If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 256

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“Isn’t it strange? Wasn’t it His Majesty himself who pushed the Grand Duke’s estate out to the capital’s outskirts, so he couldn’t come anywhere near the palace? And yet now, the Grand Duke roams the palace halls as he pleases, and His Majesty doesn’t even seem to care—he shows no reaction at all…”

“The Grand Duke… he visits the palace often now, does he?”

Cain just barely managed to keep his voice even as he mentioned the Grand Duke, his jaw clenched with barely suppressed anger.

Joseph, of course, noticed the tension in his voice—the veins standing out on Cain’s forehead, the way his hand flexed, trying to control his temper. Even though Joseph had long since shifted to administrative duties, at heart he was still a seasoned knight.

He and Cain had shared years fighting side by side on the battlefield, literally risking their lives for each other.

Joseph had planned to ask why Cain had suddenly left the capital and wandered the empire’s borders. But seeing Cain’s reactions, he quickly deduced that not just the Emperor, but also the Grand Duke, were entangled in whatever was going on.

“Oh, I almost forgot—congratulations are in order. I heard you have a son?”

He switched the subject abruptly; after all, they were in the imperial palace, where there were always a dozen eyes and ears nearby, even if the room appeared empty.

It wasn’t just the Emperor’s attention they needed to avoid, but also the prying eyes and ears of the imperial family and perhaps even the nobility. In a place like this, the less said, the better.

“I was honestly shocked when I heard. Is that why you were away from the capital for a while?”

“…Something like that.”

Cain gave a noncommittal answer. The truth was, he’d only learned of the child after he’d left the capital, but there was no reason to explain everything in detail.

“Well, congratulations all the same. Can it be true—you, a father?”

Joseph’s booming laugh echoed, uncharacteristic for someone who usually insisted that even the closest of friends maintain proper etiquette in the palace. But all those rules fell away at the news of a friend’s child.

Cain couldn’t help but smile, thinking of his child, probably sleeping soundly back at the manor.

“It’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Joseph said, tapping him cheerfully on the arm.

Cain only replied with a small smile.

“What’s this? Just a smile? Come on, tell me honestly—how does it feel, having a child?”

Joseph teased, not expecting Cain’s unexpectedly soft expression. Even a knight of blood and ice like Cain Vernat could be moved by the birth of his own child.

“I heard the news from the cathedral’s archbishop. So—what’s the child’s name?”

“Not yet.”

“What?”

“I haven’t named him yet.”

“Huh.”

Joseph’s mouth fell open again. For a man who was so clearly enchanted by his child—smiling like a fool just mentioning him—it was baffling that the boy still didn’t have a name.

He’d heard from the archbishop that the child had been born more than three months ago.

“….I suppose you want to choose carefully. Since a name can’t be changed once given.”

Those words carried weight. Cain himself had abandoned his birth name and taken another—an unavoidable decision for survival, but one he’d always carried a trace of regret for his true name in a corner of his heart.

“I suppose there’s nothing wrong with being careful. I know an old Count who, after finally fathering a child in his twilight years, still hasn’t given the boy a name after a year. He says he wants to come up with the best name in the whole empire.”

Joseph’s joking eased the lingering tension between them.

“In any case, it’s a relief. I was worried that things between you and Duke Kristin were too strained…”

He trailed off. There was a sly hint in his voice—how did a supposedly unhappy couple end up having a child together?

“You were worrying for nothing.”

“Apparently so. Seeing you now, I realize my concerns were unfounded.”

For all his years of friendship with Cain, Joseph had never once heard Cain speak openly about his true feelings. As a young man, that used to bother him, but he’d long since grown used to it. Better to have a friend who’s careful with his words than one who gossips about every little thing.

They chatted a while longer about the child—who he resembled, how his mother was recovering, and so on—until Cain realized the sun was already setting. He’d come to the palace at dawn, and now the day was nearly gone.

Joseph glanced out the window, following Cain’s gaze, and shrugged.

“It looks like you won’t be seeing His Majesty today. The fact that there’s been no sign of him all day means he isn’t receiving anyone.”

“Has it been a long time since the Emperor last saw anyone?”