My Unrestrained Lives-Chapter 44: Cold Morning

Inside a grand hall, lit by the first rays of the sun rising through the windows, a long table stretched beneath the high ceiling, its polished surface lined with fine silverware and steaming plates of food.

Servants stood silently along the walls, their hands clasped, their eyes lowered.

At the head of the table, a young man, handsome, with striking blue hair and the look of someone in his early twenties, sat alone, slowly eating.

He seemed to be in a good mood, until suddenly, one servant entered the room, came to his side, and said, "Sorry for interrupting your meal, Your Highness."

The servant seemed to have more words caught in his mouth, but he didn’t say them. Instead, he just waited, until the fourth prince, Caelan Merrik Valemere, gave him permission.

In the end, Caelan didn’t give the servant the permission, though, and simply continued eating.

He didn’t even turn in his direction, not until he had finished his meal, wiped his mouth elegantly with a napkin, and signaled for the food to be taken away from in front of him... then finally, he turned toward the servant.

Signaling him with his eyes to start talking.

"Your Highness, after your previous order that we should keep an eye on Madam Thalia, we sent a spy to stay in her place, acting as a servant there. And today, we actually found that she has been detained inside the palace she’s currently in, by people from the First Prince’s side."

"Furthermore, through the spy’s words, we can conclude that her days are probably not long, if we don’t make any move."

"So, what are your instructions?"

Caelan didn’t have his expression change at all. And with calm words, he said, "Our previous alliance has ended, so, why should we give her a helping hand?"

"So, just pull anyone you have on her side, back." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The servant didn’t seem surprised by the command he received, and so, he simply accepted the order and intended to leave, before he suddenly remembered another topic, and said, "What about the Royal Knight Commander, Galen? Should we send him any word?"

It seemed that not only the servant had forgotten. Even Caelan let out a soft exclamation, as if wondering how he could have forgotten that himself. And so, he said, "Also, tell him to stop playing with that kid."

"We’ve gone along with his whim long enough, already."

...

Unaware of what was happening inside another palace, Ellis, at this moment, was also sitting at the dining table, intending to have his breakfast.

Unlike usual, where there were just two people in the room, though, this time there were four.

Aside from him and Silas, there were the two other maids, the still-scared tall one, Grenda, and the short one, Brunna.

It was at this moment that Ellis noticed how the contrast in their height made for a funny sight, and he kept alternating his gaze between the food on the table and them, standing off to the side.

In the end, he didn’t hesitate, and just started eating... normally.

He ate the delicious food made by Silas, and the bland one prepared by the two maids.

Unlike how he usually controlled how much he ate, this time, he finished everything on the table.

He couldn’t help but try to feel his body, wondering what kind of effect the poison would have on him. But time passed, and he didn’t feel anything.

’Aurora, was there really a poison in the food?’

[Yes, there was.]

Getting the confirmation, Ellis tried once again to sense his body, but once again, he didn’t feel anything. So, he just stopped caring about the topic altogether.

’It seems, like I really gave them more weight than what they are,’ he thought as he shook his head.

In the end, knowing it was already time for Galen to come, he went to the training ground.

He stretched his body while waiting for Galen, and at the same time, wondered how the situation between them would unfold today.

He intended to confront him regarding Silas’s situation, after all.

Had he not cared at all for him, he would not have bothered with any of this. But Galen had grown on him, during all the time they spent together, despite the unpleasant news he heard yesterday.

So, he still thought that maybe... maybe, he should hear things from his side too.

But it seemed he didn’t need to say anything. Because Galen, who finally arrived, had a different expression on his face than usual. And he seemed to have words in his mouth... words he wanted to say.

So Ellis, now knowing that the Knight Commander Galen was truly a gone case, just stared at him expressionlessly.

He returned his greeting with a dry tone, and waited for him to start talking.

Fortunately, Galen didn’t let him wait. Instead, he immediately said, "Your Highness, I came today actually to inform you that we need to take a period of rest, regarding your training."

’And how long would that be? Until I die?’

While he ridiculed inwardly, he still didn’t let anything show on his face.

He simply stared at Galen, who remained standing in front of him, then finally bowed his head slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work during all this time. I will not forget the favor you’ve done in teaching me."

Ellis said it sincerely. He had just confirmed that there was something wrong with Galen... but even so, he didn’t believe everything had been fake.

Even then, it would be the first and last time he would lower his head to him.

And Ellis intended to stand by his word... to repay kindness with kindness, and enmity with enmity.

He would repay him for his help in training, later.

And he would also repay him for what had happened to Silas.

And if they were ever to meet as enemies, then he would not be spared.

A complicated and mixed emotion passed through Galen’s eyes, just for a moment.

In the end, he didn’t mention anything else. He simply thanked him back, then excused himself.