NOVEL WEB Chapter 91: Deadly Bargain
Ren, flanked by Elias and Thorn, followed the lead of the palace servant as they were escorted through the corridors of the palace.
Everything around him, he'd seen before. But this time, they would be moving past the place to one where even nobles with more authority than he had not entered before.
Thorn and Elias had returned a few hours later with the Prince's reply. They'd been invited to the inner palace.
He followed quietly, none of them saving nothing until they reached
They reached a set of beautifully carved double doors, where a small contingent of palace guards waited. But the one that caught their attention was a tall man dressed in dark clothes with a blank, almost stone-like expression on his face.
"I am Lars, guard of Prince Anders. Follow me." The guards opened the door and Ren, along with Thorn and Elias, stepped into the inner palace.
If the outer palace was luxury personified, the inner palace would be called a paradise. Everything was beautifully designed, including the walls, which had been designed with a cream colored wallpaper spotted with roses.
They followed Lars through the halls, Ren ignoring the wealth around him, until they reached another door.
Lars stopped, turning to face them. "This is Prince Anders' quarters. I'm afraid only Lord Ross is allowed inside. The rest of you will wait here with me."
"Alright." Ren nodded.
"Wait a minute." Thorn frowned.
"Don't make an issue of things, Thorn." Ren smiled. "I'll be fine."
Elias stepped forward. "We'll be waiting here. If you need any help, let us know."
Ren gave a wry smirk. "I'm always enough for all my problems, Elias."
With that, Lars opened the door, and he stepped through.
Ren walked through a shorter hallway before emerging in what looked like a sitting room for receiving guests.
His eyes skipped over the gold decorations, bookshelf, and fireplace to land on the man who was seated leisurely on a plush chair, wearing a dark coat with golden embroidery.
Prince Anders Vermilion. The Penny Prince.
"Welcome my friend!" Prince Anders exclaimed with a wide grin. "I have to say, I'm a big fan. After your fight against that Rank 4 Knight, I knew I had to meet you, Ren. I can call you Ren, right? Please sit."
Ren stiffened, his mind already working on what he'd just noticed. That voice… His eyes widened as he remembered just where he'd heard it. Kingpin.
This was the man who had created Fuchsia. The man who had hired the assassin that had killed him. The man he had sworn to destroy. And he was the Penny Prince.
His hands twitched with the urge to attack. His blood, no, his soul itself, boiled with rage.
His thoughts were consumed with just one urge. Kill him! Rip him apart!
But Ren wasn't one to be ruled by his emotions. He stared at the man with a clenched jaw, his arms trembling with rage beside him. No, he couldn't kill the Penny Prince. Not now. Not inside the palace.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to breathe. To think. He walked forward and sat down opposite Anders, trying and failing to hide the fury that was raging inside him.
Anders chuckled, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Ah, I see it. That look on your face. That lovely moment of realization."
He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "I must say, I'm intrigued. You figured it out faster than I expected."
"Kingpin." Ren said, forcing himself to unclench his jaw.
"Yes." Anders' grin widened. "I am Kingpin, and you're the assassin who killed my inner circle. You attacked my organization and I attacked your fiancee. I think we're even, don't you think?"
Ren exhaled, forcing himself to be calm. "If you knew I was the assassin who killed your men and still haven't launched an attack on me personally, then it means you want something from me."
Anders' grin widened. "And you know I'm Kingpin and are still sitting here. It means you want something from me." He clapped his hands together. "What a fascinating situation we have here."
"Lilith." Ren said simply. "Hand her back to me and make those charges of murder disappear. I should've known when it was the palace soldiers who arrested her. You're the one keeping her locked up."
"So, what do you want from me in exchange for her release?"
The Penny Prince tilted his head, studying Ren unabashedly. "Straight to the point. I like that. Tell me, Ren, do you know who put out the hit on Lilith?"
Ren's hands curled into fists, his anger threatening to rear its head but he quashed it. Lilith was much more important than attacking Anders right now. "Who?"
Anders leaned back lazily, stretching his arms before answering. "Octavian Underwood."
Ren stiffened. Lilith's own brother.
Anders continued, watching Ren's reaction closely. "Octavian knew the hit wouldn't succeed. He just wanted to see how much control Lilith had over herself. Whether she was a weapon he could wield… or one he needed to put down."
Ren's jaw clenched. "And what's your part in this?"
"The aftermath, of course." Anders smirked. "I struck a deal with Octavian. He wants Lilith dead, and in exchange, he offered me something valuable."
Ren narrowed his eyes. "What did you ask for?"
Anders' smirk widened, and his golden eyes seemed to glow. "The king."
Ren froze.
Anders continued casually, as if discussing the weather. "Octavian agreed, of course. If he assassinates the king first, Lilith dies. And that brings us to you. If you want Lilith returned to you unharmed…" He reached down and raised his glass of wine in a mock toast. "You have to kill the king before Octavian does."
Ren controlled his reaction, staring straight at the prince.
Anders had just put him between a rock and a hard place. If Octavian succeeded, Lilith would be executed.
If Ren broke her out instead of securing her release legally, teams of Rank 5 Knights, the best in the kingdom, would be sent after them. And with Knights of that caliber, they wouldn't be able to run forever.
Not to mention that Anders would extract his pound of flesh from his family. He wasn't that heartless to abandon them to face the consequences of his own action.
But there was one thing he was sure of. No matter what happened, Anders had to die. But before that, he needed Lilith released legally.
This was the only way.
He had to kill the king before Octavian.
But this didn't mean he'd leave Anders to his rebellion. No. He'd kill the king, kill Anders, and hand over the kingdom to the crowned prince.
This was an even better choice than any Anders had presented. Since the Penny Prince was behind Fuchsia, that meant he was the one who had started the civil war. By killing him, there would be no civil war.
He'd be free to face the Red Plague without worry.
He exhaled, looking up at the man whose days were numbered. "I'll kill the king."
"Oh, this is delightful!" Anders crowed. "I knew you'd see reason, Ren." He stood, stretching an arm towards Ren.
Ren stood, clasping his arm. "Pleasure doing business with you."