Free Web NovelChapter 408: Chapter 408: The Desired Future_1
The warden’s office.
"...The underground brokers those spies found were indeed well-known in the underworld, but unfortunately, he had once been an informant for the heretic inquisition, and then just yesterday the heretic inquisition managed to find him, so we discovered their tracks. If nothing unexpected happens, their hideout is in the old district. It has to be said, luck is on our side."
Aiden sat in his office chair, seriously feeding concocted intelligence to Sera, who was on the sofa. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Sera’s face was tense, her hands gripping her knees, knuckles turning white.
Aiden carefully observed Sera’s expressions and bodily reactions, then began to probe, "Why such a face? You could be a little happier, this is good news for both of us. Once they’re caught, you are temporarily safe, and I’m spared a headache."
"Warden..." Sera began cautiously, "are you planning to get involved personally? Taking along the prisoners?"
"After all, I’ve crossed paths with them before, so I have some experience. Besides, they’re targeting this prison, which definitely isn’t unrelated to my duties. I’ll admit, dealing with this big trouble you’ve brought me isn’t something I’m keen on, but there’s no helping it now," Aiden replied calmly, "As for using inmates from the prison to handle the case, it’s something of a first that we’ve started locally... You’ve seen for yourself, there are many inmates in the core area with strong combat abilities. They can indeed be useful, so I’ve selected some of them as our operators, Asenna is one of them. A necromancer of her skill isn’t common."
"Then, the child from Cell Eleven as well?" Sera remembered Asenna had once mentioned Avansa as the warden’s ace hitman.
The name of The Filthblood Reaper was quite renowned in the autonomous region and the surrounding areas, and Sera had heard of it as well. If the entire police force of the autonomous region, plus the top assassins, truly focused on "hitting with lethal force" and "capturing the king first", Heinz might truly be in danger.
The photos shown by Aiden in the dream emerged before Sera’s eyes, shocking her and causing a sinking feeling in her heart.
"You’re talking about Avansa? Ah, she did work for me in the past, but now she has accumulated enough significant merits. Moreover, she’s in the midst of ideological re-education, so I can’t really have her out there killing people. At present, I’d rather she continue her education in prison, striving for a chance at release," Aiden said, pausing before he smiled, "But no matter, there are still many potential candidates, absolutely capable in combat. Red alert level criminals like Asenna, I can prepare another two."
Sera’s heart trembled.
"In any case, you can rest easy now. Once this is dealt with, you can sleep without worries," Aiden smiles brilliantly.
"Sleep without worries?" Sera suddenly reacted to the phrase, remembering the dream sequence where she was bound and taken away by a carriage.
"Yes, without the King’s secret police elites, I guess your brother the King will find it hard to locate anyone capable of plotting an assassination against this prison aimed at me. He wouldn’t want your situation here to become public knowledge either, he can’t extradite you, so he has no choice but to leave you hanging," Aiden explained.
"What about after my release?" Sera asked, staring into Aiden’s eyes.
"This..." Aiden "froze" for a moment, then after two seconds, he made a somewhat embarrassed, relaxed face, comforting Sera, "Your sentence is on the longer side, if this drags on, maybe by then he will have stabilized the situation inside the country and there will be no need to kill you. Don’t worry so much."
Aiden deliberately made his last bit of comfort awkward and unnatural; an overly hollow and pale consolation would only aggravate the other’s unease—of course, this was the effect he was looking for.
Sera’s face darkened further, as she recalled the carriage from her dream, the dangerous executioners, and the sharp knife approaching her eyeball.
Indeed, by that time her life might no longer be important to her brother. She would become someone who could be either present or absent—either way, it wouldn’t matter.
If the King were to stabilize the situation in that time, he truly might not need to kill her, but conversely... there really was no need to spare her life either.
The difference lay in the fact that by then she would hold no significant value to the opposition, and she would have no chance to actively engage in the political game to preserve herself.
The shadow etched in her heart by Presia’s mental suggestion emerged again: "If you were given another chance to choose, would you?"
These were only dreams, and in reality, there was still time for change—this was the opportunity to choose.
But if she chose the other side, would there really be a chance? Heinz had given her a little political education, but that bit of theory was likely insufficient to prevent her from becoming a political tool, while surviving the perilous struggle for the throne.
Sera felt nervous, her throat turning dry. She swallowed reflexively, her heartbeat thudding like a war drum.
In her mind now was the final dream sequence.
Heinz stretched out his broad, warm hand, as though inviting her to dance, reaching towards her.
If they were together, there might still be hope.
As long as she was willing to take up the sword and bravely step forward, Heinz would follow and support her—that was the future she yearned for!
Sera suddenly felt calm descending upon her.
Was this some sort of revelation from the unknown, or the voice deep within her own heart surfacing? It didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was that she felt a spark of courage growing within her, a spark that started as a single ember but quickly found fuel to ignite, blazing rapidly in her heart.
"Warden..." she began cautiously, her voice wavering with nerves at first, but she quickly regained a basic composure, "I want... I want to discuss something with you."
"What is it?" Aiden feigned confusion.
"If you clash with Gistas’s secret police, that would be very dangerous, wouldn’t it?" Sera said earnestly.
"Of course, since the opponents are well-trained soldiers. I’ve also heard of Earl Hofman’s reputation through certain channels," Aiden nodded, "But we will also make preparations to try to minimize the chance of accidents."
"I have a proposal that might resolve this matter more securely..." Sera steadied herself and continued, "I’ve been considering whether I should try to claim the throne. If Heinz is already in the autonomous region, I was thinking... can we find an opportunity to persuade him to abandon the assassination and come to support and assist me?"
