Adrian’s private residence was located in the southeast corner of the Inner City, separated from the palace by three streets. The estate was not large, and its exterior lacked any excessive ornamentation. Compared to the surrounding noble mansions, it appeared almost shabby, with only a solitary magic lamp hanging by the entrance.
A luxury carriage came to a steady halt before the gates, and Hogg was the first to step out. He glanced at the entrance—a thin layer of dust had settled on the stone slabs beneath the porch, and the shrubs in the flowerbeds hadn't been trimmed in some time.
The Old King stepped out of the carriage behind him, his brow furrowing slightly at the sight. The two of them ascended the stone steps. Hogg raised his hand to knock, but the door was unlocked and swung open with a gentle push.
The lights in the main hall were burning. Adrian sat at a long central table, still wearing his white casual clothes with a dark cloak draped over his shoulders.
Three teacups and a pot of steaming black tea sat on the table before him, as if he were waiting for someone. Upon hearing their footsteps, he looked up. There was no surprise on his face as he stood and gave a slight bow.
“Father, Royal Preceptor.” He gestured toward the chairs opposite him. “Please, sit. The tea has just finished brewing.”
Hogg glanced at the Old King. The King said nothing, walking straight to the chair across from Adrian and sitting down. Hogg took the seat beside him.
Adrian picked up the teapot and poured a cup for each of them, his movements steady. Once finished, he sat back down, folding his hands over his knees and closing his eyes in silence.
Silence reigned in the hall for a long time. The tapestry on the wall, embroidered with the Augustus family crest, seemed to dim in the glow of the magic lamps. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked away, each strike echoing with startling clarity.
“Why did you do it?” Hogg finally broke the silence.
Adrian opened his eyes and looked at him, a faint, ambiguous smile touching his lips. “Since the Royal Preceptor is here, I presume you already know everything. Whether it is interrogation or sentencing, I will accept any consequence with composure.”
“I am not here to sentence you.” Hogg’s tone remained level. “I only wish to know the reason.”
Adrian did not reply immediately. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his gaze fixed on the ripples in the tea as if organizing his thoughts or perhaps hesitating.
The Old King set down his cup and looked at his second son, his voice carrying a weariness that transcended his royal dignity.
“I have sat on this throne for decades and seen many people. I know your character. You are absolutely not the type of person who would collude with the Blood Moon Cult for personal gain. So tell your father—what was your true objective in doing this?”
Adrian remained silent for a long time, a rare flicker of emotion appearing in his dark gold eyes.
“Father, there is a question I have always wanted to ask you.” He finally spoke, his gaze meeting the Old King’s directly. “If you and the Royal Preceptor were to issue contradictory orders at the same time, who do you think the people would be more willing to listen to?”
The Old King froze. He looked at his son in confusion, his lips moving as he answered almost subconsciously, “The Royal Preceptor, naturally.”
The moment the words left his mouth, even he was stunned.
“That is the reason.”
Adrian spoke those four words softly, but they struck the Old King and Hogg with the weight of a heavy silence.
Adrian looked at their expressions, a trace of bitterness appearing on his face. “You see, Father? You didn’t even need to think. ‘The Royal Preceptor’ was your instinctive response. It has become a habit for the entire kingdom.”
He held the teacup in his hands, feeling the warmth from the porcelain as he continued.
“I was at the scene during this Blood Moon Cult attack. Everyone in the academy was looking up, searching for the Royal Preceptor’s silhouette. The evacuated civilians in the Outer City were shouting the Royal Preceptor’s name. When the Imperial Guards rushed in, the first thing they asked was, ‘Where is the Royal Preceptor?’ Not a single person asked about the palace, and not a single person thought of the Royal Family.”
He set down the teacup, his voice remaining steady.
“Eighty years ago, when the Abyss Demons invaded, the Royal Preceptor saved the kingdom single-handedly. Since then, the commoners have raised statues, sung songs, and offered their veneration... When I was young, I too felt that the Royal Preceptor was like a guardian deity protecting the entire kingdom. But later, I slowly realized that the King’s decrees sometimes required the Royal Preceptor’s nod before they could be implemented. When the provincial nobles encountered major issues, their first instinct wasn't to report to the palace, but to send someone to the Magic Tower for instructions. Even personnel changes within the Imperial Guards had to be overseen by the Royal Preceptor before they were finalized.”
He turned to Hogg, his tone calm to the point of coldness. “I am well aware that you have never personally sought any special privileges. But the problem is—you don’t need to ask. Your very existence has become a symbol of privilege. The people trust you more than they trust the Royal Family. This is not your fault—but it is the truth.”
Hogg remained silent, his grey-blue eyes betraying no emotion. The Old King leaned back against his chair, his face expressionless.
“The influence of the Royal Family is declining, worsening year by year,” Adrian continued, his pace quickening slightly. “Perhaps you don’t care, Father, but you know it in your heart. In ten or twenty years, after you abdicate, will the next person to sit on the throne be able to maintain even the surface-level rule of the Royal Family? At that point, will this country still belong to the Augustus family, or will it—”
He stopped abruptly. He didn't finish the sentence, but he had said enough.
The grandfather clock in the hall struck again, the sound heavy in the quiet air.
“So, I came up with a plan.” Adrian folded his hands over his knees again, his tone returning to its measured pace. “The Blood Moon Cult needed to find help to complete their plan, and I needed a stage. So we chose to cooperate, merging both our plans together.”
He paused, his gaze falling on the empty space between the three teacups on the table.
“According to my arrangement, the Royal Preceptor would be overwhelmed in the battle. Then, I would lead my men in, personally rescue the Royal Preceptor before everyone’s eyes, and crush the Blood Moon Cult’s conspiracy. This would have shattered the myth of the omnipotent Royal Preceptor while allowing everyone present to see with their own eyes—that the Royal Family still has the power to protect this country.”
His voice finally carried a hint of fluctuation, like an emotion suppressed for too long that was finally breaking through. “As long as word of this spread, the people would slowly remember—that not everything can only be solved by the Royal Preceptor. The palace still exists, the Royal Family is still here, and our army and our banners can still protect this land!”
His hands clenched into fists on his knees, then slowly relaxed a moment later as his shoulders slumped.
“But things did not go as I expected,” he said, his voice dropping. “The backdoor I left was sealed, and the men who followed me inside were trapped in the barrier. The mana depletion rate was far faster than what was in the intelligence. If not for—” He stopped, not saying Li Yuan’s name. “...If not for the later change in circumstances, not a single person might have walked out of the academy alive that day.”
The Old King closed his eyes, his expression trembling slightly.
Hogg’s voice broke the silence once more. Restraining his anger, he asked word by word.
“Just for this—you put the entire capital in danger? You turned the academy into a battlefield and let those cultists slaughter students and civilians inside the barrier? Over thirty percent of the Outer City was destroyed. Did you ever consider how many casualties that would cause? How many people would die? How many would be left homeless?!”
He leaned forward, his grey-blue eyes staring directly at Adrian. “I ask you, with so many people dead, do you—do you think it was worth it?”
“Yes!”
Adrian answered without a moment’s hesitation, his tone incredibly firm.
Hogg’s gaze turned cold, but Adrian met his eyes without flinching.
“Because I am a prince,” he replied, emphasizing every word. “I represent the Augustus Royal Family. Everything I have done, from beginning to end, was solely for the interests of the Royal Family. If I had to do it again, I would still do it—I would simply do it better, to ensure such accidents never happen again.”
He turned to look at the Old King, his voice finally wavering slightly. “Father, I know you will say this was wrong. But I had no choice... If I did nothing, the Royal Family would slowly become an empty shell, declining generation after generation. By then, it wouldn't matter to the people who sat on this throne—because they would only need to listen to the Royal Preceptor. I could not stand by and watch that happen. No matter the cost, I had to take this gamble.”
The Old King opened his eyes and looked at him—at this son who had always been a man of few words, single-mindedly doing what he believed was right. Those dark gold eyes were exactly like his own in his youth—the same obsession, the same recklessness.
The Old King’s voice was hoarse. “Then did you ever think about those students and soldiers who believed in you and followed you into battle—did they think they would be sacrificed?”
Adrian was silent for a long time.
Finally, he lowered his eyes, his voice so quiet it was almost inaudible. “...I did. I remember every one of their names. Once this is over, regardless of the outcome, I will surrender myself to Your Majesty. When that time comes, please let me go down and personally atone to them.”
Hogg watched him in silence. The coldness remained in his eyes, but it was no longer as sharp as before.
“You said you never truly intended to kill me.” His tone softened slightly. “Why?”
“Because no matter who leads this country, your existence is necessary.” Adrian’s answer was blunt. “The things created by the Ranchiloko Dynasty are still buried underground, the Abyssal Rift will return in a few decades, and there are threats hidden in the shadows that could emerge at any time. These are things that cannot be solved—or are difficult to solve—by the kingdom’s military or political means alone. I am well aware of that. So, from the beginning, my plan never included making you an enemy.”
These words significantly changed Hogg’s perception of the Second Prince. He was not a madman who disregarded everything to achieve his goals; he was simply a man who, after weighing the pros and cons, chose the side that most benefited his cause.
The Old King remained silent for a long time. The grandfather clock ticked through several more intervals before he braced himself against the armrests and slowly stood up, his movements a beat slower than when he had arrived.
The sorrow in his gaze as he looked at Adrian outweighed his anger. He opened his mouth several times before he could finally speak. “Guards.”
The Imperial Guards waiting outside immediately pushed the doors open and entered.
“Take the Second Prince away.” The Old King’s voice sounded as if something had been drained from him.
Adrian stood up on his own to cooperate with the guards, but he stopped abruptly just as he was about to step out of the hall.
“Father, Royal Preceptor.” His voice echoed in the empty hall. “Duke Cecil’s family was acting on my orders from start to finish. Lanqiu was only willing to help me under my coercion... Their family did not collude with a foreign power or commit treason. Their crimes do not warrant death.”
He paused, his back to the two of them as he slightly bowed his head. It was his first request—and it was for others.
“For those who were used by me... I ask that you both show mercy.”
With that, he allowed the Imperial Guards to lead him out of the hall, eventually boarding a carriage that gradually disappeared into the distance.
Hogg and the Old King stood side by side at the entrance, watching the carriage vanish into the night.
“Your Majesty,” Hogg spoke. “Regarding the Second Prince, I suggest we wait until all investigations are complete before discussing it further.”
The Old King nodded mechanically, standing in place and staring in the direction where the carriage had vanished, unwilling to leave for a long time.
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