The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 66: Failed Attempts

Chapter 66: Failed Attempts

The room was large but dimly lit. The air was filled with the strong scent of burnt materials, bitter medicines, and old parchments.

Shelves on the walls held books, parchments, and scrolls, while various tools and equipment were scattered across the spacious tables. A group of researchers worked busily to prepare the ingredients for their experiment.

At the side of the room, a few other men sat slumped in their chairs, their hands and feet tightly bound with thick ropes.

Their eyes were heavy-lidded, and they appeared like people who had been working for days on end without rest.

The men looked exhausted and scared, their faces drawn and pale. They had been kidnapped and forced to translate the journal without respite, and their captors had shown them no mercy.

They had been given meagre rations of food and water, barely enough to sustain them through the long hours of labour.

In the middle of the main table was a jar filled with a transparent liquid that caught everyone’s attention.

The team leader added some final elements to the blend and merged it with the clear liquid. As the two substances combined, the colourless liquid inside the jar started to transform.

Brone stood still with his mouth curved downward and arms crossed over his broad chest. One of his feet rapped the floor as he anxiously awaited the result.

"So, how is it? Is it successful this time?" he asked, voice laced with impatience.

Kaizer did not answer. Instead, he held out his hand, gesturing for the Bargesian leader to wait.

A minute passed, and the liquid turned black.

"D*mn it! Why is this not working?" the king shouted in rage to the researchers.

"Forgive us, Your Majesty! But we’ve followed all the instructions as per the translation," the researchers’ leader pleaded.

His group stepped back, fearing Brone, who was staring at them with eyes like a hawk.

"I take that answer as unsuccessful."

The Bargesian leader pulled out his large scimitar and stepped forward to the group of researchers.

Screams of fear were heard as the group’s eyes saw the glint of light reflected from the large blade.

"No!" Kaizer shouted.

He already knew what the sturdy man was aiming for. Brone halted at the prohibition.

"They failed! They should bear the consequences," he said.

"If you keep killing them, no more researchers will be around! We have changed the group three times already. Do you want the same problem of not having translators to recur?" the king scolded him.

"Spare us, Lord Morro! We did everything as we were told to! There can’t be any mistakes!" the researcher leader defended his team. All had drawn back far from Brone, cowered with fear against the wall.

The Bargesian leader turned to Kaizer with an unsatisfied expression.

"If it’s not the researchers’ fault, then whose fault is it?" he growled.

"The pure serum is coloured in shimmering silver. I saw it myself when Adhemar III successfully created it. But all this while, we only obtained a black liquid. If all steps are correct, that means only one thing..." Kaizer’s gaze shifted to the group of tied men on the other side of the room, looking sternly at them.

"So, they had done an inaccurate translation, it seems," Brone asserted as he approached the men bound to the chairs.

"My Lord, please! We translated it as accurately as possible!" begged one of the men, trembling.

"You did a poor job! You deserve to die!" yelled the Bargesian leader, raising his weapon to strike if not for Kaizer’s intervention.

"Stop, Brone! Your anger will only worsen the situation," the king admonished.

"But they failed! Our plan is ruined! We threw a grand celebration for this purpose, and it’s all for nothing now," Brone retorted.

"If only you hadn’t killed all the professors in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened. Whose fault is it?" the king reasoned.

"Are you blaming me now? You’re the one who gave the order, remember?!" Brone sneered, his anger still simmering.

"Forget it! There’s no use in pointing fingers. It won’t change what has happened," the king interjected.

"We’ve gathered the best Ro’an language teachers from all four kingdoms. We’ve put a lot of effort into the serum development. But despite all that, the outcome is still a failure," Kaizer grunted in frustration.

"So, now what? You don’t want to continue, do you? Listen here! If we don’t get our reward in time, we’ll no longer provide support for you!" warned Brone.

"I paid you a lot of money for your service! Wasn’t that enough?" the king raised his voice.

"Last time, we had lost all the girls for our victorious ritual in the barracks’ fire. Do you know how much that affected the morale of my army? You promised to replace them with rewards! You’re still owing us!" countered the Bargesian leader.

"Remember, you’ve just ascended the throne, and your people don’t seem to favour you much," added Brone, which sounded like a threat.

Kaizer halted his speech. Although he disliked the Bargesians’ behaviour, he recognised their army’s necessity to bolster his reign as the new King of Ardel.

He was aware of the formidable strength possessed by the barbarians of the south, which surpassed that of his own soldiers.

Thus, he deemed it wiser to maintain the alliance with the Bargesians rather than risk hostility by breaking ties with them.

The king took a moment to contemplate, thinking of his next moves. The development of the pure serum was crucial for his plan, and he needed to find a way to achieve his goal.

After a brief silence, he told the Bargesian leader, "You haven’t checked the available teachers in Cassian. Why don’t you go there instead?"

"The north? You want me to go there? Do you not remember our history and how much we despise each other?" Brone hissed in response.

"That history has become little more than a myth. The truth has been altered here in Ardel, and no one believes it anymore. I wouldn’t believe it, either, hadn’t you informed me about it before sending the invitations. Cassian is the only kingdom not invited to my coronation party because you don’t want to go there," Kaizer replied.

"There will be only two reasons if I want to step on their territory, that is to slaughter their arrogant king and conquer their kingdom," declared Brone, his eyes blazing with animosity.

"You’ve been defeated by them countless times since the empire’s downfall. They truly live up to their title as the ’guardians of the blessed land’," the king remarked with a smirk.

"Your Majesty, do not underestimate us! Although we are your allies, our loyalty lies with our kingdom. Never speak of them in a favourable light before us!" cautioned the Bargesian leader.

Kaizer immediately fell silent and looked away from the enraged, burly man.

"Blessed land, my foot! F*ck the last emperor and empress! My kingdom wouldn’t have become a wasteland if not for his curse. Also, that st*pid wh*re, if it weren’t for the northerners, we would’ve been able to finish her too!" sneered Brone, recalling the predicament that had fallen on his kingdom.

"You are angry because they never acknowledge your kingdom. Think about it. If our plan is successful, we could make them bow to us. Like last time, they would be desperate to save their people from Laradie and willing to do anything to gain the cure."

The king’s words drew Brone’s attention. He lifted one of his eyebrows in interest.

"Following the initial outbreak of the plague, Ardel exhibited great generosity by providing a cure for the entire continent. As a result, Cassian became more receptive and welcoming towards us and eventually established trade relationships with both Dracor and Galicia, though not formally," said Kaizer.

"It has been so long since the Great War. If you went there as Ardel’s ambassador, they wouldn’t find a cause to make trouble. Besides, they owe my kingdom a favour for the cure. Their previous king had promised to ensure the safety of all Ardelians and their representatives on his land," he suggested.

Brone took a moment to dissolve the idea into his brain.

He then looked at the king and responded, "Fine! I’ll go there and see. Give me a good official reason for my visit."

Kaizer was satisfied with his answer.

"What about these men? You know I need to vent my anger a bit. My sword hasn’t tasted blood for quite some time," he asked, eyes rolling to the researchers’ and language teachers’ group.

They were filled with fear upon hearing his question. All of them wailed and begged for mercy.

"Finished the useless teachers!"

Cries increased upon hearing his words.

"No, wait! Spare only two of them." The king suddenly changed his mind. "The rest are worthless to us, but leave the researchers unscathed. Also, ensure you get someone to clean up the mess afterwards," Kaizer ordered before leaving the room.

A grin etched on Brone’s lips as the command was given.

As soon as the king stepped out of the place, screams and shouting echoed down the halls.

"Greedy Bargesians! One day, I’ll get rid of all of you!" Kaizer muttered to himself as he walked away from the place with a face full of hatred.

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