SWNOVELXO Chapter 41: The Culprit
The words hung between them, heavy and intimate in a way she hadn't anticipated. She looked away, her heart pounding harder than it should have been. "You say that now," she muttered, trying to keep the moment light. "But just wait until you really get to know me. I'm not as great as I seem at a glance. I can be pretty reckless, you know."
He chuckled, a deep sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "I'm fairly certain I've already seen the reckless side of you."
Elara opened her mouth to retort but was silenced when he stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. There was something about the air that had shifted, and though she could feel it, she couldn't exactly define what it was. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze.
"I mean it," he said quietly, his voice steady. "You've been thrown into something unimaginable, and you've handled it better than anyone I know. I've seen knights crumble under far less pressure."
She felt her throat tighten, the sincerity in his words cutting through her defenses. "I've just been lucky," she said softly. She really did believe it, too. Not everyone survived one attempt on their life, let alone multiple.
"I won't deny that. But despite the luck, you manage to not fall to the pressure of it. I've been in your shoes, Elara. I know how easy it is for just a small amount of water to capsize the whole ship, so to speak. Yet, instead of panicking, you patch up the ship each time a new hole forms. That's not easy to do. Believe me."
His hand lifted, hesitating for the briefest moment before brushing a strand of hair away from her face. The touch was so gentle, so deliberate, that it sent a jolt of electricity through her. His fingers lingered for just a second too long, his gaze locked on hers with an intensity that made her forget to breathe.
"You don't see it," he continued, almost to himself. "But you're stronger than you think. And... braver."
Elara's breath hitched, her mind racing to keep up with yet another shift in the air. She could see something unspoken in his eyes, something raw and unguarded that made her chest ache in the most painfully sweet way. She couldn't tear her gaze away, and suddenly, she was nearly overcome with the desire to reach out and touch him. To feel the fine strands of white hair across her hand, to feel the heat of his skin beneath the pads of her fingers.
But she had to snap out of it.
She had to push down these kinds of feelings.
She would be gone from this world as soon as Caspian's ending was complete. When Chirondale was stable, and they had passed through the worst of the story, she would return to her own world. She'd be back to her mundane life, dealing with Mr. Stultus's demeaning, micro-aggressive comments and living each and every day with numb acceptance.
She would never see him again.
There was no need to start something that would leave both of them broken. It would be hard enough to return to her life after experiencing the one in this world. For all the bad moments she'd had, she'd experienced some good ones, too. She genuinely liked Crisseda and Kyran, Edris and Chirovan, and of course, she liked Caspian. In a little over two weeks, she'd grown to like so many people and the longer she stayed, the more attached she would become. She would have to deal with the loss this world would leave on her heart when she returned, but she may never recover if she let herself start to like Caspian as more than a friend.
She offered him a smile, hoping it masked the turmoil roiling inside her. "It's not really hard to patch holes when you're used to doing it," she said, her voice deliberately light.
Caspian studied her for a moment longer, the intensity in his eyes lingering and she hoped he couldn't see straight through her. The depths of his eyes went so far, Elara felt as if he could reach straight to the fathoms of her soul sometimes. Then, to her relief—and maybe a bit of disappointment—he nodded. "Luckily for you, you're quite good at it," he replied, his voice warm but teasing.
He stepped back, and the moment was lost, the space between them both a relief and a hollow ache she didn't dare examine too closely. Caspian turned away, busying himself with arranging the scattered maps on the table.
⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂☆
The stone walls of the dungeon were damp, and the air was thick with the scent of mildew, the rusted scent of blood, and the sickly sweet scent of death. Kyran strode through the corridors with purpose, his cloak trailing behind him. The clacking of the guards' boots echoed in the confined space as they led him to the cell where Lady Olivia's knight was being held.
The man sat slumped on the bench, his wrists bound in iron chains. His face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead despite the chill in the air. Kyran studied him for a moment before stepping inside the cell.
"Sir Alden," Kyran said smoothly, his voice like velvet over steel. "Let's get straight to the point as there's not point in beating around the bush. I'm here to get to the truth. The sooner you cooperate, the easier this will be for everyone involved. If you cooperate properly, due to your service of a noble, you will only have to endure twenty years of labor instead of what you're facing right now: death."
Alden looked up, his bloodshot eyes narrowing. "I've told them everything already. I was following orders—"
"From whom?" Kyran interrupted, stepping closer. His presence was a shadow looming over the defeated knight.
The man hesitated, his gaze flickering to the floor.
Kyran leaned in, lowering his voice. "Let me be clear, Sir Alden. You were caught attempting to murder a guest of the crown. Not only a guest of the crown, but His Grace, the only Grand Duke of the kingdom of Isyndor's beloved, and yet you still breathe. That is a luxury. If you want it to continue, I suggest you stop stalling."
Alden's jaw clenched. After a moment, he muttered, "Lady Olivia had nothing to do with it."
"I'm well aware of that," Kyran said coldly. "Who gave the order?"
Alden's silence stretched for an agonizing moment before he finally spoke. "I... I don't know their name. They sent a messenger—a hooded figure. They delivered gold and instructions. All I know is that the message came with the crest of House Arlindor."
Kyran's expression darkened. House Arlindor was a minor noble house, known for its historical allegiance to the crown but also for its financial struggles. Their family had fallen after they chose to side with Caspian instead of Alaric before he was crowned. Though Caspian had offered them a place in Chirondale, the capital was their home, so they refused to turn tail and leave. Kyran heavily doubted their involvement—they loved Caspian still, even after their family had fallen for choosing to be loyal to him—but if they were involved, it would mean that someone higher up had hired them as intermediaries. There was no chance, in the gods' names, they would waste precious gold they barely had to hire a knight to kill the Grand Duke's intended.
The culprit is hiding behind someone else yet again.
"How much gold did they offer you? Seeing as you've worked for the Volecrest family since Lady Olivia was in diapers, I assume it must have been quite a jaw-dropping amount to get you to take such a stupid risk."
"Two thousand gold coins."
Kyran's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Two thousand?"
The knight nodded, his head hanging heavy on his chest. "It was enough gold for me to start over. For me to retire for the rest of my life and still leave my wife and children with enough wealth that they could be comfortable. It was too much gold to pass up, especially to kill one woman."
Kyran agreed. Two thousand gold was enough to buy oneself an Earl title, a sprawling mansion filled with servants, forty magic carriages, and the finest clothes in the capital while still having enough left over to live comfortably for the rest of one's life. Anyone would jump at such an opportunity.
It makes sense why so many people seem intent on trying to kill Miss. Elara. If they're offering such large amounts of gold to everyone, this certainly won't stop anytime soon.
"This messenger," Kyran pressed. "What else can you tell me about them?"
"Nothing. We met in a dark place, they didn't speak more than necessary, and their face was covered."
Kyran straightened, his mind already racing with possibilities. "You've been surprisingly forthcoming. Let's hope that continues when I return."
Kyran left the cell, listening to it clink and lock as the guards closed it behind him. The knight was clearly leaving information out, but it didn't matter. The information he'd given was enough to go on for now.
⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂☆
Caspian's boots crunched against the frost-laden ground as he approached the abandoned estate where the captured Anti-Royal faction members were being held. It was a remote location, far from the prying eyes of the court, and served as the perfect place to conduct his investigation without causing a stir. Valtren's hand had fully gripped the world around him and it was everywhere he looked; in the naked trees and the frozen-over grass.
Caspian sighed. He wished for this investigation to be over as soon as possible because the moment it was done, he could see Elara again. How foolish it was, how inept he felt, to feel as if he missed her even when they hadn't even been apart a full morning yet. The muted suns in the sky reminded him he hadn't been apart from her for too long, but such a thought offered no true solace.
The faction members were lined up in one of the estate's cavernous halls, their hands bound and expressions defiant. Caspian's silver eyes scanned each of them briefly before he turned to the knights watching over them.
"These are all of them?"
"Yes, Your Grace," a knight responded. "We caught these ones at the end of the group. They attempted suicide by swallowing a nightvein capsule, but we were able to heal them thanks to the Imperial Mage."
Caspian's gaze slid back over to the group of men. Nightvein? Like the ones who attacked Elara on our way here?
He stopped in front of a man with a jagged scar running down his cheek. "By now, you must know there's no way out of this," Caspian said evenly. "You attacked those of noble blood, shot the king, and your nightvein capsule has failed. While facing repercussions for your actions is unavoidable, perhaps the king may take mercy on you and allow you to live a life working at the mines if you are repentant. The best way to repent for your wrongdoings is to tell me why you've done what you did."
The man sneered. "Don't you know by now, half-blood? The Anti-Royal faction fights for freedom. The royals and their dogs deserve what's coming to them."
Caspian tilted his head, his gaze unflinching, though the half-blood comment boiled his blood he was used to such manner of speech. At least this man had the guts to say such things to his face. "And yet you didn't attack the Queen. Or the Grand Duke. Or even the royal stewards. You came for my intended. Why?"
The man's sneer faltered for a split second before he spat on the ground. "We attacked every noble at the hunting grounds, sire," he ground out, his tone mocking. "If your intended was among them, then she was attacked like the rest. As simple as that."
Caspian's patience was razor-thin, but he didn't let it show. "You're deflecting. I'll ask again. Why was Elara your target?"
The man said nothing.
Caspian sighed, turning to one of the knights, who stood at his side. "Send for a Truthbringer. If he won't talk, we'll extract the information another way."
The man's eyes widened, genuine fear pooling in his deep green irises, but Caspian had moved on to interrogate the next prisoner.
"Be warned that whoever does not willingly cooperate will have to face a Truthbringer," he warned. "Choose which you prefer, to talk willingly or risk having it extracted from you at the cost of your insanity. The choice belongs solely to you."