Chapter 60 : Perilous Situation, A Resolution Difficult to Weigh
"Since he’s the Grand Duke’s son, of course we wouldn’t touch one of our own, right?"
"Thanks to your quick intervention, I nearly had my men kill this young man by mistake."
The apology seemed unintentional, but the Duke’s meaning was clear: if the Grand Duke continued protecting the Emperor, he would “accidentally” kill his son.
Between his child and his political ally, the Grand Duke ultimately chose his bloodline.
The Duke smiled and signaled his men to release Kyle.
The Grand Duke hurriedly stepped forward to support him, glaring fiercely at the Duke as they passed through the surrounding black-clad figures.
"The Caesar Family will remember this..."
"I won’t disturb Your Excellency the Grand Duke’s father-son bonding. Let’s continue our patrol, Your Majesty."
Politely dismissing the last obstacle, the Duke looked at the sweating Emperor with utmost sincerity, his eyes like a beast toying with prey.
"Old man..."
"Don’t talk. You’re badly injured. I’ll get you out of here first..."
Kyle looked at his father with some unfamiliarity.
The man who once cared so little for his children that he’d kill them on the Emperor’s order.
The man who might unhesitatingly execute his own child in a political crisis, had chosen him over his nation’s interests.
"I know what you’re thinking. I just can’t lose another child. Cecilia reminded me of her life."
The Grand Duke carried Kyle, slowly leaving the palace’s center.
Watching them depart, the Duke, observing from the window, sighed in relief and summoned his men.
"What about the other princes and princesses?"
"The Second Prince and his mother escaped in the chaos. We saw the Third Princess earlier, but she’s vanished too."
With that, his subordinate produced a wristwatch, stained with blood, its case bearing a towering oak sheltering those beneath it.
"The Oak Family. The Oak Family Head traded it for the survival of the others. We didn’t dare act on our own. Please forgive us."
Seeing the wristwatch, the Duke understood everything.
He casually dismissed his subordinate and toyed with it, smiling.
This wristwatch was the Oak Family Head’s token, granting control over all their commercial routes.
As a merchant, the Oak Family Head knew exactly what he wanted, surrendering his entire fortune for survival—a very pragmatic move.
"You did the right thing to consult me on this, but you overlooked one thing—you could’ve killed them and handed this to me."
But on second thought, if the family fell apart upon news of the head’s death, what use would this token be?
With that, he dropped the idea of killing the useless subordinate, ordering the trembling man kneeling before him to scram.
"Master... we failed to kill the First Prince and Sixth Princess. It seems a third party has intervened here."
"So what?"
The Duke didn’t care about the new information, instead casting a cold glance at his subordinate.
"We’ve found them and will deal with them soon. Please, just wait a little longer..."
The Duke glanced out the window, waving dismissively.
The man, as if pardoned, ran out joyfully.
The Duke looked at the Emperor, who had given up struggling and leaned to one side, then suddenly, as if struck by a new idea, approached him.
"Looks like we’ll have to play a bit longer before leaving, Your Majesty. How about we talk about life?"
"What do you want to do? Be a gardener or an ordinary soldier? Seems you don’t have a choice now."
The Duke had a chair brought over, lounging as he spoke to the Emperor, their conversation as casual as old friends chatting.
"Before, you sat on the throne, and I handled things for you. Now, you’re still on the throne, and I’m still handling things. Isn’t that great?"
The Duke’s plan was flawless.
By keeping the Emperor on the throne, he could manipulate him to control the entire empire.
This banquet was never meant for the Emperor.
The Duke merely used him to quietly eliminate those who knew the truth and opposed him.
"You provide the figurehead, I provide the effort. Quite a deal..."
At the palace’s rooftop terrace, the masked leader suddenly received a message from his men, his expression shifting.
The First Prince, holding a small knife handed by a subordinate, eagerly prepared to carve up Yiwen’s face, but a hand stopped him.
"Your Highness, this one’s still useful to us. Keep her safe, don’t make things difficult for your mother."
The First Prince wanted to protest, but the masked leader’s warning glare silenced him, and he obediently stepped aside.
"You stay here, watch the First Prince and this one. The Duke’s men are coming. I must deal with them first."
With that, the leader leaped off the terrace with most of the masked assassins, leaving the First Prince and two others to guard Yiwen.
"Hey, your master’s so confident in your First Prince? Or does he not even take him seriously?"
Yiwen tried to unsettle the two with words, but the masked men stood like machines, utterly unaffected.
"Damn it, what’s with the attitude? You’re just my mother’s lackeys. Won’t you serve me in the future—"
After the masked leader left, the First Prince grumbled indignantly, growing angrier.
Suddenly, he turned to Yiwen again.
"You two, hold her down. I’ll deal with her myself. You’re so proud of your nobler status, huh? I’ll ruin you!"
Oddly, the previously mechanical masked men stepped aside for the First Prince.
He held the knife, ready to strike Yiwen’s body.
"Strip her clothes and throw her scarred body outside the palace. Even if you survive, you’ll be mocked for life."
"What a pathetic fool, Kleo. Is this the only vile trick you can use to humiliate me? Or are you too cowardly to touch me?"
Yiwen ignored Kleo’s taunts, showing disdain instead, which further enraged him.
Gripping the knife, he moved to slash her.
"Fine, let’s see if I dare!"
Yiwen prepared to seize his weapon the moment he got close.
This pampered prince could never react in time.
But the next second, her hands were forcefully restrained.
The two masked men, who had stepped aside, pinned her down, clearly aiding the First Prince!
Weren’t they only loyal to the leader? Or was their plan all along to let the First Prince attack her?
Not good...
Yiwen closed her eyes, desperately trying to bite the hand holding her.
But when she opened them, she saw two corpses on the ground and a panicked First Prince.
"Your Highness, with such a big bite mark, my arm’s gonna scar."
Loka, wincing, smiled and patted Yiwen’s head, pulling out her arm with deep teeth marks.