POV: Rinne
"Anyway, follow me; your grandfather summoned you both. The maids couldn't locate either of you, which is why I'm here," said Mom with a smirk playing on her lips.
But I couldn't care less about what Gramps wants from us. I could pretty much deduce most of it.
Ignoring Mother's words, I strode towards my book that Caius dropped, and retrieved it.
"Rinne, is that it? Is that the Vestigium of the Past you comprehended?!" exclaimed Caius eagerly, eyeing the book in my grasp.
'Tch.. That Idiot! He just had to go and blurt it out in front of Mom!'
I could practically sense the shift in Mom's demeanor.
"WHAT?! Rinne, is that true? Don't joke about such matters, Rinne! Quickly, show me that book," commanded Mom as she snatched the book from my hand.
She didn't even give me a chance to explain, but that's unusual; I've never seen Mom so serious before.
Even the dense Caius could perceive something amiss as Mom scrutinized the book, flipping through its pages, infusing it with her mana to ascertain its authenticity.
After her examination, Mom closed the book and shut her eyes.
She seemed somewhat content?
I've never witnessed Mom like this; she's always jesting and smiling, but this is the first time she appears so expressionless.
Finally, after what felt like an interminable silence, Mom opened her eyes and sighed.
She looked at me and Caius and smiled.
"Haha, I am so elated right now. Both my sons are such prodigious geniuses," she said, ruffling both mine and Caius' hair.
"Here, take it back, Rinne. Let's go; Father is waiting... this meeting might prove more promising than I anticipated," said Mom as she began to walk.
"What meeting, Mom? Wasn't Grandpa just summoning us for the usual lecture?" queried Caius, struggling to keep pace with Mom.
"Ah, it's nothing important. There's simply a meeting with those haughty high elves," informed Mom as she abruptly halted her stride and said, "Rinne, why are you still lingering? Come, we must hurry."
"Um, actually, Mom, why don't you both go ahead? I'll quickly stash my book away and join you," I suggested.
"There's no need for that. We're going to spread news of your accomplishment to increase the citizens' morale, and furthermore, we can leverage it for a better deal with those pointy-eared folk," said Mom, fixing her gaze on me.
"Very well, then let me at least change my attire. They got torn when I sparred with Caius, and I can't very well greet the guests in rags, can I? The dignity of our Strongheart lineage is at stake!"
"Fine, but make it quick. You must hasten," conceded Mom reluctantly.
"Mom, allow me to accompany Rinne. I, too, need to change," requested Caius.
This fool...
'Why must he always complicate matters for me!'
"Make it quick, you two," said Mom as she continued her stride towards the guest hall.
I altered my course and headed towards my chamber.
"You... You're not planning to attend that meeting, are you?" remarked Caius as he trailed behind me with his hands folded behind his head.
Just as I thought, he caught on. Caius can occasionally display perceptiveness in the most unexpected situations.
"Yes, I am going to run away."
"You're not even going to attempt to refute it?" chuckled Caius, his arms nonchalantly folded behind his head as he followed.
"There's no point. You're simply going to follow, correct?"
"Well, you're not wrong," conceded Caius with a laugh.
"So, what now?" inquired Caius as he continued to tail me, finally reaching my chambers.
"We escape," I declared as I swung open the door to my chamber, ushered him inside, and swiftly locked it.
" 'We'? What makes you think I'll join you? I can just stop you. I might've lost but that's because you caught me off guard" queried Caius, raising an eyebrow as he stared at me expectantly.
"Unless you wish to be married off to some girl you've never met, you better join me," I replied as I walked toward a corner and tugged down on a candlestick.
After a cacophony of clinks and clanks, the wall behind my bed slid open, revealing a narrow passage crafted for an average-sized adult.
"Let's go," I said as I ventured into the tunnel, anticipating Caius to follow suit, only to pivot and find him rooted to his initial spot, mouth agape.
"What are you doing? Quick, it's only a matter of time before they realize," I exclaimed at Caius, who quickly regained his composure and entered the tunnel. Seeing him inside, I swiftly pulled a lever, closing the door behind us.
"You have a lot to explain, Rinne," said Caius as he walked behind me, and we ventured deeper into the narrow pathway.
"I bet I do."
"I don't need to know about the secret exit; I can guess. This castle of the Stronghearts is older than the grand cathedral of the church, so I understand that there would be a few secrets, but I do want to know about that marriage you were talking about."
"It's rather complicated; it's politics," I said as we continued walking down the tunnel that was lit up with torches mounted on the walls..
"Even so, explain it to me," said Caius.
"I guess I have no choice," I sighed.
"Have you been aware of the rumors circulating in the nobles' circle lately?"
"Yes, it's about some deal between us and the high elves, but what of them? Aren't they just rumors in the end?" asked Caius as he trailed behind me.
"They are not just rumors. Consider it this way: we are the Strongheart family. Rumors spread about our deals could only mean two things," I said, stopping and eyeing Caius.
"One, it means we have a traitor among our ranks who has defected and probably wants to make moves against us," I said, raising my index finger.
"What makes you so sure it's a defector?" asked Caius, his eyebrow raised.
"Think about it. Who in their right mind would leak intel about us while still with us? That's just asking for death. We would've dealt with them long before they could spread the intel wider, and the rumors wouldn't have even formed. Therefore, if we have rumors circulating and a traitor is involved, it only makes sense that they sought refuge with another power to spread the intel far enough to become rumors."
"Heh, that makes sense. After all, we are the powerful Stronghearts," said Caius with a grin.
"Secondly, we ourselves are spreading rumors," I continued, raising my middle finger along with my index finger.
"Huh, why would we do that?" said Caius, looking extremely confused.
"It signifies a declaration. Think of it this way: if I were to suddenly tell you that I had advanced to the 4th circle, wouldn't you be shocked? But if you saw me practicing and working hard every day, and then I came and told you that I had advanced, you'd think it's only natural. Similarly, by spreading rumors of our dealings with the high elves, we are letting the nobles and other powers know and giving them time to adjust before we make significant moves."
It seemed the gears in Caius' head finally started working, as he had an expression of understanding.
At least he is not entirely a blockhead.
"I see. If we were to have discussions with those high elves in secret and were to suddenly reveal our deal one day, it would cause the nobles and other powers to become wary and feel threatened. But what does this have to do with our marriage?" asked Caius, frowning.
"Don't you find it odd that we were both invited to the discussion? Though we are somewhat well-known in the circle of nobles, we still haven't made our official debut. It's obvious: we were called to make ourselves known to the elven party. And we definitely aren't introducing ourselves to one of those elven diplomats, it just wouldn't make sense to suddenly bring us in when we have no relevance to these matters yet. The only possible explanation I can think of is that they're trying to matchmaker between us and some elven princess. I could be wrong and they might just be trying to connect us with the next generation of the elves but I don't want to take a chance. What matters is that I don't want to marry some arrogant, naive princess. I bet it's the same for you, right?" I said, eyeing Caius in anticipation.
"That's why Mom was elated to see that you were able to comprehend a Vestigium of the Past. Who doesn't know that those pointy-eared folks are more obsessed with those relics than even the church! We could've definitely gained more from this deal with just that fact," said Caius as he looked at me.
"On that note, I'm truly sorry for what I did," said Caius, bowing forward 90 degrees.
"It's alright; you've already apologized. Besides, I wasn't myself back then, and I lost control. I'm sorry as well."
"You have nothing to apologize for; it was all my fault," said Caius, looking into my eyes.
"As I said, it's all in the past. I forgive you."
"You might have forgiven me, but I can't forgive myself… I really took it too far this time," Caius said, looking down.
"Anyways, we can talk about this later it seems we have reached the exit." I said as we reached a small enclosure, lit up by countless torches that shun brightly.
"Let us proceed," I instructed Caius as we both retrieved two black robes from my spatial ring. Donning the garments, we made our way to a corner of the enclosure where a ladder leading into a tiny opening on the ceiling was situated.
"Where does this ladder lead?" asked Caius, adjusting his robe.
"It leads to an alley in the western district of the city."
"Hurry up, we have to be quick." I told Caius as I climbed the ladder.