Chapter 142
“I was just startled earlier. I’ll make sure not to draw any attention.”
Sillian stood and strode toward her, gently pressing down on her shoulder.
She wanted to hold her ground, but her trembling knees gave way, and she collapsed helplessly into the chair.
When she tried to rise again, he pressed her down more firmly.
“You’ve been startled enough. You should rest and calm yourself. Leave this to me.”
“I’m fine!”
“You’re trembling.”
Only then did she realize that her body was indeed shaking all over.
Lynette let out a long, stifled sigh.
She wanted to appear unaffected, but no matter how hard she tried, the trembling wouldn’t stop.
“I’ll find out everything I can. Please, rest in the meantime.”
Before she could insist on going with him, Sillian had already left the room.
Lynette stared blankly at the tightly closed door, then curled up on herself.
Her mind was a jumble of disbelief and fear that it might be true.
“Haah…”
Why did it have to be about Euphen?
If it had been some other member of the Imperial Family, she wouldn’t have cared at all.
That woman had clearly said his name.
‘Even if it’s just a rumor, something must have happened.’
If the rumor had spread to the point of saying he’d died, then… could he have been injured?
The thought made her chest tighten painfully.
Lynette pressed her trembling hand over her pounding heart.
She tried to convince herself not to jump to conclusions, but it was impossible to stop her thoughts once they had begun running toward the worst.
Her trembling fingers searched for her pendant, clutching it tightly once she found it.
Could it be that this was the moment it was needed?
Before her regression, the pendant’s magic had only been used once, when a disaster grave enough to require it had occurred.
If she remembered correctly, it had been quite some time later.
But now that everything has already shifted, perhaps that incident had come sooner too.
Just like how she had left earlier than planned, and how Eshar and Euphen had met earlier than expected.
‘He’ll be fine.’
She repeated the words over and over in her mind.
But that didn’t make her feel any better.
Maybe she should have stayed by Euphen’s side.
She’d regretted leaving the Imperial Castle many times, but never as bitterly as she did today.
Would it have been better to remain somewhere she could at least hear news of him?
‘If I had, I probably would’ve spent every day chasing after stories about His Highness.’
A faint, bitter smile crossed her lips.
That was why she had decided to go far away.
So very far away.
If she went somewhere she could hear nothing at all, she could at least live believing vaguely that he was well, and find peace in that thought.
She never imagined she would hear something like this before she’d even gone that far.
Lynette sat curled up for a long while, then slowly lifted her head.
‘When would Sillian return?’
He could lie, of course.
If the news was truly bad, he might make something up to reassure her, and then proceed with their plans as if nothing had happened.
‘Even if that’s the case… I’d rather he lied to me.’
If he said it was all a rumor, she would believe him.
She wanted him to say that.
Because if the news he brought truly was bad, she knew she would want to run back immediately.
Even if Sillian tried to stop her like he did today, the moment he let his guard down, she would break free and run straight back to the Imperial Castle.
Her whole body ached from shock and tension.
Now that the trembling had finally eased, she felt utterly drained.
Lynette slumped over the table and let out a quivering sigh.
It would have been better if Sillian came back quickly and told her something.
Anything.
She forced herself to block out the dark thoughts threatening to resurface.
‘Miss Eshar has awakened now, so there’s nothing to worry about.’
It hadn’t been long since she had her awakening, but after meeting Lynette, she had learned to control it steadily.
Even when assassins had captured her before, she’d handled it with precision.
Using only the minimal amount of power needed.
A being like that could not be easily killed by some mere threat.
‘And besides, Euphen’s awakening hasn’t even been announced publicly yet.’
That meant there shouldn’t have been any danger serious enough to threaten his life.
Most people didn’t even know Euphen was an Esper.
Let alone anyone who might wish to harm him.
She listed every possible reason he must be safe.
And with each one, the violent pounding of her heart began to ease little by little.
Lynette exhaled shakily with her eyes tightly shut.
Though she was still weak, the trembling had completely stopped.
She must have fallen into despair and pulled herself out of it dozens of times before she finally heard the sound of someone knocking on the door.
Her head shot up.
She wasn’t sure what time it was, but the room was completely dark.
Outside was utterly silent, it must have been the middle of the night.
“Sillian.”
Her voice was faint, but perhaps because the surroundings were so silent, the man heard her and slowly opened the door.
Lynette watched his expression closely, trying to determine whether he bore good or bad news.
But she couldn’t tell.
“What did they say? It’s all just a rumor, isn’t it? Right?”
Though she had tried to stay calm, her words tumbled out in a rush once more.
“Sillian.”
She couldn’t wait for an answer and pressed him again.
The man approached her slowly.
“Lynette.”
He hesitated to speak, his lips parting but no words coming out.
A creeping unease rose within her.
Her lips felt dry as dust.
“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”
Her voice trembled with fear.
Meeting her eyes directly, Sillian finally spoke in a low, steady voice.
“Prince Euphen… is said to be dead.”
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