The Mad King's Heir

AN: I am so sorry, I am not feeling well, so we will have one Chapter today as well. I hope tomorrow, I will be more energetic. So sorry for the typos in the previous Chapter. It’s been edited.

Li Jun felt a wide range of emotions swirling in his chest. He felt anxious, sad, and angry at the same time. He thought Helion had learnt their lesson after years of being put in their place. The conflict with Helion was older than his great-grandfather.

They shouldn’t have been left alone for years. Helion used to be a part of Aurelia, but they fought hard to gain their independence. They even threatened to attack the imperial capital if they weren’t granted freedom. Aurelia didn’t fight them on this. Since Helion’s citizens were happy with this decision, Aurelia signed an agreement with Helion.

That day, Helion was celebrating with fireworks and dances in the streets. This was what they had longed for, for years, and they finally got it. In the first few weeks, they expelled anyone who wasn’t native to Helion.

Even if they were born and raised there, they were expelled. For two years, Helion seemed to be thriving without the rest of Aurelia. But things were changing in the background. It turns out that Helion’s citizens had been manipulated by their new king, Cy. He tore off his mask and revealed the true beast he had kept hidden for years.

He was ruthless and tyrannical to his people. He enslaved them and forced them to extract all the resources from their two planets. For decades, Aurelia thought Helion was not a threat. It was no longer their business. But they were wrong.

How could they live peacefully with their neighbor if they were doing poorly and the other was prosperous? Having extracted all of their resources, King Cy turned to Aurelia’s territories. They launched full-blown attacks, and Aurelia responded in kind.

Aurelia didn’t hold back. They gave back twice what they received. Helion’s army was decimated and would take decades for them to recover. Aurelia thought that this was the end, but it was only the start of a conflict.

Helion turned to other antagonistic means. They planned all sorts of attacks throughout the years and stole resources where they could. Aurelia would always respond, and they would back off for a while. They maintained these patterns for generations. That was until Helion launched a full-scale war.

They had taken advantage of the weak imperial power at the time. The Imperial King was debauched, spending most of his time with his concubines, drinking, and taking Chronos. Because he had so many wives, it meant he had so many heirs who were fighting, and killing each other for the throne.

They were all too busy infighting that they didn’t see Helion coming. It was only Li Mingze who took the threats seriously. There was too much corruption; the treasury was being sucked dry, and Chronos had infiltrated the imperial city.

Li Mingze couldn’t rely on his father or the imperial council. He had to form alliances with the likes of Red Valkyrie and Blue Sapphire. Red Valkyrie was loyal to Aurelia, and even without him asking, they would participate in the war. Blue Sapphire, however, was an underground organization with sketchy businesses.

He had to offer them something big for them to fight alongside him. His advisors thought this was a bad idea and that the Imperial Prince shouldn’t associate himself with such a criminal entity. This would only bite him in the ass in the future. His rivals could use this against him.

But Li Mingze met up with Draco and Damian and struck a deal.

The war with Helion took a drastic turn when players like Draco and Yu Hu joined the fight. Helion was defeated, and this time, they would never recover. Li Mingze made sure of that.

Ever since then, Helion had taken a step back. They hadn’t planned any major attacks, only minor ones on occasion. It seemed they had just been lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, but how the hell did they know he was still alive?

No one apart from the people in his inner circle knew. He was certain that Yu Wen and Lu Anu wouldn’t say anything, so how did they know? Li Jun wanted to find out, but that wasn’t important right now. The attackers failed to complete their mission, and they would surely try again.

His best bet was to go back and join his grandfather. That way, no bystanders would be hurt. What Li Jun didn’t know was that Helion had a trump card. Someone who knew a lot more about both of them than they knew about themselves. This so-called fake seer knew that Li Jun was alive, but he didn’t know where to find him.

Fully aware of how Li Jun and Yu Wen were connected with each other, he tracked Yu Wen’s movements. It was like they had a red string tying them together. All he had to do was find Yu Wen, and he would also find Li Jun. Yu Wen hadn’t thought of hiding his identity. He had no reason to, but that was a mistake.

The seer used him to find Yu Wen, but he couldn’t exactly tell which one was his target. It was only when Lu Anu was with this unfamiliar face that he authorized an attack. If only Yu Wen knew that the reason why Li Jun was found was because they followed him, he would die of guilt.

***

Thinking about how Yu Wen pulled him out of the way and protected him, Li Jun was angry. He wanted them to pay. He opened his eyes and saw that Lu Anu had left at some point. He tapped his phone and called his grandfather.

Draco picked up his gaze cold. His usual playful aura was nowhere to be seen, and his face had blood splatter on it. He looked terrifying, like a vengeful spirit out for blood. When he found out that his grandson was in trouble, he had Damian capture a high-ranking lord of Helion who always sneaked into Aurelia to have fun. Draco had let him go all these years, thinking one day he would be quite useful.

It seemed it was now his time to shine. Damian pulled the lord from his bed, startling the young men and women who were lying naked with him. When he brought the disheveled man to his father, Draco didn’t restrain himself. Damian would have preferred his father not dirty his hands, but the old man was enraged and looking for an outlet.

It didn’t take much for the man to talk. All his life, he was treated like treasure. He couldn’t withstand any hardship. After being beaten, he no longer cursed at them. He was completely subservient and ready to sing like a bird.

Draco knew he could get information out of this idiot, but what he didn’t expect was to get an even bigger revelation. He found out that the reason Helion hadn’t made any major moves was because of the person known as the seer.

This seer was kept in the imperial palace, and only a few had seen his face. Draco found out that this seer had been operating in the background. The idiot didn’t know what the plan was, but the reason why there was such a public assassination attempt meant something was wrong.

He couldn’t give the exact details, but Draco now knew enough. He had always thought everything that happened in Aurelia over the decades had to have a hand pulling the strings in the shadows. The way Li Mingze lost his mind was always suspicious to him. He had been a perfect imperial king for decades, that was until he suddenly descended into madness.

He had to find this so-called seer and kill them. Whoever they were, they had made it fucking personal. For now, he could only bring Li Jun to his side. He didn’t trust anyone to protect his grandson but himself. Thus, the first thing he said was, "Come home."

When Li Jun heard the heartbreak in his grandfather’s voice, he immediately agreed. This was, after all, the best solution. "I will leave first thing when I am cleared," he replied.

Draco heaved a sigh and asked, "Are you seriously hurt?" His men had reported that he only had small injuries and that he had passed out.

Li Jun looked down at his hand that had a scratch that was already scabbed over and replied, "I am not hurt." When the call ended, he left the medical bay. He found that he was on Red Valkyrie’s warship. There were no bodyguards, just Lu Anu, who was in the other office talking to a doctor.

He walked down the hallway, looking around. He was looking for Yu Wen, and soon enough, he found him. Yu Wen was in a medical capsule, his eyes closed, looking so peaceful. If it weren’t for the beeping machine, Li Jun would have thought he was dead. His muscles tensed as a sharp pain tore at his chest.

Yu Wen didn’t have to do it. He didn’t have to sacrifice himself for him. He felt so guilty looking at him like this. The guilt was tearing at his soul. It was unbearable.

Outside, Lu Anu came out of the office. Just when she was going to enter the room, she saw Li Jun standing there. She smiled slightly and silently turned to walk away.

She didn’t want to disturb the two lovebirds, so she led the doctor away after giving him a warning glare.