The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 116.1
The Imperial City Prison.
A guard stood in front of one of the cells and unfastened the bundle of keys at his waist. Soon, the sound of keys clicking echoed down the corridor, and the door opened.
When the prisoner inside stepped out, the guard stepped aside.
“Only been a few days, and yet the air feels different.”
The man who emerged from the prison inhaled deeply. It was Count Maven.
Not long after, quick footsteps clicked sharply. From the shadows, a figure appeared and bowed to Count Maven.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
Count Maven recognized who it was and contorted his arrogant expression.
“Yes, thanks to whom, exactly. They said it would never be discovered.”
“I apologize for putting you in a difficult position with this matter.”
Even saying that, Count Maven’s gaze remained cold.
“They also promised to support all your future endeavors.”
“Is that so?”
Only then did Count Maven relax slightly and glance out the window.
“The Crown Prince must be outside the castle, right?”
Count Maven, feeling reassured, walked confidently down the prison corridor.
Following him, an administrator from Locke Trading Company scanned the surroundings.
Several cell doors were open. These were the places where those caught in the Crown Prince’s investigation or involved in constructing the academy had been confined.
The administrator noticed a man still locked inside.
It was Count Camilo.
He looked a complete mess. The administrator turned away indifferently.
That one is useless. No wonder the Empress didn’t bother to extract him separately.
Besides, his aide was currently attached to the Crown Prince. Out of resentment, she clearly had no intention of rescuing him.
If not that, perhaps there was some last task that had to be done in here.
Worried about making eye contact, the administrator quickened his pace slightly.
When Count Maven stepped outside, those waiting split apart to form a semicircle.
Count Maven approached the person standing in the center, showing no sign of tension.
“Your Majesty, the Empress.”
The Empress lightly rested her hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all. For Your Majesty, I could endure even more.”
“Indeed… I will not forget your efforts.”
Seeing that Count Maven was unharmed, the Empress turned away.
Those who had blocked her parted as if a river split, then all knelt on one knee.
It may have been excessive, but the meaning was clear. They regarded the Empress not merely as the mother of the empire but as something far beyond.
“…What about Eun?”
Count Maven subtly evaded the question.
The Empress lifted the corners of her red lips. It was obvious who he feared.
“What can become of a human so greedy yet so selfish?”
Her voice carried a hint of delight, as if the outcome was perfectly natural.
“He will never rise again.”
Before she finished speaking, a frantic movement surged toward the main hall. Count Maven looked at the Empress with a startled expression.
She gave him a clear smile.
“I came only to escort the Count.”
In other words, she had nothing to do with what had happened in the imperial city. She both rescued Maven and set him as a witness.
Count Maven drew a breath.
It was clear the Empress had orchestrated something.
Though they served her, could it be she had assassinated the Emperor?
Success would mean revolution, failure would be treason.
Sensing Count Maven’s thoughts, the Empress clarified.
“He is not dead yet.”
Her eyes flashed and trembled narrowly. It was a hostility that made it hard to believe she was looking at the husband she had kept close for so many years.
Her lips were too sharp to call it a smile, more like a predator enjoying the sight of a dying beast.
“Th-then…”
“If he dies easily, it wouldn’t be interesting, would it? That’s why I made him die slowly.”
Her voice was laced with a freezing grudge.
“Much to be done.”
The Empress moved forward. Everyone followed behind her, and Count Maven naturally blended in. Then he noticed something.
A small shadow?
It was difficult to confirm, as the night was dark.
***
Prince Cassian was shocked by what he had seen.
Returning to his room, he pressed his small body into a corner.
Huddled tightly, arms wrapped around his legs, Cassian buried his face between his knees.
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