Chapter 200
“Hallucinations, nightmares, brainwashing. Nightmares are the easiest and safest, but they might not work. Brainwashing has nasty side effects… So hallucinations it is!”
“Let go of my son right now!”
“Waaah! Mamaaa!”
Trienne remained utterly unfazed by Ysaris’ screams or Mikael’s thrashing. If anything, his smirk deepened.
“Relax. It’ll be over quickly. At worst, he’ll experience getting beheaded or falling off a cliff. Might feel real pain, but that’s a small price for safe awakening, no?”
His reassurance only poured oil on the fire. Ysaris’ normally composed face twisted in horror.
Experience death? Feel real pain?
Her vision swam at the thought of the psychological aftermath. A two-year-old subjected to this would inevitably develop trauma or worse.
“Please don’t! Stop this!”
She writhed against the men restraining her, kicking desperately as she spat out anything to divert Trienne’s attention.
“You’re breaking our deal! If you touch Mikael, I’ll kill myself!”
Trienne paused, the black smoke coiling around his free hand dissipating as he turned to her. For a second, she thought her threat had worked—until his lips parted with a soft tsk.
“When did we ever make a deal? It was just a verbal understanding.”
“You’d abandon your word so easily?”
“How naive. Did you actually trust me?”
He laughed.
“You watched me betray and kill the Dowager Empress with your own eyes.”
Her teeth ground together. Of course she’d never trusted him—she’d only pretended to because there was no alternative.
She just hadn’t expected the charade to end so soon.
“You still need me! That’s why you’ve been—”
“Ah, about that.”
Trienne tilted his head, his voice chillingly bland.
“I lost interest. Wasn’t it you who said this wasn’t love?”
“…!”
“I thought it over, and you were right. My heart raced because you’re a fascinating specimen—nothing more. So I’ll treat you accordingly. Saves so much time.”
A cold sweat broke down her back. Gritting her teeth, she hissed her final warning.
“I told you. Hurt Mikael, and I’ll die.”
‘I’ll destroy the asset you need, no matter what.’
Trienne studied her resolve, then shrugged.
“But you won’t.”
“Why wouldn’t I? Do I seem that weak to you?”
“Not weak. Just…”
He raised his right hand theatrically, Mikael still dangling by the scruff, wailing.
“Would you really leave your precious son alone here? Could you?”
“…”
She had no rebuttal. Dying would abandon Mikael to this monster—staying alive, however wretched, was the only way to protect him.
But admitting that felt like surrender.
As she stood paralyzed, Trienne’s grin widened.
“Enough teasing. Let’s begin His Highness’s awakeni—”
BOOM.
The entire structure shuddered—not from within, but from something outside.
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