Chapter 92
For a while, the Empire buzzed with stories about the Ergen Duke family. Caverion had become the new head of the Ergen family, and Dmitri Ergen, the previous Duke, was brought to trial after Raylenne’s recording device was admitted as evidence. Although Dmitri Ergen was a Duke, and as such, typically immune to the death penalty, his actions were so severe that Raylenne was content with even a prison sentence for him. Surprisingly, Caverion, who was expected to make a more rational decision, demanded that the Duke be exiled instead of imprisoned.
Raylenne was curious why Caverion did not seek a prison term and asked him about it. He replied with a gentle smile that, for someone like Duke Ergen, wandering in exile would be more disgraceful and arduous than serving a prison sentence. Although Raylenne suspected there might be another motive behind his smile, she chose not to probe further. The commotion around her was overwhelming, with many issues needing attention.
One example was Aiden’s situation. As soon as Caverion inherited the title of Duke, he ordered Aiden to return to the Bedeusian family. This was intended to free him from captivity.
* * *
Before Duke Ergen was put on trial, he was imprisoned in the dungeon, and as the chaotic state of the Duke’s residence gradually settled, Caverion summoned Aiden and Raylenne. Caverion got straight to the point.
“Aiden, within this week, I will send someone from the Bedeusian family to retrieve you. You are to return with them.”
Aiden, sitting and looking up at Caverion, had a slightly defiant posture. “Is it acceptable to release a prisoner without any cost?”
His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction. Raylenne found Aiden’s demeanor in this situation somewhat unfamiliar. He had always behaved like a loyal dog to her, but when facing Caverion, he seemed to transform into an unpredictable hunting dog.
Nevertheless, what was comforting in this situation was that, despite Aiden’s insolent behavior, Caverion could no longer unilaterally punish him.
Caverion folded his arms and looked down at Aiden. “I intend to end this dreadful cold war. I will send you back to the Bedeusian family along with a peace treaty.”
“…”
“By now, you must have realized that Damian is not an Awakened. They will have no grounds to refuse this peace treaty.”
Caverion’s actions were different from those of the previous Duke Ergen. He had come to Raylenne the night Duke Ergen was imprisoned and had informed her in advance that he would be putting an end to this futile conflict. Raylenne felt as if the ice was finally melting and spring was approaching.
“Aiden, you will agree to this peace treaty, won’t you?”
Aiden nodded in response to Caverion’s question. However, his next words stopped Caverion’s plans in their tracks.
“But I will not return to the Bedeusian family.”
Raylenne’s gaze snapped to Aiden, and Caverion’s expression darkened instantly. “Why?”
Aiden raised his hand, and a black aura began to emanate from his skin. “Although I have awakened, I am still unable to control this power well. If I cannot master it, it might endanger many people.”
Raylenne nodded inwardly, acknowledging that Aiden was right. In the original story, Aiden had struggled to control his powers even after awakening. This was not just in the original, but it was still the case now. Aiden had lost control and nearly killed Duke Ergen. Fortunately, his power had not gone haywire in the following days.
However, Raylenne could not relax just yet and thought she needed to find a way for Aiden to control his power as soon as possible. But Caverion did not seem to share this view.
“In that case, I must expel you from here. I cannot afford to keep such a dangerous element within the castle.”
“No, isn’t there someone here who can control me?”
Aiden’s gaze turned towards Raylenne. Realizing the implication, Caverion frowned. “Raylenne is not a handler.”
A handler. A handler’s role was to control Awakened individuals and assist them in using their powers effectively. Unless someone was as skilled at handling powers as Caverion, Awakened individuals required a handler.
‘But as Caverion said, I am not a handler,’ Raylenne thought. The role of a handler was originally that of the female protagonist in the original story.
Raylenne wore a bitter expression, while Aiden argued back. “Then how do you explain that Lady Raylenne was able to calm me?”
“That was a coincidence.”
Seeing that Caverion showed no signs of backing down, Aiden stood up and said, “Then let’s test it again.”
“How?”
“I will release my power now. Let Lady Raylenne directly verify if she can calm it.”
As Aiden finished speaking, the black aura extending from his hand grew more intense. Raylenne stared at the threateningly fluctuating aura, momentarily stunned.
Aiden extended his hand towards Raylenne. “Lady Raylenne, please hold my hand.”
Raylenne, following the request, slowly extended her arm and took Aiden’s hand. As Aiden closed his eyes and slowly exhaled, the terrifying aura began to subside. With the dense energy that had filled the space disappearing, Raylenne found it easier to breathe.
When Aiden opened his eyes and released Raylenne’s hand, his gaze turned towards Caverion. “As you can see.”
However, Caverion still seemed to disbelieve Aiden’s claims. No, it looked as though he thought he was being mocked. Caverion slammed his hand on the table with a loud thud.
“There’s a limit to jesting!”
Aiden replied with an indifferent expression. “This is no jest.”
“A handler must have innate qualities. If Raylenne possessed such qualities, I would have noticed them first.”
“Well, then you must have missed something.”
Aiden’s tone was sharp.
It seemed that Caverion understood the meaning behind Aiden’s repeated use of “missed.” Raylenne guessed what Aiden was referring to: “He must be blaming Caverion for not protecting me from Duke Ergen until now.”
An aura of agitation emanated from the excited Caverion. “What do you know about it…!”
Watching this, Raylenne felt a deep weariness. It seemed as if this meaningless conversation was going to drag on indefinitely. Finally, Raylenne, who had been silently observing, spoke up.
“Stop it, both of you.”
All eyes turned to Raylenne’s subdued voice. Her gaze was directed at Caverion.
“Brother, please allow Aiden to stay here.”
“That’s not possible. As I said, it’s too dangerous to keep someone who can’t control his power here.”
“I’m the only one who can stabilize that dangerous power.”
“Aiden may have used a convincing deception, but you’re not a handler, so you can’t stabilize the power.”
At that moment, Aiden calmly interjected. “In case you’re unaware, there are instances where a non-handler can perform a similar role due to brainwave synchronization.”
“I’m aware of that. But it’s a very rare occurrence.”
Raylenne was slightly surprised by their conversation. ‘So, it is possible for someone other than a handler to control an Awakened person…’
This was a detail not mentioned in the original story. However, it gave Raylenne a glimmer of hope. If she could indeed control Aiden even without being a handler, it would be a positive development.
Raylenne had been worried. What if Aiden sought out the female protagonist while searching for a handler? Although she believed Aiden’s feelings for her would not change, she still wanted to avoid such a situation if possible.
Raylenne strengthened her resolve and spoke with conviction. “Brother, I want to take on the role of Aiden’s handler. I want to do it.”
Seeing Raylenne’s determined eyes, Caverion rubbed his face in exasperation. He sighed deeply and said, “It might be dangerous.”
“It’s alright. Aiden won’t put me in any perilous situations.”
“If Aiden were to suddenly lose control, you would need to stay close to him.”
“If necessary, yes.”
Caverion furrowed his brow. “What exactly is Aiden to you…?”
But Caverion trailed off. He understood that asking what Aiden meant to Raylenne was now a futile question, as he already knew the answer.
“Alright. I will permit Aiden to stay here.”
“Thank you so much! Brother…”
“However,”
Caverion continued as he watched Raylenne’s joyful expression. “I cannot allow Aiden to remain here indefinitely.”
Raylenne’s gaze fell as Caverion reminded her of a fact she had forgotten. He was right. Once Aiden was free from captivity, he would need to return to the Bedeusian family or find his biological mother, Merian. He would no longer have a reason to stay here.
“Aiden, I’ll give you two months. Within that time, you must find a way to control your power and leave this place. If you don’t achieve any results by then, you’ll need to leave and seek a professional handler.”
“Two months…”
It was a period Raylenne couldn’t fully gauge. Still, she hoped Aiden would accept this offer. After all, there were no other options, and Caverion wouldn’t compromise further.
Raylenne looked at Aiden. He lowered his eyes and replied, “Understood.”
