Episode 79

Although they’d rushed over with the certainty of their discovery, the chamberlain and maid felt their confidence wane as they faced Aiden’s fierce expression.

“Well…glass bottles like this aren’t exactly uncommon…” the maid mumbled nervously.

What if it wasn’t the right bottle?

What if he’d be furious with them for wasting his time?

The chamberlain and the maid exchanged anxious glances. Aiden, who had been quietly fingering the bottle, finally spoke.

“Which tributary?”

The two pointed toward the stream they had been searching, flapping their hands like startled hens.

With water still dripping from his clothes, Aiden mounted his horse.

“Good work,” he said curtly, a cold yet sincere praise, before racing toward the tributary where the broken bottle had been found.

As they watched him disappear, the chamberlain and maid let out relieved breaths, embracing in quiet celebration.

“It must be real!”

“Does this mean we’re going to find Her Majesty?”

“It seems so!”

Catching the glances of other palace staff drawn by the commotion, they quickly stepped apart. Clearing his throat, the chamberlain suggested they continue searching, just to be sure, rallying the remaining servants. The White Shadow agents who’d accompanied Aiden were already in pursuit.

* * *

Aiden sped along the tributary, white mist rising from his shoulders as he rode, pushing his horse tirelessly. To his right, the morning sun was cresting the horizon, while his horse snorted and panted from navigating the rough waterside terrain.

How far had he gone? The stream was narrowing, the path had long since disappeared, and all he could see around him was forest.

Was it really just a broken bottle?

Was he wasting precious time?

Just as doubt began to creep in, a distant spire pierced the sky through the trees. He was certain that the map had marked this area as an empty forest.

His heartbeat quickened, the spire growing clearer with each step closer.

Aiden halted his horse near the fortress. In his rush, he’d left the others behind, finding himself alone.

He could handle the deranged serpent and his lackeys alone, but with Sione’s safety at stake, he had to be cautious.

Hiding in the tall undergrowth, Aiden crept forward, watching as a guard who had clearly been on duty all night yawned widely. A second guard stationed nearby called out to the yawning man, and the two shared a joke, chuckling quietly.

They were the only two on the back side of the fortress.

Like a predator rising from the shadows, Aiden struck. The yawning guard didn’t even realize what hit him before he lost his life. The second guard drew his sword, but Aiden was faster, dispatching him before he could swing.

He hastily covered the bodies, then pressed his back against the fortress wall, carefully making his way toward the front.

More guards were stationed at the front.

Though dealing with them was possible, eliminating them without alerting those inside might be another matter.

Should he wait for reinforcements?

Aiden considered this briefly but then shook his head. He’d already taken down two guards; lingering here risked Lian moving Sione to another location.

The priority was to find Sione.

After that…he could turn into a mad dog and kill them all.

With a glint of murderous resolve in his red eyes, Aiden moved to the rear servants’ entrance. The door was secured with a rusted lock that hadn’t been used in ages, but he easily pried it open.

As he slipped inside, the darkness of the fortress was still thick with night’s shadows, unbroken by dawn.

The dimness suited Aiden, who killed his presence and moved stealthily. Passing through the kitchen and servants’ dining room, he found himself in the main hall, where two long corridors branched out on either side, a staircase at the far end leading up to the second floor.

Without knowing where Sione was held, Aiden paused.

In that brief, silent moment, a faint noise reached his sharp ears.

Turning toward the left corridor, he saw a sudden flare of light at the far end, followed by the metallic clang as iron bars descended over every door and window on the ground floor, sealing the hallways and separating him from the corridor.

It was as if he’d been trapped in a colossal cage, a prison made of iron.

“Aiden!”

It was a voice he’d missed desperately.

More lights came on, and Lian’s men emerged from various hiding spots, but Aiden saw nothing but one person.

“Your Majesty…”

Sione broke free from Lian’s grip, calling Aiden’s name once more.

“Aiden!”

“Your Majesty!”

She struggled to run to him, but Lian held her arm tightly, refusing to let go. With a lazy, mocking smile, he sneered at Aiden.

“You look like a drenched rat.”

Considering he’d spent all night searching through icy water, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Aiden glanced down at his soaked clothes and, unfazed, nodded with a wry smile. “The path here was a bit rough.”

Lian arched his right eyebrow, noticing the faint smirk at the corner of Aiden’s mouth.

Sione was still by Lian’s side.

And between her and Aiden was a solid iron barrier, impossible to break through even with a sword.

Aiden stood trapped on the other side of the iron bars, surrounded by dozens of enemies, yet he was laughing.

Unable to hold it back any longer, chuckles slipped through his lips as he asked, “Did you know I’d come?”

“I just happened to see you. I’ve been waking up early lately,” Lian replied, though the truth was closer to the fact that his pain kept him from resting long. Today, however, it had served him well.

Unlike Sione’s room, Lian’s terrace faced the back of the fortress. And while a serpent’s vision wasn’t as sharp as a dog’s, it was still keen enough. The moment he’d glimpsed Aiden charging in like a madman, he’d roused his men and prepared for the confrontation.

This fortress was Lian’s ultimate hideout, prepared as soon as he’d awakened to his powers as the Serpent. He had accounted for every eventuality, including an invasion by the Empire’s feral hound.

“Coming here alone—how foolish.”

“I came quickly because Her Majesty called for me.”

Aiden’s gaze never wavered from Sione, as though Lian wasn’t even there. While the laughing Aiden seemed crazed, Sione felt nothing but anxiety and worry.

So the message in the milk bottle had reached him safely.

Thank goodness Aiden had come to rescue her.

But… But!

“Still, what were you thinking, coming here alone?” Sione burst out, unable to hold back her frustration. She shook off Lian’s grip on her arm and strode up to the iron bars, scolding Aiden as he continued to grin like a fool.

“You two are supposed to be the Empire’s beasts, and yet both of you are either fools or idiots! Do you even realize where you are? And you’re smiling?”

“I’m just glad you’re safe, Your Majesty,” Aiden replied, unable to hide his smile even while she scolded him.

As he approached the bars and inhaled her familiar scent, he felt the absurd urge to dance.

“Think about your own safety!” she retorted.

“Don’t worry. I’ll have you back in the palace soon.”

Though he wore a smile, Aiden’s eyes gleamed with intensity. His pupils flashed red, glowing as his power began to stir.

Sione knew what he was about to do.

The power of the beasts came with a terrible price, one she hoped he would never have to pay. But there were at least fifty of Lian’s men lurking behind Aiden, their numbers easily counted.

No matter how powerful Aiden was, even he couldn’t take on fifty men in this confined space and expect to come out unscathed.

As Sione exhaled a weary sigh, Lian stepped beside her, silently listening to her conversation with Aiden. It seemed she’d managed to lure Aiden here, but he couldn’t fathom how.

He’d save his admiration for her cunning until later. There was plenty of time to savor that once he’d dealt with the hound.

With a casual nod to his men, Lian signaled for them to prepare the bait.

Sione’s eyes widened as she gripped the iron bars with both hands. “Amy!”

Hearing her cry, Aiden turned, spotting a young girl trembling between armed men.

“Use that power of yours, and the child dies,” Lian said in a leisurely tone. “She’s someone rather precious to someone else, isn’t she?”

“You bastard!” Sione screamed, seizing Lian by the collar, but he ignored her, addressing Aiden instead.

“I don’t care. Kill her, kill my men—you’re not getting out of here. Once you collapse from exhaustion, I’ll end your life myself.”

Aiden glanced from the terrified girl to Lian, a predatory grin spreading across his face as he tapped the bars with his sword.

“If I use my power, I’ll slice through this.”

“And? Are you really planning to use it?” Lian asked, and Sione sucked in a breath.

If Aiden went berserk, he would kill Amy.

But if he didn’t, Aiden would die.

Sione’s green eyes wavered, unable to make an impossible choice, while Aiden leaned his forehead against the bars, grinning madly.

“You’ve never seen a true mad dog, have you?”