the plan would fail.
However, since Aiden was mostly recovered, he should be able to handle a few knights if he encountered them.
Thus, the escape plan was nearly complete.
‘Now I just need to figure out how to distract the gate guards.’
She intended to plan this part more carefully. Although time was tight, there was still about a month before Duke Ergen’s deadline to kill Aiden.
Raylenne thought about this as she prepared for the night, before Duke Ergen, full of rage, returned to the Duke’s castle.
* * *
Duke Ergen returned home late that evening.
Raylenne had no idea where he had been; he never shared his schedule with anyone. However, it was clear that his mood was extremely sour. From the expression on Duke Ergen’s face visible below the window and the flustered behavior of his attendant following behind, it was evident that something was wrong.
‘What could have happened?’
In the past, Raylenne wouldn’t have cared about Duke Ergen’s mood, but things were different now. She needed to be keenly aware of his condition and thoughts, as his mood could influence Aiden’s situation.
Raylenne quickly left her room and headed towards Duke Ergen’s quarters. She intended to inquire about what had happened that day.
Previously, Duke Ergen might have been suspicious of her seemingly affectionate behavior, but after weeks of effort, he had gradually started to trust her.
It was almost foolish how she had come to understand Duke Ergen, thinking she had matured too late.
‘Well, if I’ve matured, then I’ve matured.’
Unlike before, she was no longer passively enduring situations.
Raylenne concealed her true feelings and arrived at Duke Ergen’s room.
Knock, knock.
“Father, it’s Raylenne.”
There was a long silence before a deep, tired voice responded from within.
“I’m tired, so leave me alone for today.”
The response was unlike his usual reactions, and Raylenne was certain that something significant had occurred.
There was no way she could retreat now. Without waiting for permission, she opened the door and entered.
Duke Ergen was slouched in his chair, his tie loosened haphazardly. Seeing Raylenne enter without permission, his brows furrowed.
“I told you to leave me alone today.”
“I heard from the attendant that you’re not in good spirits.”
The attendant never said a word to her. He was a loyal subordinate of Duke Ergen.
But the truth of the matter was not what mattered at this moment.
“So?”
“I’m worried about you… after all, you are our patriarch.”
Raylenne had realized something while growing closer to the Duke. Even the seemingly unfeeling Duke Ergen, who seemed impervious to pain, occasionally struggled. Yet, he had no one to confide in.
His relationship with Caverion had recently soured, and he never showed weakness to his subordinates.
Even the cold-blooded Duke Ergen was human, and not having anyone to share his struggles with was a significant vulnerability.
Just like now.
“I want to hear about what’s troubling you. You never know, I might be able to offer some help.”
Duke Ergen straightened up in his chair and fixed his tired eyes on Raylenne. After a long sigh, he slowly spoke.
“I met with Duke Bedeusian today.”
Raylenne was taken aback, though she kept her surprise to herself.
This was indeed unexpected news.
“What did he say?”
“He asked if I had any plans to release Aiden Bedeusian.”
It was surprising that Duke Bedeusian had brought up Aiden. Although it was too late for that conversation, the fact that he was not completely discarding Aiden was surprising.
Raylenne was momentarily filled with hope that she might not need to help Aiden escape if the situation was resolved favorably.
But that hope was dashed by the Duke’s next words.
“The way that man spoke about Aiden was utterly contemptible.”
Duke Ergen brushed his disheveled hair aside.
“He acted as if doing me a favor, saying he would give me a chance to release Aiden by the end of this year because Damian Bedeusian would awaken soon.”
Raylenne’s eyes widened. Damian was nineteen years old this year. According to prophecy, an awakener always awakened before turning twenty, so Damian was expected to awaken this year. With only a month left in the year, Duke Bedeusian’s comment about Damian’s imminent awakening was clear.
Duke Ergen scoffed with a bitter smile.
“A chance…? As if flattering me wasn’t enough, he dared to threaten me with just one awakener!”
The Duke’s clenched fist began to tremble, signaling a serious and ominous situation.
Raylenne struggled to maintain a calm voice.
“Father, please calm down. It’s merely a shallow provocation.”
“No, that man is truly intending to strike our family once Damian awakens.”
If Duke Ergen was anxious about this, he could simply hand Aiden over to the Bedeusian family’s request. However, Duke Ergen was adamant about never doing so, even if it meant facing death.
At that moment, the Duke’s eyes gleamed with a sinister resolve.
“I suppose we need to move the timing up.”
Raylenne was overtaken by a fresh wave of anxiety. She barely managed to croak out a question.
“What…?”
“The timing for killing Aiden. We need to shake the royal family with Aiden’s death before Damian awakens.”
Raylenne could only gape in shock.
After a moment, she managed to speak.
“Father… this is not something to rush. It could end up causing more harm…”
“No! We cannot just sit idly by while that cursed Bedeusian family might attack us!”
The Duke slammed his fist on the desk with a loud thud. His tightly shut jaw trembled.
After a chilling silence, Duke Ergen slowly opened his lips.
“I will call you and Caverion tomorrow to discuss the details, so for now, leave.”
Raylenne had no further words to say. She could barely keep her legs from giving way as she made her way back to her room, step by step.
* * *
As he had said, Duke Ergen summoned Raylenne and Caverion to his office early in the morning.
When she saw Duke Ergen again, he looked exhausted, as though he had spent the entire night awake.
‘It’s the same for me.’
Raylenne hadn’t slept a single minute the previous night. According to the Duke’s plan, her escape plan would be disrupted.
In contrast, Caverion, who was unaware of the situation, seemed somewhat surprised by the sudden summons and the Duke’s disheveled appearance. Their recent strained relationship made such meetings rare.
“Caverion, Raylenne. The reason I called you here this morning is…”
Duke Ergen forced his bloodshot eyes open and glared at them.
“It’s to inform you that we need to expedite Aiden’s matter.”
Caverion seemed to immediately grasp what the Duke meant. His expression hardened at the unexpected announcement.
“Why the sudden urgency?”
“Because of Damian Bedeusian’s awakening.”
The Duke shot a sharp glance at Caverion.
“If you had been more competent, I wouldn’t have had to make such a decision.”
Raylenne could tell that the Duke was extremely agitated and hysterical, but it was frustrating that he was placing the blame on Caverion.
Nevertheless, Caverion remained unperturbed.
“How do you plan to kill Aiden? If you plan to transport the body to the Bedeusian family or the royal family, they might sense something suspicious about the death and turn against us.”
Caverion’s concern was valid. If the body were handed over and the death appeared suspicious, the Ergen family could end up under scrutiny.
“I’ll make it look like a suicide by slashing his wrists.”
Raylenne found herself clenching her teeth in disbelief at how casually the Duke spoke of disguising it as a suicide.
Meanwhile, Caverion continued to question the Duke, seemingly oblivious to the Duke’s demeanor.
“When do you plan to kill Aiden?”
The Duke clasped his hands and took a deep breath.
“The day after tomorrow.”
