Episode-754
Chapter : 1507
The ride was short but disorienting. Lloyd felt the carriage turn, climb, and descend. When the door finally opened, he wasn't at the main palace. He was at a secluded villa on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by high walls and dense gardens. The Summer Palace. Or, as the rumors called it, the Prince's Playpen.
He was marched into a dining hall. It was elegant, minimalist, and cold. A long table of black marble sat in the center.
Prince Cassius sat at the head of the table. He was wearing casual robes of silk, peeling a grape with a small silver knife.
Standing behind him were two figures. They weren't guards. They wore robes of grey wool, their heads shaved, their eyes milky white and vacant.
Lloyd’s stomach tightened. Telepaths. The Obsidian Eye's specialized interrogators. Mind-readers.
"Doctor Zayn," Cassius said, not looking up from his grape. "So kind of you to join me."
"It was hard to refuse," Lloyd said, bowing. "Your messengers were very... persuasive."
"Sit," Cassius pointed to the chair opposite him.
Lloyd sat. The chair was uncomfortable. The table was empty except for a single plate in front of him.
"You have been spending a lot of time with my sister," Cassius said softly. "And my father."
"I am treating them," Lloyd said.
"You are changing them," Cassius corrected. He looked up. His eyes were dead sharks again. "My father is signing warrants. My sister is reading ledgers. They are becoming... active."
"Health brings energy," Lloyd shrugged.
"Energy can be misdirected," Cassius said. "I like peace, Doctor. I like quiet. You are noisy."
He gestured to the grey-robed figures.
"These are my friends," Cassius said. "They are very good listeners. They don't listen to words. They listen to thoughts."
Lloyd felt a sudden pressure against his skull. It felt like cold, wet fingers trying to pry open his brain.
It was a mental attack. A scan. They were looking for deception. They were looking for secrets.
If they found Lloyd Ferrum in there... if they found the Major General... he was dead.
Lloyd reacted instantly. He didn't panic. He activated his [Black Ring Eyes]. But he didn't manifest the rings externally. He turned the power inward.
He created a "Seal of Mental Privacy."
He visualized a vault door slamming shut around his true self, his memories, his plans. But a blank mind is suspicious. A mind that reflects nothing is a shield. So, on top of the vault, he built a stage.
He projected a layer of surface thoughts. Shallow, loud, and perfectly crafted for the audience.
Greed. Ambition. Fear. Money.
He filled his surface mind with images of gold coins. Of wanting a bigger clinic. Of thinking the Prince was a terrifying but rich opportunity. He thought about how much he hated the cheap wine at the inn. He thought about how he wanted to buy a silk coat.
The pressure intensified. The telepaths pushed harder.
"Tell me, Doctor," Cassius said, watching him closely. "Who are you really? Who sent you?"
"I sent myself!" Lloyd cried out, letting a sheen of sweat appear on his forehead. "I am Zayn! From Rizvan! I came because Saber is where the gold is!"
Gold. Gold. Power. Don't kill me. Pay me. The thoughts screamed in his head, loud enough for the telepaths to hear.
The telepaths frowned. One of them leaned forward and whispered to Cassius.
"He is... shallow, Highness. Simple. He fears you. He wants wealth. His mind is... noisy with greed."
Cassius raised an eyebrow. He looked disappointed.
"Just greed?" Cassius asked. "No spies? No revolutionary plots?"
"I am a doctor!" Lloyd stammered. "I heal people who pay me! The King pays well! You... you have soldiers! I don't want trouble! I just want to retire to a villa by the sea!"
Cassius studied him. He looked for the crack. He looked for the lie.
But Lloyd held the Seal tight. The Major General sat in the dark vault, silent and cold, while the greedy Doctor Zayn danced on the stage above.
"Money," Cassius muttered. "How... pedestrian."
He popped the grape into his mouth.
"I expected more," Cassius sighed. "A Zakarian spy, perhaps. Or an assassin. But a greedy peasant? That is almost boring."
"Boring is safe!" Lloyd yelped. "I like safe! And rich!"
Cassius smiled. It was the smile of a man who just realized he held the leash.
"Well then, Doctor," Cassius said. "If it is gold you want... perhaps we can come to an arrangement."
----
Chapter : 1508
The tension in the room shifted. The telepaths stepped back, their mental probing receding like a low tide. They had tasted the water and found it shallow. Lloyd allowed his shoulders to slump, exhaling a breath of shaky relief that was only half-acted.
"An arrangement?" Lloyd asked, his voice greedy and hopeful. "What sort of arrangement?"
Cassius snapped his fingers. A servant appeared from the shadows, placing a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table. The wine was deep red, almost black.
"You have been treating my father," Cassius said, pouring the wine. "You say he is improving."
"He is alert," Lloyd said. "Less... foggy."
"Yes," Cassius said, swirling his glass. "That is a problem. My father is old. His mind is fragile. Clarity... confuses him. It makes him agitated. It makes him make poor decisions."
He pushed a glass toward Lloyd.
"I need him calm," Cassius said. "I need him happy. I need him... rested."
"Rested," Lloyd repeated.
"Permanently rested?" Lloyd asked, testing the waters.
"No," Cassius said. "Not dead. Dead kings become martyrs. Dead kings require funerals and successions and chaos. I like him alive. I just need him... quiet. Docile. Pliable."
He reached into his robe and pulled out a small crystal vial. It contained a clear, viscous liquid.
"My alchemists make this," Cassius said. "It is a sedative. Very potent. Very hard to detect. It mimics the symptoms of senility."
He slid the vial across the black marble table. It stopped in front of Lloyd.
"I want you to mix this into his tonic," Cassius said. "Just a drop a day. It will keep the fog rolling in. It will keep him happy in his chair."
Lloyd looked at the vial. This was the poison. This was the proof.
He looked up at Cassius. He let a look of calculation cross his face.
"This is... risky," Lloyd said. "If I am caught..."
"You have the Royal Warrant," Cassius pointed out. "You are above suspicion. Besides, who would check? You are the doctor."
"It goes against the oath," Lloyd muttered, rubbing his chin.
"The oath doesn't pay for villas by the sea," Cassius said softly.
He pulled out a heavy purse. He dropped it on the table. The sound of gold clinking against stone was heavy and distinct.
"Five hundred gold coins," Cassius said. "Now. And another five hundred every month you keep him quiet."
Lloyd stared at the bag. He licked his lips.
"And the Princess?" Lloyd asked. "She is... waking up too."
"Seraphina is a child playing at politics," Cassius sneered. "Treat her headaches. Keep her distracted. If she gets too troublesome... we will up her dosage too. But for now, focus on the King."
"Five hundred a month," Lloyd whispered.
He reached out. His hand hovered over the vial.
Inside his mind, the Major General analyzed the situation. Taking the job solidified his cover. It made him an asset to Cassius, not a threat. It gave him unrestricted access to the King. And, crucially, it gave him control over the poison. He could swap it. He could neutralize it. He could act as the filter.
If he refused, Cassius would kill him right here. Lloyd knows that this guy won’t abe ble to kill him. But Altamira’s heavyweights are powerful, so he can’t fight with them currently.
Lloyd grabbed the vial.
"You have a deal, Highness," Lloyd said, grinning like a shark. "The King will sleep like a baby."
Cassius smiled. It was a look of pure contempt. He despised Lloyd for taking the bribe, but he trusted him because of it. In Cassius’s world, everyone had a price. A man with a price was a man he could control.
"Excellent," Cassius said. But before Lloyd could pull his hand back, Cassius grabbed his wrist. A pulse of cold, purple mana shot from the Prince's hand into Lloyd's arm. It stung like a scorpion sting.
"What... what was that?" Lloyd stammered, pulling back and rubbing his arm.
"Take the gold," Cassius said coolly. "But know this: I have placed a Trace on you. If you leave the city, or if the King wakes up, it triggers. You work for me now because your life depends on it."
"A... insurance policy?" Lloyd swallowed hard.
"A leash," Cassius corrected.
He stood up. "Finish your wine. The carriage will take you back. And Doctor...?"
"Yes?"
"If he wakes up too much," Cassius said, his voice dropping to a whisper, "if he causes me trouble... I will know it was you. And the telepaths won't be so gentle next time."