Beastly savior 93

Chapter 93. If the concubine and her offspring are to suffer 

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Kayan's subordinate drew near.

He reported something, and Kayan nodded slightly.

When he turned his attention back to Ihedia, he barked out a command, and the subordinate bowed in response with a sound that resembled a shout.

There was no warmth in Kayan's eyes as he turned to her.

A cold sensation crept into her chest at the realization.

The subordinate stumbled toward Ihedia, and at the same time, Kayan moved away.

There was no hesitation, no doubt in his movements.

Ihedia's gaze followed Kayan's without realizing it.

Kayan's subordinate stepped closer and grabbed her shoulder.

Ihedia was dragged away.

But she kept turning her head back to stare at the spot where Kayan had left her.

The farther she moved away from the bloodshed, the clearer she could hear the child sobbing in her arms.

His handler handed her and the child over to the other soldiers.

Two soldiers took Ihedia to the farthest corner of the palace.

She had an ominous premonition.

Ihedia strained with all her might to resist being dragged away, but she was no match for the strong men.

After a while, their steps paused in one place.

She looked up and stared at the building.

It was a tower where criminals were imprisoned.

***

Hashad had long ago abandoned the palace and fled.

Only a few courtiers remained in the palace, unaware of the situation and indecisive.

Naturally, the palace fell into the hands of the allies.

The courtiers who had served the emperor knelt before the allies, their foreheads touching the ground.

Each one of them was shaking like a leaf, waiting for death.

In this case, it was right to kill them all, for they might be spies for the emperor.

But Kayan not only spared them, he didn't even throw them out of the palace.

He did this so that he could use any remaining spies to track down Hashad's whereabouts.

It was Kayan's own plan to keep them alive, but the courtiers were overwhelmed by his mercy.

With the war over, Kayan contemplated the empty throne.

It was the honored seat everyone wanted, but it was strangely uninspiring.

The joy of victory was short-lived.

For the time being, the immediate priority was to clean up the scene of a terrible battle.

He also devoted all his efforts to tracking down the escaped Harshad and his men and to identifying the remaining spies.

Though he had yet to be formally crowned, all the allies recognize Kayan as the rightful owner of the throne.

The people welcomed the Black Wolf's rebellion, calling it a revolution.

Hashad was a condemned man who had murdered their great leader, Emperor Rakil.

The continued useless war, which squeezed the people's blood and sweat, also greatly contributed to agitating public sentiment.

The era of the Red Wolves, which had been a glorious Anut for generations, had come to an end.

Now it was time to prepare to usher in a new dynasty of Kayan Bayate, the descendant of Hirpus.

He purged all Hashad’s people and reorganized his disorganized army.

Kayan filled key positions with his own men and freed prisoners who had been wrongfully imprisoned by Hashad.

In time, the country slowly returned to stability.

Then the high priests begged Kayan to hasten his coronation and restore the monarch's majesty.

Kayan gave in to their urging and held a simple coronation ceremony.

Then, to publicize the new emperor's ascension, he opened the treasury and distributed grain to the people.

The people all welcomed Kayan’s ascension.

But the man himself was not so happy.

He was simply exhausted and weary.

Never before had he been so lifeless, even as commander-in-chief of the Anut, with a few thousand troops under his command and tens of thousands against him.

His eyes were hollow, like a man whose every emotion had been stolen by a demon.

He did not look happy at all, even though he was seated in a place where everyone looked up to him.

Rather, his desolation bordered on misery.

His servants speculated that his nerves had been strained by Hashad's flight, but only Doa knew the true reason.

Doa hesitated a few times, knowing well how Kayan felt, before finally shutting up.

To bring up Ihedia's affairs with him now would feel like swallowing poison.

But it was the leading deputies gathered for the roundtable that forced Kayan to swallow the poison.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't Hashad's concubine and her offspring be punished according to the laws of the land?"

Moreover, they couldn't just sit by and watch that child to grow up.

It would have been right to decapitate its head and hang it on the city walls.

But Kayan's inward frustration at their imprisonment in the tower and his inability to do anything about it was not lost on one of the ministers, who broached the subject first.

Kayan stared off into space and didn't answer.

Instead, the minister coughed and was about to start talking again.

Doa, watching, interrupted him.

"We have more pressing matters to attend to, and since they’re still trapped in the tower, we can deal with that later."

"But since we have no way of knowing Hashad's whereabouts right now, shouldn't we set an example for the people by taking their lives?"

"They are only a helpless woman and a child, it would be too much to do that.”

Doa spoke up, a little irritated.

"Are you suggesting we use them as bait to catch the criminals?"

The minister asked, as if Kayan and Doa's reactions were somehow suspicious.

After all, there would be no reason to spare the family of the chief sinner if that were not the case.

Then the other minister chimed in with a snort.

"I doubt they're worth using as bait. If Hashad had any regard for his own blood, he wouldn't leave his consort  and child behind to escape on his own."

In the eyes of the high priest, Ihedia had been abandoned by Hashad because she was of no use.

The same was true of her daughter.

She had no son to take over the throne, so they thought it was a useless.

Rumor had it that Hashad hadn't even given her a name.

It was better to kill her and establish the new emperor's power than to keep her alive and hope she would be useful.

Kayan's low mood didn't falter at the decision of Ihedia’s fate, but Doa could see it in his eyes.

Could Kayan really kill Ihedia?

Whatever her faults, Doa somehow doubted that Kayan would make such a decision.

At the Emperor's silent response, the ministers pushed a little harder.

"Your Majesty, it is time for you to make a decision."

Doa was about to add something when Kayan, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up.

"I will not kill Hashad's concubine and her child."

The ministers’ faces twitched at the unexpected answer.

Before they could protest, Kayan continued.

"Instead, I will demote them to slavery."

"...."

"Is it not the custom of the Anut to enslave the royal women of conquered nations?"

"But..................."

"I'm sure the mansions of the Lords are filled with such women."

The ministers said nothing more, overwhelmed by Kayan's chilling presence.

Not because he was wrong, exactly.

The woman wasn't an official empress, and her only child was a daughter, not a son, so enslaving her was a fitting punishment.

That was, of course, if Hashad was captured.

Kayan, sensing the intent of the ministers, continued.

"Hashad will be captured soon enough."

"...."

"If Hashad's concubine and her child were to be enslaved and humiliated, would that lessen the Lords' anger at the traitor?"

For a moment, there was a hint of venom in Kayan's tone, and Doa looked at him in surprise.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he asked sarcastically.

"Or do I look so incompetent that I can't even catch a single escaped criminal?"

The ministers sensed that his mood was uncharacteristically different, and they all held their breath.

If they dared to speak further, they might be labeled as insolent subjects who dared to oppose the emperor.

The minister who had called for Ihedia's execution felt his heart plummeted.

In retrospect, he was concerned that his words might seem to cast doubt on the emperor's competence.

Sensing that Kayan was displeased, he quickly changed his tune.

"Well, of course not, I'm very concerned about the safety of the imperial family....... Hmph, I will obey Your Majesty's wishes."

At that, no one voiced their opinions anymore.

Kayan's cold gaze sent a sharp tension through the room.

Only Doa realized what he was thinking, and he swallowed hard.

***

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