Chapter 230 – Warning (4) Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan Ishakan released his grip. Cerdina crashed to the floor. Her whole body was trembling with fear, but her lips were pressed so tight together, it was as if they had been sewn shut. “I have given your son a present.” “......!” Cerdina’s head snapped up in terror. “Next time it won’t end with a warning,” Ishakan whispered, looking down at her. “Make no mistake, Queen Mother.” That was all. The King of Barbarians vanished as quietly as he had come, and Cerdina lay motionless for a long time, gathering herself. Then she rose to her feet and ran from the room, dressed only in her fine nightgown. The second she reached the corridor, she froze as rigid as a stone statue, covering her mouth with her hand. Tomaris had always roamed freely through the royal palace under her rule. They posed as servants and wreaked havoc on the order of the palace. But now, her blood brethren were cold corpses. Their bodies were so damaged, it looked as if they had been torn apart by a beast. “...Blain,” she said weakly, looking at the catastrophe. She didn’t even stop for shoes. Racing barefoot through the main palace, the servants started at the sight of the elegant Queen Mother running desperately, and Cerdina waved a hand to send them scattering away, their eyes unfocused. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 Crossing the long corridor, she reached Blain’s room. The foul reek of blood seeped beneath the closed door. She was trembling as she pushed it open. It was even worse than what she had seen in her own palace. The dark room was a horror, with dozens of decapitated heads scattered across the floor. Most of them belonged to men with short hair, but the sight of long golden hair caught her attention... The neck was so torn, it looked as if someone had ripped it from her body with their hands. Blood-soaked blonde hair fanned out over the floor, and the beautiful face was so mutilated that it was almost unrecognizable, but Cerdina knew who it was. Lady Mirael. The twisted expression on her mutilated face betrayed the agony of her death. Cerdina’s breath came heavily as she turned to look at the foot of the bed, where Blain was standing. “...Mother.” Like a madwoman, she ran to him, almost stumbling over the heads of the floor to throw her arms around him and embrace her beloved son. He was unharmed. He didn’t have a single scratch on him. Faint with relief, she caressed his face, but Blain pulled away from her hand coldly. “What have you done?” “.......” Blain grabbed her by the front of her nightgown. “What the hell have you done!?” She said nothing, and he shook her impotently. The moon was unusually bright that night, glowing through the windows and lighting on the many heads of the dead. *** Leah couldn’t sleep. Her mind was too full, with too many things to think. For a long time, she tossed and turned in bed until she finally gave up. Maybe it was because Ishakan was gone. When she was with him, she hadn’t been thinking of the reality of her situation. Though she had decided to flee, it wasn’t so easy to break her attachment to Estia. Leah was looking back. What happened to the knights and the ladies-in-waiting...? It didn’t seem that they had been killed, but she had no idea what had happened to them. And even worse, Blain had suddenly resurfaced in her mind. While she was with Ishakan, she didn’t care about him at all. But as soon as Ishakan was gone, Blain invaded her mind. Reason made her reproach herself for what she had done. It wasn’t too late. There was still time to make amends and rectify her mistakes. Leah wandered the room, trying to push these intrusive thoughts from her mind. “......!” Suddenly, someone caught her from behind in an embrace, startling her. But the warmth she felt calmed her immediately. “Ishakan.” She turned around to see his golden eyes, his pupils wide and dilated. Her own eyes widened as she whispered, “...you smell like blood.” He just hugged her, as if he were pretending not to have heard her. “Are you hurt?” She asked, pushing him back. “Never,” he said with a smile. “You’re the only one who asked if I’m hurt.” There was no point in asking this man what he had been doing to come back reeking of blood. She had heard before that the nature of Kurkans was savage, like beasts. To them, it was completely normal to inflict bloody harm and take lives. But she didn’t think he would have blood on his hands for no reason. Leah wondered who he might have killed, and why. “Just...” Ishakan began slowly, and smiled mischievously. “I taught some bad people a lesson.”