Chapter 59
Kaiden’s stubborn words snapped Reina back to reality.
Clearing up the misunderstanding was urgent.
“Kaiden, he’s not at fault.”
“You’re too lenient.”
“No, really, he’s done nothing wrong. If anything, he’s a benefactor!”
Frustrated, Reina raised her voice.
Kaiden frowned at the word “benefactor.”
“I was asking him to find my brother.”
“Then why were you crying?”
“Because he gave me this watch.”
Kaiden’s gaze fell on the pocket watch. Reina opened the lid, showing him the inscription.
“This was my gift to my brother for his twentieth birthday. He carried it during the subjugation. Arteon, who gave it to me, introduced himself as my brother’s friend.”
* * *
The dungeon was damp and cold. The North’s chill seeped through the bricks, creeping into Arteon’s lungs, leaving an unsettling sensation.
He’d repeatedly demanded to see the manager, but the guards didn’t even blink, treating him like he was invisible.
With no windows, he couldn’t tell how much time had passed. It felt like half a day.
As night fell, the cold grew sharper.
Wrapped in a moldy blanket, Arteon felt utterly wretched.
This isn’t why I came to the North…
Had he known Reina would react so intensely, he’d have arranged a private meeting.
For the incident to unfold in the middle of the banquet hall made Kaiden’s misunderstanding inevitable.
Still, the misunderstanding should’ve been cleared by now.
Unaware that Reina had collapsed from crying, Arteon grew increasingly anxious.
Was he really going to spend the night here?
Just then, a guard opened the cell door. “Come out.”
The courtesy was a stark contrast to when they’d locked him up.
Arteon tossed the blanket aside and sprang to his feet.
The guard led him to a reception room, where he found Alfredo pacing frantically.
“Young Master!”
Alfredo burst into tears upon seeing him.
Arteon was glad to see him too. “Manager!”
“Didn’t I tell you to be careful? We nearly held your funeral in the North!”
The relief vanished as Alfredo’s scolding began.
“I had a bad feeling when you insisted on attending the banquet. Why did you make the Duchess cry?”
“I didn’t know she’d cry!”
“So you did do something to make her cry.”
“Well…”
Arteon trailed off, rubbing the back of his head.
Alfredo’s face reddened with indignation. “When you see Her Grace, thank her first! If she hadn’t intervened, you’d be dead!”
“She wants to see me?”
Arteon’s eyes lit up, but Alfredo gasped.
“The Duke will be there too, so mind your manners. If you value your head, you’ll understand.”
“My ears are bleeding.”
Arteon grimaced, covering his ears, but Alfredo pressed on relentlessly.
“If bleeding ears scare you, why act so recklessly? I’ll report everything to Earl Hook when we return. You’ll wish for bleeding ears then.”
“Manager, come on!”
“What!”
Alfredo, still shaken, clutched his chest and grumbled.
He’d spent the time Arteon was locked up hoarsely protesting to the Duke’s aide.
“Dealing with you will be the death of me.”
“You’ll live long, Manager. All that scolding keeps you young.”
“Oh, this fool. What riches did I chase to end up with such a rascal?”
“I can hear you, Manager.”
“That’s the point!”
Alfredo clutched his forehead, sighing loudly, just as Reina and Kaiden entered the reception room.
* * *
An awkward silence filled the room. The unexpected confrontation carried a strange tension.
Kaiden watched Arteon like a guard dog protecting its master, ready to throw him back in the dungeon at the slightest misstep.
Reina, however, was calm, her earlier breakdown barely believable, exuding an unapproachable air.
She broke the silence. “It seems Kaiden misunderstood. Are you alright after being locked up?”
Arteon, recalling his unjust imprisonment, replied sharply, “I learned why prisoners lose their minds. And what it feels like to have your bones ache.”
Still, aware of his own role in the mess, he didn’t protest outright.
As he pouted, Kaiden’s eyebrow twitched.
Arteon added quietly, “One thing’s clear—the Duke is scarier than the dungeon.”
“Kaiden, stop glaring like that,” Reina said.
“I’m just looking.”
Looking where?
Arteon rubbed his goosebump-covered arm, frowning.
Though Kaiden’s aura was less intense than at the banquet, it was enough to revive the earlier terror.
He cherishes his wife dearly.
Being locked up was bad, but this was worse.
Arteon placed a hand on his chest. “I apologize for my rudeness. I was sensitive about the matter and unintentionally upset Her Grace.”
Alfredo’s eyes widened at Arteon’s willing apology—he’d been ready to force one.
Reina replied calmly, “You were rude.”
“…”
“But thank you. For finding this.”
She toyed with the pocket watch, a faint smile on her lips. Her azure eyes shimmered with emotion, as if thinking of its owner.
After a pause, she asked cautiously, “Why do you believe my brother is alive?”
“I’m only speculating. The watch was found far from the subjugation route.”
“…”
“It could’ve been stolen and sold, but… I choose to believe Jeffery’s alive.”
Arteon spoke with firm conviction.
It was less evidence than she’d hoped, but it was enough.
Knowing someone else believed and hoped for Jeffery’s survival was reassuring.
She’d thought she was alone.
Perhaps she’d isolated herself.
“You said you were his friend?”
“Yes.”
“So, were you searching for him for personal reasons?”
“Technically, it started as a commission from the Eve family. They’ve long since withdrawn, and I’ve been quietly pursuing it alone.”
The mention of her estranged family made Reina’s lips part in surprise.
She hadn’t known they’d commissioned the Hook Company to search for Jeffery.
“Your Highness, please stay strong.”
“Never forgive us for leaving you.”
Before leaving the capital, the Eve family had held her hands, apologizing endlessly.
They seemed reluctant to abandon the young princess.
Afterward, they never sent a single letter.
Reina had thought they’d forsaken her.
Kaiden, who’d been listening silently, spoke up. “Why did the Eve family withdraw their commission? With such clear evidence, shouldn’t they have doubled their efforts?”
“Well…”
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