The blade skimd past Luke’s side and embedded itself into the steps above. Whether Cailern hadn’t put much force into the swing, or the floor was simply too solid, the mark it left was shallow. He retrieved the sword and slid it calmly back into its scabbard.
"Even if I did try to cut you down, I wouldn’t be able to kill you."
"......"
"How could I possibly defeat a skilled mage?"
Luke flinched. What? How did he know? He hadn’t used a single spell since entering Welharun. He’d even warned Paul and the others not to use magic unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Your Highness."
A man appeared from the corner and approached slowly—the sa one who had been watching Luke all along. Cailern handed his sword to him. As expected, it wasn’t his own blade.
"It’s not wise for you to linger here too long."
The man inclined his head to Cailern but didn’t take his eyes off Luke.
"Brett, could you take this man to my study?"
"Your Highness...!"
The man—Brett—opened his eyes wide in startled protest. Are you sure? Are you really going to do this? He didn’t say it aloud, but Luke could read it clearly in his face. It wasn’t just hesitation—it was mistrust. The sa kind of suspicion Luke had already anticipated.
"This man... might end up being of great help to us."
"......"
"So trust ."
Cailern’s voice was quiet, but firm. Until now, Luke had assud he was mild, maybe even fragile. He’d heard people say the prince was sickly. But the way he now gave orders—poised and commanding—radiated more presence than any noble Luke had encountered.
"Understood."
"I need to return to the banquet. If I’m gone too long, my brother may start to suspect sothing. Would you mind waiting where my attendant leads you?"
Cailern turned his gaze back to Luke.
"Of course."
Luke nodded. With that, Cailern disappeared down the hall in the direction of the banquet. Brett stared at Luke for a long mont, then turned his back.
"Follow ."
They moved away from the staircase that led to the top floor. Brett said nothing the entire way—just silently guided him. Eventually, they arrived at what appeared to be Cailern’s personal study.
"Please wait here. I’d appreciate it if you remained seated and refrained from doing anything... unwise."
Luke understood exactly what that ant—Don’t make any stupid moves. He sat down and slowly observed the man guarding the door. His short-cropped hair exposed a small scar on his forehead, and his sturdy build was unmistakable even under his clothes. The sword at his waist suited him perfectly. Luke was convinced—Brett had to be Cailern’s personal guard knight.
"I thought I was good at hiding my presence."
Surprisingly, it was Brett who spoke first, breaking the silence while Luke waited quietly.
"How did you know you were being watched?"
"Ah, mages are generally very sensitive to presence. I happen to be a bit more sensitive than most."
Sensing unnatural shifts in the flow of air and presence was never difficult for Luke. It was one of the reasons he’d been appointed leader of the special ops unit.
"...Mages really are strange creatures."
Brett muttered to himself with a slight nod, seemingly convinced. From that single exchange, Luke gathered that Brett wasn’t a mage. A mage would’ve known instinctively that magical energy could be used to detect presences.
So Brett hadn’t figured it out on his own. Had he not reported Luke’s magical abilities to Cailern after all?
That thought was still lingering in his mind when, an hour later, Cailern returned. Luke was tapping the tabletop idly out of boredom when Brett, suddenly alert, stepped aside from the door.
The door creaked open, and Cailern stepped in, looking slightly fatigued.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Luke shook off the boredom and responded that it was no trouble. Cailern crossed the room and took the seat opposite him.
Though they were now seated for a conversation, neither of them spoke right away.
"How did you know I was a mage?"
Luke finally asked, breaking the heavy silence. Cailern nodded as though he’d expected the question.
"Would you believe if I said I was one too?"
"What?"
Luke had never heard any rumors that the second prince of Welharun could use magic. Given the era they lived in—where magical talent was seen as a rare and desirable trait—there’d have been no reason to hide it. It caught him off guard.
"Of course, the amount of magic I possess is minuscule. And due to my poor health, I’m incapable of using it properly. But... there’s one thing I’m especially good at—sensing other people’s mana."
"Then..."
"The first day we t—when I shook your hand."
Ah. Luke exhaled softly. That day, Cailern had extended his hand in greeting, and Luke had naturally taken it. Among mages, if one employed a detection spell during physical contact, they could sense the mana levels of the other person. If Luke had cast such a spell at that mont, he might have detected the small amount of mana within Cailern as well.
But he’d never imagined that the second prince of Welharun would be a mage. So he’d had no reason to cast anything.
"I felt an imnse amount of magic. The most I’ve ever sensed in anyone."
That was when Cailern began keeping an eye on him. He said it was simply strange—soone who was rely a Foreign Affairs Ministry aide in a diplomatic delegation possessing such enormous magical power.
Luke could only nod in understanding. A mage could control the flow of their mana to prevent others from sensing it. He’d taken great care to suppress his own presence since arriving in Welharun.
He’d even instructed Paul, Levi, and Jade to do the sa. But if Cailern still managed to detect it despite those precautions, then his sensory ability must indeed be exceptional.
"That’s when you assigned him to watch ."
"Yes. He’s my most trusted subordinate."
Cailern nodded slowly.
"Now, may I ask sothing in return?"
"Yes."
"How did you know I was testing you?"
Luke began to explain. As he’d said earlier, his suspicions had started with Brett’s surveillance. The fact that he was constantly being watched but never confronted or threatened—he knew that couldn’t be Heath’s doing.
"And about that gazebo. You were there waiting for on purpose, weren’t you?"
To his surprise, Cailern admitted it readily. Luke had suspected that when Brett’s presence had suddenly vanished from the square, it had been to report to the prince. And when he returned to the palace, there was Cailern, waiting.
"Your Highness also approached specific mbers of the delegation for conversation. And the book."
"The book?"
Cailern tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
"You said it was one of your favorites. But you’ve never actually read it, have you?"
"......"
Not only Cailern, but even Brett by the door reacted with visible surprise—as if Luke had struck an unexpected weak point.
"I’ve read that book myself. I know what it’s about. And it’s not about permanence or eternity."
It was a philosophy book—but one on a completely different subject. That small inconsistency had revealed everything. The lie about the book led to the conclusion that their 'accidental' conversation at the gazebo had been staged.
That tiny detail completed the puzzle—leading Luke to realize that Cailern must know sothing, and was testing him under the guise of idle conversation. That was why he’d deliberately slipped away from the banquet and waited near the stairs leading to the top floor.
If Cailern had been watching him all along, then he would have noticed.
"So you even expected to follow you and reveal myself?"
"I hoped you would. But no, I didn’t expect it. If you hadn’t shown up, I was planning to catch your spy and interrogate him."
Luke grinned slightly at Brett. The man scowled, visibly displeased.
"Hah. So I thought I had you dancing in the palm of my hand, but I was the one being toyed with."
"We’re both guilty of the sa."
Luke shrugged.
"Then that question you asked—under the guise of the book’s contents—was ant to probe , wasn’t it?"
"I wanted to understand a bit of what Your Highness was thinking. It’d be unfair if I was the only one laying myself bare."
When Luke had asked if there was anything truly eternal, Cailern hadn’t answered at first—but eventually, he’d firmly said there was no such thing.
"The answer Your Highness gave back then... it was aid at Prince Heath, wasn’t it?"
The room fell silent.
Even heavier than before, the air seed to thicken.
Cailern didn’t avoid Luke’s eyes. His silver hair and refined features were almost delicate, but the presence he exuded was anything but fragile. It wasn’t just because of the powerful magic he held. The calm deanor in front of a foreign soldier, the composed intellect that turned every move into an opportunity, and the boldness to carry out sothing so dangerous—
This man, Luke thought, might be far more formidable than he’d first believed.
"My brother has changed."
"......"
"Ever since he t that ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) man from Nox."
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