Chapter 473: A Distracted Mind

"Where in the world are they going this time?"

Yerel stood by the windows facing the front courtyard, looking down as a carriage had just drawn to a halt below. Yerel watched with narrowed eyes as Iryna stepped into the carriage, her crimson silk gown catching the light for a brief second before she pulled her heavy traveling cloak tightly around her shoulders and disappeared inside.

Right behind her, Gillian climbed in with his usual lazy stride, casually adjusting the collar of his tunic before closing the door behind them. The driver cracked the leather reins, and the horses pulled forward, the carriage rolling slowly down the long gravel driveway toward the main gates.

Philia had left the study only an hour earlier, after their little reunion, where they had made up for how much they had missed each other. Yerel had intended to dive right back into his work, but the sudden movement in the front courtyard had caught his eye.

"Where do you think they’re headed, Karson?"

Silence met his voice.

Yerel glanced sideways, looking over his shoulder at the aide standing right beside him. Karson stood completely still. He held a leather-bound folder in his left hand, but his gaze had settled blankly on a small crack in the decorative wall beside the window frame, his eyes fixed on it without really seeing it. His usually sharp, immaculate posture had gone strangely stiff, his shoulders held a little too firmly as though he had forgotten to relax, his thoughts clearly far from the study around him.

"Karson?" Yerel tried again, raising his voice a fraction higher.

Still, Karson didn’t blink. He didn’t turn his head, nor did his shoulders shift. He was entirely locked inside his own head.

Yerel frowned and reached over, gently nudging Karson’s shoulder with his knuckles.

Karson flinched hard, his hand jerking around the leather folder. It slipped through his fingers, but he caught it before it could fall, his wrist moving on instinct. His eyes quickly found their focus again, widening when he looked up and found the Crown Prince standing beside him.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Karson blurted out, his chest rising rapidly as he hastily straightened his back and composed himself.

Yerel raised an eyebrow, tilting his head with a look of quiet disbelief. "Did you not hear a single word I just said?"

Karson swallowed hard. "I... my deepest apologies, Your Highness. I was momentarily distracted."

Yerel didn’t snap at him. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and let out a small, quiet breath, studying the aide’s face. It was almost absurdly rare to catch Karson off guard. The man was usually so sharp and composed, carrying himself with such seriousness that one might think he belonged in some grand stage play, yet just now he had stood there looking completely dazed.

Yerel tilted his chin toward the window.

"Gillian and Iryna just left together," Yerel said, his tone settling back into its usual calm.

Karson blinked, forcing his scattered thoughts back into line. "Prince Gillian and Princess Iryna? Together?"

"Yes," Yerel murmured, his gaze remaining on the carriage until it disappeared around the curve of the outer wall. He was quiet for a moment, his brow faintly furrowing. "They went out yesterday as well, but when I asked about it, neither of them gave me much of an answer. They were both rather vague about where they had been."

His eyes remained fixed on the empty road. "And now they have gone out again."

"I do not like it. If it were nothing, I doubt they would be so careful about keeping their business to themselves." He paused before looking toward his attendant. "Go and find out where they are going. More importantly, find out what they intend to do once they get there. I want to know what is keeping the two of them so occupied."

Karson bowed his head immediately. "At once, Your Highness. I will have a scout track their route."

"Not a team of scouts," Yerel corrected smoothly, looking over his shoulder. "Keep it quiet. Handle it personally or use someone you trust entirely. They may very well be going to Zarius’s estate to discuss the betrothal. That would hardly be unusual. But we can’t know that for certain. Until we learn where they are going and what business has brought them there, I would rather not make assumptions"

"Understood, Your Highness," Karson replied. "I will oversee the matter myself."

He turned to head toward the double doors, but before his hand could reach the brass handle, Yerel’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Karson."

Karson paused, turning back around to face the prince. "Yes, Your Highness?"

Yerel was still standing by the window, but his gaze was fixed entirely on Karson. The light from the setting sun cut across the prince’s face, highlighting the genuine note of quiet concern in his dark eyes.

"Are you alright?" Yerel asked softly.

Karson’s jaw tightened, though he gave no other sign of his displeasure. "Yes, I am completely fine, Your Highness. Why do you ask?"

Yerel let his arms drop to his sides as he walked back toward his desk. "You’ve been rather quiet today. And yes, I know you’re always quiet, but this is a different kind of quiet. You nearly dropped an official file, then stood behind my shoulder for three minutes looking like your mind was somewhere else."

He glanced back at Karson. "You know you can tell me if something is wrong, don’t you? You don’t have to carry every burden alone."

A heavy silence settled over the room for a second. Karson felt a sudden, strange tightness in his throat at the prince’s words. For a brief moment, he almost opened his mouth to say something. He almost told Yerel what had been troubling him.

Karson simply drew a deep, steady breath and offered a respectful bow.

"I know, Your Highness," Karson said softly, keeping his eyes lowered. "Thank you for your concern. It is merely a minor sleep disturbance. It will not affect my duties."

Yerel searched Karson’s face for a long moment, searching for any sign of a crack in his aide, before finally nodding once. "Very well. Go on, then."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Karson turned, opened the door, and stepped out, pulling the door shut behind him with a soft click.

Inside the study, Yerel remained standing by his desk, his hands resting lightly against the wood. He stared silently at the empty doorway where Karson had just stood, his eyebrows slowly knitting together as a heavy, unsettling feeling settled in his chest.