I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 30 - Cain / Luke the Man

The Saint’s power can purify magical energy and heal people.

(Prince Lawrence… I couldn’t heal him with my power, though.)

I think it might be because he is a vampire.

As long as I, the Saint, am by the king’s side, he should not die unless something extreme happens.
That is a well-known fact. Everyone knows it.

Cain’s story continued after that.

“I must speak. I was ordered to assassinate Prince Noah, and I served as his close aide.”

“…Why are you only saying this now?”

General McGregor’s words were understandable.

“With all due respect, I judged that without Prince Noah, I can no longer see a future for Victoire.”

“And so? What do you plan to do?”

“I know that Prince Noah went to the temple. But I ask you to wait before killing Aidan Lips.”

“Why?”

“With all due respect, a conflict between royals should not happen now. What we must do now is gain the people’s support. And that means—”

“Aidan Lips thinks the same way… Is that what you’re saying?”

I continued Cain’s words.

Click. My footsteps echoed as I walked to General McGregor’s desk.

Cain flinched at my voice—Then froze like a statue.

Slowly, like a rusty machine, he turned around. His face was pale.

“In other words, you’re saying that Noah might be tricked by Aidan Lips and end up dead.”

“Cha…lize… Your Majesty.”

He looked at me in a daze.

“I understand what you’re trying to say. Aidan Lips is a clever man. He would try to survive even if it meant abandoning the royal family. A man like him wouldn’t hesitate to kill Noah and claim, ‘I took care of a traitor.’ Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter to him. He might kill Noah just using that as an excuse.”

If Noah disappears, only two people will be left with the right to inherit the throne: Aidan Lips and the current king, Henry.

And Henry is on the verge of losing the throne—

Naturally, the next king would be Aidan Lips by process of elimination, If we want to protect the history of the current royal family of Victoire.

I leaned my back against General McGregor’s desk and faced Cain.

“…I always thought you were suspicious.”

“You’re… alive.”

I didn’t respond to Cain’s words and lowered my eyes to the carpet.

“…Cain Orgren. Your father is Count Orgren, a strict traditionalist. Your mother is the daughter of a marquis, related to the royal family. You were born a noble. That’s what the documents say.”

“…………”

Cain fell silent.

He probably knew what I was trying to say.

“…Your background isn’t something you can easily fake. There were many strange things about how you acted.”

Yes, mainly manners— Like how you walk, and your gestures. They stood out.

The way he walked wasn’t like a noble’s.

I noticed it right away. You could catch glimpses of it in little moments.

His behavior lacked something nobles naturally have… Yes.

Confidence.

He didn’t act with pride.

And most of all, it was in his eyes.

He looked at others like he was always watching their reactions. Always trying to read the room.

When I pointed that out, Cain held his breath—
Then gave a bitter smile, as if giving up.

“You noticed, didn’t you?”

“I’m sure Noah noticed too. But he didn’t interrogate you because he was waiting. He was waiting for you to start acting on Aidan’s orders. …Though I ended up being taken out before that.”

I shrugged, and Cain stayed quiet for a while before letting out a long breath.

“…My real name is Luke. I was a former orphan, picked up by Aidan Lips.”

I wasn’t surprised.

In fact, it made sense when I heard it.

“Does Count Orgren know about this?”

Cain shook his head.

“No. I switched places with the real Cain Orgren when I was twelve. At the time, Cain Orgren had been kidnapped and was missing… He and I have similar height and facial features.”

That explained it.

Most likely, Aidan Lips had been looking for a child who looked like Cain Orgren from the start.

The kidnapping of Cain Orgren—

Was that Aidan’s plan, or just a coincidence—?

(…It couldn’t be a coincidence.)

That man isn’t soft.

I felt a chill pass through my chest.

“…Can you stop Aidan Lips?”

When I asked, Cain—and even General McGregor—held their breath.

Cain—

Slowly, but clearly, nodded.