Chapter104

'Why the fuck did he say that?' Hajin thought, staring at the path ahead of them while they walked.
His mind was racing, completely ignoring the noises of the forest around them. He was the only person the Flint family had ever exiled, and they had explicitly stripped away his family name to bury the shame. 
As far as the main branch was concerned, he was supposed to be completely dead to them. 
'If she goes back to the capital and starts spreading that I used to be a Flint,' he thought, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder at the princess.
'The main house is going to lose it. If they find out I let the secret of my banishment slip, my head is going to go rolling, even though it was completely Kenny's fault.'
Didi was walking a few paces behind Juna, her arms crossed tight over her chest. She hadn't said another word since dropping the question earlier, waiting patiently for him to explain himself. 
"Technically, I am not part of the Flint family," he said, finally breaking the silence while keeping his eyes on the road. "Not anymore."
She sped her pace up slightly, coming to walk right beside him so she could look at his face. 
"Because you were exiled," she said flatly, looking at his face for a reaction.
"Yes," he said, deciding there was absolutely no point in lying when Kenny had basically screamed it at her. "I was born without talent, so they threw me out to avoid the embarrassment. As far as they are concerned, I am just a commoner now."
She didn't react with shock or pity. Instead, her eyes narrowed slightly as she processed the information. 
"It sounds like Kenny didn't get the memo," she said, her tone cool. "He seemed very eager to remind you of exactly where you came from."
"Kenny is an idiot from the side branch who talks too much," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. 
"Please, do me a favor. Just promise me you won't tell anyone. If the main house finds out the secret of my banishment slipped, they won't hesitate to send assassins to silence me permanently to protect their image."