Nighttime...
"Damn... Why hasn’t anyone come yet? Is Nolan Lorian lying to me?" Belfor gritted his teeth in frustration.
He had been waiting for Nolan’s people since this afternoon, but there was still no sign of their arrival.
Doubt began to creep in—had he been deceived?
Just as his frustration reached its peak, the sound of footsteps echoed from the front. A tall, white-haired woman suddenly appeared.
She wore a black dress and a mask that covered her entire face.
Her eyes were blue, but there was no trace of kindness in them. Instead, her gaze was sharp, like frost frozen into crystal shards, ready to pierce at any moment.
Belfor shivered and took three steps back.
"Who are you? Are you an assassin sent by my enemies to eliminate me?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Even imprisoned, he knew his enemies would not leave him alone. He had long offended many people.
Only because he was the emperor’s father-in-law had they dared not act rashly. But in his current state, a silent assassination was far from impossible.
The masked woman—Malverna—rolled her eyes lazily.
With a casual wave of her hand, the iron bars imprisoning Belfor split cleanly in two.
Belfor raised his right arm to cover his eyes. But when he felt no pain, he froze in surprise and lowered it.
Before him, the iron bars that had confined him lay shattered. His eyes widened in shock as he whispered, "This..."
Before he could finish, Malverna turned and ordered coldly, "Follow me."
Without waiting for a reply, she strode ahead. Belfor instantly realized that she was likely Nolan’s subordinate, sent to rescue him from the prison.
Without a second thought, he followed her. The two walked in silence.
Belfor remained extremely wary of Malverna, sensing just how dangerous and terrifying she was—a feeling he had only ever experienced when facing truly formidable opponents in the past.
Although she was there to free him, he did not dare to cross her.
On the other hand, Malverna was far too indifferent to speak to him. In any case, after this, Belfor would be completely finished. Subconsciously, a faint smile curved beneath her mask.
As they continued, Belfor noticed with unease that not a single warden crossed their path.
The prison was unnaturally quiet and still, as if it existed solely for the two of them.
How could that be? Was I dreaming? Belfor wondered in surprise.
The Thal’ren Prison was the largest and most secure in the Empire. Those who entered had only a 0.02 percent chance of escaping illegally.
This was hardly surprising, given that the prison was fortified with countless extraordinarily powerful magic circles.
A single area could contain up to two hundred circles crafted by the Celestial Mages.
Logically, escaping casually like this was nearly impossible.
Belfor’s eyes fell on Malverna’s back, partially exposed, revealing smooth, alluring white skin.
Of course, he didn’t dare entertain improper thoughts about her.
Still, he was intensely curious how Nolan had managed to gain such a capable subordinate.
Sure enough... he’s not the foolish prince the rumors claim, Belfor murmured cautiously.
Ever since his first encounter with Nolan in the prison, he had suspected that the young man had been hiding his true strength.
For someone capable of doing so flawlessly for so many years, Belfor had to admit—he was incredibly dangerous.
Dealing with a man like him was essentially courting death.
Fortunately, Belfor would soon escape this empire and vanish from everyone’s sight, including Nolan’s.
That way, even if Nolan later discovered he had been deceived, he would never be able to find him.
The two of them continued walking until they finally reached the outer area. Just like before, it was completely empty—without a single guard in sight.
It was an absurd sight. Thal’ren Prison could never be this quiet. Yet Belfor was too cautious to ask and simply swallowed his confusion.
"Walk ahead. A carriage will take you shortly," Malverna said coldly.
Belfor nodded and took a step but then remembered Nolan’s promise.
Turning to Malverna, he asked, "What about my two billion Sharn? Did Nolan Lorian leave them with you?"
"It’s all in the carriage you’re about to ride," Malverna replied flatly.
Belfor let out a small sigh and followed the direction she indicated.
Sure enough, a luxurious horse-drawn carriage waited nearby. A man in a black hat sat on the coachman’s seat and gave him a slight nod.
"Are you Mr. Belfor? His Highness ordered me to escort you. Where would you like to go?" the coachman asked respectfully.
"Take me to a spot about two kilometers from the capital," Belfor replied indifferently.
There was no way he could ask Nolan’s coachman to take him to his true destination—it would be suicide. His plan was to vanish from everyone’s sight after this.
The coachman nodded slightly. "Please, climb inside."
Belfor stepped into the carriage, unaware of the thin, cold smile that slowly spread across the coachman’s lips.
...
"Is it finished?"
Sitting on the sofa, Nolan gently rubbed the face of Eliza, who was fast asleep on his lap. His gaze flicked toward Malverna, who had appeared beside him.
"Already," Malverna replied, removing her mask and settling onto the sofa to his right. "Belfor left without suspecting a thing. By now, Arnold is taking him away. But... I have to ask—are you really just going to let him go?"
Doubt flickered in her eyes. For some reason, Nolan’s kindness toward Belfor didn’t match the ruthless image she had of him.
"Let him go? Pfft!" Nolan chuckled, shaking his head. He playfully pinched Eliza’s chubby cheeks. "There’s no way I’d just let him walk free. I deliberately let him go so he could think he’d won."
"As the old saying goes, ’An enemy drowning in victory is easier to destroy.’ I just wanted him to feel proud, to believe everything was within his grasp. But once he realizes it was all an illusion... he’ll be crushed to his core. Isn’t that... fun to watch?"
A small smile curved his handsome face. If young noble ladies saw it, they would surely be enraptured, lost in admiration.
But not Malverna. To her, that smile was the visage of the King of Hell himself, descending to annihilate all living things...