Chapter 104

At Louis’s words, Rayden shot up from his seat.  

“That’s not acceptable.”  

Rayden walked brusquely, positioning himself between Louis and Lucas, shaking his head firmly.  

“We still don’t know the exact details of what happened between His Highness the Emperor and Caspian Turner. And, more importantly, this is Palterno.”  

His black eyes, fixed on his lord, were resolute.  

When Louis had decided to come to Palterno, Rayden couldn’t bring himself to stop him. The betrayal of someone they had trusted, the disappearance of his fiancée, and the worsening political situation—all of it weighed heavily. Rayden had quietly followed his lord’s decision. But this time, it was different.  

By sheer luck, they had found Lady Vivian in the middle of Palterno’s bustling streets. They had also confirmed that Marquis Cloak was in Palterno.  

Every objective they had risked coming to Palterno for had been achieved. Even if they returned to the Empire immediately, it would be fine.  

The political landscape was shifting rapidly. They needed to leave Palterno with Vivian and Louis and head back to the Empire’s capital as soon as possible.  

“It’s only a matter of time before His Highness the Emperor notices your absence. We should leave through the last gate that opens tonight, and then deal with the Aitor issue afterward.”  

At that moment, Lucas stepped forward to block Rayden. Despite the over 30 cm height difference, Lucas craned his neck back and glared up at Rayden without backing down.  

“When is ‘afterwards’?” 

Lucas asked.  

“When do you plan to deal with the Aitor issue? Sure, that monster of a man isn’t someone who would easily fall to anyone. But still, still! That guy isn’t thinking straight right now.”  

Lucas’s pretty amethyst-colored eyes didn’t waver in the slightest.  

“I’m not worried about him dying. I’m worried he’ll do something he’ll regret… something he’ll regret for the rest of his life, and that’s why.”  

Silence descended upon the luxurious hotel room in response to Lucas’s words.  

“Well, I sure know how to pick my apprentices. D*mn it.”  

The one to break the heavy silence was Teresa. With a snort, she grumbled about her misfortune and began rummaging through her belongings.  

What she pulled out was a small brown cloth pouch. She opened the pouch and tipped it over her palm, letting an earring fall into her hand.  

“That, that’s…!”  

“You recognize this?” 

Teresa asked Vivian.  

Vivian nodded, staring at the peridot-colored earring in Teresa’s palm. It was the earring Vivian had given Aitor in the Emperor’s forest before he left for the Mage Academy.  

“I secretly stole one, knowing he’d always keep it on him…”  

“Master! You had that all along? Do you know how much Aitor… how much he…”  

As if recalling a terrible memory, Lucas clutched his head.  

“You should be thanking your Master for preparing for a moment like this in advance.”  

Teresa smirked at Lucas, who was glaring at her resentfully, and lifted the earring between her thumb and forefinger.  

The setting sun streaming through the large window reflected off the peridot-colored earring, creating a mysterious glow. As Teresa muttered something under her breath, a soft light began to emanate from inside the shimmering earring.  

“I enchanted it with a tracking spell, just in case that idiot caused trouble.”  

Vivian stepped closer to Teresa, her eyes fixed on the lone earring.  

“Does that mean you can find out where Aitor is right now?”  

“If he has the other earring, yes.”  

At Teresa’s reply, Vivian turned her gaze to Louis. He stood with his hands in his pockets, staring intently at the earring Teresa held.  

“Well, I don’t care what you all decide to do—return to the Empire or whatever. I’m going to get my apprentice.”  

“But, Master!”  

Teresa gripped the earring tightly and locked eyes with Louis, Rayden, and Duke Tereon.  

“Leaving that idiot, who’s blinded by his father’s death, to his own—what kind of Master would that make me? I’ll do my part. You all do yours.”  

Teresa stuffed the earring back into the pouch, grabbed the cloak draped over the sofa, and slung it over her shoulder.  

As Teresa prepared to leave, Lucas, who had been glaring resentfully at Rayden for blocking Louis, hesitated before taking a step forward.  

“Teresa.”  

Louis called out to Teresa, who was fastening the cloak’s strings.  

“If you’re a true Master, then I want to be a true lord and friend to Aitor. Can I achieve that by going with you?”  

Louis finished speaking and picked up the sword leaning against the wall.  

“Your Highness!”  

Rayden and Duke Tereon rushed to Louis’s side as he unsheathed the sword, inspected its blade, and then slid it back into its scabbard. He picked up the neatly folded black cloak that had been set aside.  

“I understand your concerns, Rayden. But we can’t just leave Aitor as he is.”  

Rayden clutched his head with one hand and sighed deeply.  

He knew better than anyone. He had seen firsthand the tasks Aitor had carried out for the Empire, the way he would smile as if nothing was wrong despite his injuries, and the dark expressions he sometimes wore when he was alone.  

If Aitor were to stand against the Empire in his current state…  

Rayden bowed his head for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then slowly lifted his face to meet Louis’s gaze.  

“In that case, please allow me to accompany you.”  

“Rayden.”  

“Only for tonight. If we don’t find Aitor by tonight, Your Highness, you must promise to return to the Empire immediately.”  

Had Rayden ever worn such an expression before?

Louis, who had known Rayden since he was five years old, nodded.  

“Your Highness, I will join you as well.”  

At Duke Tereon’s words, everyone in the room turned to look at him.  

“I’ll entrust Vivian to this young man here.”  

Tereon gestured toward Lucas, who stood next to Teresa with a tense expression, trying to grasp the situation.  

“No one knows we’re in Palterno. Not even Aitor knows Vivian is here. Getting Vivian out of Palterno might actually be simpler than we think.”  

“Duke, that’s too dangerous.”  

When Louis objected, Vivian stepped in.  

“Father is right. While it was a bit risky when we ran into Marquis Cloak, moving quietly with just Lucas might actually attract less attention than if we all moved together.”  

At Vivian’s explanation, Lucas, standing between Teresa and Duke Tereon, blinked rapidly.  

“Once Vivian and Lucas leave Palterno, they can join the knights waiting for us and head to the capital the next day to reunite with us.”  

Louis tapped the hilt of his sword with his index finger as he gazed out at the sky, now painted with the hues of sunset. The exotic buildings surrounding the towering Mage Tower were bathed in a familiar golden glow.  

“When does the last gate open tonight?”  

“In three hours.” 

Rayden replied after checking his watch.  

Louis looked at Vivian, whose small hands were clenched into fists, her expression tense. He approached her and picked up the cloak Lucas had draped over her shoulders.  

“We’ll head out first.”  

After briefly bidding farewell to Vivian, Duke Tereon gestured toward the door with his chin. Teresa, Lucas, and Rayden exited the hotel room one by one.  

Now alone in the large suite, Louis wrapped the cloak around Vivian’s shoulders and tied it securely.  

“Go on ahead. I’ll bring Aitor back.”  

Vivian nodded and looked down at Louis’s hands. They were large and rough, covered in scars and calluses—hands that didn’t seem to belong to the Empire’s rightful heir.  

Louis’s hands were gentle. The knot he tied was clumsy and uneven, but Vivian found it more endearing than a perfectly tied ribbon.  

Even after tying the knot, Louis’s hands lingered for a moment, brushing over the messy knot as if reluctant to let go. Finally, his hand pulled away.  

“We’ll go now.”  

Louis turned his back to her and headed for the door. The golden light of the setting sun poured in through the large window behind him.  

***

“Are we really doing this?”  

“Well, it’s better than just walking in…”  

“Everyone’s staring at us.”  

“Hold your head high and act confident. If you look awkward, it’ll seem even more suspicious.”  

Darkness had fallen over Palterno. In front of the Inferna casino, the dazzling lights shone so brightly it was hard to tell whether it was day or night.  

Amid the colorful lights and the extravagantly dressed crowd, four people wearing masks tried their best to ignore the stares directed at them as they approached the casino entrance.  

“Do people really wear masks to casinos?” 

Rayden asked Teresa, who was walking ahead.  

“Sometimes…”  

Teresa’s vague answer earned her sharp looks from Louis, Rayden, and Duke Tereon.  

“Ahem. Let’s go.”  

Teresa led the way into the casino. Duke Tereon sighed, adjusted his uncomfortable wig, and followed her.  

“Is this what casinos are usually like?” 

Louis asked, but neither Rayden nor Duke Tereon, who had never been to a casino, could answer.  

Teresa, looking at the three men with a mix of pity and disdain, handed each of them a glass of liquor.

“Don’t act so awkward. Just hold this in your hand and follow me.”

Holding the drinks they received from Teresa, the three men followed behind her. Teresa clutched her peridot-colored earrings tightly in her hand and began weaving her way through the crowd of people lost in revelry.

“Oh my! Oppa! What’s with that mask? It’s so funny!”

A drunk woman suddenly appeared in front of Duke Tereon, who was trying hard to keep his gaze fixed on the back of Teresa’s head to avoid looking around.

“O-Oppa?”

“You look like you’d be handsome somehow…”

The woman’s speech was so slurred that it seemed like her tongue had been cut in half. Duke Tereon coldly shrugged off the woman, who was clinging to his arm, and hurriedly looked for Teresa again.

The gamblers playing games, the people sipping drinks while peeking at the game tables, and even those who had lost all their money and were sitting on the floor in despair—all of them turned to stare at the mysterious men wearing masks.

“I shouldn’t have listened to Teresa…”

The Duke muttered as he glanced at Teresa, who was staring intently at something, completely focused.

Rayden was standing at the very back of the group of four. Feeling the growing attention on them, Rayden thought it might be better to just remove the mask. He reached up to take it off, but at that moment, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Rayden. What on earth is that look?”

It was Aitor’s voice.

“You… you bastard…”

“Come up to the room at the far end of the third floor on the right.”

Rayden quickly turned around, but Aitor was already gone, having blended into the crowd of people intoxicated by the night’s desires.