After being stopped by one of Nielle's men who informed the prince of some matter, they made their way to the palace. Shane was only mildly uneasy as Nielle led him back to the dungeons. He wasn't sure if he wanted to punish him for something else, or if he just wanted to vent some frustration cause he wasn´t able to arrest those Infeys. However, Shane had absolutely no energy or desire to be tortured by the collar around his neck.
Yet he remained silent and kept the hatred that filled him to himself. He didn't plan to talk with Nielle and he just hoped that he would make it through today without having another mental breakdown. Therefore, he was quite pleased when they didn't enter an empty cell, but instead, Nielle led him to another where the bandits were being interrogated.
The scream that reigned in the room was interrupted the moment they arrived. The man, who was currently torturing one of the guys Nielle had caught, bowed slightly and greeted:
"Your Highness."
"I have to change plans slightly," Nielle said.
"How, sir?" he asked.
"Leave one to robbery, let the other confess to murder, preferably the boss," he nodded at the guy in chains, who no longer looked as brave as when he was mugging him.
"Of course, sir," the executioner said, looking at the former bandit, who didn't even look up, "did you hear that? Are you confessing to the murder?" he asked in a way that made Shane subconsciously hesitate, what a change it was from the conversation with Nielle.
"A M-Murder?" the guy stammered.
"You committed a murder last night...you followed a couple of members of the gambling hall, and you confess to it," the executioner said the sentence he wanted to hear, as he knew all the details.
"I didn't kill...I was in this disgusting cell..." he said barely audible.
Nielle smiled gently and slowly sat down at one of the tables: "Sit down, at least you'll see what your work will be," he told Shane.
Shane sat down slowly and looked blankly at the guys in front of him, where the executioner began his interrogation. It didn't even take ten minutes for the thief to confess to a murder he didn't commit. Shane just stared in disgust at the methods he knew very well how to use but didn't see often in Lacris, then just glared at Nielle.
Nielle smiled contentedly and walked up to the executioner: "Let him keep his new opinion, convince him that he really committed it, if the king has too many questions," he said.
"Yes, Your Highness," the guy nodded, and after Nielle called Shane, he looked at the unknown Lacrisan, "who is it, sir?"
"One ill-bred Lacrisan that's fun to tame," he chuckled and looked at Shane who, despite his usual resilience, was breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought of Nielle leaving him here for the same purpose. Not that he couldn't withstand the torture or that he didn't believe in himself, but now he couldn't find the energy even for normal activities, let alone undergoing interrogations. Still he wasn´t going to show it.
"Should I take him to the clean room?" the man asked.
"No... I'll tame him myself," Nielle explained, "I want to make him the new executioner...his files haven't arrived yet, but he supposedly did all the work in Lacris, I want to see the interrogation techniques used in Lacris." he said.
"Of course," he nodded.
"What?" Shane couldn't believe it.
"There is a shortage of executioners in every country, right? I believe I'm not the first to put such things in charge of you." Nielle smiled.
"No, but..." he didn't get a chance to finish when Nielle cut him off.
"Or do you want me to let one of my executioners convince you that you were born for this job? Alternatively, do you want to sit in the cell for a while?" Nielle smiled.
Not wanting to be interrogated, tortured, or anything like that in a country known for its educational methods, Shane remained silent. The pain itself didn´t frighten him, but the idea that he would be locked up and would spend a lot of time in the dungeon, not completing his missions didn´t appeal to him.
"I'll send him tomorrow, I haven't really enjoyed him yet, so I'll keep him by my side for today," Nielle explained, not that he had to inform the executioner, but he wanted to. Since Shane was listening very well.
When they left the dungeons and Shane still didn't say anything, Nielle smiled softly. They reached the king's study, where he announced himself to a pair of guards outside the door. When they were let in, Nielle walked in accompanied by Shane. Lacrisan followed Nielle's pattern and bowed gently, without kneeling today.
"Good evening father, I am here to give you a report about the murder that happened yesterday," he said.
"Really?" the king looked up from the papers, "Did you find out who did it."
"Yes, father, the murderer is in jail, he confessed and I plan to punish him tomorrow," he clarified.
"Really?" the king raised his eyebrows and put the papers down, "How did you find him?"
"As you know, my men are capable," he pointed out.
"If they were capable, the murder wouldn't even have happened," the King said.
"If you didn't reduce the number of soldiers I was allowed to recruit, there wouldn't be streets without security at night," Nielle explained, since he also owned classic soldiers, falling under the army, in addition to his Black Guard, but with him as primary supervisor.
Nielle never used his best soldiers in the Black guard for the little things like patrolling the streets. He was leaving those tasks to the classic soldiers, which he didn't have nearly enough of thanks to his father. But they were sufficient for his own purposes. With all the people he had acquired and installed over the years, he couldn't complain, even though the king didn't know about most of them.
The king sharply put the papers on the table: "Do you know how many soldiers you have? Do you want to own the whole army?"
"I don't have many soldiers at all, Louise has a hundred times more. I know he's in charge of the army, but don't you think it's unfair to let me handle everything just like that, father?" Nielle stated, after which the king threw the papers at him in exasperation.
Nielle sometimes wondered if his father had a penchant for throwing things at others or if he just enjoyed it in his direction. But he really didn't like being his target, so he took a step back, which only irritated the king.
"One more word and I'll let Louis cut out another fifty of your soldiers!" he raised his voice.
"But father," Nielle objected.
"Hundred!" he shouted.
Nielle just nodded with a sigh, "I see...in that case that's all, if you want I can give the murderer to Louis for punishment so everyone thinks he caught him alone," he suggested almost mockingly and seeing the king hesitate, he laughed softly.
"I don't want Louis to be associated with executions, take care of it yourself, don't make Louis do everything for you," he said.
Nielle nodded and made his way out, followed by Shane, who was becoming more and more aware of how unfair this king was to his sons. He didn't understand why Nielle provoked his father at all. However, he assumed that Nielle must dislike Louis quite a bit.
That's why he was mildly surprised when Nielle stopped by Louis's chamber next. A pair of guards let him in, after which this time they stopped right at the table. Nielle sat on it and looked at his brother who was measuring Shane.
,,Do you like him? Do you want him for the night?" Nielle laughed, "I won't lend him to you, maybe when he stops entertaining me."
"Iuwine told me you were overreacting." Louis ignored his stupid remarks and finally looked at Nielle.
"Appropriate for the situation," Nielle clarified, "I didn't come here for him, I came to inform you. The king will soon tell you to have a hundred of my men cut from the army. I want you to do that with those near Alycante." he said.
"What? Why would he do that, I recently reduced the number of your soldiers." he didn´t understand.
"I know, I couldn't stand how unfair he is and I exploded," he lied, "it happened...so bee a good brother and cut the soldiers at Alycante, at least that won't hurt me." he grabbed his heart and laughed softly.
"Nonsense, I'll explain to father how overacting he is," he stood up, but Nielle stopped him.
"You won't achieve anything, he'll just annoy me with his bullshit how I can't solve problems on my own," he explained, "just do what I say, let the king be satisfied that he pissed me off again and me that I didn't really lose anything." he took out of his pocket a bag of tea that he had brought earlier.
Louis looked at the tea, "Nielle."
"It's a souvenir, not a bribe, father got one too...but I only brought one package of cinnamon-tea, so you might appreciate it," he laughed and walked out of the room.
"Don't you want to not argue with the king and get along?" Louis asked.
Nielle just looked at him and laughed out of pleasure: "Impossible...I'm not you and I don't want to be...have fun with work, I'm going to have fun with him." He nodded at Lacrisan and went out.
Nielle was quite pleased with the result. Despite sacrificing a hundred of his men, or rather not them, but their positions in the army, he knew it was for the greater good and it would be better if he did so early. In such moments, it was quite useful for him, how the king liked to undermine him and prevent him from any goal or comparison with Louis.
According to the information that arrived only a moment ago, the pair of Infeys got on the road heading for Alycante. Since he intended to catch them, he needed to have his people nearby, and since he couldn't let the king find out about the Infeys, he needed those people to be no longer part of the army. Nielle had his men everywhere, but he couldn't tell the hundred spies near Alycante, who had their positions clearly defined, to go catch the pair of guys.
The soldiers he had in the army were his reserve, which he was able to release from his dominion due to the demonization of the king and additionally add them to the territory where he currently needed them. When the mission was accomplished, he had them reassigned to other places, sometimes back to the army, sometimes elsewhere.
The only thing that irritated him was the king's paranoia and suspicion. If he let his men go on his own, it wouldn't be without question, and he clearly wasn't going to explain thins like that to someone who was watching his steps.
In any case, he wanted his men to be ready for the Infeys in Alycante, both in the city and in the surrounding area. When Louis does as the king asks, everything will be arranged.
Since last night's murder had it´s perpetrator, he had the Infeys tracking solved and nothing else to deal with right now, he could focus on more fun things...like getting to know his Lacrisan better.