Chapter 108: Augusta Castle
The corridors of Augusta Castle were always genuinely luxurious. Shining floors, walls decorated with expensive flower arrangements and artwork. Servants cleaned the castle every single day, the red carpets never showing so much as a hint of dullness, and magical lamps hung with an elegant, refined aesthetic.
Looking out any window, one would find a garden so vast it nearly matched the size of the training field where thousands of soldiers gathered every day.
In several spots, towering spires rose up, some even revealing buildings that floated freely in midair.
At the far end of a corridor, in the dining hall, mornings were always a genuinely quiet affair. But not this time, since the prince and princess had returned, filling a castle that had stayed so silent over the past month.
The table was piled with food, servants and guarding soldiers standing with eyes closed, though ready for anything. Fragrant candles filled the air, blending with the aroma of dishes prepared by a skilled chef.
The Augusta Empire, currently.
Raon Von Augusta was a man with short-cropped blond hair. Anyone looking at him would believe he was still a young man in his early twenties. But in truth, he was already nearing his late thirties.
With red eyes that showed no resemblance to either of his children, and an arrogant expression carrying a thin smirk, he gazed at his children for a moment.
Rein sat quietly, not touching a single dish on the table. Reina did the same, taking a few pieces of fruit, but refusing to touch the premium cut of meat placed right in front of her.
"Hmm... what’s this? You two aren’t going to eat?" the Emperor let out a small, cheerful laugh, looking genuinely offended, watching his children look anything but happy.
"And here I missed you both so much~ is this really how you two repay me, for raising you with all this honor and power?"
Tears welled up in his eyes, but whether it was Rein or Reina, both of them understood it was nothing more than a small performance he always put on.
Seeing neither of them respond, the Emperor let out a small sigh, wiping his face and said:
"How’s life at the academy been for you two?"
"Not bad," Reina answered, her eyes still carrying their usual weary look, though her back stayed straight, showing she was on guard.
The Emperor glanced at her, smiling and nodding. "You two enjoy it there?"
He nodded a few more times, then his gaze shifted to Rein.
"Alright, alright, good to see you two having fun after all this time. As your father, I’m genuinely touched, you know."
His smile thinned and widened slightly, but only for a moment. He crossed one leg over the other, leaning back without a shred of concern for etiquette in his chair.
"Now, eat that meat, Rein. Don’t disappoint your father."
Rein visibly flinched, his expression darkening, but he held back every trace of hatred lurking behind his gaze and raised his hand. He picked up the small knife and fork, slowly slicing into the meat and stabbing it with the fork.
The clink of metal became the only sound filling the silence. Reina watched him stiffly, seeming to want to say something, but her throat caught in place.
Rein didn’t glance up, putting the meat into his mouth, swallowing it whole without chewing, making the Emperor’s gaze sharpen.
Second after second passed, nothing happening at all. Rein stayed silent, swallowing piece after piece, his expression carefully blank. And, after roughly two minutes, his complexion turned pale.
Spurt!
He vomited a mouthful of blood, his eyes narrowing, looking dazed. His breathing turned ragged, but despite the pain he was clearly feeling, Rein stayed silent, closing his eyes, steadying his breath, and moving his fork again.
He swallowed another piece.
Cough! Cough!
He swallowed again.
Spurt!
And by that final piece, the white clothes Rein wore were already soaked entirely in fresh red blood. The soldiers and servants kept their eyes shut, saying nothing at all, not even glancing his way.
The Emperor watched him in silence, the smile fading from his face.
"No progress," he said, glancing at a servant and adding:
"Prepare more poison for him to consume. Increase the dosage."
By then, Reina looked like she could barely hold herself together. Her hands gripped her dress so tightly it tore slightly, and she nearly shouted at the Emperor, but caught Rein’s gaze, silently begging her not to.
Rein smiled at her, as if reassuring her that he was fine. But how could anyone possibly be fine, covered in blood from head to toe like that?
Reina’s hatred toward her father boiled over. She’d only just arrived today, and she was already missing the far calmer life back at the academy.
After that came Reina’s turn. Unlike Rein, Reina swallowed every piece of meat without any trouble at all. The poison had no effect on her body; she withstood it easily, staying calm all the way through, making the Emperor look at her with a wide smile, brimming with a glint of obsession.
That gaze always left Reina feeling genuinely terrified—every time her father looked at her like that, a chill ran through her body, and she never dared to meet his eyes.
"Just as expected...! Papa really does love his Reina, for working so hard."
He smiled and clapped his hands, seeming entirely unbothered even though his own behavior looked genuinely bizarre.
"Which is exactly why, prepare a lethal poison for Reina. She’s managed to hold out this long, so I think we should raise the intensity, don’t you agree, my little Reina?"
Reina’s heart pounded for a moment. She could feel the countless amount of poison that had already accumulated inside her body. So far, she’d managed to survive, not because she was strong, but simply because she’d held herself together, forcing herself not to cough up blood and the rest.
Her resistance to poison had, admittedly, improved noticeably. But that didn’t mean she could handle a lethal poison capable of killing a person outright.
Her father might already be insane—no, not "might" anymore. The current Emperor genuinely wasn’t a sane man at all.
"Yes, Papa," Reina said, with a small, forced smile.
And, just like Reina, Rein clearly didn’t accept any of this either. But both of them understood well enough, silently warning each other that they were fine, even when they clearly weren’t.
Their situation didn’t allow them any room to try saying or voicing anything at all.
The current Emperor, so widely beloved and celebrated by the public, wasn’t actually human. No, he’d genuinely been born human, but whatever now lived inside that human body was anything but humane.
And now, the most painful part of their day had arrived. A daily routine that always left Rein and Reina terrified of the Empire, yet they’d managed to survive thanks to their mother and their own support for one another.
"Let’s head down to the laboratory."
The Emperor smiled.
***