The Queen and the Lion - Chapter 35
When Aslan, who had gone to get something to drink, didn’t return after a long time, Lysian went to look for him. However, she encountered an unexpected situation. Not knowing the full context, Lysian couldn’t understand why Aslan was bound. As she opened her mouth to order Aslan’s release, the head maid, Dandelion, hurried towards her.
“Lord Yilmaz has assaulted Prince Kaplan, Your Majesty. There are many witnesses. If we let this go unpunished, Heiban will seize upon it. Please send him to the prison. They won’t treat him harshly.”
Upon hearing this, her gaze wavered.
“…”
Just a moment ago, she hadn’t been worried about the consequences, but seeing Lysian like this, Aslan felt a growing sense of unease.
Their eyes met. Reading something in her bewildered gaze, Aslan took a deep breath.
Yes, he was afraid. Unlike when he had struck down a boar, this time he had injured a man. It was no surprise if Lysian despised him for it. Moreover, he had recklessly attacked a potential consort. *
“…”
He thought it would be okay.
The realization of how deeply his heart was torn filled him with despair.
But he had no regrets. Even if no one else understood, he had defended his beliefs and Lysian in his own way.
Resigned, Aslan slowly followed the guards.
Aslan had been brought directly to Lysian’s quarters upon his capture, and since then had been assigned a separate room. This was the first time he had seen the Florean prison.
The cold, damp stone walls of the underground prison were a stark contrast to the bright and cheerful Florean palace. The silence suggested he was the only one confined in this area.
Ignoring the chill of the stone wall, Aslan threw himself onto the makeshift bed. It was nothing more than a wooden plank, and the provided blanket was scratchy and uncomfortable. But he was grateful for even that; he knew he was being treated well considering the circumstances.
He had no regrets about what he had done.
His only regret was that he hadn’t killed Kaplan outright, or at least rendered him incapable of fathering children. Since the purpose of choosing a consort was to produce an heir, they wouldn’t choose a eunuch as king.
But it pained him to see the disappointment in Lysian’s eyes. If she was considering Kaplan as her consort, there must have been something she liked about him. Aslan feared Lysian’s reaction to what he had done to her potential consort.
Not wanting to imagine Lysian becoming angry with him because of Kaplan, Aslan closed his eyes tightly.
Then, there was a commotion outside the prison.
Torches approached, illuminating the dark prison. Aslan sat up and looked through the bars. The light grew brighter, illuminating the entire cell.
“Aslan.”
Aslan blinked and looked at the familiar voice.
It was Lysian.
She was wearing the same green dress she had been wearing in the silver chamber, her expression unchanged.
“…”
There was nothing he could read in Lysian’s expression. She didn’t reproach him for his actions or ask why he had assaulted Kaplan. She simply stared down at him as he sat on the bed.
Her calm, unwavering demeanor, unlike before, made Aslan’s heart pound. And the fact that she had come down to the underground prison herself. It was very rare for the Queen to visit the dungeons.
She had clearly made up her mind. And there was only one thing she could have decided in this situation.
Though he didn’t want to admit it, he had to accept reality.
