Tamed Monster - Chapter 143

With the evidence already destroyed, what could the Emperor possibly gain by interrogating him?

Thinking it over with the carefree logic typical of a monster, Kuinan completely relaxed. Whether the Emperor tried torture to extract information or attempted to coax him with honeyed words, as long as he kept his mouth shut, he would be fine.

Having reached that conclusion, he merely offered empty, agreeable responses.

“My dear brother. You can’t keep that mouth of yours shut forever.”

Though he was the Emperor, his manner of speech—when no outsiders were present—was cruder than that of common thugs. Even a monster might have clicked its tongue at the vulgar expressions spilling from his lips.

The secretary squeezed his eyes shut. The knights standing on either side merely blinked, long accustomed to such behavior, as if pretending they were stones incapable of understanding human speech.

Kuinan, who had nothing to do with them, almost felt like praising their tearful efforts.

Lost in yet another stray thought, he finally caught the Emperor’s attention—and this time, it was not overlooked.

“Stand.”

At the command, his brother rose readily, as if such a small request were nothing. Emperor Myers glared down from the dais, teeth clenched.

‘We should change locations.’

Having decided, he ordered the knights to escort the grand duke away again, making sure palace servants bustling through the halls would witness it. Contrary to the Emperor’s intent, Kuinan had no aristocratic pride to wound; he simply walked obediently wherever the knights led, expression unchanged.

They passed rooms whose ornate walls and doors disguised their true purpose: torturing political dissidents. Kuinan was locked in the chamber next door.

He stopped in the depths of the room, standing silently. The Emperor remained at the doorway with the knights—then dismissed them all, leaving the two alone in the sealed chamber. Myers stared at him.

“Nothing to say?”

Since the fire, he had arrested and beaten fifty palace staff and powerless royals. Now he had set his sights on the life of the war-hero Grand Duke. Yet the Grand Duke—apparently oblivious to the blade at his own throat—looked bored to death.

“I left in a hurry and didn’t get to prepare my wife’s dinner. May I return now?”

Was that brazen confidence born of innocence—or simply nerve? Even Myers’ keen instincts could not tell. He brushed back his platinum hair and eased his killing intent slightly.

“There’s something you seem to have forgotten. I’m just as mad as you are. If I feel like it, I could lock you in this room for the rest of your life.”

The chamber was stark white, devoid of furniture. A place that could drive anyone insane after months of confinement. But Kuinan, already mad in his own monstrous way, didn’t even blink at the threat. He nearly snorted, barely restraining himself.

“How fascinating that we share the same hobbies.”

Until recently, he himself had enjoyed imprisoning his wife, which made him feel a strange kinship with the Emperor.

A man eerily similar to a monster. To Kuinan it was merely an interesting anomaly. But to humans, such a ruler must feel like a calamity. Someone utterly unfit had taken the throne.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. I was just reminded of an amusing memory.”

He deflected smoothly. The Emperor frowned, studying him at eye level, then ordered him to hold out his hands—clearly looking for burn marks.

Kuinan spread his palms confidently. Fire left no trace on a monster; any damage healed instantly.

“…Tell me honestly, you bastard. What are you plotting?”

Whether it was an attempt to usurp the throne or something else entirely, Myers was certain this man intended to undermine him. His suspicion drifted from person to person. Today, it had settled on Kuinan.

Kuinan tilted his head innocently.

“Do you have evidence?”

A thin vein bulged at the Emperor’s temple. Realizing he had misspoken, Kuinan hastily corrected himself.

“I mean… I’m disappointed. After fighting hundreds of battles for Your Majesty, risking my life time and again, to be treated as a criminal simply because I happened to be at the palace that day…”

Of course, he was the culprit. Who else could have found the hidden underground torture chamber, dismembered a monster’s corpse there, swapped it with another body in the annex, set the place ablaze, and walked away undetected?