CHAPTER 202: 202- ROYAL COURT

Qin Hai stormed out of his chamber, his expression thunderous.

The aura around him was suffocating, so much so that his attendants trailed behind with trembling steps.

"Summon my closest confidants. We’re going to the royal court," he snapped.

One of his female attendants, gathering what little courage she had, whispered, "Your Highness... it’s not a good idea to appear so suddenly before His Majesty—"

SLAP!

Her head snapped to the side, her cheek burning red.

"My sister is in the hands of the demons," Qin Hai growled, his voice tight, trembling as though on the verge of breaking. "Do you understand that? The Third Princess kidnapped by the Fang Family. And you dare tell me to sit still?"

The sheer conviction in his voice would have convinced any outsider of his sincerity.

None would ever suspect that the very girl he wept for was locked away beneath his own estate.

His attendants swallowed hard and fell silent, unable to meet his eyes.

Qin Hai straightened his robes, forcing a mask of composure over his simmering rage.

Qin Hai’s gaze snapped back to the trembling attendant. His voice was cold, clipped.

"And summon Teacher Ian. Tell him to meet me at the palace gates."

He didn’t wait for her reply. With a sharp turn of his heel, he stormed out, the heavy rustle of his robes echoing through the corridor.

A handful of guards fell into step behind him, their armor clattering softly as they followed their prince into the storm.

The Royal Court.

Inside the vast hall, the king of the empire sat upon his throne, speaking with envoys from the neighboring Azure Phoenix Kingdom.

The atmosphere was one of tense diplomacy, courtiers and ministers seated in orderly rows, watching every word with wary eyes.

Suddenly, the grand doors were thrown open with a boom.

The Crown Prince barged in, his robe sleeves fluttering, his face pale with fury.

His confidants trailed close behind, their presence alone enough to stir alarm in the chamber.

"Qin Hai!?" Several ministers rose in shock. "Have you no decorum? His Majesty is in the middle of—"

"Enough!" Qin Hai’s voice cracked like a whip, echoing through the hall.

His eyes burned with righteous indignation, though only he knew the rot festering behind it.

He strode to the center of the court, dropping to one knee, his fist slamming against the floor.

"Father! Disaster has struck!" Qin Hai’s voice broke through the solemn court, trembling with a raw, desperate urgency. "The Fang Clan has gone out of control! I fear... I fear my sister has already been sacrificed to their wicked rites!"

Gasps swept through the court like wildfire.

Ministers shot to their feet in outrage, some whispering furiously, while the envoys from the Azure Phoenix Kingdom exchanged wary, calculating glances, political instability was always opportunity.

On the throne, the king’s aged, majestic face darkened.

His sharp eyes narrowed, piercing into his son. "What nonsense is this, Qin Hai?"

The crown prince raised his head. His eyes glistened as though on the verge of tears, his entire body taut with rage and grief.

He clenched his jaw so tightly that the veins in his temple bulged, the very image of a man on the edge.

"It has already been months, Father!" His voice cracked, echoing across the vast chamber.

"Months—and still no search, no justice, no answers! How long must we sit idle while my sister, your daughter, is in the clutches of that treacherous clan? Do you not care for your own child!?"

He slammed his fist against the floor, bowing low but his words rising like thunder.

"Just give the word, Father! One order, just one and I will march to the Fang estate myself. I will cleanse that nest of vipers from the surface of the kingdom!"

The king’s expression did not change, though the tension in the air thickened like storm clouds.

His fingers drummed once against the armrest of his throne before he leaned forward, his voice calm yet heavy with authority.

"Qin Hai," the king said, slow and measured, "you stand here, before foreign envoys, and dare to accuse one of the great clans of the empire without proof? Do you not realize the weight of your words?"

The court grew still. Ministers who had been stirred moments before now hesitated, their eyes darting between the crown prince and the throne.

Qin Hai’s face twisted with anguish, and he dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the cold floor.

"Father, I have no reason to speak false! If you will not believe me, then send your own men, search the Fang estate, search their lands! If I am wrong, punish me as you see fit. But if I am right, and we wait any longer, then we will have lost my sister forever!"

The king’s gaze sharpened. His silence was longer this time, deliberate.

He could not simply dismiss Qin Hai before the Azure Phoenix envoys, it would look like negligence.

But nor could he recklessly strike at the Fang Clan, whose current strength was unmatched in Coldwind City.

Finally, the king exhaled, his voice ringing clear. "This matter will be investigated. Until then, Qin Hai, you will restrain yourself. Do not act without my command."

His tone brooked no argument.

The crown prince bowed deeper, hiding the triumphant flicker in his eyes. "Yes, Father."

The king’s gaze lingered on him for a long, measuring moment before he turned back to the envoys.

His voice smoothed into formal courtesy, as though Qin Hai’s intrusion had been nothing more than a passing draft.

"My apologies for the interruption. Matters of family can sometimes... spill into the court. Let us return to the business at hand."

The envoy leader, an older man with calm, hawk-like eyes, smiled faintly and dipped his hands in a polite salute.

"Your Majesty need not apologize. Even the loftiest palaces are not free of family strife. We understand."

The king gave a faint nod, but his gaze lingered on the envoys, gauging their reaction carefully.