Turning Chapter 816

Chapter 816

Ignoring the clamoring Kiolle, Yuder escaped the confessional and swiftly returned to his original place. His agile movements, weaving through the milling crowd, went unnoticed by all.

"Did you have a good talk?" inquired Kishiar, the exception to the oblivious.

"Yes."

"You took longer than expected... perhaps you stumbled upon an interesting topic?"

"A person who should be in the Bright Palace is currently outside of it," Yuder replied, delivering the crux of the matter in a voice only Kishiar could hear. Despite the shocking news, Kishiar, ever the seasoned actor, displayed an unshaken smile.

"Really? Did he sneak out on a whim to visit the south?"

"Similar. He fled to save a sage, hiding in a carriage."

"Ah, a victim of brainwashing then," Kishiar deduced, pinpointing the truth from just that single act of Katchian.

"Yes. Duke Diarca is still unaware, and Kiolle has asked for help."

"Must've been hard for him to ask, given his pride. He must trust my assistant a great deal."

Instead of dismissing Kishiar's absurd jest, Yuder straightforwardly corrected him.

"Kiolle is being threatened by Katchian because of a strange misunderstanding. He seemed quite desperate."

"A strange misunderstanding? I'm curious."

"You might be better off not knowing."

"That kind of statement only makes me more curious," Kishiar mused, a response Yuder had anticipated. Taking a deep breath, Yuder continued.

"Then I'll tell you. The prince is under the misconception that Kiolle is a homosexual. He's been blackmailing him about informing his family, which is how he managed to follow him here."

Yuder expected Kishiar to laugh, but his reaction was only half right. The beautiful man, clad in black ceremonial attire, maintained his picturesque smile, but his eyes told a different story.

"Hmm. That's a rather intricate misunderstanding."

Silence followed.

"Did the rumor about Kiolle da Diarca getting entangled with an unknown young man after the Harvest Festival influence this?"

Kishiar had mentioned that rumor before. Yuder hadn't expected him to remember such a baseless tale. Slightly surprised, he nodded.

"Well, yes. But the direct cause of the misunderstanding might have been the party after the mission in the west, where he briefly left the party to meet with me..."

Yuder admitted to himself that he might have inadvertently contributed to the misunderstanding about Kiolle.

"But it's a simple misunderstanding that Kiolle should have cleared up easily. His failure to do so probably means he's just a fool."

"Indeed, that's likely. So, does Katchian have any guesses about who Kiolle's partner might be?"

"No, he doesn't seem to have gone that far."

If Prince Katchian had been more determined to find out who Kiolle's partner was, he might have realized sooner that it was all a misunderstanding. His lack of will was another reason for Kiolle's distress.

"It would be best to clear up this misunderstanding quickly."

"I agree."

After conveying to Kishiar that Kiolle had resolved to leave the Herne House within a week, Yuder fell silent. His silence wasn't for any particular reason other than the increasing commotion around them as Kiolle had just returned to his original spot.

Kiolle, who had been the center of their conversation moments ago, sat down, panting as if he had run hurriedly. Yuder easily guessed the reason.

'He must have struggled immensely to avoid being spotted by others and return here no later than Duke Herne.'

For Yuder, moving unnoticed was as easy as breathing, but for Kiolle, with his lesser skills, avoiding the gazes of others during his escape from the confessional and return must have been quite a challenge.

The southern nobles whispered seriously among themselves upon seeing Kiolle's distressed appearance. Yuder subtly amplified their voices to his ears using his wind powers. The whispers revealed their thoughts.

"He entered later than everyone else but managed not to be later than Duke Herne. Choosing such a precise moment must have been difficult..."

"He's not to be underestimated, that's for sure."

"Duke Diarca opposes Duke Peletta and the Cavalry, who follows the Emperor. He also doesn't seem to want to give up control to Herne."

"According to the signals sent by the servants, nobody saw where Diarca went or when he came back. They say his swordsmanship is unremarkable, but maybe even that's a deception..."

Yuder retracted his wind powers after hearing this much.

'It's fortunate that he's not under suspicion despite being away for so long... but this is getting absurd.'

Was nobody noticing Kiolle, who was trying to appear dignified while wiping sweat from his forehead, or was it just invisible to their eyes?

Yuder's estimation of the southern nobles plummeted even below that of Kiolle.

Simultaneously, a grand announcement of Duke Herne's arrival echoed throughout the chapel. All attendees fell silent as precise footsteps approached from the nearest small entrance.

'Finally, I get to see Duke Herne in person.'

Yuder sharpened his focus, determined not to miss a thing.

After a moment, Duke Herne finally made his appearance.

He looked surprisingly young. Compared to Duke Diarca, whose beard had turned white, and even to Duke Apeto and Duke Tain who appeared relatively young but still like middle-aged men with grown children, Duke Herne looked distinctly younger. His nearly silver, long platinum-blond hair was elegantly gathered and draped over one shoulder, and he held a diamond-studded black cane. At most, he looked like he had just entered his forties.

It was hard to associate this elegant, slenderly handsome man with the rake that Myra detested. Even Yuder, well aware that appearances can be deceiving, felt this way, let alone others.

Rumors had it that he had been staying in the south for health reasons, but nothing about him seemed particularly unwell.

'He is quite thin and uses a cane, so maybe, like Myra, it's just a natural weakness in vitality...'

Duke Herne didn't enter alone. His opposite arm from the one holding the cane was lightly supported by Myra. The father and daughter, with their strikingly similar platinum hair and clear grey eyes, looked like a beautifully sad and elegant family at a glance.

However, the pleasing sight only lasted so long. As Duke Herne and Myra left the entrance, a procession of about ten women followed in their wake.

Given they were coming together, it was clear these women were either family or closely associated with the family to warrant attendance at such an occasion. Yet, most of them appeared not much older than Myra. Among them, only one bore the mark of direct kinship. She alone, amidst others who seemed not to grieve, veiled her face and wept endlessly, her handkerchief drenched.

"Oh, my son... poor Ashrav!"

The fact that she was the only one crying confirmed she was the mother of Ashrav, the second son who had passed away.

'Indeed.'

Despite appearances to the contrary, Duke Herne was indeed the womanizer Myra had described. The scene was bizarre.

The women, dressed in mourning but showing no signs of sorrow, each held a handkerchief. The crowd waited a considerable time for all of them to enter. Only then did a solemn-faced priest emerge to commence the funeral service.

Candles were lit amongst the flowers adorning the vicinity of the coffin. The somber music of sacred instruments filled and then quieted the reverent space. The sound of sleet hitting the windows outside added a melancholic resonance to the atmosphere.

"Today, we stand here facing a deeply saddening departure. Ashrav El Herne, the Second Prince, was a bright young man with exceptional talents, destined to be a blessing to all. Yet, the divine called him to its embrace far too soon..."

It was at that moment that Yuder noticed something peculiar. The shadow cast over the coffin flickered unnaturally.

'...Gakane?'