Chapter 1189: Secret

Maybe it was because of what happened the night before that Slater, Benjamin, and Ray were oddly peaceful as they played chess on the other side of the garden. Slater had only arrived a little later, but for once, he didn’t nitpick at Ray. Ray, on the other hand, was trying to gain Benjamin’s favor to get on Mint’s good side.

It was a trio no one would have expected, but somehow, it worked.

"Wow! Another win!" Benjamin cheered as he checkmated Ray again.

"Benjamin, how are you so good at this?" Ray stared at the chessboard in disbelief. "I was so sure I was going to win this round."

Benjamin grinned. "I used to compete in chess tournaments when I was in middle school. I even represented our region in high school! I would’ve won if I hadn’t gotten diarrhea."

"This is cheating."

"Hehehe. Now, I’m hungry!" Benjamin announced cheerfully, darting his eyes between Ray, who sat across from him, and Slater beside him. "Third Brother, let’s go inside and eat. I think Miss Penny is awake by now."

Slater had been quiet even after joining them, lingering as the other two remained engrossed in their game. He hadn’t come here to watch chess—he needed to talk to Benjamin about last night. But since Benjamin was preoccupied, he stayed.

"Sure," Slater nodded. "I’m a bit hungry too."

"Are you okay?" Ray asked, tilting his head. "For some reason, you haven’t said anything to hurt my feelings. It’s a little concerning that we’re sharing the same space so peacefully."

"Don’t make me start," Slater hissed.

Ray clicked his tongue. "Fine, let’s go back in. My ex might be waiting for us."

Both Slater and Benjamin shot him a glare.

Ex—he meant Penny.

Since when did they have a relationship!?

"What a delusional prick," Slater muttered as he stood. "He really is meant to die young."

Benjamin could only shake his head. Even though Ray played chess with him, there was no way he would allow Mint to date the guy—he was crazy!

Sometimes, I really wonder how he ended up in this famous star section and still acts like this, Benjamin thought. Is it just because he’s the headmaster’s grandson? I’m getting kind of suspicious.

Either way, Slater and Benjamin kept their thoughts to themselves. Meanwhile, Ray happily skipped ahead, humming Penny’s name as if he hadn’t just been trying to pursue Mint yesterday. Surely, Benjamin and Slater’s feelings about him weren’t unfounded.

As they walked back to the main castle, Slater glanced at Benjamin. Ray had widened the distance between them with his skipping.

"Ahem." Slater cleared his throat loudly, catching Benjamin’s attention. "Uh, Benjamin, about last night..."

He trailed off as Benjamin blinked at him innocently. Slater opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. He didn’t know where to start. He had told Benjamin last night to fill him in later, but that never happened. The situation had kept them too busy to talk, pushing aside important matters. But he knew Benjamin would start asking soon—worse, he might harass him and take his chocolates hostage. He needed to deal with this now.

"I did tell you that..." Slater trailed off again, shaking his head. "You had questions last night, and I promised to answer truthfully. So, go ahead and ask."

"Ah..." Benjamin nodded, then his mouth curled into a smile. His face brightened. "I already did, and you answered. We even prayed together, so that’s proof."

"Not that—"

"That’s the only thing that matters to me," Benjamin clarified, cutting him off. "If you were possessed, that’s a different story. But you got us out of there, and things ended better than expected. Everyone’s safe. That’s all that matters."

Slater furrowed his brows, confusion and surprise written across his face. "You’re not going to ask...?"

"Nope." Benjamin shook his head and winked. "And I’m going to keep my mouth shut too. The good thing about having a family member in important business like that is that I learned not to ask questions."

He paused, shifting his gaze forward, lips still curved in a smile. "Mint always blurts out things she probably doesn’t intend to say. So, I always make sure not to listen or know too much, so I won’t unintentionally hurt her."

A thick silence settled between them as they continued walking, wind blowing harshly on their hair. Slater studied Benjamin’s side profile while the latter kept his attention ahead.

Benjamin already knew.

Mint hadn’t told him. Slater hadn’t mentioned anything. But Benjamin wasn’t dim—he had simply put the pieces together. And instead of prying, he had chosen to keep the secret. Or rather, not get the clarification he needed.

Although Benjamin hated keeping secrets, he knew when it was necessary.

"It’s not my place to tell anyone," Benjamin finally spoke, his quiet voice breaking the silence. "Secrets are easy to create but hard to keep. The longer you carry them, the heavier they get. At first, it’s nothing. You might even forget about it... until one day, it starts crippling you as it try to crawl its way into the light. That’s why I don’t like them. That’s why I don’t want to hear them. But it’s up to you, Third Brother."

Would Slater keep carrying this secret, even if it meant crawling under its weight? Or would he finally let it go?

Slater stopped in his tracks, staring at Benjamin. The latter kept walking without looking back.

Slater had always thought Benjamin was shallow. He hadn’t liked him much, believing that Benjamin competed with him for Penny’s attention.

Who would have thought that beneath that surface lay a depth only Benjamin chose to reveal when he wanted to? A much deeper layer under that shadow surface?

"It does... get heavier day by day," Slater whispered, lowering his gaze.

By the time Benjamin reached the castle, he spoke again. "By the way, Third Brother, the chocolate—" He paused when he turned around.

Slater was gone.

"Huh? Where did he go?"

---

Penny sat idly on the grass in the courtyard, her eyes closed, until a familiar scent carried on the wind. Her brows twitched slightly, and she opened her eyes.

Turning her head, she saw Slater standing several feet away.