Chapter 75 Chapter 75: She Saw a Wedding; He Saw a Cage

Chapter 75 Chapter 75: She Saw a Wedding; He Saw a Cage

For several long seconds, nobody spoke after Senior Varya’s confession.
The only sound inside the suite came from the quiet rhythm of the medical monitors and the distant rain tapping softly against the massive hospital windows overlooking the city skyline. The golden lighting that had once made the room feel warm now only seemed to magnify every uncomfortable silence lingering between them. Elara still stood beside her grandfather’s bed, calm and elegant on the outside, but I noticed the tiny details betraying her composure now — the way her fingers tightened slightly against the blanket near Senior Varya’s arm, the way her breathing had become just a little too careful, the way her eyes refused to leave Auren for more than a second at a time. She was waiting. Waiting for him to say something…anything. Some reassurance. Some sign that the future she clearly wanted was something he wanted too.
But Auren stayed silent nd his gaze remained fixed toward the city outside the windows, jaw tight beneath the soft hospital lighting like he was somewhere far away from this room entirely. The silence stretched so long it almost became unbearable to watch. Even Nicholus stopped lounging comfortably in the chair now, his expression shifting into something more observant as his eyes flicked slowly between Auren and Elara. Richmond noticed too. Of course he did. The older man stood quietly near the window with one hand resting against his cane, watching the entire interaction unfold with the uncomfortable awareness of someone realizing a conversation had suddenly become far more serious than expected.
Senior Varya’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
“Well?” he asked at last, voice rough but direct. “Nobody’s asking you to marry her tomorrow morning, boy.” His tired gaze stayed locked on Auren carefully now. “But after everything this family has already announced publicly, I would prefer not to die before seeing at least one thing in this damned household go right.” His words carried exhaustion beneath the irritation this time. Real exhaustion. The kind that only came from age and fear and the sudden reminder that time eventually ran out for everyone. And for the first time since entering the suite, something uncertain flickered briefly across Auren’s face before disappearing again almost instantly.
Elara noticed it too.
Hope rose inside her expression again so quickly it almost felt painful to witness.
“Auren,” she said quietly.
Just his name.
Nothing more.
But the softness behind it changed the atmosphere in the room completely because suddenly she no longer sounded like the cold, untouchable Elara Varya everyone feared. She sounded human. Vulnerable in a way I had never heard before. Like she was reaching for him carefully despite being terrified of what he might say back. And somehow that made everything feel worse because Auren still didn’t look at her immediately. His shoulders remained tense beneath the dark coat while one hand slid slowly into his pocket, a habit I had begun noticing whenever he was forcing himself to stay controlled.
Then finally—
“I know,” he answered quietly.
The words were calm. Polite.
But empty.
Elara’s face fell almost invisibly at the response.
Senior Varya looked unimpressed immediately. “That’s not an answer,” he muttered sharply. “God, the emotional intelligence in this family is catastrophic.”
 Nicholus snorted loudly from the leather chair. “In our defense, Grandfather, most Varya men communicate affection like it’s a hostage negotiation.” Despite Nicholus joking, everyone could still feel it now — the strange distance standing between Elara and Auren like invisible glass; neither of them knew how to break through anymore.
And somehow…
Watching it hurt more than it should have.
Because downstairs in the elevator, Auren had looked furious. Cold. Cruel even. But here with Elara, he looked trapped instead. Like every expectation surrounding him kept pulling tighter and tighter until he could barely breathe beneath it anymore. Marriage. Family duty. The Draven name. Senior Varya’s health. The entire future everyone seemed to already expect from him. And suddenly I wondered if maybe Auren wasn’t avoiding Elara because he disliked her.
Maybe he was avoiding her because wanting her had started to feels like cage somehow.
The room had only just begun settling into uneasy silence again when Richmond finally spoke.
“I agree with him.”
His calm voice cut smoothly through the atmosphere, immediately drawing everyone’s attention toward him near the windows. Richmond adjusted the sleeve of his dark coat before stepping closer toward Senior Varya’s bed, his expression thoughtful but firm in a way that instantly made the tension return. “We have already waited long enough,” he continued evenly. “Eleven years, to be exact.” His gaze shifted briefly toward Auren then toward Elara beside the bed. “And now Auren has returned from London with his master’s completed. There is no practical reason to continue delaying the wedding any further.” The words landed heavily inside the suite. Elara froze almost imperceptibly beside her grandfather while Nicholus’ brows shot upward with open interest like he had just been handed front-row seats to family warfare. Meanwhile, I felt the entire room shift again because this conversation no longer sounded hypothetical anymore. Suddenly it sounded real.
Senior Varya gave a slow approving nod from the hospital bed. “Exactly,” he muttered roughly. “Finally, someone in this room speaks with common sense.” He looked visibly pleased now, some of the earlier exhaustion easing from his face for the first time all evening. “Before this concussion,” he added dryly, “I was beginning to think the two of them planned to stay engaged until retirement age.” Nicholus snorted loudly under his breath while Richmond continued calmly, “I’ll speak to Simon personally within the week.” His tone carried quiet authority now. “The families can begin discussing a proper wedding date immediately.” Then, almost casually, he added, “The preparations themselves will likely take months regardless, but the announcement should no longer be postponed.”
The second those words left his mouth—
Auren looked at his father.
Not normally.
Not calmly.
He glared at Richmond with a sharpness so sudden it nearly startled me because until now Auren had controlled every emotion crossing his face with frightening precision. But this—this slipped through completely. His jaw tightened hard enough to visibly flex beneath the warm lighting while something dark flashed behind his eyes so quickly it changed the entire atmosphere around him. It wasn’t simple irritation either. It looked deeper than that. Almost betrayed. Like Richmond had crossed some invisible line without warning him first. Even Nicholus noticed immediately because the amusement faded slightly from his expression as he glanced carefully between father and son now.
Richmond noticed the glare too.
But unlike everyone else, he didn’t look uncomfortable beneath it.
If anything, he looked unsurprised.
For a long moment, Auren said nothing. The entire room felt painfully tense beneath the soft hospital lights while Richmond held his gaze calmly from across the suite, completely unaffected by the cold look Auren was giving him. Elara looked between them immediately, the hope that had been glowing inside her expression moments ago slowly beginning to fade into uncertainty. Even Nicholus stopped joking now, sensing the atmosphere had shifted into something far more serious than simple family teasing. Meanwhile, Senior Varya watched all of them impatiently from the hospital bed, already looking irritated by the silence stretching across the room.
Auren’s jaw tightened hard before he finally let out a slow breath through his nose like he was forcing himself to stay calm. Then, without looking at anyone directly, he said quietly, “Excuse me.”
The words were polite.
Controlled.
But something about them felt cold enough to make the entire room fall silent.
Before anyone could respond, Auren turned away from the bed and started walking toward the suite doors. The movement happened so suddenly that Elara visibly froze for a second in shock. Her eyes followed him immediately as confusion crossed her face.
“Auren—”
She said his name softly, almost instinctively, like she expected him to stop.
But he didn’t.
He kept walking without even turning around.
One of the security guards quickly opened the suite doors for him, and seconds later Auren disappeared out into the hallway, leaving the room in complete silence behind him. The quiet felt almost unbearable afterward. Even the steady beeping of the medical monitors suddenly sounded too loud.
Nicholus leaned back slowly in his chair and muttered under his breath, “Well… that went badly.”
Senior Varya looked furious now, glaring toward the closed doors. “That boy tests my blood pressure on purpose,” he snapped irritably. “Forget it,” he muttered tiredly. “I’m too old for this conversation.” He waved one weak hand dismissively toward the group. “Everyone in this room looks miserable. It’s giving me another headache.” A nurse immediately stepped closer to adjust something near his IV while Richmond quietly encouraged him to rest. Nicholus rose from the leather chair with exaggerated reluctance. “Fantastic,” he announced dryly. “We emotionally exhausted the patient. Another successful family gathering.”
That finally earned the faintest smile from Senior Varya.
Elara looked down immediately, composing herself again with frightening speed. Within seconds, the vulnerable softness was gone entirely, buried beneath perfect elegance once more. If I hadn’t seen her expression earlier, I would’ve thought she felt nothing at all now. “You should rest,” she told her grandfather calmly while smoothing the blanket near his arm. “The doctors already said too much stress will slow recovery.” Her voice sounded steady again.