Imperial Throne

Chapter 138: Prey and Hunter

Hurried footsteps echoed swiftly through the corridor.

In the next moment, the door was suddenly flung open.

Annie, who was working in the administrative hall, looked toward Joshua who had barged in, and her expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

Joshua swept his gaze across the people in the administrative hall.

Including Akar and Shunes, there were five individuals in total.

Among them, Akar and Shunes stood at the front, while the other three Bloodline Knights were positioned slightly behind. However, with Joshua's abrupt intrusion, everyone couldn't help but turn their heads toward him.

"Get out!" Joshua swept a glance at Akar and the three Bloodline Knights, then shouted in a deep voice.

But no one moved.

Shunes turned his head to look at Annie.

This action made Joshua’s face grow even darker.

"Everyone, leave," Annie said softly.

Only then did Shunes, Akar, and the others turn and leave one by one.

Joshua stared coldly at everyone until they had all exited the room. Still, he walked outside the door and loudly drove everyone further away. However, Joshua’s authority was clearly insufficient to command Akar and the others. Only after Annie spoke once again did Akar lead the others away from the floor where the administrative hall was located.

"What is wrong with you?" Annie retracted the look of disgust in her eyes and merely wore a displeased expression as she looked at Joshua. "Do you realize we were just discussing the matter of Ruby Village? That Third-Tier Magical Beast..."

"That's exactly why I'm here!" Joshua interrupted Annie.

"What do you mean?" Annie frowned slightly.

"Do you know Ion—Akar's father, Ion Soderbell?"

After seeing Annie nod in acknowledgment, Joshua continued, "He captured someone from Ruby Village and is now holding them in the dungeon. Did you know that?"

A strange feeling rose in Annie’s heart.

She stared at Joshua for a long moment before slowly speaking. "I didn’t know. Is that true?"

"Yes!" Joshua replied, visibly agitated. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

Annie knew Joshua’s temperament well. She understood how to coax more information out of him, so she got up and stepped outside the door. After confirming no one else was around, she returned and asked, "How did you find out?"

"I noticed that the kitchen's food supplies had been consumed rather oddly lately, and the frequency of procurement was higher than usual. Then, I observed some strange behavior from a few maids and male servants. At first, I thought they were just trying to steal something, so I quietly followed them. But I discovered they were delivering meals to the dungeon," Joshua said in a low voice. "After that, I saw Ion and his two sons show up as well. Once they left, I checked the dungeon."

Annie’s expression changed slightly. "And what did you find?"

"That prisoner was someone they captured from Ruby Village. This is connected to a secret of the Bourbon Family!" Joshua said rapidly. "The entire Soderbell family has been after the Bourbon Family’s hidden vault from the start! That’s why they arranged so many Bloodline Users around you. In truth, they’ve already sidelined both you and me. The entire City Lord's Manor is now filled with members of the Soderbell Family!"

Annie’s face quickly turned pale, full of panic. "That’s impossible! Akar wouldn’t deceive me, and... and Shunes..."

"Shunes has definitely been bought off too," Joshua said gravely. "We must send for reinforcements immediately, or else we’ll likely end up dead. Annie, maybe Akar saved you in the past, and I know you’re someone who truly values gratitude, but people can change! You may never have witnessed siblings turning on each other for profit, but I’ve heard of it too many times. If Monica weren’t so outstanding, even our generation would probably have to face such situations."

Annie knew Joshua wasn’t particularly intelligent or cunning, but she hadn’t expected him to hint at “Burton” at such a moment. This made Annie suspect that perhaps Joshua not explicitly mentioning Burton’s name was one of his rare moments of high intelligence.

"Let’s go to the dungeon and see for ourselves."

"Alright!" Joshua said, visibly excited.

Soon after, the two of them swiftly left the administrative hall and headed downstairs.

Waiting below were Shunes, Akar, and the others. When they saw Annie and Joshua coming down together, they instinctively followed, but Annie waved them off.

"Joshua needs to speak with me. We’re just going for a walk nearby. The report on Ruby Village can wait until tomorrow. Everyone should rest for today."

Akar and Shunes exchanged looks, but said nothing and quickly left after replying in unison.

Annie and Joshua then headed directly toward the dungeon.

On the way, Joshua checked the surroundings and behind them several times to avoid being noticed by Ion and the others.

"You didn’t have to go that far," Annie said to Joshua once they reached the dungeon.

"No." Joshua shook his head, his expression serious and solemn. "The Soderbell Family finally got such a good chance to rise; there's no way they'll let it slip easily. Yam has already married Lily Bole in the White Mountain Territory, and they’ve taken over that land. So I have every reason to believe Akar and Ion will definitely try to kill us and seize Gem Territory."

Annie did not speak, but her expression also turned quite grim.

Soon, under Joshua’s lead, Annie arrived before the cell where Raven was being held.

"This is my wife, also the Lord of Gem Territory, Annie Billy," Joshua said. "Tell her what you told me earlier. We can guarantee your safety!"

Raven glanced at Annie, who stood beside Joshua with a stern face.

He had heard of Annie’s good reputation before, knowing that the current lord of Gem Territory was a genuine beauty. Only now, seeing her in person, did Raven realize the rumors had not been exaggerated. Annie Billy was indeed the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Thus, Raven quickly recounted the story he had told Joshua earlier. And because of the details Joshua had inadvertently let slip, Raven’s current version was more polished, and its authenticity, logic, and completeness were all clearly stronger than before.

Annie listened quietly to Raven’s account, but her brows furrowed tightly. "If what you’re saying is true, and you already told Ion about the treasure, and they’ve already found it, why would they keep you alive? Wouldn’t it make more sense to kill you?"

Joshua was slightly stunned but quickly came to his senses. He turned his head to look at Raven. "You dare lie to me?"

"No, I didn’t!" Raven was a bit surprised at how sharp Annie was, and that she hadn’t been blinded by the mention of the Bourbon Family’s secret vault. "I’m telling the truth! The Soderbell Family is absolutely after the Bourbon Family’s treasure!"

"Then why didn’t they kill you?" Annie asked again.

"Because... because I know the whereabouts of Ion’s eldest grandson!" Realizing Annie was not as easy to fool as Joshua, Raven quickly spoke. "Yam is not Ion’s eldest son. His eldest is named Arsen, and he has a thirteen-year-old son named Achis! I know where he is. Ion spared me just to learn his grandson’s whereabouts."

"This Achis you mentioned, where is he?" Annie asked again.

This time, Raven did not answer immediately and hesitated as he looked at Annie.

"Annie?" Joshua glanced at her. "Is this really important to us?"

"It is," Annie nodded, then turned to Joshua. "Isn’t Ion’s family very concerned about this grandson’s whereabouts? If they’re trying to seize control of Gem Territory as you said, then we need to secure that child ourselves. That way, we’ll have more options—unless Ion is willing to give him up."

Hearing Annie’s reasoning, Joshua immediately understood her plan.

"Raven, tell me the child’s location. I’ll guarantee your safety!" Joshua turned to Raven and said, "Before Ion realizes we’ve uncovered their secret, tell me where the boy is. I’ll go retrieve him right away. Only then can we truly take the initiative."

"This..." Raven hesitated visibly.

"Do you still doubt the reputation of the Kasein Family?" Annie said slowly from the side. "Just tell us where the child is, and Joshua will go immediately. Even if Ion wants to torture you later, you’ll be able to give him partial information to avoid suffering. Isn’t that better?"

Raven was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right... The child is in Kalai Village."

"Kalai Village in the Red River Territory?" Joshua asked. Seeing Raven nod, he responded, "I’ll leave right now!"

"After retrieving the child, take him straight to Eaglehead Territory. Don’t bring him to Gem Territory," Annie added in time. "You can also bring reinforcements from Eaglehead afterward. That’s the only way we can truly bring down Ion’s family. I’ll remain in Gem Territory to cover your tracks. Now’s the perfect time—you can use the excuse of transporting a shipment to Red River Territory."

"I’ll handle it right away." Joshua nodded and left quickly.

Annie stood in front of the cell, quietly watching Raven within, then shook her head and sighed. "I still feel like you’re not telling us everything."

"I... don’t understand what you mean, Lord," Raven said, confused.

"I once had a Household Knight named Mokas. He served the Billy Family long ago," Annie suddenly began. "After my father’s death, he became my vassal. But he died later. Do you know why?"

Raven didn’t understand why Annie was bringing this up, but he shook his head. "I don’t."

"Because he thought he was clever," Annie sighed softly.

A sense of foreboding suddenly gripped Raven. "Lord, what do you mean?"

"My father actually gave you a chance," Annie shook her head slightly. "But you were too greedy. The foundation of cooperation is honesty, but you never showed any. So my father could never trust you, and naturally, couldn’t work with you."

"You..." Raven’s expression changed dramatically.

Then he looked behind Annie, and indeed saw several figures emerging.

Ion, Akar, and Yam were among them.

"Father." Annie turned slightly and nodded at Ion.

"Thank you, Annie," Ion said softly.

"You... you actually..."

Annie looked at Raven and, as if knowing what he wanted to say, began explaining, "As the Lord of Gem Territory, how could I not know what happens in my own manor? The original plan was for me to discover you. But unexpectedly, Joshua stumbled upon your existence. So I decided to play along with him and put on a little show for you."

Raven froze. "So, Joshua is the only outsider?"

"You could say that," Annie nodded. "In this manor, he’s the only one excluded. I just didn’t expect he’d be bored enough to spy on the kitchen staff. Clearly, he was getting anxious after not siding with me during the trade caravan matter. He’s feeling insecure."

"Then what about Joshua Kasein? What will you do with him?" Yam frowned. "He already knows too much."

"That’s why I sent him to transport a high-value shipment," Annie said softly. "Right now, with all the smuggling activity, many eyes are on Gem Territory. There are always bold opportunists, aren’t there?"

Hearing this, Yam and Akar immediately understood her meaning.

"Isn’t this a bit aggressive?" Yam asked. "He is still a member of the Kasein Family."

Annie was silent for a moment, then slowly replied, "It’s not like no one in the Kasein Family has ever died."

At that, the father and sons—Yam, Akar, and Ion—all fell silent. They exchanged glances and wisely chose not to pursue the topic further.

"I’ll handle it then. I can clean up the scene," Yam offered. "The White Mountain Territory was attacked before. Some remnants from that event can be used this time."

"Then I’ll go to Kalai Village," Akar said solemnly. "What about him?"

"Wait until Achis is brought back."

Raven, who now fully understood his fate, had lost all will to resist. He could no longer imagine how the Lord of Gem Territory could be allied with Ion’s family. Had he known this outcome, he never would’ve tried to play so many tricks.