One Night

As Nyris moved to close the door, he was blocked by a smiling Julian, “My apologies, Your Highness. I must ensure you stay within my vision.”

The distressed prince took a deep breath and returned to his room, looking around only to find nothing that he wanted to keep or bring away. He placed a piece of paper on the table, thinking about what he wanted to write, but after lifting his pen multiple times, he just crumpled it and threw it away.

Julian stood patiently the entire time, not looking anxious at all and only speaking when Nyris tore up the paper, “Your Highness, this is useless. You still have some time now, some chances. You should do something meaningful, or look for someone who can help you.”

Someone who can help you… Nyris froze as he thought of something, but he shook his head to push the thought away. Julian coughed and decided to make himself clearer, “You should have someone useful by your side right now. For example, that lady from the Millennial Empire or one of the fourteen. They could help you stay tonight, although that would depend on their attitude and how much they are willing to do for you.”

Nyris suddenly laughed, his face regaining some of its colour, “You mean Macy? What’s the difference if it’s her? As for other people… there’s no one else.”

“Is that so? That’s a pity. Please follow me.”

Nyris didn’t hesitate longer either, nodding and following Julian through the island to Apeiron’s quarters. Still with that smile on his face, Julian opened the door and stopped, “I have to stop here, please go in on your own.”

The prince walked in slowly, the door behind him closing with a bang. He started and turned around to look at the closed door, but then he walked in with determination. The vast residence was empty without a person in sight, leaving him more and more fearful as he walked around. It soon felt like he was the only person left in the world.

“Scared?” a distinct voice eventually rang out next to him, prompting him to freeze and slowly turn around. The Empress was sitting next to a window with her feet sitting on the windowsill, a bottle of wine in her hand. She had been there the whole time, but he hadn’t detected her presence at all.

He puffed out his chest and said loudly, “Why would I be scared of you?”

Apeiron smiled sarcastically and asked, “Do you know why I looked for you?”

“Isn’t it just for my bloodline?!”

“Then why not just agree to Macy? I might have let you off.”

Nyris laughed, “It’s all breeding, is there a difference?”

The Empress’s smile turned cruel, “There is. I always break my toys, you might have lasted longer with her.”

“Do whatever you want!”

“Oh, I will. You’ve gone all out, but let me tell you the real reason you’re here. All that talk about bloodline and descendants is bullshit, I summoned you because of your mother.”

“My mother?” Nyris had a bad feeling. 

“My fight with Philip and Ferlyn a long time ago, it was mainly due to your mother. I was still young and fell for that whore’s words, going to duel Ferlyn. That ended up in a battle with Philip, after which I went to the Outlands. Imagine my surprise when that bitch became Philip’s consort and even had a bastard like you.”

“Who’s the whore who sleeps with a new harem every week?” Nyris asked coldly.

*THWACK!* His face immediately swelled from a powerful slap, but for all he could tell Apeiron was still motionless. He just laughed and didn’t even bother to wipe the blood off his lips, “Heh, actually stupid enough to be tricked by my mo—!”

Before he was even finished speaking, Apeiron lifted Nyris up by the neck. Purple fire spewed from her eyes, but looking at his calm and even relieved expression she laughed. Threads of power tore his clothes apart.

“Seems like I really do need to break you. And here I thought you were smart… hmm?” she stopped in the middle of her words, looking over his naked body in surprise. Seeing him relax and close his eyes, smirking with an expression that dared her to do whatever she wanted, she laughed heartily, “You actually… You think this will be enough? No matter what you turn into, I’ll still teach you a lesson. Let’s watch you struggle!”

She leaned forward and whispered something in his ear, causing him to scream with widened eyes as he started struggling violently. However, she just threw him to the bed and stepped on him, letting him flail like a fish out of water.

……

Julian opened the doors to Apeiron’s residence at the crack of dawn, finding Nyris already standing on the other side. His golden hair was rumpled, eyes bloodshot, and he still had streaks of tears on his face. His lips had lost all colour, as though the world had died in front of his eyes. Dressed in the Empress’s casual wear, he looked far more androgynous than normal.

The royal manager seemed surprised, but he immediately bowed with a smile, “Where are you headed now, Your Highness?”

“Back to my room.” Nyris’s voice was weak and hollow.

“As you wish.”

……

Over the next three days, Empress Apeiron locked herself in her palace and refused to see anyone. Surprisingly, Nyris had returned to normal, even starting to pack and gathering people to go back and manage his personal plane.

During that time, he found a representative of the Millennial Empire and broke off his engagement with Macy, not giving the man a single reason. The envoy had been stunned by the change; the prince had recently accepted the proposal and Macy was already back home preparing while the news had already spread. This was a great humiliation that would carry repercussions, but he clearly didn’t care at all.

……

When Apeiron finally came out of her residence, she pushed open the door of her palace only to find Julian waiting there. He had been in the same place for all three days, not moving an inch.

“I’m hungry,” she said.

Julian beamed, “The chefs are already in the kitchen.”

A short while later, the Empress was in the dining hall with a table filled with food. More dishes were being served continuously, but her stomach was an endless pit that everything disappeared into. Only after the 35th dish did she have them stop, finishing everything off before belching out a puff of purple flames, “Ah… that hits the spot.”

She took a napkin and wiped her lips, “Julian, none of the games have been fun.”

At this point, even Julian was a little shocked, “Including Nyris?”

“Yes.”

“That shouldn’t be the case…” he frowned.

“Ha, you don’t have to think anymore. I’ve found the reason.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“There’s a more interesting game to be played!”

“What do I need to do?”

“Nothing, just look after the palace. I’ll have to leave for a few days, you know how to contact me if anything serious happens.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

Apeiron stood up and leapt out the window, tearing a hole in space mid-flight and disappearing into the void. Julian sat ramrod straight, looking at the crack that was slowly mending itself.

……

The portal array on the Archeron island started flickering as Richard walked out, followed by a few shadowspears who were all carrying large cases. When he sat down in the study, the old steward quickly rushed over to report.

“Anything big happen recently?” he asked as usual.

The steward shook a bell gently, and the door to the study opened to reveal Coco with a stack of documents in her hands. She walked in and put the papers down on his desk. Richard glanced at her before ignoring her completely, paying attention to the documents instead.

Outside of just public news about the plane, there was some information on family income from various territories and branches as well. Although there were no core secrets amongst these documents, there was still some sensitive data. According to convention, the steward would take care of these things personally.

However, Richard didn’t say anything and just finished looking through all of them, signing off on what needed it and adding input where he found deficiencies. The entire stack only took fifteen minutes for him to go through, and Coco carried the signed documents away.

It was only once the door was closed that he asked the old man, “Did you arrange this?”

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