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Chapter: 20
“Let me ask you the opposite. The reason she persuaded Heos to go to the dining hall was purely for Heos’s sake. His thin body must have looked clearly undernourished. Since he hadn’t been eating, did any of you even try, at mealtime, to feed him even a single spoonful as you watched him grow thinner?”
“W-we focused on protecting Master and tried not to offend him…”
“Then why did you stop him from going for a walk, which contradicts your claim of trying not to offend him?”
“That was…! To avoid causing inconvenience to others!”
“Ha, what a laughable excuse.”
Crackle—
At the sudden snap of electricity somewhere, the knights flinched.
“You were not Heos’s guardians. A knight’s duty is to protect and assist Heos. Who failed to do the obvious? It was you.”
“N-no! We—!”
“You still won’t admit it. I see that the household was in chaos while I was away.”
“…We apologize.”
Ian bowed deeply. Caiden, rifling through piles of documents, pulled out the knights’ resumes.
Just as he was about to throw them at the knights and yell for them to leave, another knight shouted as if delivering a final blow:
“Your Highness! That dedicated maid knew about Aether! She claimed that the frequent outbursts occur because his abilities were being restricted! Just like the body needs to expel waste, Aether needs to be released. It’s… abnormal!”
The knight fell silent mid-sentence. Caiden’s gaze, dark and ominous, scanned him. The veins on his hand bulged as if ready to seize the knight by the neck and silence him.
“Another crime added to the list. I never told you to restrict his actions—only to protect Heos.”
“We never—!”
“Even though you claimed you were careful not to offend Heos, you opposed him when he wanted to go for a walk and limited his abilities, provoking his anger. Outbursts are dangerous. That’s why you were placed by his side. Did you hear that as permission to treat Heos like a criminal and imprison him?”
“…….”
“If anyone were injured because of Heos, that would be my concern. An accident that happens on duty, caused by my son, I would treat with care. Full medical expenses, rest, and double pay would be provided. If the risk of an outburst makes you uneasy, you can leave this mansion.”
Indeed, when it became clear that Erphylshi was a witch and Heos’s outbursts became frequent, anyone who wanted to leave was encouraged to do so. Recommendation letters and new job opportunities were provided for those who departed.
Those who struggled and decided they could not stay were not forcibly held back. In fact, they were even given extra compensation for their efforts.
“Now, even if you don’t want to leave, you will have to.”
The knights, struck as if by lightning, turned pale and fell to their knees, begging for another chance. But there was no mercy. The issue had to be eradicated at its root.
“I have no use for knights who cannot admit their own faults and only make excuses. I won’t let them suffer unnecessarily. It would be best if they disappear from my sight immediately.”
The blue electricity, terrifying to behold, seemed ready to strike at any moment. Realizing it was not a warning, the knights fled in panic.
Caiden roughly swept his hair back.
“To think those were the knights assigned to protect Master… The fault is mine.”
“It’s done. It’s not your fault. I should have eradicated this earlier. Rise. We need competent knights to guard Heos…”
Because of the urgent nature of the assignment, people who could control Heos’s outbursts were selected. While there were many skilled individuals, few had perfect character.
“Your Highness, what do you think about what the knights said? It doesn’t sound fabricated. Almost nothing is known about Aether, yet she knew about it. Doesn’t that seem like too much of a coincidence?”
That a commoner knew about Aether, prevented Heos’s outbursts, and was the only one allowed to be near him.
“Even the most reputable physicians in the capital said they had no solution, didn’t they?”
“Yes.”
The reason Caiden had been absent from the mansion for a month was to prevent Heos’s sudden outbursts, which came at unpredictable times. Even visiting royal physicians or other respected doctors yielded the same response:
It depends on the individual, and only the person themselves can control Aether. Outbursts occur when they cannot control it, and the solution lies with them alone.
All gave similar answers.
“And you, Your Highness? You’ve experienced outbursts before.”
“In my case, I’m an exception. The target conveniently came to me.”
“…Target? You mean Your Highness, the prince.”
“Prince? Nonsense. They were insolent, unaware of their place.”
Caiden couldn’t claim he had never experienced outbursts himself.
As a child, his strong abilities were difficult to control. Whenever someone provoked him, he would unleash his powers fully, seeing it as justified retaliation.
His mother scolded him many times, but he couldn’t stop because it felt relieving to use his abilities.
Afterwards, he sought out places to use his abilities deliberately. Since others came to challenge him, he had no hesitation.
“I see why.”
Watching Caiden nod calmly, Ian exhaled. Originally, Ian had said he needn’t suspect Miliana, but now he found himself more suspicious.
No matter how he thought about it, the knights’ claim didn’t sound like something an ordinary person could know. Even palace physicians were unaware.
The transcendent were so few that they were considered the nation’s strongest military force, and many details about them remained unknown. It was said that many children had died from outbursts due to their immense power.
“How did Miliana know?”
“Well, she could have made it up, or it could be true. But if Heos doesn’t have outbursts, isn’t that good? I personally saw her attitude. She’s definitely not someone like Erphylshi.”
“I agree.”
Even after hearing the knights’ account, Caiden did not suspect Miliana. In fact, he trusted her more.
Not only did she know about Aether, but she could also speak up for Heos when necessary.
“If she knows about Aether, that’s even better. I don’t know what method she used, but having her nearby clearly reduced the outbursts.”
“…I suppose that’s a good sign.”
“Opposite opinion. Even this morning, you said she wasn’t someone to be trusted?”
“Telling lies and hiding something are different.”
“Hiding something… I wonder about that too.”
But then he laughed. He remembered the constant bright smiles of Heos and Miliana. Even if she was hiding something, it might be related to Heos. Listening to the knights, he thought there must be a reason.
“We need to investigate her background quickly. Didn’t you order an inquiry at the orphanage? Has it made any progress?”
“It’s at the southern end, so it takes time. The surgery went well, so she should arrive soon.”
“It won’t be too late to check then. I’ll go see the construction site. I need to see how far it has progressed.”
He walked toward the construction site, Ian following. At the annex, there was some commotion. Ian asked if it was disrupting the work.
“Oh, no. They were just properly training the newcomers. Although it’s outside the construction zone, they were cautious since some parts might still collapse.”
“Somebody…? Where is that person?”
The overseer looked around and realized Miliana had disappeared. Scratching his head in frustration, he said:
“She… must have gone inside.”
“Who entered the annex?”
“Yes… it was a woman. She seemed to have come looking for Lady Sein.”
Sein. That was Asilia’s surname.
“Lady Asilia came here?”
The overseer nodded.
“She came before. I’m not sure why, but she said she had business in the garden. It’s more dangerous now during construction… Why she went without saying anything, I don’t know.”
Caiden frowned deeply.
“Garden business…”
“Ian, ask about the construction here. I’ll go.”
Caiden walked toward the garden.
He could not guess why she had come. The garden had been carefully tended and cherished by Erphylshi.
She had visited often, asking for funds to make the garden even more beautiful. The main residence also had a garden, but it wasn’t as lovely as the annex.
After Erphylshi’s death, the garden was abandoned.
What business could she possibly have there?
As he neared the garden, he heard delicate voices. It wasn’t just one person, but two familiar voices.
They were slightly arguing—Asilia and Miliana. But their confrontation was unusual. Miliana was trying to move past Asilia, who was blocking her.
The atmosphere was one of absolute refusal to yield.
Caiden had seen such scenes many times. Asilia was mimicking the behavior of someone hiding something or acting suspiciously.
[Emerging Conspiracy]
Caiden appeared from behind. Miliana seemed slightly flustered but saw it as an opportunity to reveal her true self. She believed there would be goodwill since she had been appointed as his son’s dedicated maid.
‘Maybe she’s just being cautious… But I have to try!’
“Your Highness! I followed the lady as she entered the annex!”
Miliana spoke as if tattling. Asilia, with a sad expression, lowered her head.
“I merely have many memories in the annex. I couldn’t bear to see it in disrepair, so I came to check.”
“……”
Caiden remained silent for a moment. He could not understand Miliana tattling on him, nor Asilia suddenly lamenting her memories.
From the context, Asilia had arrived first and Miliana followed. He looked at Miliana, her eyes sparkling as she awaited his reaction.
