CHAPTER 60 - COMMOTION AT THE ALMANDINE CASTLE***
"I heard that the discussions between Crown Prince Hyacinth and the Old Duke were fierce. They insist on bringing our prisoners back to their kingdom without consequences," said a Lycan, who guarded the dungeon.
He was used to discussing with his friend, another Lycan who was on guard with him.
"Right, I heard it too. But Young Lord Goldlane and Old Duke also continued to insist on just killing this prisoner no matter what. Heheheh, if the Old Duke has decided something, it will eventually happen," said his friend.
The prisoner they were talking about, whose face was covered with a black cloth sack and mouth bound with cloth, listened with sweaty bodies. His only remaining hand was chained to the wall, as were his legs.
Julian Hyacinth was tired and depressed.
"Ah, that's right. Yesterday Old Duke and Young Lord Goldlane made another offer. They will let this man live," said the Lycan, giving Julian who was listening, a new hope.
"Well, but he has to stay here and be imprisoned here forever, right?"
"Yeah."
The two of them burst out laughing.
"Isn't that worse than death?" asked one of them.
"Correct. Especially if they agree, then we can do anything to this prisoner as long as we keep him alive, right?" added the other.
Julian gritted his teeth. He was very angry, but also scared. How dare these lowly monsters treated him, Prince Julian Hyacinth, this low. He couldn't accept it, but he also felt that he had no choice.
He knew his older brother, Heinrich, had never really considered him important. His older brother was someone who would throw him away if necessary. Even though their father, the King wouldn't let him die, his brother didn't care about that. He couldn't trust his brother with his life.
Julian was annoyed and looked toward the only source of light in the dungeon. There was a small ventilation window in the very high ceiling. The sun shone into the room with a golden colour that looked magnificent, a complete contrast to the dirty and disgusting dungeon room.
He began to make plans to save himself.
***
"So, what about the outcome of today's discussion?" Harriet asked the Old Duke in the afternoon.
To the left of the Old Duke, Heath sat with Miriam. Meanwhile, Harriet sat on the right side of the Old Duke, holding the audit book she had just finished. Harriet had been waiting for the Old Duke and Heath to return from their work, and now they were gathered in the Old Duke's room.
"He insisted on increasing his bid to save his brother. He was even willing to pay a certain amount of money over several years to Almandine as ransom. They are even willing to give us land and exclusive trade rights to the West. All of this is really starting to feel like a scam," the Old Duke muttered.
Harriet laughed. "Yes. This is probably a scam, Your Grace," said Harriet softly.
The Old Duke nodded in serious agreement.
"We never forbid Crown Prince Hyacinth from visiting his brother in prison, right? But he never once asked to meet his brother either. Crown Prince Hyacinth doesn't care about his little brother, so he must have been pressured by others to save him," continued Harriet quietly.
Heath clicked his tongue. "So, what exactly are you planning?" Heath asked.
"Let's push him with one last offer," said Harriet calmly.
After finishing with the meeting for the day, and after further explaining her plan to the Old Duke and Heath, Harriet walked towards the tower.
The sun was almost setting, and this morning she had heard Liam was planning to continue his research. At this hour, usually, Liam was done bathing. Harriet was also done with all her work so they would meet at the top of the tower for a chat before dinner.
Harriet stepped up the tower after asking the maids to bring her and Liam's dinner.
***
Crown Prince Hyacinth came out of his bedroom bathroom with a towel slung over his shoulder. His black hair and eyes that glowed red looked even colder than usual. He felt annoyed, but a little helpless.
He could still be calm. His hunch was that the Old Duke and Heath Goldlane would not accept any offers he made. But there was something that felt very strange, namely that they maintained politeness with him and still listened to whatever he had to offer.
They acted as if they were observing him. They might not know that he installed an Artificial Spirit in this castle. It was the best Artificial Spirit they had, that had the appearance of a bird that he could control to search for information wherever he wanted.
Of course, this Artificial Spirit consumed so much mana, that he could only use it for an hour per day–and he hadn't found anything.
He had released the bird secretly from outside the castle yesterday so no one would suspect. His Aides had done their job well so far, and he would make sure they kept up the good work.
Heinrich began to establish the connection between himself and the Artificial Spirit with his mana by concentrating in silence.
KNOCK KNOCK!
"Your Highness!"
Heinrich jolted awake and opened his eyes. Why would they bother him like this?!
He stood up and opened the door with an angry face. "What do you want?!"
Heinrich could see that all the candles and torches in the castle had been lit and the sky had dimmed. And in the dimly lit hallway, he saw the silhouettes of dozens of wolves running towards the exit of the castle.
Seeing that, anyone would turn pale and horrified, with goosebumps all over their necks standing on end. Especially for the envoys from the West who had never seen anything like this before.
AWOOOOOO!
A terrifying sound echoed throughout the castle. Hearing this, both Heinrich and his aide who were knocking on his door turned deathly pale.
"What happened?" asked Heinrich in a trembling voice.
"Your Highness, Prince Julian escaped from his captivity as soon as the sun began to set. Old Duke and Young Lord Goldlane quickly ordered their Lycan army to pursue him…" Heinrich's aide replied.
Heinrich was rooted to his spot. What the hell?
This all… would destroy the whole plan!