Chapter 200: The Glory Within
Linlin stopped, turned back, and let a perfectly measured trace of grievance show in her expressive eyes. “I’m Cayman’s fiancée. Is that not allowed either?” She stepped closer, a faint fragrance drifting toward the guard. “You know how he is, young and full of vigor. He’s been shut in here for days and is in a foul mood. If he can’t even see me…” She lowered her voice, lacing it with a suggestion only men would catch, her gaze soft and teasing.
The soldiers had never faced anything like this. All of them were in their early twenties, at the height of restless energy. The words “young and full of vigor” instantly set their imaginations racing. They exchanged glances, flushed and tongue-tied.
“Since it’s you, milady… it should be fine,” the leader finally decided, thinking it was only a meeting and unlikely to draw the archduke’s ire. Unwilling to disappoint her, he relented. “Very well. Please go in.”
As Linlin was about to enter, another guard noticed the heavy bundle in her hands. “Milady, one moment.” He pointed to it awkwardly. “The archduke ordered that nothing be brought inside. Would you mind if we checked it?”
Linlin’s face showed delicate embarrassment, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. “That… would be rather improper.” She lifted the bundle slightly, its bottom revealing the outline of a cylindrical object. “These are… items meant to foster intimacy.” Her voice dropped to a near whisper, trembling as if too shy to speak of it. “Please, have some consideration. If you were to open it, how could I face anyone afterward?”
The guards froze.
Items for intimacy? Cylindrical? Their thoughts spiraled at once.
Paired with Linlin’s beauty and alluring figure, the image was overwhelming. Heat rose to their faces and their throats went dry. They were young men, and the suggestion alone was enough to send their imaginations into dangerous territory. If they truly uncovered something like that, she might be humiliated and complain to the archduke, and none of them could bear the consequences.
Embarrassed, they quickly backed down.
“Ahem. Since it’s… personal, there’s no need to check.”
They stepped aside.
“Please, go in, milady.”
Linlin nodded and walked past them. After a few steps, she paused, turned back playfully, and raised a slender finger to her lips in a quiet gesture. With a wink, the earlier shyness turned into a flicker of mischief. “Do keep this a secret for me, won’t you?”
Only after she disappeared around the corner did the guards come to their senses, standing there flushed and dazed.
“Cayman truly is a lucky man,” one muttered.
“Enough. Back to patrol before we get ourselves into trouble,” another said quickly.
Leaving them behind, Linlin gathered her skirts and hurried to the second floor of the main building. There were no guards here; it was confinement, not imprisonment, and the archduke had no wish to make it look too severe. At the innermost door, she steadied her breathing and knocked softly.
“Come on, come on, come on.”
Cayman’s irritated voice came from within, “I said don’t bother me unless it’s important. I’m not seeing anyone except Linlin!”
The door swung open. He stood there, disheveled, stubble on his chin, looking worn and restless. The moment he saw her, his displeasure vanished, replaced by bright, unrestrained joy.
“Linlin!” he exclaimed, then quickly lowered his voice and pulled her into an embrace, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Get in here. I’ve missed you so much.”
He shut the door behind them and led her inside. The room was warm, the fire in the hearth crackling steadily. A chair by the fireplace bore the deep imprint of long, idle hours spent waiting.
“My love, did you bring it?” he asked eagerly.
Linlin had expected as much. She turned away with a mock frown. “That’s the first thing you ask?”
Cayman paused, realizing how thoughtless he sounded. She had risked coming here, and he had greeted her with impatience. Guilt stirred in him. He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her from behind, his hand tracing the curve of her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. You know I love you. I’ve been shut in here for a week and nearly lost my mind.”
His breath was warm, his tone soft with regret.
Linlin was never truly angry; she cared too much for him. Hearing his apology and feeling his touch, she could no longer keep up the pretense. She turned, rising onto her toes to loop her arms around his neck. “Do you think I’ve had it easy, not seeing you for a week? You’re locked away, and I’ve been worried sick.” Her eyes shone in the firelight, her cheeks faintly flushed. “So you’ll have to make it up to me first.”
Cayman needed no further urging. He bent down and kissed her, all the longing and pent-up emotion breaking free at once. They loved each other deeply, and in that moment restraint vanished.
They moved together toward the bed, shedding their clothes along the way, fine furs and tailored coats cast aside without a thought. Soon the grand four-poster bed creaked rhythmically, the room filled with the crackle of the fire, their breathless whispers, and the quiet sounds of shared satisfaction.
Hours later, night had deepened.
Linlin lay draped over Cayman’s chest like a languid cat, tracing idle circles with her fingers. “My dear, are you really going through with this?” she asked softly. “The archduke will be furious.”
Cayman stroked her bare back, his gaze steady. “Some things are right, but not necessary. Others have nothing to do with right or wrong, and must be done no matter what. That knight, Nolan, is doing the latter. This isn’t a whim. Even if my father strips me of my inheritance, I will follow the path I believe in. If I can’t even walk the road I’ve chosen, then what would it mean to inherit the title one day? My father seems powerful, but in truth he is trapped within the narrow world of the high nobility, thinking first of his own interests rather than the kingdom’s. I don’t accept his way of life, and I have no fondness for Prince Kruh. If I do nothing, I fear I’ll become just like him.”
Linlin listened quietly, then sighed and pressed her cheek against his chest, her eyes warm with resolve. “I understand. Then I’ll go with you.”
Cayman’s hand paused. A surge of warmth filled him. He kissed her forehead. “We’re as good as married. I can’t bear to leave you alone in this frozen place. But if you come with me, your family might suffer for it.”
Linlin smiled slyly, slipping a hand beneath the covers in a way that made him catch his breath. “Then we’ll make it look like you took me by force,” she teased. “After all, I’m just a helpless woman at the mercy of the young master.”
“You little devil,” he laughed.
That night, during the brief shift change of the guards, a second-floor window of the main building opened quietly.
Cayman slipped out, dropping nearly ten meters without a sound, aided by the silence barrier of a magic ring Linlin had brought.
She followed, and he caught her effortlessly. Moving like a shadow, he crossed to the wall, tapped twice, and a rope with a grappling hook came flying over from the other side. Holding her with one arm, he climbed swiftly and leapt down without hesitation.
A patrol passed by a moment later, torchlight sweeping over an empty wall. They saw nothing.
In the biting northern wind, seven horses departed the capital of Vilford Province under cover of darkness. Hooves crushed the snow as they raced southward, toward the unseen kindred spirit they sought.