The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 107: He would hide Soren.
After the incident that befell the Solven Household, whispers began to travel faster than any royal courier. What first appeared to be an isolated misfortune soon revealed itself to be entangled with something far more unsettling, something that reached from the north to the capital.
And when word arrived from the Hawthorne House, the matter could no longer be ignored.
The Crown Prince did not initially concern himself with the name they presented.
Soren.
To most, it was merely a name. To the Hawthorne household, however, it carried weight and urgency as their message was not framed as a complaint, but as a plea. They spoke carefully, respectfully, but beneath every word lingered unmistakable distress.
The individual they referred to was not merely an acquaintance, nor a passing connection. He was their benefactor... and he was suffering.
Ordinarily, the Crown Prince would have deferred such matters to the proper jurisdiction. The North fell under the authority of the Second Prince, Cael. Interference, especially without invitation, could easily be interpreted as overreach or worse, provocation even though they are brothers but when it comes to power and status, things are different.
But the Hawthorne family stood close to the Crown.
Their loyalty had never once wavered so their request, though indirect, carried the weight of trust that was built over many years. And more than that... the fragments of information they provided did not sit well with him. Reports of mistreatment that by investigation even pointed to Cael, the Crown Prince’s brother.
Silence where there should have been oversight, strange resistance to intervention as the pieces did not only form a clear picture, but they formed enough to disturb him.
So, he authorized an official investigation, discreetly under his very own command. And so, despite the delicate political balance, he acted.
Upon learning more of what was truly occurring in the North and how the Hawthorne household’s benefactor was being treated, the Crown Prince’s patience thinned. The reports were inconsistent because some were vague and others are evasive. There are also too many details that felt deliberately obscured.
What disturbed him most was not simply the suffering described... but how thoroughly it had been allowed to continue.
And then, afterwards, he decided that observation from afar was no longer enough that he even sent his own men.
Not merely royal knights but his personal captain, the one he trusted above all others, accompanied by his right hand. Individuals who would not be deceived, silenced, or swayed by regional authority and their orders were clear.
It was to verify the situation, secure Soren if necessary, and report without delay.
And that had been weeks ago.
Now, seated in the quiet of his chamber, the Crown Prince stared down at the report laid before him. The parchment had been opened and reread so many times that the folds had begun to soften.
Mission was completely executed and the target was located.
Now, he sat quietly in his study while leaning back against his chair as the silence pressed in around him. The report rested on the desk before him, but his eyes were no longer reading it. He was thinking... replaying everything he had learned while trying to make sense of something that simply refused to feel real.
’I still can’t believe my adorable little brother would do something like this...’
Caelum slowly shook his head with that though as the disbelief lingered in his chest. The thought alone felt wrong and almost absurd.
Ever since they were children, he and Cael had always been close. Caelum had never once doubted his brother’s nature. If anything, he had always seen Cael as someone who needed protecting. There was a softness to him, something gentle and harmless. The kind of person who wouldn’t hurt even the smallest creature unless duty forced his hand.
And even then, only reluctantly.
To Caelum, his brother had always been sweet, quiet and innocent.
The only reason Cael had ever hardened himself at all was because of his role as a knight. Training demanded discipline, responsibility demanded strength but beneath all of that, Caelum had believed his brother remained the same gentle person he had always known.
Or... at least, that was what he believed.
Learning that Cael had been the one most responsible for making Soren’s life miserable in the North... it shook something deep inside him. It wasn’t just surprising, it felt completely out of character, almost impossible to accept.
The image he had held of his brother for years began to waver.
Had he misunderstood Cael all this time...?
Or had there always been something beneath the surface that he had simply never noticed?
Thinking that, he sighed deeply as he pressed his fingers lightly against his temple, exhaling slowly. Memories drifted through his mind, small moments he had once ignored. For example, Cael’s strange silences, subtle expressions that disappeared too quickly and decisions that Cael made without explanation.
At the time, none of it had seemed important.
Now, they felt different.
Now, they felt like pieces of something he had failed to see.
His brother, the one he had always trusted, always believed in suddenly felt unfamiliar.
And that realization unsettled him more than anything else.
For the first time in his life... Caelum didn’t know what to think of Cael anymore.
And so, after long and restless contemplation, he came to a decision.
He would take the matter into his own hands.
He would hide Soren.
Or perhaps... he had no choice but to.
For days now, quiet reports had been reaching him that Cael was searching. Not openly, not through official channels, but in secret. It was so discreet that orders are given only to those he trusted most.
His brother was looking for Soren.
And now that Soren was under his surveillance, under his protection, Caelum made a silent vow. Until he uncovered the full truth... until he understood what Cael had truly done, what he was still doing, and what he intended to do next...
He would stand in Cael’s way.
