Chapter 109: Like a Pryster (2)

 

Unlike the leisurely night, the morning of the Pryster soldiers was rough and quick.

 

Upon realizing my improved condition, Lawrence ordered the soldiers to increase their pace, and they all obeyed the command without question.

 

The carriage jolted and shook, but it wasn’t my body that grew uncomfortable with each bump; it was my heart.

 

I still didn’t know exactly what had happened to the twins.

 

Was Lawrence concerned about my physical well-being, or was it a matter too difficult to speak of... or perhaps just a stratagem? He never did reveal what had transpired with the twins.

 

Since I was on my way back to my domain anyway, I refrained from prying further. I would find out when I got there.

 

Maybe there was an inner fear in me. Perhaps I wasn’t ready to face a shocking truth.

 

Occasionally, as my worries for them deepened, my breath would catch and my chest would feel constricted.

 

I hoped the situation would only deviate within the range I could predict.

 

That simply by knowing I was alive, everything would be resolved.

 

And, I could again muster the strength to leave my siblings’ side.

 

Inside the rapidly moving carriage, I prayed fervently as I gazed intently at my homeland, now just a speck in the distance.

 

****

 

-Boooooo... Boooooo...

 

Upon his horse, Lawrence’s servant, his cape billowing, sounded the Pryster’s horn.

 

The people and merchants entering the domain all made way, and the gatekeepers threw the castle doors wide open.

 

We charged into the castle without hesitation.

 

Many raised their voices at the sight of the returning Sir Lawrence, and the crowd parted more and more.

 

My heart was now racing.

 

As if I had become the horse itself, my fingertips tingled, and my lips grew dry.

 

I couldn’t understand why the fear intensified the closer I got, compared to when I first heard the news. Perhaps now it felt more real.

 

“...Haa.”

 

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. It seemed best to first let them know I was healthy.

 

As we entered the small square in front of the main gate, numerous Pryster servants rushed towards us.

 

From the carriage, Helen’s voice calling Lawrence’s name could be heard.

 

“Sir Lawrence! So, is there any new information? Did you find the mastermind-”

 

When the carriage stopped, I hurriedly disembarked, careful not to strain myself.

 

My appearance sparked a huge commotion.

 

“Cayden!!”

 

“Oh..! Oh...! It’s really Lord Cayden..!”

 

“He’s alive!”

 

Their reaction was similar to when I had encountered Pryster’s soldiers. They were screaming, covering their mouths in astonishment.

 

Perhaps because I had begun to recover, or maybe because I was now out of danger, bearing weight on my legs felt burdensome.

 

I limped slightly as I approached Helen.

 

Soon, Judy slipped under my arm, offering support.

 

“....Thank you.”

 

“....It’s only natural.”

 

Helen stood with her mouth agape as she looked at me. Her eyes wandered, and her breathing was irregular.

 

I approached her and said,

 

“....Helen.”

 

“Cay... Lord Cayden..”

 

A single tear rolled down from her eye.

 

“...Lord Cayden..”

 

“......”

 

“.....Why did you take so long to come back...”

 

Her words carried a lot of weight. The situation seemed... heavier than I had anticipated.

 

I could understand her tears. With the twins and Grandma also in trouble, Helen must have struggled to hold on. There was also the butler, Thien, but in reality, all the servants probably looked only to Helen for commands, adding to her burden.

 

“.....Helen. You’ve done well.”

 

“Lord Cayden. I’m so relieved you’re alive.”

 

“......I’ll go see Grandma first.”

 

I declared.

 

Helen nodded.

 

As I entered the mansion, a familiar air greeted me. It was the scent of home. Everything was familiar, but if there was one difference...

 

Asena and Keirsey were nowhere to be seen.

 

Considering the commotion outside, they should have appeared, yet they were absent.

 

The anxiety grew. It seemed I should pay my respects to Grandma quickly and then go see my siblings.

 

“Cayden!!”

 

At that moment, Grandma’s voice echoed throughout.

 

She appeared at the top of the stairs, on the second-floor railing, surrounded by numerous servants.

 

“Aah!! Cayden!!”

 

She hurried down the stairs.

 

“Lady Liana!”

 

The servants tried to assist her, but Grandma was quicker.

 

In no time, she stood before me, grasping my cheeks.

 

She looked at me with tearful eyes for a moment, then started scolding me, hitting my arms.

 

“Cayden, you unfilial child...! How could you do this!”

 

It was the most emotional I had ever seen her.

 

Although Thien and Helen tried to calm her, she continued unabated.

 

“Do you know how scared I was! I thought I had lost another child!”

 

“Lady Liana...! It’s not Lord Cayden’s fault...!”

 

“Yes, Lady Liana...! Please calm down..! Lord Cayden is not in healthy shape either!”

 

Helen and Thien interjected.

 

“Aah...! Cayden...! This old woman begs you...! Please stop doing this...! Don’t sacrifice yourself recklessly anymore...! Didn’t I tell you not to leave the family...! Why didn’t you listen to me then, breaking this old woman’s heart...! I truly thought... you were dead...!”

 

Grandma, having exhausted herself scolding me, finally collapsed. She looked more frail and powerless, perhaps having been bedridden with shock for days.

 

Thien and Helen supported her from both sides.

 

I knelt on one knee and looked up at her. Judy stepped away from me then.

 

I took her right hand in both of mine and said,

 

“......Grandma.. you worried a lot. I’m sorry. But I’m okay..”

 

“Oh dear... oh dear...”

 

“I’m fine... so please, ease your mind and take care of your health. You’ve become so thin...”

 

She, with tears streaming, embraced me as I knelt.

 

“...It’s such a relief... truly a relief...”

 

After releasing her emotions, Grandma quickly regained her composure.

 

She stroked my head for a long time, then stood up straight after wiping her tears, shifting her gaze to Judy, who was behind me.

 

“....Judy Ice....is that you?”

 

“....Yes. I’m Judy Ice, Cayden’s... former fiancée.”

 

“Why are you here?”

 

There was no malice in Grandma’s question. It seemed she had cast away all negativity in the joy of seeing me.

 

It was a question of pure curiosity.

 

Judy glanced at me, then spoke firmly.

 

“.....I am here because I saved Cayden.”

 

“What?”

 

Judy isn’t one to boast about her accomplishments. As straightforward as she is in confronting others, she usually doesn’t talk about herself.

 

Even when I was awarded for rescuing commoner children from the academy, Judy insisted she hadn’t done anything significant.

 

But now, she fearlessly mentioned this to Grandma, indicating a clear intention.

 

It wasn’t hard for me to guess what it was.

 

Judy was trying to make a good impression on Grandma.

 

“...I found Cayden. I helped him escape while he was being pursued. That’s how I ended up here.”

 

Grandma immediately reacted to her words.

 

Without responding, she walked over to Judy.

 

Judy looked tense but did not avert her eyes.

 

Grandma embraced her tightly.

 

“.....Thank you... thank you so much...”

 

Judy, in her embrace, nodded slightly and then looked back at me.

 

It wasn’t hard to notice the longing in her eyes directed at me.

 

****

 

The conversation hadn’t concluded, but I decided to wrap up the situation and move on.

 

Something had been bothering me for a while, but I had tried not to show it.

 

Asena and Keirsey... they were nowhere to be seen.

 

I hoped they were just angry with me.

 

I wished Asena was keeping her word of never wanting to see my face again.

 

I would rather hear through a servant that she refused to see me, dismisses me at the door, and doesn’t wish to lay eyes on me.

 

If only that were the case, I could be assured of their well-being, inform them of my survival, and leave them again without much difficulty.

 

“.....This way.”

 

In the hallway leading to Asena and Keirsey’s room, Helen guided me in a different direction.

 

“......This way?”

 

“Follow me, Lord Cayden.”

 

With questions in mind, I followed Helen and arrived at... my own room.

 

Other servants stationed there were surprised in their own ways upon seeing me, but I was only curious as to why Helen brought me to my room.

 

Was it to wait for the twins to come?

 

“....Lord Cayden, don’t be shocked.”

 

“What?”

 

At Helen’s signal, the door to my room opened.

 

The first thing I noticed was the change in the room.

 

But before I could dwell on that, the second change I noticed was.... in my bed, two women were lying.

 

I forgot to breathe.

 

It felt as if I had returned to 10 years ago.

 

When I first met the twins: They were slowly dying, refusing food in the grief of losing their parents.

 

I walked towards them in a daze.

 

The more I approached, the more my throat tightened, and reality seemed to slip away.

 

The shocking sight before my eyes became increasingly vivid.

 

At a glance, they just looked like two beautiful women simply asleep.

 

But I knew that wasn’t the truth.

 

Before I knew it, I stood by the bedside, looking down at them.

 

For the first time in a long while, I called out their names.

 

“.....Asena.”

 

Despite my call, Asena, who used to wake up with a small smile at just the sound of her name, remained motionless.

 

“......Keirsey.”

 

Keirsey, too, showed no response.

 

Helen approached and spoke from behind me.

 

“.....Lady Asena has been unconscious for three days now. Lady Keirsey... has been waking up and collapsing repeatedly. Ever since they heard the news of Lord Cayden’s death, neither of them has eaten anything...”

 

Helen’s explanation seemed muffled, barely reaching me.

 

The only clear thing to me was the faint sound of my sisters’ breathing.

 

I never thought I’d see them like this again, just like when we were young.

 

How much must they have missed me? How shocking must the news of my death have been?

 

That strong Asena. That lively Keirsey, how could they have collapsed like this?

 

What were they thinking, even in their collapsed state, to lie on my bed? Did they want to feel my warmth through this bed?

 

It felt as if their lives were intertwined with mine. If I die, would they follow?

 

I couldn’t fathom how they could love me this much.

 

Seeing them like this, any walls I had built towards them crumbled effortlessly.

 

“Asena.... wake up. Your Oppa is here.”

 

I placed my hand on her cheek and called her name.

 

“....Oppa isn’t dead. I’m not dead, so...”

 

I gritted my teeth, then caressed Keirsey’s cheek.

 

I stroked Keirsey’s silver hair and called out to her.

 

“....Keirsey, you need to wake up... It’s still daytime... You can’t sleep this early... Didn’t Oppa tell you...?”

 

A heavy silence fell.

 

No one spoke. Eventually, I lost my strength and knelt in front of them.

 

Leaning my head against the bed, I remained motionless for a long time.

 

-Rustle.

 

At that moment, a sound from the bed made me lift my head.

 

Keirsey’s body twitched as she opened her eyes.

 

“Kei... Keirsey. Yeah, try to come to your senses...”

 

“......”

 

Keirsey seemed too weak to even see me, despite having her eyes open.

 

I bit my lip at this sight and gently stroked her cheek again, calling her name.

 

“Keirsey... Oppa is here.”

 

She flinched at the touch of my hand on her cheek.

 

After blinking several times, life returned to her eyes.

 

Her pupils finally found me, and they started to shake.

 

“........Ah...”

 

“....Keirsey... snap out of it...”

 

“Ah.... Aaah....!!!”

 

With what little strength she had, she forced herself up and clung tightly to my neck. Her cracking sobs began to fill the room.

 

She touched me as if unable to believe it, pulled away to confirm my face, and then hugged me again, tears streaming down. Her loud crying didn’t cease.

 

“Keirsey.... this is too much, you know...”

 

Even as I held Keirsey in my arms, I started to feel the same anger as Grandma.

 

“Just because I was gone for some time...! Behaving like this...! If you become this weak, what are you going to do...!”

 

But Keirsey didn’t seem to have the capacity to listen to me.

 

“Aaahaa..!”

 

She kept crying, unable to form words.

 

The more I looked at her, the more frustrated I became, eventually pushing her away and scolding her.

 

“Is this how I taught you both..? What are you doing... both of you! Acting like this-”

 

“Ah... uh.... ah...”

 

Suddenly, I was enveloped by a strange feeling. Keirsey, as if desperate to say something, grabbed her throat with an agonized expression.

 

It was as if she had so much to tell me but couldn’t.

 

“........Kei...rsey..?”

 

“Uuhh.....Auh....”

 

She sounded almost like a baby babbling.

 

Tears once again streamed from her eyes.

 

She hit her mouth and throat with small fists in frustration, shaking her head.

 

I grabbed her wrists to stop her from hurting herself.

 

At that, she looked up with a look of despair and cried out. The frustration of being unable to speak was evident.

 

“Ah!! Uuh..! Huhuk...! Ahuk..! Aah..!”

 

Shocked by her state, I slowly turned to look at Helen.

 

All the servants behind her wore expressions of sympathy, but none seemed surprised.

 

“....Helen..”

 

When I called her, she spoke with difficulty.

 

“....After hearing the news of Lord Cayden’s death.... the shock led to... aphasia...”

 

Keirsey then threw herself onto me.

 

She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in it.

 

Climbing onto my lap, she clung to me tightly.

 

“...Aah...! Auh...!”

 

Keirsey’s tears knew no end.

 

She cried against my chest as if screaming out all her sorrow.

---  End Of The Chapter ---

 

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