The first person that crossed Zayden’s mind when all his servants reported that they couldn’t find Eiran in the mansion was Duke Danman. After all, at the moment, he was the only person who could want to harm him, even if by using a child.
He slammed his fist against the wall.
"Fuck!" he cursed, fuming with rage. Then, a thought crossed his mind—the knight in the dungeon!
If only he spills some dirt on him, I can handle the rest...
Quickly, he turned, only to bump into Ren. He hadn’t noticed him at all. The servant had returned to his usual self, quiet and almost invisible, following him like a shadow.
"After telling me how much you care about Eiran, didn’t you go search for him?"
Ren looked up at him, eyes strained. The precious sleepless nights had left them burning, and the crying had only puffed them further.
"My Lord, I heard that a servant was killed after I left."
Zayden narrowed his eyes. How did he know?
"When I went to bring you something to eat, Miss Lillia told me." He pointed toward the tray of food left untouched.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"We should go ask the murderer. Maybe he escaped, or he knows who might want to cause you harm. After all, the murderer surely did it to ruin the banquet you organized."
Zayden laughed, causing Ren to frown. He didn’t say anything funny, did he? So why was he laughing?
"You are so—" He paused, clenching his fists. Now wasn’t the moment to compliment his servant. He needed to find his son no matter what!
"Let’s go then, Ren."
Ren blinked. He didn’t hear it wrong, right? The General called him by his name.
Before he could say anything, Zayden had already begun to walk away. As his attendant, he had no choice but to hurry and follow him.
Not long after, they stood before the cell. The smell of blood lingered in the air.
But the two men didn’t blink. Rather, they carefully analyzed the body.
The knight’s throat was slit brutally. Just like the servant who was killed a few days ago, left beside a tree trunk. The only difference was that he lay on his back, on the floor of the dungeon.
"Sir... We apologize. There was no way someone could have entered—"
"Let it be. Take care of the body," Zayden sighed, covering his face with his hand. The person who could have helped with finding Eiran was dead. Killed—and the only one who could have gotten this far was Duke Danman.
Zayden narrowed his eyes, lowering his hand to look at Ren.
The servant crouched down, reaching for something on the soil.
A glimmering blue pearl was extended his way.
"It belongs to the person you were speaking with earlier. The Duke, I believe. The one James served. He was wearing a brooch with pearls like these."
Zayden nodded, taking the pearl from Ren’s hand. He hadn’t realized it before—his attendant was far too attentive to details .
He’d been so caught up in the thought of the knight’s murder that he’d forgotten to check the ground, in case the killer had left something behind. And his mind worked even less whenever his rut was near— Find the newest release on Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
His gaze shifted back to Ren, who waited quietly for his response. But what was he supposed to say? So much was happening at once.
"You mean... The Duke killed him? Personally?" He almost laughed at the possibility. No nobles would go to such great lengths to kill a mere knight.
Zayden shook his head.
"My Lord, this is proof!" He held the pearl between his fingers, showing it again.
The General sighed. It was proof, yes—but not strong enough.
"Maybe it’s because you are human. Or because you’re not from Revhara."
Ren’s body stiffened, his hand dropping to his side as he clenched the pearl in his fist.
"What does me being human—or not from Revhara—have to do with this?" The words pressed through his teeth. He was controlling his fear, the fear of being caught. He had never once said he wasn’t from Revhara. Why had Zayden said that? His heart raced, panic blurring his thoughts.
"Surely, you are from Revhara. But because you’re human, you won’t understand. Us immortals can change the truth within seconds. He could twist this pearl against us," Zayden sighed.
"So you’re saying it’s easy to get away with crimes because you people are not human? You’re saying you won’t even question him—even when there’s a chance he’s the one who took Eiran?!" His voice cracked, trembling with disbelief. "And you say I pretend to care..."
He couldn’t understand if anger had pushed him this far—to defy the very General whose favor he needed. Right now, he didn’t care if he was cast out of the mansion. Because... Eiran mattered more.
"Haah..." Zayden scoffed. Then, a laugh escaped him—forced, brittle.
"I thought you only pretended to care. But I should have known... You truly love him." A soft smile tugged at his lips.
Ren might have imagined it, but for a fleeting second, the General’s eyes seemed damp. As if he were about to cry.
"I can’t accuse the Duke. If I do, it will mean war. He has his own soldiers. Even if he isn’t part of the imperial military, his position is high. To point a finger at him would be to declare open conflict." His smile faltered, faint and bitter.
Ren narrowed his eyes. A war? Just because of that?
"And nothing is more important than finding Eiran right now. Not even destroying my enemy."
He took the pearl from Ren’s hand, slipping it into his pocket.
"I’ll keep this until the right moment comes. For now, let’s see if any of the guards found something."
Turning on his heel, he began climbing the stairs.
Ren stared at him, still perplexed.
I must have imagined it.
He told himself. Because there was no way the General could cry. Right?