Chapter 56: Shining Knight (14)

 

Early in the morning:

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

Sharon - who was dressing and preparing for the class - stopped upon hearing the knocking.

 

She couldn't guess who would come to visit her at this early hour.

 

Hastily getting ready to receive her guest, she opened the door.

 

“…Asena-sama.”

 

As soon as she called out Asena's name, Asena barged into the room roughly.

 

Sharon hastily took a step back to avoid touching Asena's body and fell on her hips.

 

Asena's escort, Judy Ice, also came in with her. She had a stern face, just like Asena.

 

Well, not exactly the same... there was a wave of subdued anger on Asena's face.

 

But this subdued anger was like the calm before the storm. Sharon could tell as soon as she saw Asena's face that this was not a simple matter.

 

Sharon was not a fool either, so as soon as she saw Asena's face, she knew why she had come to see her.

 

Asena must have found out that she had given orders to monitor Ewin and Daisy.

 

But at the same time, it was confusing.

 

Of course, even if she had acted on her own without Asena's orders, this level of anger was unexpected. She thought she would be praised for being prepared thoroughly.

 

As Sharon got up from where she had fallen, Asena told Judy:

 

"...Judy, leave for a moment."

 

Judy hesitated at Asena's command. To Sharon's eyes, Judy also seemed to want to stay here. Similarly, Judy had her own anger toward her. Things were happening at an incomprehensible speed.

 

But eventually, Judy obeyed Asena's command. She turned around and left the room.

  

And with an unnecessarily strong force, she closed the door.

 

-Bang!

 

Asena’s snake-like eyes stared at Sharon.

 

Sharon was the first to speak. "Asena-sama, why are you here so early..."

 

"Sharon, did you ignore what I said and did something you weren't supposed to?"

 

"..." Sharon remained silent.

 

"Answer quickly. My patience is running thin."

 

"Yes, I did." 

 

-Smack

 

Sharon's cheek was struck roughly. When she regained her senses, she was looking to the side.

 

Sharon blinked and looked at the person who had acted this way.

 

"…For now, I don’t have time. Follow me. The longer we delay, the harder it will be for Oppa."

 

“……”

 

‘…Oppa…? Cayden…?’

 

Sharon's mind became more and more complicated. 

 

She looked up when Asena spoke with a cold voice, “…But don't think you are forgiven. For your reckless behavior, you will definitely have to pay the price.”

 

✧ ✧ ✧

 

As soon as Sharon entered the room and saw Cayden, her legs trembled.

 

Cayden was covered in such wounds that it wouldn’t be strange for him to die at any moment.

 

She didn’t know how it happened, but it was obvious that she was involved.

 

Asena's anger and Judy's expression began to make sense now.

 

"Sharon Payne." 

 

Cayden called her name while keeping his gaze straight ahead despite his injuries. 

 

His voice lacked strength, but his eyes made up for it.

 

Sharon immediately kneeled down. Even if she didn't understand what was happening or even if she had only asked her subordinates to do surveillance, if the results were like this, she had nothing to say even if she had a hundred mouths.

 

"I'm sorry, Cayden-sama. I never thought something like this would happen."

 

Cayden looked at her and then asked the twins and Judy, who were standing behind him, to leave.

 

After they left, Cayden spoke again.

 

"I don't need to ask if you did what you weren't supposed to."

 

"Cayden... I was just trying to gather information, I had no other intention. Really. I didn't mean to hurt you or anything like that," Sharon tried to explain.

 

"Intentionally or not..." Cayden spoke, then grimaced and fell silent, enduring the pain for a moment.

 

While he took deep breaths, Sharon continued to make excuses.

     

"I...I honestly can't understand how Cayden-sama ended up like this."

 

"...Sharon, tell me. If I see spies watching over the person I escort… Should I have stayed still until they attacked?"

 

"I had no intention of attacking-"

 

"How would I know that?"

 

"..."

 

"Even Ewin was being watched. I could only protect Daisy the whole day, so what about Ewin? Should I have left her alone… in danger?"

 

Sharon had to think carefully. If things continued like this, she would have to take all the responsibility and face punishment.

 

She lifted her head and looked at Cayden.

 

"C-Cayden. I just wanted to be loyal."

 

"..."

 

"Because Asena-sama was concerned about both of them, I just wanted to know if they were in trouble."

 

"I know that."

 

"Y-yes?"

 

"I heard it from Miles. You know Miles? The leader of that criminal gang."

 

"..."

“Thinking or worrying about them is not an issue.”

Sharon's head slowly turned to the floor again.

 

"...The issue is actions."

 

To be honest, Sharon had always looked down on Cayden.

 

She had no choice. Before coming to the Academy, all she had heard was to take good care of Asena and Keirsey from her family. She had never been told to serve Cayden well at that time.

  

There were also rumors about Cayden. It was said that he was never treated as a proper Pryster due to being an adopted child.

 

And when she came to the academy, she was able to confirm that fact… because rumors about him had spread like wildfire.

 

While Sharon knew many of the academy's secrets, there were some things she chose not to investigate, so there was no way for her to obtain accurate information.

 

Since she had been already ignoring Cayden, it was natural for her to continue to do so even if the rumors started to spread.

 

That began to change little by little only when she began to follow Asena’s strange orders... but that wasn't so long ago.

 

"Sharon Payne. Did you really think you could spy on people around me and get away with it?"

 

But things were different now. The ignored Cayden Pryster no longer existed.

 

He was radiating explosive pressure, even though he was seriously injured and could easily die, Sharon couldn't even bring herself to look at him.

 

"You...you had the audacity to spy on a Pryster without fear? You thought it was okay to hover around me? How much did you ignore me?"

 

"...I was wrong...I have committed a sin deserving of death..."

 

She was already regretting looking down on him. She hadn't thought that monitoring him would become such a big problem.

 

Cayden suddenly started coughing. It was a strong cough that could not be stopped easily. The sound was so loud that the twins waiting outside rushed in.

 

But Cayden raised a hand to stop them and wiped his lips.

 

"...It's okay."

 

He said to the twins, who only left the room after carefully looking at Cayden for a few moments.

 

"Fine. Let's just assume that your motivation was loyalty to Asena. Let's move on from that. But Payne, answer me well from now on."

 

".......Yes, I understand."

 

Sharon Payne raised her head with a strong will. As she did, she could only see Cayden looking at her with a serpent-like, cold stare.

 

"Did you… know that those scumbags were kidnapping even children?"

 

"........"

 

Sharon blinked her eyes.

 

'How did he know that...'

 

Though in the small moment when she couldn't answer, everything was already over.

 

"Haha...yes. You let the experts in kidnapping run loose next to Daisy and Ewin, and you had no intention at all... That's it. Asena, come in."

Cayden seemed to have heard what he wanted. He didn’t give Sharon another chance.

At his call, Asena came in right away.

 

"Oppa, did you call me?"

 

She quickly walked to his bed, knelt beside it, and leaned her ear to listen carefully.

 

Sharon couldn't help but be shocked by that sight.

 

After all, she always thought Asena’s position was second only to the previous Duchess Pryster. But now, she realized that it didn’t seem to be the case. It was Cayden, the commoner and the adopted son, who was leading them.

 

"Send this woman back to her home. Don't let her appear in front of me again."

 

"I understand, Oppa."

 

Sharon's fate was decided by their conversation. 

 

From now on, Sharon would be labeled as a noble who failed to graduate from the academy.

 

Judy, who also came in at some point, took Sharon's arm and lifted her.

 

Cayden spoke:

 

"Sharon, I'll forget what happened to me. It's my responsibility that I was hurt. I'll forget about wandering around my people. I don't know how Daisy will take it, but...that has to be decided by the Hexters. The only thing I'll remember about your mistake is touching children. So when you return home, tell the Payne family that if they are involved in any crimes related to the children, I won't forgive them."

 

As Cayden finished speaking, Judy grabbed her and dragged her out of the room. Sharon's feet were dragged along the floor. Her whole body was instinctively resisting Judy's pull.

 

"Let's go."

 

After a brief conversation with Cayden, Asena handed him some mugwort juice. Cayden continued to drink the juice Asena had given him and then closed his eyes again.

 

Asena witnessed him drinking all of his medicine and then approached Sharon, who was waiting outside.

 

She looked over her shoulder once more at Cayden, and, with a cold expression on her face, said to Sharon.

 

“…Oppa only told you to go home…but that’s what he meant. It’s not my intention.”

 

“…Asena-sama…I just wanted to show my loyalty…”

 

“Sharon…Shut up. If that weren’t the case, your neck would already be rolling on the floor.”

 

It was only then that Sharon realized that according to Asena, she had been taking good care of Sharon.

 

Asena pulled out a small note. It was not put in the envelope, so the written text was visible to everyone... And the wax seal of Pryster was stamped on its corner.

 

Asena handed the note to Sharon.

 

"...What is this...?"

 

Sharon asked Asena in confusion.

 

“Give it to Viscount Payne.”

 

Accepting the note, Sharon finally checked its contents.

 

[The head of the Pryster family, I, Duchess Asena Pryster, want Sharon Payne's life.]

 

Strength left Sharon's legs. However, because Judy supported her, she couldn't collapse.

 

"This is just a light punishment... You should know. Even though I told you to forget, you still took action… and now, the eldest son of the Pryster family is on the brink of death. As the second daughter of the Payne family did what she wanted, even if I declared war on your family, no one will say anything"

 

"Ah...ahh..."

 

"I...am holding back the desire to destroy your family with endurance that tests my limits. Because the moment I declare war… Oppa will insist on going to war too."

 

“Ah… Asena-sama…”

 

"Whether you wanted it or not. You touched my treasure on your own. Show me that high loyalty. I don’t believe the mission will fail…. Oh, of course… if something goes wrong with Oppa… that note will start to look cute."

 

Asena said so and left Sharon. She headed back to the room where Cayden was.

 

Sharon blankly looked down at the note again. The written words didn't change though.

 

No matter how long she thought, she couldn't come to a conclusion that what she should do: Whether she should deliver it as Asena said or run away on her own.

 

Though either way, her life as a noble was over.

 

---  End Of The Chapter ---

 

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