The Grand Duchess Escape - Chapter 137
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In the middle of the barrack, a flickering bonfire crackled, casting a dim light. As he added a few more dry logs, the fire roared to life with a satisfying sound. Sparks scattered chaotically around the vicinity.
“Something interesting happened while I was gone,” said Calix, leaning back in his chair and speaking in a chillingly calm voice. The flickering firelight danced across his face, casting ever-shifting shadows.
“She caused quite a commotion with that innocent face of hers.”
Ryzen swallowed quietly.
His master was clearly in a foul mood now. Just being in his presence was enough to make cold sweat trickle down one’s spine. The atmosphere in the barracks was sharper than shards of broken glass.
It was all because of the letter the envoy had brought to Ryzen earlier.
The sender was the Guild of the Duchy.
Every guild in the Empire was under the control of Karma, and Ryzen managed them all. It was no exaggeration to say that all the crucial information of the Empire flowed through these guilds. Even before his master’s marriage, instructions had been issued.
To Report Any Requests Related to Chartus Without Fail.
It was a top-priority order.
“What about the Chartus side?”
“Both Philip and Anthony have been confirmed to be at their respective quarters within the mansion.”
No influential noble family, not even the palace, was beyond Calix’s reach. The head of the underworld’s Karma, so if anything were to happen, he would be there to lift the veil.
“We’ll expedite the plan.”
“When do you mean?”
“Just before dawn, today.”
There were barely six hours left until sunrise. It was cutting it close.
“The Emperor doesn’t know yet, does he?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll contact him separately.”
His master’s resolve was unwavering. If they moved now, there was a chance they would arrive just in time.
“I will prepare.”
After giving a stiff bow,Ryzen left, leaving Calix alone in the barracks.
“Asella Benvito.”
Uttering his wife’s name in a low voice, he smiled fiercely. It was an ominous laugh that could send shivers down anyone’s spine.
She had secretly sent a letter to Chartus. To both Philip and Anthony.
She had warned them of the danger through a letter, despite enduring abuse until her marriage, and even that was just as a means to escape the violence.
If there were problems within the family before marriage, one could hide behind their spouse. But if the family encountered issues, the fate of that spouse became unbearably tragic. They would either return to their childhood home and live alone for the rest of their lives or enter a convent if they were not to be accepted back into the family.
Yet his wife had chosen them instead of him.
“Unfortunately, you cannot stop this.”
He would thoroughly crush and annihilate them. So perfectly that one would wonder if such a family ever existed in Harmenia. There would be no place for her to return to within this empire. The only place she would have left would be by his side.
The price for betraying him would be paid later. There were many ways.
“You can’t escape from me either.”
Calix rose to his feet and walked slowly towards the bonfire. As he glanced down at the letter he held in his hand, he noticed the neat handwriting. It was his wife’s handwriting. Without hesitation, he threw the letter into the blazing fire.
In an instant, the paper engulfed in flames turned into black ashes.
* * *
The power of anger and desire was truly astonishing. When Karma’s forces, led by Calix, arrived at the capital, it was still midnight. They were much earlier than the scheduled time.
According to the original plan, meeting with the Emperor would have come first, but Calix casually overturned the plan.
There was no need to postpone it until tomorrow and waste unnecessary time. As always, he despised dragging his work.
Reaching the Marquis Chartus’s estate was a quick journey. By the time the sound of horse hooves pounding on the ground gradually subsided, an estate as old as the Empire itself, came into view.
The mansion, once peaceful and beautiful when Adele was alive, now appeared mismatched with all sorts of extravagant decorations, giving off a somewhat messy impression.
It bears an uncanny resemblance to the rats that parasitize it, Calix sneered.
“Your Excellency”
Ryzen held Calix’s sword aloft. It was a heavy broadsword, but he effortlessly gripped it as if he were holding a pen.
“….”
His gaze towards the darkened mansion was devoid of any warmth. Even in the deep darkness just before sunrise, his eyes glowed with an odd kind of brilliance.
A presence that no longer needed to be concealed within him began to seep out gradually.
Karma’s members, who were well aware of this energy, swallowed their breath and quietly awaited their master’s command.
Finally, his lips, stained as if with blood, parted.
“Deal with it.”
“As you command, Your Excellency.”
Not a single could get out of this place alive. Carving Calix’s orders into their minds, Karma seeped into every shadow of the night.
***
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