My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 269: Wonderment

Chapter 269: Wonderment

Being in the plains and lower elevations, the capital would freeze during winter but remain devoid of snow most of the time. Even though the mountains in the distance and various regions of Castille were already covered in snow, the people in the lower areas could only look from a distance and appreciate the view.

On the night of the ball, Cian and Quinn walked through the breezeway between the palace and the mage’s quarter and observed the white mountains in the distance reflecting the moonlight and stars above.

That area was dimly lit considering it wasn’t a place guests were meant to wander towards and most wouldn’t want to because of the dubious nature of magic and mages. Both were misunderstood despite finally being accepted as part of the societal hierarchy.

"How many days of travel is Eirenguard away from us now?" Quinn asked quietly.

They stopped at a post towards the center of their path. Quinn leaned against it heavily because the alcohol was hitting him hard.

Cian had kept anything about Eirenguard to himself if it wasn’t relevant to the King’s plans. However, Quinn had been nothing but kind and genuine with him, from what he could tell. He decided to entertain the other man with an answer.

"Nearly a week," Cian admitted. "There’s a territory southwest of Burien County that is undisputed because of the rocky mountains spreading throughout. Most don’t know that a mountain pass runs through. While the beginning is dangerous, it is a safe place to travel through once you’re inside. A wonderful place for refugees to sneak into Castille."

He realized he had said more than what was asked and he stopped himself from speaking further. His tone would become bitter if he kept going.

"How very interesting," Quinn admitted. "That is far closer than I would have expected. Throughout my life, it has only been spoken of as a distant kingdom with no relation to us. It’s truly no wonder considering our late monarch."

"Should you be speaking lowly of the King’s father?" Cian responded cautiously and looked around the area, making sure that there were no eavesdroppers.

"Trust me when I say the King himself doesn’t care if I speak ill of his father," Quinn admitted. "It’s the advisory council who gives a shit about that man." The mage’s eyes widened underneath his glasses and he placed a hand over his mouth, his bare hand sliding out from the large sleeve of his robes. "Forgive me, alcohol makes me miserably honest."

Cian faintly smiled even though his jaw was tense after his admission from before.

"Rather honesty than the stiff feeling I experience whenever I enter the main palace," the knight muttered.

Quinn felt strangely defensive.

"You know, His Majesty isn’t at fault for that," Quinn explained. "It’s the way he’s expected to act around someone from Eirenguard. He’s constantly days from his next assassination attempt. The subjects of Castille are uncomfortable with the way he rose to power."

Quinn realized what he was doing and also went quiet.

"You seem awfully close to the monarch," Cian observed.

A chill ran down Quinn’s spine and he pulled his robes tighter around his body.

Completely ignoring Cian’s comment, he began walking forward.

"I feel cold," he uttered. "I would like to go into the mage’s quarter now."

Considering Quinn was leading the way, Cian simply followed silently. He didn’t want to seem like an ungrateful guest. It was clear something was biting at Quinn.

Upon arriving in the large building, while matching the design of the other parts of the palace, Cian could tell it was newer. From what he understood of Castille, mages only just gained recognition. The magic of the Royal Family was a well-kept secret for generations.

What the Eirenguardian knight noticed the most was the warmth that struck him immediately.

"Please forgive my rudeness," he said. "I am removing my outer coat. I run warm enough as it is and this place is hot."

He hadn’t bothered putting on a cloak so all the layers he had were a black outer coat and a white tunic underneath tucked into a pair of well-crafted charcoal grey pants. He knew that King Stephano wasn’t entirely unwelcoming to him considering that, despite their history, the King allowed Eirenguardian’s Royal Family’s crest to be embroidered into the breast of his outer coat. He was a knight of the Royal Family even though it ceased to exist.

Unlike Castille, Eirenguard never got rid of their knights in place of soldiers. Chivalry was still an important concept to them. Although, it was likely easier to preserve such an oath in a smaller kingdom like theirs.

Cian didn’t hold back as he unbuttoned the outer coat and tossed it on one of the chairs in a passing sitting area. He stopped to roll up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms. They were rock hard from a lifetime of sword fighting, as was his chest which was revealed as he loosened the strings of his tunic.

Considering Quinn said there wouldn’t be others in the mage’s quarter that day, he decided he could relax at least somewhat. His natural knight instincts would always be there but he wanted to feel less stuffy especially someplace that was so warm.

"Do whatever you would like," Quinn said.

However, it slipped the mage’s mind that a knight would be so different from him. Unlike Quinn and Stephano who had slight frames despite not being particularly short, they lacked muscle since their only defense was magic.

When Quinn turned to see his guest, his eyes drifted to the man’s muscles and he quickly turned back towards where he was going in the first place. It wasn’t time for distractions.

He felt like he was in the body of a teenager compared to that man who had such a nice face but such an intimidating body.

Cian witnessed Quinn move a bit faster and his light eyebrows rose. He hoped he hadn’t done something deemed offensive.

To test the waters, he decided to fill the air with conversation.

"How does one get this place so warm without fires?" the knight asked, noting that the place was dark except for the small candles lining the support posts throughout the lowest level that were keeping the building standing.

You would expect fires to be lit in all of the fireplaces, but that wasn’t the case.

"I can show you," Quinn said.

Rather than going up the stairs as he expected to, Quinn turned on his heel and went towards an unassuming patch of wall. However, with a wave of his hand, the camouflage spell was removed and a metal door was revealed to them.

He was still a little bit unstable on his feet but he tried to hold himself together.

"It will be hotter in here," Quinn said. "Fair warning."

The mage lifted his hand and silver mana shielded it before he could place his hand on the doorknob.

As he opened it, the hot air seemed to rush forward, but the building was made of sturdy brick so it wasn’t much of an issue.

In the center of the small room was a metal cylinder with metal tubes going off in all directions and into the surrounding walls.

"A mana stone is inside of that," he explained. "It took care of the issue of mages always being cold unless they’re using their mana."

"Is that true?" Cian asked.

"Quite true," he admitted. "If I’m not using my mana, I’m practically shivering. Leonor is the same way. I imagine King Stephano as well."

He didn’t want to admit that Stephano did shiver often or Cian would accuse him of being close to the King again.

Stephano’s coldness wasn’t entirely due to his mana but because he was underweight and starving half the time. The thought of it made Quinn fretful. He wanted to go back to the ball and shove something in the King’s mouth but a guard would certainly jump down his throat.

After Cian got a good look at the room, Quin shut the door tightly and his silver mana twisted from his hand to further camouflage the door.

Cian stepped forward again, only finally being able to feel the warmth. The camouflage was so flawless that no one would ever think a thing about it.

"It’s truly amazing," Cian muttered. "Although I have to wonder why you’re entrusting me with this."

"Because I’m kind of drunk and nobody else in this building cares about this sort of stuff," Quinn responded simply and there was a miserable smirk on his face. "Everyone here is used to magic."

Cian looked at Quinn with cautious surprise. He must have been so obvious. There was such little magic in the south. Their lack of knowledge was evident in his sword being a detriment rather than a helpful tool.

It was also evident in the massive mana stone that they were still trying to figure out what to do with. It wasn’t as if the handful of mages in Eirenguard could do much.

"Shall we work on your sword then?" Quinn asked.

With that, they went to the lab on the third floor with no one there to bother them. It was a dream for the two introverts.