Chapter 197: Manipulator Behind it [2]

Arvendis gulped.

’How does he even know about that? Did that trash tell him?’ But he quickly shook his head inside.

’Wait... Did that trash actually find out that I was behind everything? No, that can’t be! If he did, how could he have known it was me?’ Another thought hit him, and his heart sank.

’More importantly... how many people has he told about all this?’

"Are you wondering how I came to know about it?"

Alden’s voice rang out, and Arvendis flinched.

For a split second it felt like Alden had read his mind, because that was exactly what he had been thinking.

"Leon never told me," Alden went on, glancing at his own hand. "I came to know through my..."

He stopped. His eyes stayed on his palm for a moment before he pulled the hand back.

"Never mind."

He wasn’t going to explain Soul Rendering to everyone in the room, not when there were already enough problems to deal with.

Instead he turned back to Arvendis, and his eyes sharpened.

"Remember this. I don’t care if you’re a Spire or even if you’re going to become a Prince..."

His face turned cold.

"If you ever badmouth Leon again..."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Then you know what I’ll do."

Arvendis could only stare at him. He said nothing. For once he couldn’t come up with an answer.

Everyone else in the room traded confused looks, their eyes moving between the two men.

’What is going on between them?’

Luna couldn’t shake a strange feeling about the pair. Whatever had just happened, it was clear there was more to it than a simple argument over Leon.

Roselle, Nicholas, Claire and Darius all reached the same thought.

’There’s something going on between them.’

Alden’s words had been far too specific and Arvendis’s reaction far too suspicious to ignore. But none of them could work out what that something was.

Aurelia kept her eyes on Alden.

’Prodigy...? Home...?’

Her gaze slowly moved to Arvendis. He was silent now and his face was hard to read. Yet something about his reaction bothered her. For years there had been things she never understood. Strange moments, unexplained behavior, and feelings she had never been able to put into words. Now, after hearing Alden, she couldn’t help wondering whether those unanswered questions had something to do with Leon.

Before she could think any further, Alden turned to Darius.

"Anyway, Headmaster, I’m leaving now. I have to train and practice a few techniques. You can all continue your discussion."

He walked to the door without waiting for an answer. A moment later it shut behind him.

Alden sighed as he walked down the corridors.

’I should forget about this for now and keep an eye on Arvendis.’ He slid his hands into his pockets. ’Though after the warning I gave him, I doubt he’ll dare open his mouth about Leon again.’

Honestly, he had wanted to expose everything Arvendis had done to Leon. After living through Leon’s memories, he could barely hold back his anger whenever he thought about that man. What he had learned had changed how he saw Leon’s past completely. He could have said it all right there. He could have forced Arvendis to answer for it in front of everyone.

But in the end Alden had held back. Why?

Because of Leon.

The moment Leon’s face came to his mind, Alden’s steps slowed.

’Would Leon have wanted that?’

He wasn’t sure. Maybe Leon had already found out the truth himself. Maybe he had known who was behind everything that happened to him and chose to stay silent. Alden couldn’t say for sure. But he couldn’t shake the thought that Leon had chosen to leave the past behind. Despite all he had suffered, Leon had finally found a family that loved him. A younger sister who adored him, parents who accepted him, and friends who truly cared. He had tried to live that second life without letting the past eat him up. Maybe he never wanted any of this dragged into the open.

Alden lowered his eyes.

Maybe that was why he had stopped. Arvendis didn’t deserve any mercy. It was just that Leon might never have wanted revenge in the first place.

Still...

Alden’s face hardened.

’That doesn’t mean I’ll let him get away with everything.’

He would keep an eye on Arvendis, and if the man tried anything again, Alden wouldn’t hesitate. For now he had other things to worry about. Training. His techniques. And leveling with Soul Rendering system.

He started walking again, his thoughts turning to the road ahead.

"Hey! Please wait!"

A voice called out behind him. Alden stopped and turned.

Aurelia was hurrying toward him. She slowed as she came closer and stopped a short distance away, her breathing a little uneven from rushing after him.

"Princess Aurelia?" Alden turned to face her fully. "How can I help you?"

"Um... well..."

Aurelia hesitated. She seemed unsure how to begin. There was a seriousness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. Then she looked straight at him.

"You’re Leon’s friend, aren’t you?"

Alden nodded. "Yes. I’m Alden."

"Alden..." she repeated quietly, as if she was memorizing his name. She took a small breath. "I think you know something about what you were trying to say back there, don’t you?"

Her voice had changed. The hesitation was still there, but under it was a determination she could no longer hold back.

"I saw Arvendis’s face when you said those things. He looked... frightened. Like he’d heard something he never expected anyone else to know."

Her hands tightened.

"There’s something he’s been hiding from me. Something I’ve never been able to understand, no matter how hard I’ve tried." She searched Alden’s face for an answer. "And I think you know what it is."

She struggled for a moment with the words that came next. Then she finally asked.

"Can you... please tell me whatever you know?"

Alden looked at her and hesitated. He knew she deserved the truth. After everything Leon had been through, maybe she had the right to know what really happened. But would Leon have wanted her to know?

He looked away.

"I’m sorry, Lady Aurelia, but... I don’t think that’s what Leon wan—"

"Please..." Aurelia cut in, her voice shaking.