Chapter 209
Kazhan instantly grasped the implication. The dark mage who had kidnapped Mikael for Tennilath blood would have no reason not to covet his own blood as well.
In other words—this arrogant bastard was using Ysaris as leverage to extract blood from the Emperor himself.
“You truly have no regard for your own life.”
The words came from Duke Blake. His usual eccentric demeanor had vanished, replaced by an icy, expressionless stare.
At his level of mastery, sheer will alone could exert crushing pressure. Temisian, who normally kept his emotions in check with frivolous words, now burned with fury at seeing his Emperor threatened.
“I must applaud such recklessness. Truly… remarkable.”
“Ah, haha… To receive praise from the Sword Master himself—I’m so flustered my heart’s racing!”
The “racing heart” wasn’t entirely a lie. Trienne was sweating under the suffocating killing intent—though not from joy. He quickly turned to Kazhan for help.
“You’ll keep him in check, won’t you? If I’m hurt, so is the Empress!”
“Duke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Click. Click.
Temisian repeatedly slid his thumb along his sword’s hilt, as if debating how to carve up the dark mage. Kazhan exhaled sharply.
“Don’t move. You’ll endanger Ysaris.”
“…As you command.”
Kazhan’s gaze shifted from the tight-lipped Temisian back to the dark mage. Trienne had momentarily faltered, but now stood smugly shrugging his shoulders – an infuriating sight.
“Why struggle? The outcome is inevitable.”
“What outcome?”
“The one where His Majesty the Emperor, unable to abandon his beloved wife, ultimately becomes my test subject.”
“You insolent—! This cannot be permitted, Your Majesty! I’ll find another solution!”
Kazhan let Temisian’s outburst fade into the background as he considered the truth in the dark mage’s words. If Ysaris remained cursed here forever, he would choose to stay by her side – even if it meant abdicating the throne or becoming an experiment. Being separated from her was unthinkable.
Yet it was too soon for such extremes. Other possibilities remained.
Summoning curse-breakers from the Eastern Continent. Negotiating directly with the dark mage. Several other options flickered through his mind before Trienne’s voice pulled him back.
“Now that the curse is proven, return the Empress. Ah, and the prince as well. They both belong to me now.”
Kazhan’s pupils contracted at the casual declaration. His bloodshot eyes burned with deadly intent.
“…Yours?”
“Of course. They’re my possessions now.”
Trienne smirked, undaunted by the Emperor’s murderous tone. With the “curse” confirmed, he held all the power – and he’d bought enough time. Using Ysaris’s hair and his own blood, he’d prepared to activate a temporary Puppetry Curse.
“Once the lie becomes truth, there will be no stopping me.”
Trienne’s smile stretched unnaturally wide, his lips splitting with manic glee at the thought of obtaining not just one, but two royal bloodlines.
“But don’t worry~ You’re specially invited to the breeding party for the Empress’s descendants—!”
CLANG!
The dark mage barely stumbled back in time, his reflexive magic barrier deflecting what would have been a decapitating strike.
“Have you gone mad?! Hurt me, and the Empress—!”
The true shock came from seeing the Emperor himself as the attacker. The same man who had remained silent moments ago now stood with his sword drawn, his expression terrifyingly blank.
Kazhan rose slowly, cradling Ysaris in his arms. When he spoke, his voice was deathly calm.
“If you disgrace her… I will kill you.”
“Then she dies too—!”
“She would choose death anyway.”
The Emperor’s memories surfaced – of Ysaris’s countless suicide attempts in their early marriage. He’d only stopped her by threatening Pyrein, but the horror of those days had never left him.
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