Chapter 34
The Crown Prince’s schedule was simple.
In the morning, he would visit the market used by commoners and then visit an orphanage operated by the temple.
In the afternoon, he was scheduled to meet with the Chancellor.
The two individuals who would accompany him for protection were Aiden Calypso and Shion Estarion.
Though they had never properly introduced themselves, the two carried on their conversation smoothly. They shared the common goal of guarding the Crown Prince, and their discussions mainly focused on work matters.
“The route through the market is simple, but there are a lot of people moving around, so we need to be extra careful. One of us should stay close to Your Highness, while the other keeps watch from a bit further away,” Aiden suggested.
“That sounds good. I’ll stay by Your Highness’ side. Duke Calypso, you can cover the rear,” Shion agreed.
“No. I’ll handle it. If something happens, I’m the one who works best with His Highness,” Aiden replied.
Aiden’s point was valid. He and the Crown Prince had fought side by side in battle, and no one knew each other better.
Shion couldn’t find a reason to argue and nodded in agreement. While waiting for the Crown Prince to finish his preparations, Shion glanced at Aiden.
Seeing him up close, Aiden was more beast-like than the rumors suggested.
Shion was tall, but Aiden was even taller, with a physique like a wild animal. His broad shoulders, natural build, and sharp, dangerous eyes gave him a tiger-like appearance, making Shion feel as though he was facing one in the wild.
“I’ve heard a lot about your exploits,” Shion casually started, hoping to keep the conversation going while they waited.
“Really? I’ve heard quite a bit about you too.”
“About me? Ah, it must be because of the news. Selena’s excommunication.”
Shion’s face darkened at the mention of Selena, and without realizing it, Aiden clenched his fists.
“I wasn’t thinking of that when I mentioned it,” Aiden said quickly.
“I see. It’s a story that only a few know, but soon enough, the entire capital will hear about it.”
“Doesn’t it bother you?” Aiden asked, his tone suddenly curious.
Shion raised an eyebrow, surprised. Usually, people asked why Selena had been excommunicated, but no one ever asked how her family felt about it.
“It’s fine. It’d be a lie if I said it didn’t bother me, but I believe it was the right thing to do,” Shion responded with a dry tone.
Aiden didn’t notice how his clenched fist was slowly growing pale as he fought to hold back his emotions.
“Still, she was your sister… Don’t you miss her?”
“My sister is Sienna. She’s no longer my family,” Shion replied, drawing a clear line with his words.
Aiden’s face grew dark, but before he could respond, the Crown Prince appeared.
“Your Highness,” they both greeted.
“Long time no see, Duke Calypso,” the Crown Prince said.
“As casual as ever, Your Highness,” Aiden replied.
“Let’s skip the pleasantries and get going,” the Crown Prince urged.
The market was bustling as usual. The merchants and customers didn’t pay much attention to the Crown Prince because he had not made his visit public, and only the higher-ranking nobles and those involved had been notified.
“The prices have gone up quite a bit, especially for wheat and beans,” the Crown Prince remarked.
“From the looks of you, you must be from a noble family. Do you know much about the price of wheat?” a grain merchant asked.
Without missing a beat, the Crown Prince responded nonchalantly.
“I handle the relevant administrative duties at the palace.”
“The palace? Then can you file a report?” the merchant asked, suddenly hopeful.
“What would you like to report?”
“Well…” The merchant looked around nervously and then leaned in to whisper.
“The drug dealers have been running rampant. They’ve formed a group and are demanding a fee from the market vendors to allow them to keep selling.”
“A fee?” The Crown Prince’s eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.
“Yes. If they don’t pay, the drug dealers destroy their goods and threaten them, leaving the vendors no choice but to comply.”
“Thank you for telling me. I’ll make sure to handle this formally when I return to the palace.”
“Please, I beg of you,” the merchant pleaded.
As the conversation came to an end, the shouts of a commotion echoed through the market.
“Catch him! The runaway slave!” someone yelled.
The crowd stirred as something swiftly approached them.
“Don’t let him get away! Catch that bastard!” another voice yelled.
Aiden immediately moved to block the Crown Prince, while Shion drew his sword. The sharp blade gleamed in the sunlight, and Aiden’s face twisted in anger.
“Stop—”
Before Aiden could finish his sentence, Shion swung his sword. The sharp edge of the blade slashed through the runaway slave’s leg.
Blood splattered through the air, and a scream echoed.
“Argh!”
“You!”
Aiden grabbed Shion by the collar, furious. Shion’s face twisted in frustration as he tried to pull away, but Aiden’s beast-like strength overpowered him.
“Duke Calypso. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Shion snapped.
“There was no need to use a sword!” Aiden growled back.
“If the circumstances were different, I would have agreed with you, but right now, we’re guarding His Highness,” Shion retorted.
“Even so, it’s not necessary to inflict such wounds. With your skills, you could have easily subdued him without cutting him. Why did you—”
The runaway slave was dragged away by the chasing pursuers, his blood staining the ground as he was dragged like an animal.
Aiden’s expression became grim as he watched the blood trail.
“He’s just a slave,” Shion said, dismissing the incident.
“What? Have you forgotten that I was born a slave?” Aiden shot back, his anger rising.
“You’re no longer a slave, Duke. You’re a noble now, so you should have been more careful. While guarding His Highness, you should have kept your sword ready and paid attention.”
Shion’s voice was full of elitist pride, typical of someone from high society.
Aiden’s hands trembled as he gripped Shion’s collar. He wanted to punch him, to unleash the rage that had been building inside him.
If Shion had just looked the other way, that slave could have escaped and become a free man.
Aiden understood the pain of a runaway slave all too well. He knew how cruel life could be for them, how they had to fight for every scrap of freedom.
“Duke, it would be wise to calm down and act with decorum,” the Crown Prince interjected.
Shion glared at Aiden, but the latter finally released his grip, exhaling harshly as he stepped back.
Shion, feeling humiliated by having his collar grabbed, angrily brushed himself off and sneered.
“Duke, if you really want to be a noble, you’d better cut out that slave mentality.”
“Slave mentality? You should get rid of that stupid attitude of yours. You arrogant bastard!”
“Ha! So this is the real Duke Calypso. I thought you were some great war hero, but it turns out you’re just a lowly slave at heart.”
“That’s enough.”
The Crown Prince’s voice cut through the tension, and Shion fell silent.
Unlike Shion, Aiden, who had fought alongside the Crown Prince on the battlefield, was unafraid of him.
“You and I may both bleed red, but it’s still the same—don’t talk down to me.”
Aiden glared at Shion before storming off.
Once Aiden was gone, Shion, realizing what had happened, quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry for causing a scene.”
“Let’s head to the orphanage. We have a job to do,” the Crown Prince said.
“What about Duke Calypso?” Shion asked.
“He’ll need time to cool off,” the Crown Prince replied.
As the Crown Prince turned and began walking, the blood on the ground was visible under his boots. He glanced at Shion with a furrowed brow.
“Shion. Look at that. Red blood.”
“Huh?”
Ignoring Shion’s confused response, the Crown Prince led the way.
The Crown Prince didn’t wait for Shion’s reaction and simply led the way toward the orphanage.
Shion, still processing everything that had just happened, followed closely behind.
A deep, uncomfortable silence lingered between them, broken only by the faint sound of their footsteps echoing off the stone paths.
Shion glanced at the Crown Prince’s back.
There was something distant, cold about the way he walked—like a man carrying the weight of a thousand burdens, his mind far from the present.
It wasn’t the first time Shion had noticed this, but today, it felt more pronounced than usual.
“Your Highness,”
Shion started, breaking the silence,
“are we really just going to let it go like this?”
The Crown Prince paused, his shoulders tensing for just a moment before he turned to face Shion.
His gaze was unreadable, as always, but today, it seemed a little sharper.
“What do you mean?” the Crown Prince asked, his voice low, but steady.
“I know that Duke Calypso is… well, complicated, but there’s more to this than just a small disagreement. It felt like something deeper, something personal. I don’t understand why you let it go.”
Shion’s words hung in the air, but the Crown Prince remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Finally, he spoke, his voice soft but firm.
“Aiden has his demons. He’s always had them. I don’t know if he can ever fully shake them off. But that’s something he needs to handle on his own. It’s not my place to interfere with that.”
Shion raised an eyebrow, surprised by the response.
“You’re willing to let him continue down this path? Even when he’s making everything worse for himself?”
“It’s not about letting him,” the Crown Prince replied, his gaze becoming distant.
“It’s about understanding that some battles are fought alone. Even those closest to us sometimes need to fight their demons by themselves. We can offer support, but we can’t do the fighting for them.”
Shion didn’t respond right away.
He was used to the Crown Prince’s detached approach to things, but this felt different—more personal, more resigned.
He wasn’t used to seeing this side of the Crown Prince, especially not after everything that had happened.
As they continued walking toward the orphanage, Shion couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on beneath the surface—something deeper that the Crown Prince wasn’t willing to share.
But Shion wasn’t going to press him.
Not now.
The orphanage was a small, humble building, tucked away on the edge of the capital.
The children who lived there had few possessions, but their faces were bright with curiosity as they greeted the Crown Prince and his entourage.
The headmistress, a kindly woman with graying hair, greeted them warmly.
“Your Highness, welcome,” she said, curtsying.
“We’re so grateful for your visit.”
“It’s my pleasure,”
the Crown Prince replied, offering a small smile.
“I’ve heard great things about the work you’re doing here.”
The headmistress led them through the orphanage, showing them the children’s living quarters, the kitchen, and the small classrooms where the children were taught.
The Crown Prince watched them with a thoughtful expression, his gaze softening as he observed the children’s laughter and energy.
It was clear that he cared, though he never let it show too openly.
“Your Highness,” the headmistress said, after showing them around. “If you don’t mind, we have a small performance prepared by the children.
They’ve been practicing for weeks, and it would mean so much to them if you could watch.”
The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. “Of course, I’d love to see it.”
The children gathered in a small room, excitedly preparing for their performance.
As they began singing, the Crown Prince’s expression softened, and for the first time that day, a genuine smile played across his lips.
He was no longer the distant, cold leader, but a man witnessing something pure and innocent.
Shion stood by his side, watching the children and the Crown Prince.
There was something about this moment that struck him—something human, something real.
After the performance, the Crown Prince made a point to speak with each of the children individually, asking them about their dreams and their hopes for the future.
It was a side of him that Shion had never seen before, and for a moment, Shion wondered if the Crown Prince truly had a heart, after all.
As the visit came to an end, the Crown Prince thanked the headmistress and promised to continue supporting the orphanage.
They made their way back to the palace, and the tension that had marked their earlier moments seemed to dissipate, replaced by an uneasy calm.
“Do you ever wonder what it’s all for?” Shion asked, breaking the silence again as they walked.
“What do you mean?” the Crown Prince asked, glancing at Shion.
“All of this—the politics, the games, the power struggles… Do you ever stop and think if it’s really worth it? If it really matters?”
The Crown Prince paused for a moment, his gaze thoughtful.
“I don’t think about it often. But when I do, I remind myself that everything I do is for the people I’m meant to protect. The power and the politics—those are just tools. The real goal is the well-being of the people.”
Shion nodded slowly, considering the Crown Prince’s words.
It was something he had heard before, but today, it seemed to carry a weight of sincerity that he hadn’t expected.
“You’ve changed, Your Highness,” Shion said quietly.
The Crown Prince gave him a curious look. “Changed?”
“Yes. I’m not sure when, but somewhere along the way, you stopped being just a prince and became… someone who truly cares. Someone who understands.”
The Crown Prince remained silent for a long moment before speaking softly.
“I don’t know if I understand everything yet. But I’m trying.”
The rest of the day passed in a blur, and before long, Shion found himself back in his quarters, reflecting on everything that had happened.
He thought about Aiden, about the Crown Prince, and about the tension that seemed to be building between them all.
There was a storm brewing, Shion could feel it. But for now, all he could do was wait.
