CH 288

Ayla’s steps along the corridor were urgent.

He didn’t even move while she nursed him all night, so she never thought he would regain consciousness while she was away for a while…

This time, she wanted to keep her promise to him. The promise that she was going to come back.

Tap, tap.

After moving busily for a long time, Ayla’s steps stopped for a moment.

Unlike before, the closed iron door felt heavy. Ayla’s fingertips, who hesitated for a moment, touched the doorknob.

With a cold touch and a ‘click’, the heavy metal door opened a gap.

The interior was the same as before Ayla left the palace. If there was anything else that was different, it was just that the windows were open.

‘Did he leave it open for ventilation?’

A cool breeze blew through the open window.

Swoosh- the pouring rain made a loud sound.

“Miss Ayla.”

Immediately, Luke’s low voice echoed inside the room.

The interior was dark, unlike usual, as if the lamps could not have been prepared due to the sudden rain.

“Mr. Knight! I heard Eden woke up…”

Ayla blurred her words and scanned the surroundings.

She couldn’t see Eden, who had been sitting on one side of the bed up until last night.

‘Where did he go…?’

Ayla’s lips twitched and she kept silent.

Eden’s body hadn’t healed yet. No matter how resilient he was, he had just regained consciousness.

Wherever he went, Luke must have accompanied him. There was no way he would have sent Eden alone.

“Eden…”

Sensing something strange, Ayla’s blue eyes turned to Luke.

A heavy silence flowed for a while between the two people standing in front of each other.

He had a resigned face. His fingers, which were trembling uncharacteristically, were unfamiliar.

Above his downwards gaze, Luke’s firm shoulders shook slightly.

“Why don’t you say anything? Where did he go? He isn’t completely healed, so he can’t overdo it.”

“…”

“Stop playing tricks on me and say something!”

With Ayla’s shout, Luke’s heavily sinking gaze headed to the window.

“Hail.”

“…”

“It’s Eden’s real name.”

Hail Edea.

Luke lowered his gaze and smiled bitterly.

Then, he continued with a low voice.

“That’s enough.”

“…”

Ayla’s heavily sinking eyes turned to Luke.

Her slightly trembling eyes urged him silently, asking what he was talking about.

“Please remember it. Hail’s real name…”

And she could tell. That he had left the Stellen Kingdom.

And that they may not be able to meet again.

***

“Where on earth have you been?”

“The place where you sent the carrier pigeon to, of course.”

At Mason’s scolding voice, Theon stepped towards the office and spoke.

“Ugh… That’s not what I’m saying.”

Theon’s brows frowned slightly at Mason’s uncharacteristic reaction.

Due to his long working life, Mason was good at handling most things even when Theon was absent.

In other words, for him to even send a carrier pigeon, meant that it wasn’t something normal.

Maybe that’s why he was even more sensitive…

“Then what is it?”

Theon asked unenthusiastically, his eyes narrowed.

Although he tried not to expose his agitated emotions, he couldn’t hide even his slightly trembling voice.

“We need to go to the east palace.”

“?”

For an instant, Theon’s gray eyes sank.

Immediately, Mason’s lips twitched, and he continued.

“The movement inside the east palace is unusual.”

And he didn’t have to listen to the next words to know. That the King’s time was not far away.

Theon’s trembling eyes quietly urged Mason, who remained immobile and unable to continue speaking.

“Go on.”

“The secretary of the east palace, who had been previously imprisoned for permitting Duke Daniel to enter, committed suicide…”

“Damn it.”

Some rough words flowed out of Theon’s mouth.

“The court physician who had been attending to His Majesty was also changed.”

“Without my permission?”

“It is said that the person who was in charge of that has disappeared.”

“…”

“This is a brief summary of what is going on. It looks like Duke Daniel has taken action once again.”

Theon’s forehead crumpled in an instant as he quickly scanned through the bundle of documents Mason had given him.

Immediately, the steps that were heading towards the office turned to the east palace, where the King was.

Trudge, trudge.

After walking along for a long time, Theon’s steps stopped for a moment.

His gray eyes quickly turned to the person who was facing him.

At the same, Theon’s firmly closed mouth opened.

“Long time no see.”

“How have you been?”

Owen said in a crawling voice, keeping his gaze down.

It was the first time they were meeting after Theon’s engagement ceremony was cancelled.

After the King lost consciousness, Owen stopped by the east palace every single day.

While making a relentless effort not to face Theon.

Should he call it something like guilty conscience?

As if anxious, Owen waited for Theon to answer, holding both his hands together.

“…”

Despite his question, Theon only nodded and gave no significant response.

Theon’s eyes looking at Owen did not contain any emotion.

So he was more afraid. Because it was unpredictable.

At the same time, Owen’s gaze, which was pointing downwards, turned even more somber.

He had no choice but to wait for this suffocating moment to pass.

How long did it take…

Beyond the heavy silence, Theon’s low voice echoed in the corridor.

“His Majesty will be fine.”

He thought he would be reprimanded for acting impertinent, or for proceeding with the engagement at his own will.