Chapter 112: Like a Pryster (5)

“...I told you...” Daisy spoke to her father in a weary voice. Count Hexter sat with a deep expression of concern, not responding.

“........”

“...Ugh… I told you...!” Daisy grew increasingly frustrated by her father’s silent response.

This strained moment between them was caused by a single letter they recently received.

The letter, sent by Helen, the head maid of the Pryster family, was to deliver news to Daisy, her fiancée.

It brought the joyful news that they had found Cayden.

He was alive and, thankfully, without any major issues.

Daisy, upon receiving the letter, had screamed in a mix of elation and surprise, but her expression gradually hardened as she continued reading.

While she was ecstatic to learn that he was alive, as her initial excitement settled, she began to ponder the aftermath.

It was an open secret that the Hexter family, residing not even a day’s distance from the Naita Forest where Cayden had disappeared, had offered no aid.

Of course, the Hexter domain was battling its own troubles with epidemics and famine, providing some justification. Still, it was a source of unease for Daisy.

Moreover, she learned that Judy Ice, Cayden’s former fiancée, was involved in his rescue, adding to her anxiety.

First of all, she decided to meet Cayded. Thus, she spent the next few days preparing to leave for the Pryster estate.

As the days passed, her anxiety only grew.

...What if she lost Cayden?

What about the first time she received flowers from him, the excitement of feeling like a woman, the comfort of being protected when he was her escort, and the affection built through their conversations? Would all these memories become meaningless?

Judy, his former fiancée, had saved his life, and she had merely been a bystander. She had no right to expect anything to be different.

Above all, she feared Cayden’s resentment.

What could she say if he asked what she was doing while he, her fiancé, was missing in the forest near their domain? She would be left without words.

Naturally, this was not what she had wanted.

She had tried for days on end to persuade Count Hexter, but each time, he only repeated that there were no soldiers to dispatch.

Dispatching troops would require not just manpower but also equipment and provisions, and they simply couldn’t afford it.

Daisy knew these were just excuses. Her father’s unease had grown since Cayden was exiled from his family.

He feared that Cayden, now a commoner, wouldn’t bring the power of the Pryster family with him, even if he married his daughter.

If he hadn’t thought so, he wouldn’t have neglected the eldest son of the Pryster family, the man who was to marry his daughter.

Under different circumstances, he would have found a way to send help.

Perhaps he was somewhat convinced of Cayden’s death. The initial letter from Benthrock had even mentioned finding Cayden’s body.

...Now that Cayden had returned alive, Daisy knew nothing could excuse their inaction.

She dreaded facing him.

Though overjoyed he was alive, she felt ashamed and sorry for not being his strength in his time of need.

For the first time in her life, she found herself resenting her own family.

Why did this dreadful plague have to hit her family? Why were they so powerless that they couldn’t afford to send help?

...And why couldn’t she persuade her father, no matter how hard she tried?

She was even haunted by nightmares.

Dreams where Cayden, who had always been so kind to her, turned away in disappointment because of her family’s decisions.

Even she, usually so strong and unshakable, would wake up drenched in sweat from such dreams.

She wasn’t yet ready to be hated by the man she had started to love.

If the emotions her twin sisters felt for Cayden were anything like this... she could only sympathize with them.

As she waited, with mixed feelings, for the rest of the servants and soldiers to get ready, Count Hexter finally spoke.

“........We cannot escape the censure of the Prysters.”

And at those irresponsible words, Daisy could no longer hold back.

“...I told you already...”

“.......”

“...Ugh, I told you already...!”

“.......”

Daisy wanted to blame her father without reservation, but she couldn’t.

She knew that no matter what she said, nothing would change.

In the end, she had to leave as soon as possible to appease the anger of the Prysters.

Daisy was prepared for any punishment.

As long as Cayden... didn’t push her away. As long as he didn’t ask to cancel the marriage.

****

After feeding Asena and Keirsey, my day was far from over.

I had to meet with my grandmother, Sir Lawrence, Helen, Thein, and various other people from different families, who had gathered to discuss the recent events.

Sir Lawrence was the most agitated among them.

Unable to contain his boiling blood any longer, he repeated everything he had heard from me in a voice filled with outrage.

“...Is that really true, Cayden?”

His emotions spread like a contagion.

My grandmother looked at me with a piercing gaze, a look that seemed impossible for someone who had struggled even to stand just this morning.

“......The Payne family... attacked you?”

“...This is unbelievable.”

“A hound biting its master?”

“Had Lord Cayden not returned, we would have remained unaware of the Payne family’s actions.”

Not just my grandmother, but everyone present murmured their thoughts, contributing to the discussion.

“...So they harbored resentment against you and Asena and acted on it?”

Grandmother sought clarification once more.

I nodded in affirmation.

“Seeing me exiled from the family, they must have decided to settle the personal vendetta... It’s more an attack on me than on the Prysters.”

I offered this perspective to those blinded by anger, providing a different angle to view the incident.

“.........”

My words made my grandmother pause, clearly contemplating the role of Asena, who had been instrumental in my exile.

Just when it seemed she would withdraw from the conversation, she shook her head and, raising her voice, addressed everyone present.

“That’s no excuse. Regardless, it’s been revealed that the Payne family was harboring their second daughter and bears a grudge against you and the family head, Asena. I won’t just stand by and watch this.”

Sir Lawrence nodded and murmured in a low voice.

“It’s war.”

Though I had anticipated this conversation would lead to this point, the actual discussion of war in this decision-making setting made me flinch.

The compulsion not to burden my family, which had deeply rooted itself in my heart, surged again.

Being of commoner origin, I had infiltrated the family and was now shaking it profoundly. Tens of thousands of people in our domain were affected by our decisions.

Heads began nodding in agreement with Lawrence’s words.

“...Let’s set an example.”

“...A dog that bites its master should be put down.”

Before the conversation could veer off into an even more extreme direction, I raised my voice.

“Wait a moment!”

All eyes turned to me.

Indeed, if Asena, Keirsey, my grandmother, or even Lawrence had been the ones wronged, I would have advocated for war too.

They are precious to me, and after all, they are part of the Pryster family.

But if it’s something that happened to me... I can bear it.

The cycle of hatred never ends, and though I had also nurtured anger towards Sharon Payne... I can endure it.

My life is one thing, but the lives of the many soldiers I’ve fought alongside, and even Lawrence here, wouldn’t be jeopardized.

In summary, while I harbored hatred towards the Paynes and desired war, my concern for the family members and my unwillingness to further destabilize the Prysters outweighed my desire for conflict.

“.....There’s no justification for it.”

I spoke softly.

My grandmother shouted in outrage.

“How can you say there’s no justification! The fact that you were attacked is justification enough-”

“-I’m not a Pryster anymore!”

The meeting room fell into a sudden silence. I continued in the quiet.

“Don’t forget. Asena exiled me, and I’m no longer part of the Pryster family. Especially in the eyes of other families.”

“......”

“Moreover, with family head Asena incapacitated like this, how can we decide on war without her approval?”

“....Asena would want war.”

My grandmother spoke.

Now it was my turn to be silent.

“....Right. And you spoke well. Without the head of the family, we can’t make a decision… That’s true, Cayden.”

Even as I felt her take a step back, I was overwhelmed with a strange sense of pressure. I knew the conversation wasn’t heading in a favorable direction for me.

“.....Then we must find a temporary head of the family. Someone to govern the Prysters in Asena’s absence.”

She looked at me intently.

“You shall take Asena’s place as the head of the family.”

“Me?”

I stood up, questioning her. How had the conversation led to this?

“How can I, no longer a Pryster and just a commoner-”

“-No one here believes you’re not a Pryster.”

In an instant, I made eye contact with everyone in the meeting. They were looking at me with unwavering gazes.

“....And if not you, then who?”

“......”

“Should it be me, old and weakened? Or the mute Keirsey? Should the knight Lawrence do it? Or Helen?”

I was at a loss for words.

Her statements had completely overpowered me.

“.......”

“....For the time being, you are the head of the family, Cayden. Understood?”

I mulled over my grandmother’s words. There was no loophole in what she said.

Logically, it seemed right for my grandmother to act as the temporary head, but I knew better than to drag her back into the political arena.

Thus, it couldn’t be Grandmother, Keirsey, or anyone else.

It had to be me.

No matter how much I proclaimed my exile from the family, in reality, there was no one else but me.

“....Everyone is waiting. Give your response, Cayden.”

In contrast to our private conversations, my grandmother in these meetings was always resolute and charismatic. Following her directive, I scanned the room and saw that everyone was waiting for my decision.

“.......Only until Asena recovers.”

I finally managed to answer.

“Then, it’s war.”

As soon as I finished speaking, my grandmother declared.

“....What?”

This was not what I expected to hear from my grandmother, knowing I had intended to choose otherwise.

But she calmly stated,

“When our head of the family has been attacked, which family would just stand by and do nothing?”

“........”

“Cayden, do you want our family to appear weak and easily bullied? I know you care deeply for our family members, but now is not the time to think about the losses war might bring. Think about our anger and our pride.”

“......”

As I struggled to respond, my grandmother asked in a cold tone.

“.....Are you scared, Cayden?”

“What?”

I could feel the provocation in her question, a clear attempt to stir me.

But I felt no shame in showing my vulnerability, especially in front of them.

As she said, I was indeed afraid of the thought of our people dying for my sake.

“Of course, I’m afrai-”

“-Act like a Pryster.”

My grandmother interrupted with a fierce look in her eyes, almost as if she had transformed into someone else.

“....You’re the head of the family, even if temporarily. So, you must be the most Pryster-like among us.”

“.........”

For some reason... her words struck a deep chord in me.

The weight of being the head of the family suddenly felt very real and heavy.

She was right. As the acting head, I was the face of the Prysters.

It was only natural that I should embody what it means to be a Pryster the most.

“.......”

In a flash, Asena came to mind. She truly embodied what it meant to be a Pryster in every way.

Had she been wearing a mask for this reason whenever others were around?

Was it only in our private moments that she let down this facade and returned to her true self, all because of this reason?

She must have carried this burden all along.

“.....Ha.”

The thought that this was a weight Asena had borne made it feel suddenly lighter.

If this was the weight I had to carry in place of my sister, I was more than willing to bear it.

“....Be like a Pryster...”

...Yes, I couldn’t afford to be afraid anymore.

My grandmother said,

“....It’s war, Cayden. Make a firm decision. We all want this war. We must show those who dared to touch you who we are.”

I lifted my head.

.....Like a Pryster. I resolved myself.

“Alright. Let’s go to war.”

Author’s Note:

While the story will include war, I plan to keep the depiction to a minimum.

Just telling those worried about a shift in genre.

---  End Of The Chapter ---

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