Chapter 130: Where Power Meets Devotion

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Where Power Meets Devotion

The first time Cassiel had seen Elysia had been on the race grounds.

Amidst a group of sweaty, grimy men, a young girl had suddenly appeared like a streak of sunlight.

She had been dressed in a crimson riding habit, her horse thundering across the field as the spring wind whipped through her hair. Her face was bright with excitement, flushed with the exhilaration of the ride, her smile radiant beneath the open sky.

Against the dust and sweat of the training grounds, she had looked almost dazzling.

Cassiel had watched her from a distance.

And he had continued watching for far longer than he should have.

Later, he had casually made enquiries and learned that she was Elysia of the Hartwell family.

She loved riding and possessed a natural talent for it.

Then came the detail that made Cassiel’s heart sink.

She was only ten years old.

The difference between them was simply too great.

Worse still, his attendants had informed him that Elysia was one of Vaelen’s childhood companions.

That was when Cassiel had quietly put the thought aside.

Years later, Vaelen had once been in his study when he accidentally touched Cassiel’s personal seal.

Cassiel had genuinely been displeased by the incident. Yet his private grievance had also coloured his reaction, and he had given his nephew a sharp kick.

Elysia’s thoughts returned to that distant memory.

"Forget it. What’s done is done."

She murmured the words even more softly to herself.

She had been reborn at the betrothal banquet, not on the day she had pushed Vaelen away. The injury to her knees had already happened by then.

There was no point tormenting herself over something she could no longer change.

It was better to let it go.

Thinking about Cassiel’s earlier words, Elysia leaned slightly closer to him.

Her voice softened.

"My lord, were you bothered by how close I used to be with the Crown Prince? And with Evren?"

She glanced at him.

"I felt... as though you were somewhat upset."

Cassiel looked at her without attempting to deny it.

"Yes."

Elysia blinked.

She hadn’t expected such a straightforward answer.

"Don’t be upset."

She spoke earnestly.

"The Crown Prince and I have long since fallen out. He dislikes me, and I hate him."

She paused before adding,

"As for Evren, I only see him as a promising young kinsman."

"You hate Vaelen?"

Cassiel’s question came so suddenly that Elysia stared at him.

"Yes. Why?"

His tone was casual, almost as though he were asking about the weather.

"If you said you hated him, he would not remain Crown Prince."

Elysia was stunned.

She had never considered that such a thing could be said so lightly.

She did not fully understand the intricacies of court politics, but she knew perfectly well that the position of Crown Prince was no trivial matter.

Vaelen’s mother was the Queen.

The King clearly favoured his son.

How could something so significant possibly be decided by a single word from Cassiel?

No matter how close Cassiel was to the King, surely even that relationship could not extend so far.

And even if, by some extraordinary chance, Cassiel truly could decide Vaelen’s fate with a single word, Elysia had no intention of testing the limits of his influence.

In this world, giving and taking should always be balanced.

If she asked him for something as enormous as removing the Crown Prince, what could she possibly offer in return?

She had no father or brother left.

There was very little she could give him.

So Elysia simply curved her eyes into a smile.

"I said I hated him, but it’s fine. It’s not as though I hate him to the bone."

Cassiel said nothing.

Elysia continued, her tone deliberately light.

"I’m the Duchess of Draevenor now, and he is soon to marry Deborah. We’ll simply go our separate ways."

She shrugged slightly.

"There’s nothing special about that."

"You are rather accepting."

Cassiel gave her a long, searching look.

Elysia smiled.

"Yes. I’ve always been that way."

Otherwise, after the entire Hartwell family had fallen in battle, how could a young girl like her have managed to carry on?

Cassiel caught the faint loneliness that flickered across her eyes.

His brows drew together almost imperceptibly.

"Come."

He reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Let’s go and see the water lilies."

By the lily pond, Vaelen and Deborah sat side by side.

A faint, calculated smile rested on Deborah’s lips.

She knew perfectly well that countless eyes were watching them.

Whispers had already begun circulating throughout the gathering.

There were countless young women in Caelvyr who dreamed of marrying the Crown Prince, and even more who wished to gain his favour.

Yet at this moment, it was she who had the privilege of sitting beside him.

They must all be burning with envy.

The thought pleased Deborah.

Her smile became even more demure as she reached for the wine jug.

"Your Highness."

Her voice was soft as she poured wine into his cup.

As she leaned forward, the movement exposed a slender stretch of her pale neck.

Once the cup was filled, she looked up at Vaelen with shy, expectant eyes.

To her surprise, he wasn’t looking at her at all.

His gaze was fixed on something in the distance.

Deborah followed his line of sight.

Her expression immediately changed.

Cassiel and Elysia were approaching the lily pond.

And they weren’t the only ones who had noticed.

Several people in the gathering had already shifted their attention towards them, their conversations gradually turning towards the Duke and Duchess of Draevenor.

The attention that had previously belonged to Deborah and Vaelen was slipping away.

Deborah’s fingers tightened around the wine jug.

She gritted her teeth for a moment before forcing herself to smile again.

"Your Highness, I’ve been thinking..."

She deliberately paused.

"I might write another tale."

That finally drew Vaelen’s attention.

He turned towards her.

"You? Write a tale?"

Deborah’s voice rose just enough to carry to the nearby noble ladies.

"Yes."

She smiled modestly.

"It’s been years since I wrote Legends of Cassiopeia. I think it’s time for a new one."

She made no attempt to lower her voice.

Her words naturally reached several noblewomen seated nearby.

They exchanged curious glances.

Then the whispers began.

"I heard before that Lady Deborah was the one behind Alhena."

"Seeing her today, I’m almost certain it’s true."

Deborah lowered her eyes, concealing the satisfaction in them.

This time, she would make sure everyone remembered who Alhena truly was.