Chapter 53
As Aiorin opened the door, the boy and girl inside turned to look toward it.
Seeing their adorable faces—so reminiscent of Solinor and herself—Aiorin’s heart melted instantly.
Apart from Muriela, these were the first of her grandchildren she had ever seen, so it was only natural.
“There’s no one here?”
The boy tilted his head in confusion.
‘So this must be Brandon.’
“Why did the door open?”
The girl also voiced her curiosity.
‘And this must be Katrina.’
“It’s probably nothing.”
Katrina, who was closer to the door, peeked outside and, seeing nothing amiss, casually closed it again before returning to her seat.
The two children quickly returned their attention to the books they had been reading.
Aiorin remained hidden, deciding to observe them for a little longer.
According to Solinor, the children were in the care of trustworthy people, so unless she noticed something troubling, she would leave them be.
‘At a glance, everything seems fine. Their clothes are clean, and there’s plenty of food and water in the room.’
If there was one issue, it was that both children looked rather pale.
Katrina, in particular, had a ghostly complexion and sunken cheeks.
Brandon was in slightly better condition than Katrina, but for a boy, his build was too frail, and his posture seemed timid and withdrawn.
To Aiorin, who was used to the likes of Solinor and Hadwin, their weak appearances were incomprehensible.
Those two were among the most boisterous and energetic men in Silbrenoa—anyone would seem frail compared to them.
Even Sylvius, who had been an elderly wizard, had looked more robust than these children.
‘This is strange. Could it be that their so-called guardians aren’t treating them properly? And why are a prince and a princess being locked away in a place like this?’
This was why explanations were always necessary.
It was Solinor’s mistake for not providing the full context.
The children’s poor health and thin frames were entirely due to their birth mother, Queen Irina, who had viewed them as nothing more than political tools to advance her own ambitions.
But Aiorin didn’t know that.
And Solinor had also neglected to mention that the children had been banished from the palace.
‘This won’t do. I need to get them out of here immediately. If I take them to the Fey Forest, they’ll recover in no time.’
And so, Aiorin’s Grandchild Abduction Plan was set into motion.
While she was still formulating her plan, the guard whom she had blinded with spirit magic returned, accompanied by his fellow sentries.
Having regained his sight, he was now recounting the strange experience to his comrades.
“I was keeping watch for intruders when, all of a sudden, I couldn’t see anything. I seriously thought I was done for.”
“Yeah, we saw you suddenly crouching down and clutching your face. We had no idea what was going on.”
“I swear, I saw the door open slightly—could it be that something happened to our honored guests?”
Their thoughts immediately turned to the safety of Katrina and Brandon, and they quickly opened the door to check on them.
“Lady Katrina, Lord Brandon—is everything all right?”
“Yes, we’re fine. Thank you for your concern.”
“Yeah…”
Since Brandon was extremely timid, Katrina ended up handling most conversations with the guards.
Which was ironic, considering Katrina herself had once been quite rebellious.
To think that children of their age—who should have been full of life—had been reduced to this…
Queen Irina and King Eldric were truly remarkable parents.
“We’ll be right outside. Please call for us if you need anything.”
“Okay… Thank you.”
“Yes…”
With that, the three spies left the house once again.
Normally, at least one of them should have remained inside to personally guard the children, but both Katrina and Brandon found other people’s presence uncomfortable, so they had been allowed to live with some privacy.
_
Meanwhile, Aiorin, who had been listening to the conversation, was starting to form some very dangerous misunderstandings.
‘Judging from their responses, the children are terrified. Those men may have been speaking politely, but they were probably threatening them in ways they couldn’t even perceive. Otherwise, why would a prince and a princess be acting so submissively toward mere subordinates?’
Her fists clenched in rage.
As her anger flared, the air around her shimmered unnaturally.
Thankfully, Katrina and Brandon were too focused on their books to notice.
Due to Solinor’s lack of explanation and Aiorin’s wild imagination, the misunderstandings continued to snowball.
She was determined to get her grandchildren out of this stifling prison before the day was over.
_
Meanwhile, Muriela followed Florina to a secluded corner of the Royal Garden.
Of course, a proper princess shouldn’t be sneaking around like this.
But inside Muriela’s body was none other than Solinor.
And since she knew that Florina was one of Corbin’s subordinates, there was no reason to be cautious.
After waiting for a moment, the bushes in the corner rustled, and someone emerged from within.
A secret passageway hidden within the Royal Palace Garden.
Very few people knew about its existence, but for this individual, that was hardly an issue.
From Solinor’s perspective, it had been a long time since he had last seen this face, but he didn’t need to check to confirm.
Even with his eyes closed, he would know it was Corbin.
The deep horizontal lines on his forehead bore the marks of time, but his trademark mischievous grin, cutting through the dark Grimkin complexion, remained the same.
Corbin gave a slight nod to Florina, who had greeted him with a salute, then turned his gaze to Muriela.
Not one to back down, Muriela locked eyes with Corbin, refusing to be the first to look away.
This was their first time seeing each other face-to-face.
But if one considered the contents of their souls, this was a reunion of two longtime comrades who had spent countless days together.
Florina, watching them engage in a silent staring contest, was confused, but this was their way of confirming each other’s identity.
It was something Solinor and Corbin had often done.
‘Heh, I won’t lose this time.’
One unique trait of the Grimkin race was their ability to keep their eyes open for long periods without blinking—not as much as a cat, but still impressive.
Because of this, Solinor had made a habit of challenging Corbin to staring contests.
Naturally, Corbin, being a Grimkin, had won most of the time, but Solinor, through sheer stubbornness, had managed to steal a few victories.
And the final match—the one that mattered most—had been won by Solinor.
At the time, Corbin had been staring at his withered, aged friend, feeling a pang of sorrow, and in that fleeting moment of distraction, he lost.
And Solinor, ever the troublemaker, had mocked him for losing before passing away shortly after.
Now, this rematch was Corbin’s chance for redemption.
Of course, Solinor had no intention of losing.
But sometimes, fate has other plans.
In the end, in Solinor’s first duel after his return, Corbin emerged victorious.
“Ha! This time, I win, Princess Muriela.”
Corbin deliberately addressed Muriela by her current name, conscious of Florina’s presence.
“Corbin, it’s been… a long time. No, it’s good to see you again.”
Solinor, playing along, responded in kind.
Watching the two perform their act, Florina only grew more perplexed.
Having confirmed their identities, Solinor and Corbin left the bewildered Florina alone and began communicating in a code they had just invented on the spot.
“The two young fawns are doing well. They eat properly and drink plenty of water. The real problem is the big one.”
The “young fawns” referred to Katrina and Brandon.
Why fawns?
Because the last wild animal Solinor had seen before he died had been a deer.
Before Solineum had become as urbanized as it was now, wild animals could still occasionally be seen.
As he lay on a makeshift bed, his body frail, Solinor had watched a lively family of deer prance outside his window.
‘I envy their health,’ he had muttered.
And Corbin, remembering that moment, had decided to use fawns as a metaphor.
As for the “big one”, that was obviously referring to King Eldric.
“Ah, you mean that pitiful father. How goes the hunt? I don’t know much about hunting.”
“Do not worry, Princess. The great stag’s eyes and ears are nearly blind now. He does not see the snare tightening around him. Once we gather enough hunters, we will set the date.”
After speaking, Corbin flashed a sly grin.
Solinor smirked in return.
It had been a long time since he had seen Corbin’s signature schemer’s smile.
“I have my own plans in motion as well. A guest from the forest has arrived, and I had a conversation with a muttering old man.”
However, Corbin found this cryptic statement hard to decipher.
The guest from the forest was obviously Aiorin, so that part was fine.
But the old man was the problem.
There was only one person Solinor could possibly call an old man.
But that person was dead.
“An old man?”
“Well, he’s not old anymore. He ate something good and got younger.”
Well, in that case…
Corbin still didn’t quite understand, but he decided to let it go.
If it was that old weirdo, then maybe he really did find a way to grow younger.
Still, how dare he get younger all by himself? That was just unfair.
“That’s quite a mystery. Why didn’t he share any with me?”
“Oh, come on. You’re still young enough.”
Muriela gave a small smile.
In the heart of the kingdom, the schemes of rebellion were ripening.
—
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