The Devil’s Cage

The rising sun showered its warm light over Riverdale, waking the sleepy city.

The first batch of civilians who got news of Warren winning the war had already returned to their homes today.

In fact, since last night, there had been people waiting at the city gates. When the gates were opened in the morning, they rushed in eagerly and returned to their beloved homes.

Mary stood under the warm sun and welcomed the civilians with a joyous face, her lips curled up slightly.

She liked the scene but she knew what a scene like this hid underneath.

Intentional gang members, strange and cunning sect members, and those spies that caused her immense headaches.

But Mary wouldn’t give up eating in fear of choking.

“Register everyone who enters the city. Their names, addresses, family members—everything has to be written down in detail,” Mary ordered.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The recording officer beside her bowed at her order and swiftly carried it out.

After the recording officer left, Mary walked down the city walls and boarded the wagon back to the palace.

It was morning and she had to be in the kitchen.

…

Kieran slowly approached Eldar’s room. He knocked.

Dok, Dok, Dok.

“Come in.”

After the rhythmic knock, the elderly duke replied loudly.

But when Eldar saw that the person knocking on his door was Kieran, he frowned right away and showed an unhappy face.

Kieran saw the reaction but didn’t care.

He couldn’t make everyone like him, nor did he care for everything.

What he could do was do his best to ensure the survival of those that he did acknowledge. If they could live happily, that would be best.

As for the elderly duke before him?

Obviously, he wasn’t a person that Kieran acknowledged.

Therefore, Kieran ignored the duke’s expression, pulled out a chair and sat down in front of him with the table in between.

The table had the duke’s breakfast.

Toasted golden bread with honey, rich aromatic milk and a bowl of vegetables.

No eggs, no meat, yet quite suitable for a man his age.

“I didn’t invite you to sit down,” Eldar took the cup of milk, took a sip and said without courtesy in a stern way.

“I don’t need your invitation to sit down, you are not the owner here,” Kieran said slowly.

“Neither are you,” Eldar countered.

“But at least I don’t have any malicious thoughts toward the owner,” said Kieran with his ever-present calm tone.

“Malicious thoughts? I don’t have those either! And the owner you mentioned isn’t the true owner yet. The real owner of this palace is my good friend James. She, on the other hand, is still young. It is too soon for her,” mocked Eldar.

“Not long now,” Kieran replied with the same tone.

Pang!

Eldar slammed the cup of milk fiercely on the table, causing the forks and knives on the table to jump, producing a clunking sound.

His enraged gaze was fired at Kieran like a longsword.

It was obvious that Kieran would be torn to shreds if Eldar’s gaze could kill, but that was impossible.

The elderly duke didn’t have this kind of ability nor strength.

Ultimately, Eldar turned away his gaze and continued drinking his milk in big gulps. After the gulps, Eldar chewed loudly and ceaselessly as if he were eating the flesh of the obnoxious man before him.

Why argue?

He had inspected his good friend’s health and so had the royal doctor.

The sickness was caused by many years of exhaustion, the king’s body emptied out of life energy.

Not only was the exhaustion the reason for King James VIII’s fall, but it would likely also become the culprit that would end his life.

What Kieran said was the truth, so Eldar couldn’t argue, and because of that, it made him feel that Kieran was even more hateful than before.

“James should really take a look at you now after having placed the hopes of his country on you,” said Eldar.

This was what King James VIII revealed in the conversation yesterday. Kieran heard the details of the conversation through the high demon Bloody Mary, who was disguised as Tenar, the other good friend.

However, it didn’t mean that Kieran would accept that.

“He placed his hopes in Mary. Not me,” Kieran emphasized.

“Mary?” Eldar frowned at the name even as he sneered.

Whenever the young princess was mentioned, the elderly duke would show innate discrimination. Kieran didn’t like that feeling coming from the duke, not only because he was Mary’s friend and didn’t want to see her discriminated and prejudiced against, but also because the discrimination and prejudice would always remind him of what he had been through in his own youth, the unpleasant experience.

So Kieran’s words turned cold.

“Keep your mouth and face shut. You know the reason why you are able to sit here and eat a decent breakfast is all because of one person. You should be thanking Mary’s kindness. If not for her, your body would already be drifting down the drains.”

His words were like knives poking into the duke’s heart.

The cold, intimidating manner caused the duke to shudder uncontrollably.

Because of the difference in strength, the duke couldn’t withstand the pressure aura, though Kieran had only showed a bit.

More importantly, what Kieran said was a cold hard fact!

The elderly duke would never doubt Kieran’s ruthlessness!

Just like how he would never doubt that Kieran would kill him without a second thought!

Him still being alive because of Mary was an indisputable fact and also the most torturous one for him.

He was saved by the one he looked down on the most.

The cold, hard fact was torturous for the elderly duke.

Huhaa, Huhaa.

The rough panting was followed by a flushed face. Eldar’s chest was going up and down, and anyone would think that he was going to burst at any second.

“There is a chance for you to return this debt of gratitude now. I want to know about the secret surrounding Warren Palace. You may not be aware, but something unpleasant happened last night. Some people impersonated Ape Sect and Viper Sect and infiltrated the palace while in search of something. I don’t know a lot about the palace and don’t wish to find that specific thing using other “ways”, so I was hoping that you could tell me.” Kieran told the duke what exactly happened last night.

“Someone impersonated Ape Sect and Viper Sect? And Warren Palace’s secret… Could it be?!”

Eldar was stunned at first, followed by confusion, then he frowned after quickly thinking of something.

He frowned harder than ever, his brows almost locked together for a whole two minutes. Eldar went silent.

Kieran didn’t rush him.

He had enough patience to wait for the answer.

Before approaching the elderly duke, Kieran had thought of all kinds of responses.

And now it seemed like everything was progressing smoothly.

Eldar didn’t reject Kieran right away, which was what Kieran wished for.

A few minutes later, the elderly duke took a deep breath and made up his mind.

“I can tell you the secret! But you cannot disturb James or destroy the palace!” Eldar voiced out his request.

“Deal.” Kieran nodded slowly.

“The secret is about sects!”