"This..." Huck muttered, his brow furrowed as he took in the empty castle before him. "There can't be an ambush. We have five hundred men, and they only have a little over a hundred. If they were to defend the castle, they might put up a fight, but with the gates wide open for us to rush in, no matter what plans they have, they'd be walking straight to their doom!"
"I think we should still be cautious," Edward said, becoming unnervingly careful in the face of an unexpected situation. He gave the order, "Send a small team inside to scout. If there is an ambush, we'll be ready."
"Well, alright," Huck said, reluctantly agreeing as there seemed to be no other choice. He called for a group of soldiers and sent them into the castle to investigate.
One minute, three minutes, five minutes...
Ten minutes passed before the soldiers who had done a quick sweep of the castle returned to the gates and shook their heads. "My lord, we didn't find any enemies."
Edward narrowed his eyes, then without hesitation, waved his hand and commanded, "Enter the castle and search thoroughly!"
"Yes!" The soldiers responded immediately, swarming into the castle. They began a meticulous search, spreading out in all directions to ensure no corner was left unchecked.
Soon, more information was relayed back to Edward.
A few minutes later, after hearing a report from one of the soldiers, Edward's eyes flashed. Without a word, he strode toward the castle's main keep.
He pushed open the door to the hall, climbed the stairs swiftly, and entered the master bedroom.
Inside the bedroom, on the bed, lay a man—one who could barely move: Baron Leo.
It was clear that the past days had been hard on Leo. After Richard had learned of his secret communications with Edward, he had ceased supplying him with the antidote. Despite this, food and water continued to be provided, and attendants had been sent to care for him.
The Baron had no idea what Richard was plotting. With most of his mobility impaired by poison, he could do little but accept what came to him.
Over the past few days, Leo had spent most of his time sleeping, hoping that he could recover his strength without Richard's help. But his condition showed no signs of improvement—in fact, it was growing worse. When he suspected that Richard might have poisoned his food and drink, he awoke one day to find that the attendants were gone, and no food or drink was left before him.
A frown creased his brow as he wondered: Is Richard planning to starve me to death?
But then, he grew puzzled. If Richard truly wanted him dead, why wait until now to act? Why not have done it sooner?
As Leo was lost in thought, he saw a soldier burst into the room. The soldier stared at him for a long moment before turning and leaving. Moments later, another man entered—someone Leo hadn't seen in ten years, someone he had longed for—his first heir—Edward!
Despite the decade-long separation, Leo recognized his son immediately. With great effort, he struggled to sit up, his voice filled with excitement as he said, "Edward, my dear son, you've finally come!"
Edward, however, did not return the same warmth. Instead, his face showed confusion and suspicion as he asked, "You... you're still alive?"
"Of course, I'm still alive, my dear son," Leo smiled weakly. "If you've heard that I'm dead, it must have been your brother Richard spreading false rumors."
"Then why are you in this condition?" Edward asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"It's because of the thieves who tried to kill me, poisoning me..." Leo trailed off, his expression turning thoughtful. He glanced at Edward with a knowing smile. "I understand, Edward. I know the thieves were sent by you, but I don't blame you. I understand your feelings, my son. After being forced to leave your homeland for over ten years, I'm sure you longed to return. I truly don't blame you. But now you've come back, and your brother is gone. We can live normal lives again."
As Leo finished speaking, he offered a genuine smile, but Edward remained cold, his expression unchanging.
Seeing this, Leo's smile faltered. "What's wrong, my son? Don't you..."
"Do you know that it was I who sent the thieves to kill you?" Edward's voice cut through the air.
"I know," Leo replied, his voice calm. "I know it was your plan, to make your brother take the bait, and then..."
"In truth, I really did want to kill you," Edward said, his words cold and deliberate.
Leo's smile instantly froze. "Wh... what..."
"I said," Edward took a deep breath, his dark eyes fixed on Leo, speaking slowly and clearly, "I really wanted to kill you. Because only by killing you could I follow my plan to march against Richard, and now Richard is still alive, and you didn't die... I've made a grave mistake."
"Edward..." Leo whispered, his voice filled with shock.
But Edward ignored him, walking closer as he continued, "I did make a mistake, but fortunately, I still have one last chance to fix it."
"What do you mean?" Leo asked, a touch of desperation in his voice.
Edward reached for a pillow on the bed, and before Leo could react, he slammed it over his father's face. Leo tried to resist, but the poison had already weakened him, and Edward easily controlled him, pressing the pillow down hard.
Leo's struggles grew weaker and weaker, his body spasming violently as his face turned purple. Edward held the pillow firmly, his teeth gritted, his face twisted with anger, as he shouted, "Do you know how much I've suffered these years? Why did you force me to leave? Sure, Richard is dangerous, but why didn't you just send him away and keep me here? I am your son, your first heir!"
Leo's struggles faded as his body convulsed, and finally, all movement stopped. Edward lifted the pillow and looked down at his father's face, contorted in pain, his eyes bulging, veins filled with blood. He checked for a pulse—nothing.
"Dead?"
Edward sat down beside the bed, exhaling a long breath.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and Huck entered the room.
"What is it?" Edward turned sharply, frowning.
"Well, Edward, there are strange things being found in the nearby side keep. It seems like something your brother left behind. Perhaps you'd like to see?" Huck reported.
"Alright," Edward replied, standing and heading toward the door. Just before stepping out, he paused and turned to Huck. "That damned brother of mine, he killed my father, Leo. The body's in the bedroom. Even though I've been away for over ten years, and we weren't close, he was still my father. Have someone bury him for me."
"Understood."
"Alright, I'll go check the side keep." Edward said, and walked out of the bedroom, descending the stairs.