CH 260

Estian threw out a punch without hesitation. Smack! The impact of the punch echoed in the prison, followed by a groan of pain from Ruin. The emperor didn’t even bother to turn around to look at him. “So sorry. That was out of reflex. I have a habit of reacting to barking dogs with a fist, you see,” Estian said emotionlessly.

“Don’t lie! You hit the same spot as before!” Ruin, who was bound in chains, yelled in protest.

Estian didn’t even bother to feign like he was listening, as he turned to glance at the other person next to Ruin. With eyes that were bruised black and blue, Richard was kneeling on the floor next to the crown prince. And keeping watch from behind the both of them was the blue phoenix—several times bigger than before.

“For a single drop of Eugendiph’s blood to result in such growth… How incredible, truly,” Richard murmured, enviously gazing at the phoenix. “But how could you do this to me? You didn’t even give up a drop when I asked…”

Estian responded to the archmage’s grumbles by lifting his foot and sending Richard rolling across the prison floor with a thump. As it so happened, Cecile hadn’t kept everything that happened that night from Estian.

“Richard said these things to me…” After hearing his wife repeat what Richard had said to her, Estian made sure to deal merciless treatment towards the archmage too.

“How noisy. What? You can manage to keep running away with her? Did you think I wouldn’t be able to catch you if you took Cecile, knave?” Estian growled.

“Hehe, I was just joking,” Richard immediately responded with a toady laugh after seeing the murderous look in Estian’s eyes. After all, he knew he had been asking for a beating.

Watching the two, Ruin rubbed the spot where he’d been punched earlier and asked, “By the way, aren’t you going to interrogate me today too? I thought you’d keep at it forever, and today would be no different.”

Enroute from Aluna to Navitan, Estian had questioned the crown prince endlessly each night, especially in regards to matters related to the Ender and the catastrophe. After hearing the full story from the crown prince, Estian had summarily deemed it all to be nonsense. How could he not? Estian had no intention of being amused by stories that he was the reason for the approaching end of days.

After glaring at Ruin for a full minute, Estian straightened himself up and said, “This is enough. I will just return for today.”

His thoughts were with Cecile, who he’d left asleep in the room prepared by Navitan. Was it the effect of returning to this place? Cecile seemed to toss and turn in her sleep more than any other day, and it concerned him. Turning to the blue phoenix, who was now large enough to be called a monster, Estian instructed, “If either does anything funny, peck them.”

The phoenix squawked and unfurled its wings as if to say, “Yes sir!”

As Estian turned to leave, Ruin and Richard cried out in unison, “What about our food! The least you can do is to feed us!”

However, the emperor closed the prison door on them without ever looking back.

* * *

Not concerned in the slightest as to whether the crown prince and archmage starved or not, Estian walked along the dark hallways. He had ordered for everyone unnecessary to be cleared out, and it appeared that his orders had been followed well. The emperor couldn’t sense the presence of anyone besides his Imperial Guard on duty outside. As a result of his command, even the royal family members and the attendants had to spend the night outside, but that wasn’t a concern for Estian

Suddenly, he abruptly came to a stop. ‘Hm?’ The door to Cecile’s room opened quietly, and Estian instinctively hid his presence and took cover behind a nearby curtain. A moment later, Cecile poked her head out. Checking the hallway was all clear, she began to creep away on her tippy toes.

‘Where is she going?’ Estian knew she was having difficulty sleeping after watching her toss and turn, but he hadn’t expected that she would wander about at night. He decided to discreetly tail his wife.

Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t familiar with the layout of the main palace and she quickly appeared lost. ‘What in the world could she be looking for so earnestly?’ Estian wondered, as he continued to follow.

“Found it,” Cecile exclaimed happily.

After a long time of wandering, Cecile seemed to have found what she had been searching for and quickly snuck inside. Estian watched her figure disappear through the doors, before turning to look at the hallway next to that place. In an instant, his eyes widened with surprise.