Turning Chapter 998
Mayra, her expression sincere, didn’t try to hide the anger in her eyes.
“I’m alright. I didn’t realize he’d entered without an invitation... but I agree with you, Your Grace. A proper investigation is clearly necessary. I’ll do my best to assist until this is resolved,” Kachien replied.
Mayra shook her head.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I can't ask a guest to go that far—”
“No. Since the one he insulted and tried to harm is an Awakener of the Cavalry, our unit is obligated to investigate as well. I believe it’s best if we conduct it together, as Kachien suggests,”
Kishiar’s voice was firm despite the gentle smile on his face, seamlessly stepping into the conversation.
Mayra paused for a moment in thought, then nodded decisively.
“You're right, Commander. Then House Hern and the Cavalry will conduct the investigation jointly.”
A brief incident had occurred at the banquet.
Yet the way Kishiar and Mayra handled it left a deep impression on the onlookers.
‘I heard the Duke of Peleta created the Cavalry on a whim, but that clearly isn’t true.’
‘The Emperor must truly be serious about protecting Awakeners. Just look at the power that Kachien Bollenvalt used earlier. Even holding them close grants the Emperor untouchable strength.’
‘So the new Duke of Hern isn’t afraid of dealing with internal matters by cooperating externally. Nothing like the secrecy of the previous Duke.’
The mood in the hall began to shift—subtle but unmistakable. Yuder noticed every flicker of change in people’s expressions and silently memorized it.
Mayra, now having decided how to handle Megdolgen Mizelskhan’s case, turned away with her usual poise. Kachien exhaled a quiet sigh of relief—but immediately froze again as Kishiar laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Kachien. You handled a difficult situation well. May I entrust you with Mizelskhan’s interrogation?”
“Ah—yes! Of course.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear such a strong answer. I’ll also lend my full support in making sure you’re personally compensated for the insult you endured.”
“Th-that’s really not necess—”
Before Kachien could reflexively refuse, someone kicked the tip of his shoe—firmly, but not forcefully enough to draw attention.
“Urk?”
“Thank you, Commander! Kachien is grateful too,”
Kanna chirped in brightly, pinning his back straight with a hand as he stumbled into an awkward bow. Kachien, completely flustered, followed her lead and lowered his head—clearly trusting her guidance without hesitation. Kishiar let out a soft laugh.
Then, turning to the Bollenvalt family still watching everything from behind with stunned faces, he greeted them kindly.
“Ah, you must be the guests from House Bollenvalt. I’ve always been grateful for the fine Cavalry member your family has raised. I'm sure the recent incident startled you, but I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Ah... yes. Th-thank you very much...”
Kachien’s father answered, unable to hide the tremor in his voice. They had never even imagined standing so close to royalty, let alone being addressed first with such grace. The Bollenvalts looked like they were on the verge of fainting.
Kishiar gave Yuder a secret wink before turning away and disappearing into the crowd.
As if released from a spell, Kachien’s younger siblings finally snapped out of their trance and rushed to him.
“Hyung! That was really the Cavalry Commander? He’s amazing. Can I join the Cavalry too?!”
“He’s the first person I’ve seen who’s prettier—I mean more handsome—I mean beautiful—than you, oppa!”
“Guys... please... not so loud here, okay?”
Kachien murmured, covering his face as it flushed bright red. The nearby Cavalry members, who had been watching over the Bollenvalt family, now relaxed and chuckled quietly to themselves.
At that moment, the introduction to a new song began to echo through the hall.
Surprisingly, it was not the lancha that had been playing all night—but Abitan.
“Huh...?”
The sudden change caused the room to pause in surprise and murmur with curiosity.
“Wait... is this what I think it is?”
“No way... they’re really going to dance the Abitan?”
While everyone was still trying to grasp the situation, Mayra stepped forward without hesitation, taking the hand of a man by her side. Yuder didn’t recognize him, but the gasps and whispers from the southern nobles suggested some did.
“Isn’t that the former Duke’s illegitimate son?!”
“He used to cause such a stir demanding recognition as a rightful child... and then he just vanished.”
“I thought he’d died...”
The former Duke of Hern had many illegitimate children. Most had died for various reasons, but it seemed at least a few had survived. Mayra had gone out of her way to find those erased, forgotten siblings—and now invited them not only to her succession ceremony but also to share the dance floor.
It wasn’t just symbolic. It was a statement: she recognized them as her blood kin.
Easy to say, but surely not an easy path to walk—especially in such a short amount of time.
The man now dancing with her looked undeniably similar to Mayra. He seemed a bit tense, but there was no hostility in his eyes. Yuder, watching the two of them, thought of Naham.
That day of hail, Naham had witnessed a hallucination drawn from Yuder’s own memories—visions of enemies created by his inner thoughts. If Naham had survived and awakened from that dream, surely he must’ve realized something new from it.
What Naham would do with that knowledge, even Yuder—who’d lived through the future—couldn’t predict.
‘He received Mayra’s apology back then. He fulfilled his revenge by killing the former Duke of Hern. With Hosanra and the Sage dead, and the brainwashing broken... now that he’s alone, who knows what path he’ll choose.’
Naham had always been a wild card. And the fact that he had seen Yuder’s memories made everything even more delicate.
‘Right after the Day of Hail, I remember thinking I shouldn’t have sent Mayra to him...’
But now, seeing Mayra dancing gracefully with her half-brother, with no resentment between them—and perhaps, because they had prevented the great southern earthquake—
Yuder felt that even if he went back, he’d make the same decision again. He would still have sent Mayra to Naham.
In any case, if Naham was still alive, Yuder was certain they would meet again someday.
“Kachien! Want to dance?”
Kanna tugged at Kachien’s sleeve, snapping Yuder from his thoughts.
“Me? With you?”
“We’ve never danced before, have we? And I’m still not very good at lancha, so I thought it’d be nice. Unless you don’t want to?”
“No, no! I’d love to!”
“Great! Let’s go then. Yuder—we’ll be back!”
Kachien, his face finally relaxed, let himself be led off by Kanna with a smile. All around, other Cavalry members were beginning to step forward with confidence, drawn in by the familiar melody of Abitan.
As they joined the dancers around Mayra, forming a large circle and filling the space with joy, even some hesitant southern nobles found the courage to step forward.
“Sir Kurga Sing! I don’t know if you remember, but you helped me once when I was nearly crushed by falling stones near the Sharloin coast. If you wouldn’t mind... could I ask you for a dance?”
“Eh? Me?”
Kurga, who had been stuffing food into his mouth, blinked in shock as a young lady from a prestigious Sharloin family asked him to dance, blushing.
“...Deputy Commander Ever. Do you—do you plan to dance tonight? I heard you enjoy it, but you’ve been sitting all evening, so I wasn’t sure...”
“Hm? I don’t mind, but... Elre, I heard you’re still recovering since your Awakening. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine. Really.”
“Even for Abitan?”
“Didn’t you know? Abitan is my favorite!”
“Oh. I see.”
And so, Fruelle—who had somehow ended up leading Ever onto the dance floor—promptly moved both arms and legs in the same direction, earning quiet laughter from [N O V E L I G H T] those nearby.
The unpleasant incident with Megdolgen Mizelskhan was completely forgotten, swept away by the rhythm of Abitan.
Yuder, circling around the dancers, approached a certain man sitting quietly and extended his hand.
The man looked at the hand in front of him and, lowering his sharp eyes inscrutably, asked:
“What’s the meaning of this gesture?”
“You asked earlier who I would dance the second round with. This is my answer.”
Kishiar, hiding his mouth behind his fingers in an uncharacteristically bashful manner, finally let a bright, blooming smile spread across his face as he laid his hand gently over Yuder’s.