The Mad King's Heir

Of course, Yu Wen knew what that meant. It meant that Li Jun had colluded with Helion to commit such a treasonous act. On paper, this was a cut-and-dry case. But he could see what others couldn’t. Li Jun was not stupid. Even if he wanted to murder the Imperial Queen of Aurelia, he wouldn’t use a drug especially connected to Helion.

Not only that, but he had other methods to poison her without it leading back to him. He had the entirety of Blue Sapphire at his disposal, so what would be the point of him doing it himself? "Even if this was his doing, what could be his motive? His Highness has given up the crown willingly and supported your ascent."

Unfazed by his line of questioning, she said, "General, how would I know? I married his father when he was still so young. I raised him like my own son and yet..." her eyes were watery like she was on the verge of tears. "Please ask him for me, and while you are at it, ask him what happened to your father. General, this might be your last chance."

After saying that, she raised her hand, and Marcia bowed before pushing her out of the room. Yu Wen clenched his jaw, restraining the storm stirred inside of him. She mentioned his father for a reason. It was to remind him that Li Jun was his enemy and that they were supposed to be on the same side.

"General," Alex called out after a long, uncomfortable silence.

Yu Wen composed himself and said, "Let’s go." The two of them left the main palace and headed to the imperial prison.

In the Imperial chambers, Xiu Ying lay on the bed while asking, "Is he gone?"

Marcia bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. They are headed to the imperial prison."

Xiu Ying’s lips curled slightly. Any second now, she was expecting Draco to make his appearance. His only grandson was about to be executed. There was no way he was going to stand by and watch.

As for Yu Wen? She was sure he was going to do whatever it took to get answers from him, as this was his last chance. After all, his father’s death was his obsession. Whatever little affection they had developed, it would soon crumble to dust.

***

Li Jun had his eyes closed, the pain meds finally kicking in. Just when he was about to fall asleep, he was awakened by the cell door sliding open and the sounds of hurried footsteps echoing in the room. He didn’t bother opening his eyes as he asked, "Commander, what is it now?"

"It’s me," said a very familiar voice. Li Jun opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to look at him. He was about to ask who let you in when Luca rushed in, blood dripping down his nose, his face bruised, and his lip busted. He looked like he had run into a wall, and from the looks of it, the wall won.

Li Jun sat up, and Luca, feeling ashamed, bowed his head and said, "I tried to stop him. I will call backup."

"No need, go take care of your injuries," replied Li Jun, his gaze locked on the culprit. Luca was quite reluctant. The one request his highness had asked of him, he had failed to complete. He was ashamed and wanted to make it right.

Li Jun, seeing that he wasn’t moving, looked at him, his gaze alone an order. Luca knew there was no room for negotiation, so he bowed and left the cell. "You didn’t have to hurt him like that. He was just following orders."

"Following whose orders?" Yu Wen asked in a hoarse voice. He came all the way here in a hurry, worried half to death for this person, but Li Jun was more worried about Luca. Couldn’t he see the situation he was currently in? Why wasn’t he panicked? 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Mine. The last person who came in here picked a fight with me," he replied as he leisurely leaned back, his legs crossed.

Yu Wen felt upset seeing the bruise on Li Jun’s face, but he didn’t say anything. He looked away and said, "Comparing both your injuries, it seems you took less of a hit."

Hearing that, he realized that Li Yu hadn’t wasted any time. She had immediately gone to find him and sell misery. He let out a light laugh, but the result thereof was that he pulled at his wound. He grimaced from the pain.

Without thinking, Yu Wen took a few strides forward and pulled at Li Jun’s shirt. Li Jun didn’t have enough time to stop him. Seeing that wound pattern, Yu Wen instantly knew it was a plasma baton. No one would dare use such a thing on Li Jun, no matter how much they hated him. It could only be Li Yu’s handiwork.

Li Jun pulled down his shirt while saying, "General, you should at least buy me a drink first before taking off my clothes."

He met his gaze and said, "You still have the energy to joke around?" his voice filled with anger. He didn’t even dare use such a dangerous weapon on Li Jun, yet Li Yu struck him with no hesitation. He now thought she got off lightly. It was Li Jun who suffered, not her.

Li Jun couldn’t stand to see the look in Yu Wen’s eyes. He had intended things between them to end cleanly, but Yu Wen was making it difficult for him. It seemed he had to be harsh. That was the only way to make him leave.

"Shouldn’t you be comforting your future wife? You two should be out there living your happy ever-"

Yu Wen cut him off, saying, "What is Draco’s plan? Shouldn’t he be here already?" The chains around Li Jun’s wrists and ankles were an eyesore. He wanted to remove them for him, but he didn’t have the access codes.

Li Jun was speechless. The man was acting like he hadn’t even heard what he said at all. "Yu Wen!" he called his name angrily. His tone provocative, he continued saying, "Have you forgotten that we are enemies. Don’t you remember that I killed your father?"

Yu Wen was startled by his outburst. Their gazes met, the tension in the room suffocating. Yes, they were enemies, and he should be focused on finding out the truth about his father’s death, but something had changed.

Ever since the accident that night, he was no longer sure of himself. His heart was telling him that Li Jun had nothing to do with it. Once that seed grew roots, he had begun to doubt what he saw that day. He could tell Li Jun was saying all of this to push him away, but why?

If Li Jun thought he could dismiss him with just a few words, then he was sadly mistaken. If what they had ended that night, then he might have let him go. But it didn’t. They not only slept in each other’s arms, but they also kissed and fooled around last night. After tasting such sweetness, how could he possibly let go?