Chapter 104 Storm: Unforgivable [VIP]
"Lord Lucien, Doctor Moss..."
Kelly walked up to Xiao Yun and was about to report, but was stopped by his gloomy face.
"Shh-"
Xiao Yun hushed him and pointed at Yaris lying on the bed. "Brother finally got his fever down, but now... you have to take good care of him. That black powder that's supposed to boost his energy needs must be disposed of. He's too weak to take any more medication with such severe side effects!"
"clear……"
Kelly nodded repeatedly.
Dr. Moss also walked into the room at the same time and said with deep approval, "I am glad that you can stay with him for a long time. With your support, he will definitely recover."
"The best thing for His Highness is that Lord Lucien can always be by his side..."
Kelly looked at Xiao Yun with gratitude.
Xiao Yun fully understood their anxiety at the moment, and after giving them some instructions, he left the room.
Before leaving, he looked back at Yaris lying on the bed - the high fever made his pale cheeks flush, and his soft lips trembled slightly, making a sound similar to "Mom".
(Archduchess Anna, you make me sick!)
…
…
"Mr. Lucien—"
Romila emerged from the shadows with a frivolous look on her face, and tried to wrap her soft and slippery arms around Xiao Yun's neck, but was pushed away by Xiao Yun and hit against the wall.
"...If you don't want it, then don't. Why are you so cruel? I'm hurt by you."
Romila grumbled unwillingly, twisting and turning to return to Xiao Yun: "Actually, I came here this time because I have something very important to report to you~"
"What is it?"
"There are members of the Royal Knights in Archduchess Anna's entourage."
"This is what I expected."
"More than just l~"
Romila opened her mouth and spat out a letter: "Look what I brought you?"
"What?"
Xiao Yun took the envelope and found that the wax on the envelope was the emblem of the Holy Family.
"Where did it come from?"
"I stole it."
Romila looked at Xiao Yun with a flattering expression: "The Grand Duchess had just left the Little Love Palace yesterday when she handed this letter to the accompanying magician and asked him to deliver the letter to the capital immediately. I suspect she is going to do something to harm you, so -"
"Is that mage still alive?"
Xiao Yun asked.
"sorry……"
Romila lowered her head guiltily.
Xiao Yun: "...Okay, this won't happen again."
Romila was immediately cheered up when she heard this. She wagged her tail and asked, "Sir, what did that vicious woman write in the letter?"
"Hold on--"
Xiao Yun peeled off the wax, took out the letter, and read it quickly. His already gloomy face suddenly turned ashen: "How can there be such a vicious person in the world!"
"Hmm? What on earth did that vicious woman write? Why did she make the usually good-tempered young master so angry?"
Romila was extremely curious.
"She suggested that Edmund immediately order the lords of several territories surrounding Maga to unite their armies. If Yaris refused to go with her to the capital to apologize to Edmund in two days, or if he agreed and then repeatedly postponed his request for more than three days, citing illness as an excuse, she would have the entire army invade Maga and threaten Yaris with the lives of all the city's civilians! If he disobeyed—"
"…Does she know what she's talking about?"
Romila was astonished.
"I'm a creation of the Dark Mage Path. I've always enjoyed absorbing dark, painful, and twisted souls to strengthen myself, but I'm not that perverted... Well, I've had a great time in Maga these past few months. It's a beautiful and romantic city, and the people here are sincere and lovely. I even kind of like this city... If the pretty girls and handsome boys I enjoyed myself with suddenly turned into cold, broken corpses, I would shed tears, then find the person who killed them and make that butcher pay the price..."
As she spoke, Romila's voice became almost like a soliloquy.
"...You have performed a great service this time."
Xiao Yun said this worriedly, put the letter that could prove that the Grand Duchess decided to betray Yaris and even instigated Edmund to massacre the city back into the envelope, and walked towards the reception room.
"where are you going?"
Romila followed closely behind.
Xiao Yun: "Discuss it with Mikael, Marina and the others."
"Are you going to organize an army to defend the city?"
Romila kept asking.
Xiao Yun said nothing and kept moving forward.
…
…
"Master Lucien."
"Owner."
Marina and the others who received the summons walked into the reception room with nervous expressions: "What happened?"
"Here is a letter, take a look."
Xiao Yun pointed to the handwritten letter on the table.
Marina reached out, took the letter, quickly read it, and handed it to Monger beside her with a heavy face.
Mengge took the letter in surprise. After just one glance, he was trembling with anger: "This vicious woman!"
"What happened
"See for yourself."
Monger handed the letter to Lance.
After seeing it, Lance exclaimed: "--This, this, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that such a gentle Princess Yaris is my mother!"
, she didn’t even give him a sip of milk.”
Marina said angrily: "If Your Highness hadn't forbidden me, I would have...
"My brother doesn't have many relatives in this world, so it's inevitable that he cherishes the few blood relatives he has, even if she behaves badly and doesn't deserve to be treated gently."
Xiao Yun said helplessly.
"So what do we do now?"
Mikael looked at Xiao Yun with enthusiasm.
Xiao Yun asked Marina: "How is Yaris now?"
"Dr. Moss said the fever has subsided and he's now sleeping under the care of Kelly and the others. I hope he won't have to worry about this when he wakes up..."
Marina sighed heavily.
"Yeah, brother is really too tired."
Xiao Yun thought for a moment and told Mikael and Marina, "I'm going to be away for a while. You stay by my brother's side. If he wakes up and asks where I am, tell him I'm riding to Marta City to visit old Duke Alfrid and will be back before dark."
The city of Marta is not far from the city of Maga and is the territory of Duke Alfrid.
"clear."
Mikael nodded.
Marina asked, "Where are you actually going, young master?"
"Go to Grand Duchess Anna and make things clear!"
Xiao Yun stood up and told Lance and the others, "Come with me!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
…
Grand Duchess Anna has an elegant and beautiful little villa by Lake Lilia in Maga, although she usually only lives there for two months a year.
As the wife of the former Holy Grand Duke and the mother of the current Grand Duke and High Priest, her prominence can be imagined. Every time she left her residence - even to a place within an hour's walk, she needed a huge carriage and hundreds of attendants and cavalry to demonstrate her noble demeanor.
She boasts of her frugal life, only wearing white, black and gray clothes that represent widowhood, and only eating clean vegetarian food. However, few people know that each of her clothes is expensive and is thrown away after being worn only once. Every leaf of the vegetables placed in front of her must be carefully selected, and behind each plate of food is at least a truckload of waste.
Vegetables that require strict cultivation, fruits that are expensive to transport, spices from the far East... all kinds of things that are dazzlingly expensive are sent to her in an endless stream, used as disposable consumables to embellish her life, which is even more extravagant than that of the Empress Dowager of the Empire.
…
In the living room that afternoon, the Grand Duchess, as usual, accepted the drink, richly flavored with various expensive spices, respectfully presented by the maid. She glanced at the window, which was tightly sealed with thick curtains to prevent the natural light from ruining the luxurious and elegant atmosphere carefully created by the artificial light, and sighed, "That child has been getting more and more disobedient lately."
"How does Your Highness intend to deal with this?"
"It's simple, just kill that bastard Lucien!"
The Grand Duchess said cruelly.
"But... Your Highness, I don't think His Highness Yaris is capable of having a woman give birth..."
"The Holy Family has been on the verge of extinction more than once in its history, but under the guidance of the Divine Tower, everything was ultimately resolved perfectly."
The Grand Duchess's face was gloomy. "In short, as long as God still favors this family, it will be absolutely impossible for them to be extinct. But if I let that bastard Lucien do whatever he wants, I will lose a lot..."
"Are you worried that His Highness Jarris will appoint Lucien as the head of the family before his death?"
"That's not something to worry about! As long as the bastard is still alive when he dies, this will definitely happen!"
The Grand Duchess's expression grew increasingly gloomy and grim. "What makes me even more angry is that, in order to please that bastard, that child actually conspired to send that bastard to the throne of the emperor! Is he so lacking in love? He even wants to please the bastard's bastard!"
“…”
The female official did not respond.
It's not that she has any other opinions about the Holy Family's affairs, but——
"Your Highness, the Grand Duchess, over at the Little Love Palace..."
"how?"
The Grand Duchess looked up and demanded sharply, "Has that child finally decided to accept my request and go with me to the capital to confess his guilt to His Majesty?"
"Well... the thing is..."
The female official hesitated.
"What the hell is going on!"
"Young Master Lucien has come to the Li Palace with several of his subordinates, and wants to see Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess."
"What is he doing here?"
The Grand Duchess frowned and said without hesitation: "No!"
"But they brought many people with them, all knights in armor."
"What?"
The Grand Duchess's expression changed drastically. "Lucien, that bastard, led the Knights into my residence?! This is blasphemy! Unforgivable! Immediately notify the nearby Royal Knights! Drive them all out!"
“…”
A look of hesitation crossed the female official's face again.
Then, a clear sound like a bird's song rang out—
"Your Highness, do you know what true 'blasphemy' is? What is truly 'unforgivable'?"
Following these words, a young man with dark brown hair, dressed in a gorgeous suit and as handsome as a prince in a fairy tale - it was Lucien, the half-brother of the Holy Grand Duke of this generation - walked into the luxurious reception room where natural light was prohibited. He was followed by three burly men who gave off a rough and strong impression.
"rude!"
The Grand Duchess's expression changed drastically as she scolded him harshly, "Lucien, you are so bold! You stepped into my living room without my permission! And brought a bunch of dirty and disgusting men with you! Does Jarris know how arrogant and shameless you are?"
"Yesterday afternoon, after you left, Yaris fainted due to overstimulation. His fever barely subsided until noon today, and he hasn't woken up yet."
Xiao Yun ignored the Grand Duchess's arrogance and resistance, walked straight up to her, and sat across from her: "It's indeed against etiquette to bring someone into your living room, but I refuse to apologize!"
"What did you say!"
The Grand Duchess frowned.
Xiao Yun's strong attitude made her feel uneasy.
"Why do you refuse to apologize to me?"
"Before I formally answer your question, please explain this letter."
Xiao Yun took out the secret letter and placed it on the coffee table.
"Where did this thing come from? Does it have anything to do with me?"
The Grand Duchess pretended to be stupid and asked Xiao Yun with a cold look in her eyes.
"So this letter was actually written by someone imitating your handwriting, the wax on the letter was secretly sealed with your ring, and the magician who delivered the letter was sent by someone in your name?"
Xiao Yun's gaze fell on the Grand Duchess's left hand.
The Grand Duchess felt guilty, and the Right Yu awkwardly covered the Left Yu who was wearing the family crest ring: "You are also the blood of the Holy Family, wearing the same family crest ring."
"That sounds reasonable. Let's try another way."
Xiao Yun said calmly, his eyes not wavering at all.
"Do you have any specific suspects regarding this mysterious person?"
"you……"
The Grand Duchess narrowed her eyes.
"If you refuse to give a reasonable explanation, I will tell you in detail about the previous Holy Grand Duke, my father, His Highness Alex, my mother, Lady Alice, my grandfather who tragically drowned in the winter, and my cousin who was murdered in her bedroom by a magician!"
"——So you came here to seek revenge on me today!"
The Grand Duchess sneered at Xiao Yun and said, "Yaris has truly spoiled you. You think you can convict me simply by bringing a few knights to my house! Don't even mention you don't have any evidence. Even if you had a full set of witnesses and evidence, what could you do to me? Who dares to judge me?"
"I."
Xiao Yun said calmly, "Not all trials must be held in public. In the past ten years alone, there have been at least twenty secret trials and executions in the Sin Tower."
“…”
The Grand Duchess's face turned pale in an instant, but she soon perked up again.
"Yes, I did send a letter to His Majesty the Emperor yesterday, suggesting that he deal with your brothers' affairs by force as soon as possible. But I did this not because I hate Yaris and you, but because I don't want the country to fall into the quagmire of civil war! If Yaris does not listen to my mother's advice and insists on taking the path of rebellion with you, then he will no longer be my son, and I will no longer be his mother. Everyone who depends on you will become an enemy of the empire! When dealing with enemies, massacre is necessary!"
"What you said makes sense and is reasonable."
Xiao Yun looked at the Grand Duchess indifferently: "I just missed a small thing."
"What little thing?"
"You are still in Maga City."
“……?”
The Grand Duchess looked at Xiao Yun in confusion.
Xiao Yun smiled and said, "Once everyone in Maga City becomes an enemy who must be exterminated, you who proposed the massacre will also become Maga City's eternal enemy at that moment. Civilians cannot defeat the emperor's army, but before they are killed by the army, they will first kill you who proposed the massacre!"
"You might be able to escape Magha City safely under the protection of the Knights, or even leave Magha City before the war breaks out. But as long as there's one person left in this city, even if that survivor is a baby in swaddling clothes or an elderly person on the verge of death, they will seek revenge on you under the guidance of the souls of the dead all over the city!"
"Ridiculous threats!"
The Grand Duchess said coldly: "The Twin Gods will not allow their followers to do such a thing, and Yaris will not agree to it either."
"Really? Do you really think so?"
Xiao Yun stood up calmly and looked down at the Grand Duchess. "My brother hid the truth about our father, Grand Duke Alex's death, from you for eleven years, and only brought it up yesterday. You might think he was overly upset and spoke out of turn, but I prefer to believe he did it on purpose. He knew I was out there, and he deliberately used this method to let me know the truth, so that I could decide for myself whether to kill you and avenge my family!"
"You, you, you're talking nonsense!"
"You know whether it's nonsense or not."
Xiao Yun smiled and asked the Grand Duchess, "Everything you have now is based on the fact that you are Yaris's biological mother and Yaris doesn't want to lose his only mother. So - as long as Yaris thinks it through and stops trying to gain your love, you will be nothing!"
“You, you…”
The Grand Duchess's voice was trembling. She had to use all her strength to maintain the dignity and composure that a "lady among ladies" should have: "What do you mean! How can you say such words to me!"
"This question..."
Xiao Yun stared directly at the Grand Duchess's face, pale from excessive shock, and spoke slowly, "Yaris is very sentimental. The moment he learned you killed my father, he probably thought he already had no father and couldn't afford to be without his mother. So he ordered the mage to destroy the relevant evidence and cover up your crime. Similarly—even if he didn't hint that I could kill you to avenge my family, after learning I had killed you, he would only be briefly shocked. Then, with the mentality that he had already lost his mother and couldn't afford to lose his brother, he covered up everything for me."
"You bastard born of a lowly person!"
The Grand Duchess said sharply, her eyes filled with hatred and anger.
"If my mother is a pariah and I am of low caste, then what are you, whose husband and son were taken away by pariahs and pariahs respectively? Something worse than pariahs and pariahs?"
Xiao Yun was too lazy to waste words with this arrogant and cold woman.
He glanced around and ordered, "From now on, everyone entering or leaving here needs my permission!"
"Why! Why do you treat me like this!"
The Grand Duchess cursed angrily.
Xiao Yun ignored her and walked to her desk in front of her, took out the prepared draft, imitated the Grand Duchess's handwriting, quickly copied it on her special letter paper, and put it into the light gray envelope that was also used by the Grand Duchess.
Finally, he picked a dried flower from the lacquer box and pressed it onto the sealing wax with his family crest ring.
"Romila—take this letter to Edmund in the capital."
"My take on the good show~"
Romila took Xiao Yun's letter with a wicked smile, and made an obscene gesture towards the Grand Duchess.
The Grand Duchess, whose heart was already beating faster due to Xiao Yun's rude behavior, almost fainted on the spot.
But she was a lady among ladies after all, and she quickly regained her composure: "What did you write in your letter?"
"I invite Edmund to Maga City on your behalf. In your reception room, the three of us cousins will sit down and discuss all the past grievances, misunderstandings, and conflicts."
"He will certainly accept your invitation, if he is a magnanimous man."
Xiao Yun added sarcastically.
“…”
"I will not take your life before l."
“Shameless!”
Grand Duchess Anna gnashed her teeth and cursed, "I would rather die now than become your brother's hostage or even an accomplice!"
"You can commit suicide at any time, and no one will stop you."
“…”
The Grand Duchess fell silent again.
"Finally... there's one thing I hope you can answer clearly for me."
Xiao Yun suddenly slowed his breathing, looked at the Grand Duchess, and murmured almost to himself, "If... I mean, if... if Yaris went with you to the capital to see Edmund, and was imprisoned by Edmund from the beginning, locked in a high tower, suffering a fate worse than death, even... even living in hell for the rest of his life, would you regret it? Would you shed tears for him?"
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