vstars 027. Marquis of Tanstin
027. Marquis of Tanstin
Xin Lai sat back down on the sofa, sinking into the soft cushions. He crossed his legs and pointed to the desk not far away:
"I can bring you a handwritten letter. The paper and pen are in my desk drawer; write it down and give it to me."
"Really...really?"
Eve's amethyst-like eyes sparkled brightly, and she visibly perked up.
Xin Lai couldn't help but nod at his cautious demeanor.
"Yes... hurry up, I've already been delayed for a while."
For a captive canary, being able to speak a few words to its father, whom it has not seen for many years and misses day and night, or even just write a letter, would be an immense blessing.
Eve walked quickly to Xinlai's desk, sat down, and took out paper and pen as instructed.
The morning light streamed through the clear glass window, casting a soft glow on her face. She sat upright at the table, holding a gold-plated fountain pen, writing carefully, word by word.
A few playful strands of hair slipped out of the bun, falling between her cheek and the desk, swaying gently in the breeze that slowly drifted in through the window.
Xinlai leaned back on the sofa, a slight smile playing on her lips, and quietly watched her.
a long time.
The envelope bore Eve's unique Tanstin family magic seal. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she handed the letter to Xinlai with both hands:
"Thank you for your help..."
The way she looked was just like a junior female student standing in front of a spirited senior male student, shyly handing him a love letter.
Xinlai took the envelope, tucked it into her clothes, and left without lingering.
"I will deliver your letter to your father intact." Reaching the door, Xinlai stopped and pointed to the floor.
"But the conditions..."
Eve looked at him nervously, but she had already prepared herself mentally.
He provided resources and helped deliver messages, making Eve feel a little embarrassed...
If Xinlai really wanted to do something to her, well...
"Continue learning how to serve me, Miss Witch."
"Huh?"
After saying that, Eve, who was slightly stunned, stood there dumbfounded. Xinlai strode away from the castle and boarded the carriage.
……
……
The carriage came to a steady stop at the dungeon entrance. Xin Lai couldn't help but sigh, realizing she really had a knack for being in this dungeon, having been there twice in three days.
I hope I don't actually become a regular guest...
Following procedure, blood was dripped to open the cell door, and Xinlai quickly arrived at the place where Marquis Tanstin was imprisoned.
As a highly respected person, the area where he was imprisoned was not as dark and cramped as the one Eve had been held in; it was more like a standard hotel room.
Xinlai arrived at the door, and a soldier kindly opened the one-way observation window on the door for him.
A man was sitting on the clean, white single wooden bed inside.
His eyes were a deep, melancholic dark green; his skin was a tan, a dry, peeling yellow from years of exposure to the winds and sands of the border region. His once-neat buzz cut was now somewhat disheveled, as if he had just woken up, yet it also carried a deep weariness and exhaustion…
And a faint, suppressed hatred.
He was wearing only a thin undershirt, and it looked as if he had just taken off his armor and was then put in shackles and escorted to the capital.
"Eve's eyes are purple, but her father's are green..."
A flicker of doubt crossed Xinlai's mind, "Did she inherit it from her mother?"
squeak-
The old prison door was pushed open, stirring up the long-accumulated dust on the ground and raising a thin layer of dust mist.
Light streamed in from behind Sinley, faintly illuminating a corner of the wooden bed frame and half of Marquis Tanstin's body.
"Who...is it you?"
Marquis Tanstin didn't even look up; he recognized Sinlai's identity simply by sensing the fluctuations in magical energy.
"You can leave now. I have nothing more to say to you."
Xinlai glanced at the ground, which was covered with a jumble of shoe prints.
It seems that besides him, Simeon and Galund had already been here.
He turned and gave the soldier a look, and the soldier nodded and gently closed the cell door.
In the dimly lit cell, only two people remained.
"Does His Highness the Third Prince not want to see even a shred of light? Or are you going to use torture to force me to confess?"
Marquis Tanstin's tone was drawn out, yet it seemed to contain boundless anger. He tried his best to control his voice, but a tremor could still be heard in it.
"What do you think you can offer?" Xinlai pulled over an old wooden chair and placed it directly opposite Marquis Tanstin, then sat down.
At this moment, Marquis Tanstin's hands and feet were bound, and he could not mobilize any magic power, so he could not harm Xinlai in the slightest. Xinlai then sat even closer.
Marquis Tanstin scoffed, "Our Tanstin family has no bad reputation, what do we have to offer?"
Seeing the other party's uncooperative attitude, Xinlai knew that Simien and Galund must have been turned away before.
The Golden Radiance Royal Family imprisoned him in the dungeon simply to force him to confess to raising a witch and breaking the law, thereby stripping him of his military power and replacing him with someone they could control to inherit the Tanstin family.
After all, whoever commands 50,000 heavily armored cavalry on the border carries more weight in their words.
Marquis Tanstin's attitude is now very clear: he will not relinquish military power. Who knows, if he dies, those 50,000 heavily armored cavalry might charge towards the capital.
This was actually the most reassuring result after Sinley's analysis, as it corroborated Sinley's guess: Eve was definitely the Marquis of Tansten's weakness.
"I am sorry for your family's situation."
"..."
Marquis Tanstin was taken aback by what he heard, and looked up at Xinlai.
Why is this guy trying to get close to a dying person? What does he want?
A vague yet subtle sense of crisis suddenly welled up in the Marquis of Tanstin's heart.
"Sorry? Your Golden Radiance Royal Family has almost lost its humanity for that pitiful and lowly royal power."
He stared at Xin Lai, his pupils like those of a lurking cheetah in the darkness. "And now you're here apologizing to me?"
Xinlai became interested, sat up straight, and had a soldier outside bring in a pot of tea.
"It seems Marquis Tanstin knows some inside information..."
"Why don't you tell me? As you know, I, Xinlai, have no power or influence in the royal family, and I certainly can't be on the same side as the eldest and second princes. Even if I knew something, it wouldn't make any difference."
"..."
Marquis Tansten was surprised by Sinlai's frankness, and at the same time, he was pondering the man's purpose:
Was it also to gain control of those 50,000 heavily armored cavalry? Or was it a desire to gain the support of the remnants of the Tanstin family?
"There's no point in saying all this, Your Highness."
A barely perceptible cruelty flickered across Marquis Tanstin's face. "Enjoy the rest of your days..."
Looking at the other person's resolute expression, Xin Lai felt a ripple of doubt in her heart.
Isn't saying this just a reminder that the Tansting family will definitely rebel?
"To jeopardize the fate of the entire family because of someone else's mistake..." Xin Lai said slowly.
"Marquis Tanstin, is it really worth it?"
"Hahaha……"
Marquis Tanstin seemed to have heard a very funny joke, and inexplicably threw his head back and burst into laughter. The throbbing of his Adam's apple and the echoing laughter in the cell made Xinlai feel that the man in front of her had gone mad...
Splash, splash.
The chains rattled violently, and Xin Lai's pupils constricted sharply as she was thrown backward.
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out, and Xinlai took two steps back in surprise and doubt, frowning as she stared intently at Marquis Tanstin.
However, the latter was not attacking Xinlai, but instead leaned his head in front of where Xinlai had just been, seemingly wanting to make eye contact with Xinlai at close range.
"Then what do I have left?!"
"The lady has disappeared without a trace, her daughter was beheaded in the street, and even most of the family's close associates have scattered or joined collateral branches..."
"What do I have left?!"
The spittle flying everywhere made Xinlai involuntarily take a few steps back, looking at Marquis Tanstin with a complicated expression.
"Why don't I take a gamble? If I win, I win; if I lose, I can at least drag those ungrateful wretches from the collateral branches down to hell with me!"
"Shut up!" Before Xinlai could stop Marquis Tanstin from uttering such treasonous words, the man's hysterical roar alerted the soldiers outside the door.
With a "bang," the prison door was flung open, and a large group of fully armored soldiers wielding long spears rushed in, surrounding Marquis Tanstin.
"Look at me... how am I any different from a stray dog? I only barked a couple of times, and several of my owner's vicious dogs pounced on me..."
"What are you saying?! You are no longer the Marquis of Tanstin! You are now just a prisoner about to be executed!"
The soldier standing nearby roared in fury.
Xinlai raised her hand to stop the group of soldiers, gesturing for them to leave.
"Prince, he has uttered arrogant words and should be executed on the spot..."
"I know what I'm doing."
Looking into Xinlai's cold gaze, the soldier shut his mouth.
The remaining soldiers looked at each other, but dared not disobey Xinlai's orders, so they could only walk outside in anger.
Xinlai watched everyone leave and then personally closed the cell door.
"Hahaha... That's just how it is... Come on, kill me! Kill me and you will..."
"no problem."
Sinley interrupted Marquis Tanstin and placed her left hand on the hilt of her sword.
"I'll make sure you die a quick and painless death."
Eve was indeed the Marquis of Tansteen's biological daughter; her suicidal expression was exactly like that of a child.
"But before that..."
After saying this, Xinlai took out the letter written by Eve herself from her bosom and deliberately placed the seal, which symbolized the Tansting family, in the only place between the two of them that was illuminated by light.
"How about we take a look at this first?"
"How about I send you on your way after you've finished reading?"