Chapter 442. Thunder (1)

Translator: Aura / Editor: Tiny Zebra

“Grand Duke Lilteang has escaped!”

At the same time that my attendant, Sir Marcus, exclaimed, another loud clap of thunder was heard.

“How could Grand Duke Lilteang have escaped…?”

When I asked, another flash of lightning appeared behind me. Sir Marcus flinched and sank to the floor, perhaps because I seemed angry and terrifying against the light.

I was a little surprised, but definitely not angry.

“You may stand.”

He stood up quickly. His hair was wet and stuck to his forehead from running in the rain. When I offered him a handkerchief, he held out both hands shakily.

“Have a seat.”

“My clothes are soaked, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t worry.”

Once I pointed to the couch, he hesitantly sat and clasped his hands tightly. He seemed to think I would now scold him.

“What about His Majesty Heinley? Does he know?”

“Someone else must have reported to him.”

“What happened?”

From what I knew, Grand Duke Lilteang was imprisoned in the Red Tower due to the incident at Heinley’s birthday party. I knew that the Red Tower had the strictest level of security, since it is used to imprison high-status nobles. How did Grand Duke Lilteang manage to escape from such a secure prison in a foreign country?

After the rumble of thunder was heard again, the rain fell harder.

This was the perfect day for him to escape…

I realized that Sir Marcus still had not answered my question, so I repeated it.

“Do we not yet know the details of his escape?”

“That’s correct.”

He wiped his brow with the handkerchief. Still, he seemed to remain nervous.

“Sir Marcus.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

When I asked him directly to clear up my doubts, he shrugged his shoulders.

“What do you mean?”

Although he pretended not to know anything else, he clenched the handkerchief tightly in his fist, so I insisted.

“As far as I know, Grand Duke Lilteang’s punishment was carried out with the consent of Emperor Sovieshu.”

“That’s right, Your Majesty.”

If a high-status noble of another country is punished, it can escalate into a conflict due to the other country’s sense of pride. For this reason, such crimes would typically be handled through a formal complaint against the country of origin.

But this case was different. The Western Empire punished Grand Duke Lilteang directly, with Sovieshu’s agreement. There was no way for this matter to escalate into a conflict between countries.

Then why did my attendant come rushing in so early, and so nervously?

“Is there something about Grand Duke Lilteang’s punishment imprisonment that I don’t know?”

***

The well-paved roads remained intact in the heavy rain. However, even a road in perfect condition could not lessen the discomfort of walking with soaked clothes and shoes.

“Damn it!”

Grand Duke Lilteang cursed as he tugged on his cumbersome cloak. He wanted to take it off at once, but he had to hide his face until he reached the Eastern Empire. The rain clouded his vision, so he raised his hand to rub his eyes and asked,

“Where are we going?”

A man holding an umbrella in one hand and a map with wet corners in the other vaguely murmured.

“Umm…”

“Where are we going?!”

The Grand Duke yelled in despair, but bitter blood pooled in his mouth, his face contorted and he clenched his jaw. He covered his mouth and groaned in pain. The blood trickled down from the corners of his lips and fell to the ground.

“Umm…”

The umbrella man was still not speaking clearly. His nonchalant behavior infuriated the Grand Duke, but he restrained his anger.

He had experienced pain from losing his cool. He wouldn’t be foolish enough to burst out in anger again.

“Look here. Umm, isn’t this the right way?”

At his words, Grand Duke Lilteang couldn’t restrain his anger, so he snatched the map and shouted.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

His torn mouth bled even more, but his fury overcame the momentary pain.

“Concentrate! The bastard must be on to us! That lunatic’s subordinates must be after us by now!”

The map was torn to pieces in his hands. The wet fragments fell to the ground.

The umbrella man looked down at it and whispered once more, “Umm…”

Grand Duke Lilteang snorted in irritation.

His face was a bloody mess because his mouth had been sewn shut with a stone inside. His strong body was now thin to the bone, and the area around his lips had lost flesh. Due to the hasty escape, he had not yet received proper treatment, so blood gushed out every time he moved his mouth too much.

The Grand Duke looked so hideous that few people would dare to look at his face.

However, the umbrella man rather smiled at the Grand Duke without concern for his anger. It was an indifferent attitude, as if he didn’t care.

“It’s alright. I’ve already told you that you have to trust me, Grand Duke.”

The voice was polite, but at the same time lazy. The Grand Duke thought he detected an unfamiliar accent. Discouraged, he pointed with his finger at the direction they were supposed to follow.

“We’ve to go that way fast! Or else that lunatic’s subordinates will catch up with us!”

The umbrella man raised his hand, grabbed the Grand Duke’s fingers and laughed.

“Shh… It’s alright. Just trust me.”

“Let’s run away—!”

“Not now.”

The umbrella man looked at the fragments of the muddy map at his feet and pointed in the direction of the capital with a slight tilt of the umbrella.

“I forgot that I need to meet with one more person before I leave.”

Grand Duke Lilteang was close to tears.

‘I was finally able to escape from that place, so why the hell is he pointing in that direction? He should have finished his business first!’

“Who the hell would return to his enemy’s lair in a situation like this?!”