Chapter 83. Struggling to escape
***
Sponsored by Curufin. Thank you ❤️ (4/12)
***
There were five seats set around a large round table in the conference room of the Anut Imperial Palace.
The seats were for the Red Wolf Emperor and the heads of the wolf organizations that supported him.
Queishans of the White Wolf, Tachigang of the Golden Wolf, Leom of the Blue Wolf, and Bayate of the Black Wolf.
Across from the emperor was supposed to be Kayan, the leader of the Black Wolves.
However, the Emperor called an emergency meeting, and instead of Kayan, it was Netira, the patriarch of the Bayate family.
Netira stood tall, her chin lifted slightly, her eyes haughty.
Her demeanor was imposing, as if she had been in charge from the start.
The leaders of the wolf organization were deeply offended by the fact that a mere woman, albeit a child of Odant Bayate, was in their equal position.
But now was not the time to consider that.
The agenda of the meeting was to discuss Kayan's involvement in the treason.
"A memorandum between Kayan and Gakhran."
The paper he tossed on the table was filled with revelations about Gakhran and Kayan's secret relationship.
It was stamped with Kayan's seal at the end.
"The material of the paper, the color of the ink, all belong to the Black Wolf, and the seal, upon careful examination, is unmistakably Kayan's."
The golden wolf, Tachigang, frowned and spoke up.
"Such a deed can be forged in any number of ways."
"So you're saying that I falsely accused Kayan?"
"That is not what I am saying..................."
Tachigang trailed off when he saw the coldness in Hashad's eyes.
Whether Kayan was guilty or not, he shouldn't run his mouth when it came to matters involving treason.
However, he still couldn't get rid of his uneasy feeling.
‘Is the Emperor trying to get rid of the Black Wolf?’
The Golden Wolf had been on friendly terms with the Black Wolf for generations, so this situation was bound to be quite unsettling.
The Golden Wolf shared some of the benefits of the weapons monopoly that the Black Wolf had received from the Emperor as a reward for their service.
If the Black Wolf was gone, the Golden Wolf would lose its economic advantage to the White Wolf or the Blue Wolf.
Moreover, in Tachigang's opinion, Kayan was not the man for such a reckless endeavor.
He was a brilliant man, but he had no interest in politics, and he wanted the stability of the country rather than to fulfill his own ambitions.
Emperor Hashad, on the other hand, had been an outspoken opponent of the Black Wolf since his ascension to the throne, so he didn’t believe in the evidence the emperor presented.
Of the two, however, the one closest to Hashad, Quaishans of the White Wolf, who had always sought to unseat the Black Wolf, actively sided with the Emperor.
"Hmph, as you all know, the Wolf Family's seal is made of a special mineral that has been passed down since ancient times. It's impossible to forge it perfectly, no matter how elaborately you imitate it, and even if it's just a piece of paper, you shouldn't neglect to do anything related to treason.”
Leom, the Blue Wolf, whose interests were not so intertwined with the Black Wolf's, kept his mouth shut.
His silence conveyed that he was unwilling to take sides just yet.
Netira watched, then spoke up, her tone unwavering.
"Kayan has been secretly stashing Gahkran's body in Bayate and doing shady things, buying poison for assassinations, making contacts with factions that will do his bidding, and spending Bayate’s riches of dubious provenance, and I, as a head of Bayate, cannot stand idly by."
Netira's words brought the heavy mood down even further.
With Odant's daughter, who had been so close to Kayan, denouncing him and siding with the Emperor, it was difficult for Tachigang to defend Kayan any longer.
Netira looked at each of the wolf leaders in turn.
"If I hadn't discovered it first, we would have fallen prey to Kayan's plans before we had time to prepare. If we're going to attack the Black Wolves, now is the time, with Kayan and his men away."
Netira looked like someone who wanted to go ahead of the Emperor and bring Kayan down.
She was not supposed to be interested in the affairs of others, but everyone could only wonder how the two, who had been like siblings, had become such enemies.
Then, at a glance from Hashad, an aide brought in someone.
A man covered in blood was tied to a rope, shaking violently.
Hashad's mouth opened as the aide forced the bloody man to kneel.
"This is the imperial spy Gahkran corresponded with until shortly before his death."
The aide held the knife to the trembling man’s throat.
"You will repeat your confession here and now."
"I, I'm.................."
The man gasped for breath and stammered.
"I am Kay, Kayan Bayate’s subordinate.”
The spy then began to tell the story of how Kayan had encouraged Gahkran's treason, and that after he had served his purpose, he had eliminated him and was secretly gathering an army.
As the leaders listened, they were deeply disturbed.
In addition to Gakhran's spy, several other witnesses were brought in to put Kayan at a disadvantage, repeating similar stories.
Gradually, Kayan's treason seemed to become a foregone conclusion.
All the while, Hashad raised one eyebrow and watched his own theater with interest.
He was delighted with the treasure of Rizvisa, a treasure that could not be compared to the springs of Apeso.
What he had spent years meticulously planning could be accomplished so easily.
Finally, he brought in someone who would make the fun even more dramatic.
"A while ago, a slave of the Bayate family came to the palace and accused Kayan of many sins."
The room suddenly fell silent as the woman entered the room.
Everyone gasped and stared at her.
She had a slight scar on her face, but her beauty was jaw-dropping.
Her nobility and gracefulness exuded from her, even as she stood still, and for a moment they forgot that she was a slave who had come to accuse Kayan of his sins.
Ihedia's gaze snapped to Netira.
Netira breathed slightly heavily, her ferocious aura radiating from her.
‘Sneaky bitch.’
The bitch betrayed him and clung to the Emperor now that Kayan was about to fall.
She knew Ihedia wasn’t sincere about Kayan, but she'd never thought the woman was so shameless.
Netira clenched her fists and glared at Ihedia as if she would kill her.
Hashad glanced at Netira.
"The head of Bayate's household, who lived under the same roof as Kayan, must know this slave very well."
"...Yes."
"After all, she is the woman that Kayan trusted and cherished, so the information she knows about him is bound to be extraordinary. I called her here because I didn't want to keep it to myself."
Hashad's sharp voice was aimed at Ihedia this time.
"Tell everyone in this room what you have told me about Kayan's treason."
All eyes locked on Ihedia.
"....."
Ihedia couldn't speak as she fought the pain that pulsed through her head.
Hashad tilted his head and smiled slightly.
It was funny to watch a trapped animal struggle to escape.
The more it struggled, the more the pain would intensify.
As if to prove it, a faint moan escaped Ihedia's mouth.
Then her subconscious, ravaged by Hashad, spewed out untrue words.
"Kayan Bayate, in his greed for the throne, gave me an unjust... order."
She stared into space, losing all will in the suffocating pain.
Against Ihedia's will, her mouth began to move, revealing the details of what Kayan had done.
Ihedia's account also detailed how Kayan's movements overlapped with those of Gakhran.
After her long story, there was a calm before the storm in and around the room.
“Can you still not admit Kayan’s guilt?”
Harshad asked the leaders, resting his chin on one hand.
Tachigang, who had a close bond with the Black Wolf, had been grimacing throughout, but if he spoke any further, he felt he would be sternly reprimanded.
"Kayan's guilt is clear, Your Majesty, and you must move quickly."
Quaishans guessed Hashad's intentions, and he spoke up.
Hashad turned to his aide.
"Kayan is hereby stripped of his title and declared wanted. The Black Wolf and anyone else associated with Kayan are to be hunted down."
He turned to his aide, who was about to walk away, and added, as if remembering something he had forgotten.
"If they refuse to be captured, you may kill them on the spot."
The Emperor's voice took on a menacing edge.
***
Support me @ https://ko-fi.com/doraaaaaaa
Write a comment