Chapter 55

A magnificent carriage slowly drove into the Royal Central Academy.

No one stopped the carriage, for it bore the emblem of the royal family, the yellow rose and sword.

At the entrance of the academy, more and more people gathered, waiting.

Rumors sometimes spread with surprising speed, and the process of their spread often distorted the truth.

From morning to afternoon, the rumors seemed to have spread throughout half of the capital, and more and more people, driven by various motives, began to flood towards the Royal Central Academy.

Not far from the academy, a high-end restaurant had its doors tightly closed. In contrast to the thriving business of the surrounding restaurants, this was undoubtedly strange.

However, every strange phenomenon has its reason. Not long ago, a mysterious guest had reserved the entire restaurant, and the generous spending made it impossible for the owner to refuse.

"Bedwin, is there any news from inside?"

On the top floor of the restaurant, Prince Sasso carefully tasted the food in his mouth. Two people stood behind him.

One was his most trusted confidant, and the other was his advisor.

"Your Highness, according to the information I gathered from the Royal Central Academy, the students who caused the riot have already released all the kidnapped students, and the nobles who attended the ceremony have been collectively transferred to the main building," Bedwin stepped forward and respectfully answered upon hearing Prince Sasso's inquiry.

Sasso picked up the napkin and carefully wiped his lips, put down the utensils, and shook his head, seemingly disappointed with the food on the table. His fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, and his eyes looked towards the direction of the academy. "Did anything interesting happen during this time?"

After a moment of contemplation, Bedwin said, "When the news spread, the guards of the nobles who attended the ceremony collectively rushed into the academy and clashed with the students blocking their way. The result... they are all dead now."

"Hmm?" Sasso lightly questioned, "All dead?"

"Yes," Bedwin confirmed.

Sasso closed his eyes, and in the quiet room of the restaurant, only the sound of his fingers tapping the table could be heard. After a while, he opened his eyes, a hint of an inexplicable smile appearing on his face.

"To kill so many capable guards, those students would be incapable. I suspect this is the work of my good younger brother, but what puzzles me is where his people came from?"

Both he and his brother had their own forces, both openly and secretly, everywhere.

They both wanted to know the other's hidden strength, but this time the other side had exposed themselves first. He didn't know why, but he wanted to know the identities of those people.

"Your Highness, please forgive my negligence. I cannot yet determine the identities of those who killed the guards."

Bedwin lowered his head, his face showing sincerity. As the most trusted subordinate of the prince, he felt guilty for not being able to uncover the strength of the prince's main rival.

The growing sense of guilt made him uncomfortable.

"Do not blame yourself."

Sasso waved his hand. "Everyone has their secrets, especially my brother. If he couldn't keep such a secret, he wouldn't be standing against me."

"Your Highness, after this incident, I will find a way to uncover the other side's hidden secrets," Bedwin said firmly, unable to escape his responsibility.

Sasso nodded, believing that he would give him a satisfactory answer.

"Novin, I heard your friend is also inside."

Novin, who had been standing quietly and nervously behind the prince, quickly bowed upon hearing the prince's words. "Your Highness, I did not know about this matter."

"Is that so?" After a moment, Sasso said calmly, "I thought you and he were good friends."

"Your Highness, everyone has their own life, and I have not seen him for some time, so—"

Novin explained hurriedly. Since meeting Xialan, he always felt uneasy and anxious whenever facing the prince, fearing that his hidden lies would be exposed at any moment.

His prediction was correct. After returning to the prince's residence, the tasks assigned to him by the prince increased. His colleagues were puzzled, as they couldn't understand why he, who had been long neglected, suddenly gained favor.

They probed him, but he remained tight-lipped.

Perhaps only he knew that this favor came with a heavy burden he could hardly bear.

Sasso chuckled softly without responding, his hand on the table gently swaying backward, signaling that he needed to be alone.

Seeing that the prince was no longer questioning him and was dismissing them, Novin relaxed and hurriedly took his leave. As he walked out of the room and took a deep breath, he carefully pondered the prince's words.

What might happen to him in the deep waters of the Royal Central Academy? What did the prince mean by asking him?

Sasso picked up the cup of tea, the rich aroma rising and slowly dispersing.

"Volans, are you really going to do that foolish thing?"

Taking a sip of tea, he murmured softly. A strong intuition told him that the danger was approaching.

The carriage that entered the academy turned towards the main building halfway to the square, as someone had informed them that their negotiation target had moved.

The creaking of the wheels echoed in the quiet academy, sounding strange and out of place.

Tillrandt stood at the entrance of the main building, behind him, countless members of the society formed neat rows, swords hanging at their waists, bodies straight, heads held high.

They had received the news; they were about to face the most important moment.

In the distance, the sound of wheels grew louder, and the模糊的马车身影出现在了眼前，踩踏着的大地似乎感受到了轻微震动。

马车渐进，马车渐停。

驾驭的马夫面无表情地看着眼前聚集的学院生们，熟练勒停马匹之后，他来到了车厢门边轻轻敲响。

短暂之后，车门打开，马夫早已趴在门下当做踏脚阶梯。

他走了下来，刺眼的阳光让他伸手遮挡在眉头上方，转身望向等待在门口的学院生，嘴角不自觉勾起一丝轻蔑地冷笑。

Tillrandt squinted his eyes as he looked at the man, but he did not move.

However, the man approached on his own, walking up to him.

"Bressa Gacez, I will serve as the king's envoy for this negotiation," the man said, performing a standard noble salute.

"Tillrandt," he nodded, responding with an unusually brief gesture. To others, it might seem impolite, but he had his reasons.

The envoy, Gacez, from his attire, was clearly one of the king's attendants. Only the king's attendants would dress in such a manner.

His age might be thirty or forty; Tillrandt couldn't tell, as his skin was very pale, almost sickly, and his eyes had maintained a look of arrogance and disdain from the start.

The envoy was not a minister but an attendant, which was an insult to him.

"Perhaps we should move to a quieter, shaded place. Don't you find today's sunlight rather unpleasant?" Gacez pointed to the shadow beneath him and smiled.

"Not necessary," Tillrandt said calmly. "If the king valued this negotiation, he wouldn't have sent you. So, I won't waste time. Speak, the message the king sent you to deliver."

"Ha-ha—"

Gacez covered his mouth and chuckled, taking a closer look at the calm and serious, slender student in front of him. He was ordinary, yet there was a charm about him that drew people's attention.

"Are you the leader of this incident?"

"Yes."

"Can you represent everyone?"

"Yes."

"Then—" Gacez smiled and nodded. "Please release the nobles you have taken hostage immediately. The king instructed that this is a prerequisite for any negotiation."

"Has the king rejected our requests?" Tillrandt asked slowly.

"Didn't I already say? Only when all the nobles are released will the king consider your requests," Gacez said with a smile.

"Does the king think we are all foolish and naive fools?" Tillrandt said sarcastically.

"But have you considered that even if the king agrees to your requests, he could still renege on his promise after the nobles are released?" Gacez said calmly. "So, the king's demand is not unreasonable."

"I fear that once I release them, the next moment I will be at the executioner's block," Tillrandt said disdainfully.

"It seems you don't intend to release the nobles?" Gacez said, seemingly regretful.

"I will release them, but... not now."

"When will you?"

"When the king listens to our demands and implements real reforms."

Gacez suddenly laughed, shaking his head and looking at him with a strange expression. "You should know the king won't agree to your demands."

"I know."

Tillrandt nodded, his gaze on Gacez becoming cold.

"I also know that the king's palace guards have been mobilized."

"Since you already know this, why not comply with the king's demands? I think you should understand that you can't stand against the palace guards," Gacez said softly, as if offering good advice.

"Understanding is one thing, but choice is another," Tillrandt said.

"Why?"

"Do you understand?"

"I don't."

"Please convey this to the king."

Tillrandt took a deep breath and stared at Gacez's face, his voice low.

"We will not be intimidated by the king's threats, and we will not retreat in the face of our beliefs and ideals."

"In this war of only victory or defeat, we are willing to fight to the bitter end, even if it means mutual destruction!"

"If the king insists on his choice, we will not hesitate to use any means!"

Gacez found this amusing. "But I don't see your victory."

"I don't see your victory either," Tillrandt said coldly.

"What do you intend to do?" Gacez's smile faded, his expression turning cold.

"The worst outcome you can imagine."

Tillrandt's lips curled into an evil smile.

"This is already the worst outcome for you."

As he spoke, Gacez lunged into Tillrandt's arms.