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But wait, what is she doing here?

Glancing at the clock, he noted the time: eight in the morning. "Why are you here? Shouldn\'t you be at the imperial court today?" He rubbed his temples and pushed himself up.

Iyana looked up from the book, snapping it shut with a soft thud. She arched an eyebrow, her expression amused yet questioning. "Why do you know that I should be at the court today?"

Stupid me, Vyan thought as he realized his blunder, the haze in his brain only starting to clear up now. Obviously, if he was missing from last night, he should have no way of knowing whether Princess Maria was found or not. So, why in the world would he ask for her to be at the court?

If he had no knowledge, he should have rather asked her why she wasn\'t out looking for Princess Maria like she had been for the past five days.

He blinked, trying to piece together some plausible reason. "My kidnapper… they mentioned it."

Iyana\'s eyes narrowed slightly. There was a hint of skepticism flickering in her gaze. But nevertheless, she nodded slowly, accepting his answer without pushing further. "Alright," she said simply. "Speaking of your kidnapper, do you recall anything about them?"

"No, not really. I didn\'t see any of their faces."

Rising from the chair, she walked over and sat beside him on the bed. With a soft gaze, she took in his disheveled state. "Okay, what about the place you were abducted from? Do you recall that at least?"

"Honestly, I don\'t remember much. It\'s all hazy—yesterday feels like a blur. I don\'t even know what I did or where I was the entire day," he weaved the story effortlessly, even though his lies pressed heavily on his chest.

He could see the doubt lingering in Iyana\'s eyes, and he hated that. He wanted to tell her the truth, open up about everything that was on his shoulders. But how would he go on about it when they were on the opposite sides of righteousness?

"That\'s a shame, then. There is no way to find out about your abductor in this case," she expressed, a touch of disappointment in her voice. "Anyway, how are you feeling now?"

He offered a strained smile and said, "I am fine." He noticed the dark bags under her eyes. "By the way, how did you get to know about me, er, about my condition?"

"My team and I were returning home when we happened to come across some people who found you in the Cantace Night Market and asked for our help."

"I see."

"It\'s strange how you were found in the capital, no?"

Vyan felt a pang in his chest. Her tone just now was light, but there was a bite to it. Like she was suspicious of him.

Then again, he did make his fair share of mistakes in his explanation. He should have come up with a better one than just winging it with \'I don\'t remember.\'

But thankfully before he had to prepare an alternative way to ease her doubts, the door swung open and Clyde bounced in. "Good morning, Lady Iyana!" Clyde chirped, his tone bright and cheerful.

"Good morning, Clyde." Iyana glanced at Clyde, then back at Vyan, her expression softening into a small smile. "I will talk to you later, Vyan." She stood, smoothing her uniform. "I will let Clyde take over now. I think I will be going for a walk. I need some fresh air."

Vyan watched her go, the door clicking shut behind her. He couldn\'t shake the feeling of guilt that gnawed at him, knowing she didn\'t believe him but chose to leave it be.

After Iyana left, Clyde\'s cheerful demeanor vanished, his usual bright eyes darkening. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Vyan without a word.

Oops, I may have an equally big issue as Iyana to deal with first.

Vyan had seen Clyde in various moods—frustrated, annoyed, even worried—but this was the angriest Clyde had ever been with him.

Vyan tried to explain, his voice tinged with a mix of defensiveness and regret. "Look, Clyde, like I had promised, I was calm and rational the entire time. I was so close. In fact, I even found Ash." He paused, frustrated at how everything had unraveled after it. "But before I could do more, someone hit me on the head, and I blacked out. I don\'t remember much after that."

Clyde still didn\'t say anything. His arms remained tightly crossed, his eyes sternly fixed on Vyan. It was a look that told Vyan more than words ever could—Clyde\'s silence was not just disappointment; it was a reprimand, a consequence of Vyan\'s reckless actions.

Vyan sighed, finally giving in and accepting his fault. "Alright, fine. I am sorry," he said, his voice softer, the apology genuine.

"I should have listened to you. I know you told me to wait until the Princess Maria plan was done, and I should have. I shouldn\'t have mistaken my momentary calmness for… Anyway, I am just sorry." He ran a hand through his hair. "I messed up, Clyde. Now, who knows if the news that I was sneaking around the imperial tunnel already reached the emperor\'s ears?"

Clyde feigned a cough, his expression questioning.

"Oh, right, imperial tunnel. I didn\'t tell you about it yet. It\'s a long story—"

Clyde tilted his head, as if saying, I am waiting.

"Okay, so since you clearly have a lot of time, I will tell the long story."

Once Vyan was done narrating everything that led to him being thrown off a bullock cart in the middle of the market, Clyde shook his head in exasperation. "I hope you heard the story you just narrated yourself and realize how stupid and reckless you sounded in it."

"I was not stupid," Vyan defended. "Reckless towards the end, sure. But I was very cautious. I just lost focus when I finally found my brother and didn\'t realize someone was sneaking up on me, which I agree is totally my fault."

"What about the part where even Princess Katelyn told you not to go alone—"

"Okay, okay, my fault," Vyan groaned, a little whiny. "I was totally stupid. Can we move on from the victim-shaming now?"

"Alright. Let\'s talk about who found you in that tunnel later tonight. Because you have to be present at the imperial court by ten. It\'s an urgent summon, as expected. However, you better reflect on your actions meanwhile, Vyan," Clyde said, his tone firm and lacking its usual warmth. "I am not forgiving you just yet."

Vyan nodded, Clyde\'s disappointment sitting heavily on his shoulders.

Clyde continued, shifting back to be more practical, though the edge of irritation still lingered. "Anyway, as for your injuries, the doctor already checked it; your head is fine, but your body is not. You have not eaten anything for the past forty-eight hours, and you have lost a good amount of blood.

So, you better get your ass down for breakfast soon and quietly eat everything that will be given to you."

Vyan nodded obediently like a child. He better listen to Clyde for a little while until he forgives Vyan. For now, his chest wasn\'t churning as bad as yesterday since he at least knew Aster\'s current whereabouts. He just had to formulate a plan to get him out. Of course, with Clyde\'s presence.

Clyde turned to leave, and just as he reached the door, Vyan\'s eyes fell on his wrists. He traced his thumb over the faint marks until a hazy memory of the mana-restraining handcuffs came to the forefront of his mind and he recalled how he was unable to perform magic.

"Clyde," Vyan called, his voice quiet and tinged with a hint of uncertainty. "Those cuffs… there were handcuffs on me. Were they the mana-restraining ones? Or, did I imagine it?"

Clyde paused, turning back with a nod. "Yes, they were. But thankfully, the key was in your pocket, so we were able to get them off."

Vyan\'s eyes widened, the realization hitting him like a punch to the gut. Whoever had abducted him knew. They knew that Vyan could use magic.

He was already at the risk of the emperor knowing about his sneaking around, but if he got to know about Vyan\'s magic…

There was no doubt he would try to destroy Vyan at all costs with no mercy. And not just him. All the people around him.

No, no, I can\'t panic now. I have to do damage control as soon as possible.