CH 68

The Emperor’s ruthless fury caused the atmosphere in his office to freeze.

The fire that had been flickering in the fireplace was extinguished in an instant by the piercing chill.

The sinner who provoked the Emperor to such rage silently fell down to his knees and accepted the Emperor’s wrath.

“Duncan Lysak.”

Fernandez called out as he spat out the name of the loyal servant who knelt in front of him.

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Duncan barely managed to open his mouth to answer, and even with effort, his voice trembled as he spoke. He could feel a force pressing down on his entire body as if it were about to crush him to the ground at any moment.

“Report again.”

Duncan closed his eyes tightly. But he had to recite again the report he had just finished.

“The demonic beast we had deployed on the cliffside attacked the target as planned but failed to eliminate it. Also, the dogs were all killed before they could complete their mission…”

“What the hell were you doing!”

Fernandez slammed the desk in his office mercilessly. With a thud, the papers that had accumulated on the desk crumbled and scattered on the floor.

He tried to suppress his anger, and then, a low, contained voice spread throughout the office.

“What are you going to do about that?”

“I have no words to say…”

Duncan’s head slammed down so hard that his forehead hit the ground. He knew how much Fernandez was holding back his anger now.

“All the beasts are now gone, the targets safely fell alive into Calix’s hands, and the dogs died at the same time.”

His powerful army vanished overnight.

An existence that might be the biggest threat to him in the future had survived.

There was even a probability that vital information or weaknesses had been handed over to the enemy on a silver platter.

The worst imaginable situation had occurred.

“If you give me a chance, I’ll take responsibility and… Cough!”

In a flash, Duncan’s body was suddenly lifted into the air.

An invisible, powerful force gripped his neck and choked him. In an instant, Duncan’s mind went blank.

“Cough…! Your Majesty, cough, Your Majesty…!”

Duncan struggled in pain as he grabbed his neck with both hands and wriggled his feet in the air. The oxygen was quickly being sucked out of his lungs.

Fearing that he might die and the dizzying sensation might be because he could suffocate at any moment caused tears to flow from the corners of his eyes.

Fernandez observed Duncan’s appearance nonchalantly and opened his mouth.

“How do you think you’re going to get out of all this?”

“Uhh…uhh…”

“You seem to overestimate your abilities.”

Instantly, the force that was tightening around Duncan’s neck dissipated, and his body fell straight to the ground.

“Hah, hah..!”

Duncan gasped for air; as soon as the air started to rush back to his lungs, he felt his head throb. His heart raced so fast to the point he felt it would explode, but his body had no energy at all.

Fernandez’s cold gaze pierced over Duncan’s body.

“I’ll give you one more chance to solve this, just like you said.”

Duncan immediately knelt down and bowed to Fernandez. It was merciful that the Emperor did not immediately tear him limb from limb and kill him.

“Duncan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Duncan gasped for breath and barely managed to answer.

He, too, was the Emperor’s dog; the chief of dogs, to be exact. The tattoo of obedience imprinted on the inside of his wrist itched so vividly today.

It was as if to imprint the despair that he could not break free of these shackles forever.

“If you fail to handle this matter again…”

There was no trace of warmth in the Emperor’s dry voice as he spat out his last act of mercy.

“Not only you but all other members of the Lysak bloodline will not survive my wrath.”

* * *

The journey to the Duchy had been going on for several days.

‘It’s been five days already.’

After that day, when Calix personally carried Asella, who the demonic beast had injured, to the barracks, the two had not engaged in a single conversation.

It would be more accurate to say that they never had the opportunity to do so.

Her husband was always busy.

When travelling, he would ride his horse without rest, and after dark, he would spend several hours in the barracks meeting with his aides.

She did not know what was going on, but she could at least guess that it was something important and serious.

Even though Ryzen was busy, he would visit Asella from time to time to inquire about her well-being and to check on her physical condition, but not the same could be said about Calix.

“Your Highness, did the food suit your palate?”

“It was delicious. Mariel liked it too.”

After lunch, Asella replied quietly, looking down at her napping younger sister.

“Do you feel uncomfortable in any way?”

“Not at all.”

Fortunately, Asella’s wounds were healing, albeit slowly.

Moreover, the tedious and peaceful travel of the past few days had even provided her with some sense of stability.

Ryzen, however, frowned a bit at Asella’s reply.

“Your Highness, you’re still using respectful language when addressing me.”

“I’m just not used to it.”

Now being the Grand Duchess, Asella was higher in status, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t just treat him like any other servant of her husband’s.

For a start, Ryzen himself was a count, a vassal of Calix, and not any normal vassal at that, but the closest aide to Calix Benvito among all of his other vassals.

It meant that he was not someone she could treat carelessly.