Three days passed.
During those three days, Kael was moved from the healers' wing to his own room. In that time, he also managed to convince Selara to remove the bandages covering his body. She refused at first, but Kael insisted until she finally agreed.
Still, he was never alone.
His mother and his fiancée, Seraphina, constantly stayed by his bed. One of them was always there—sometimes both. Guards filled the hallway leading to his room and stood watch at its entrance. The best guards in the castle had been assigned there after the incident.
Kael felt it was overprotection on his mother's part, but he did not refuse. He played along and let things proceed as she wished.
But today was different.
Today was the first day he could stand on his own and walk. Even so, two guards followed him everywhere.
"Like the good old days," he murmured as he walked through the garden.
It was around noon. Sunlight bathed the garden in warmth.
His mother and Seraphina were busy choosing clothes for him. A noble gathering would take place in the imperial capital in a month, and they had already begun selecting outfits, wanting to test them on him one by one.
Kael had no interest in any of it.
"Let's go to the dungeon. I want to meet the elf," he said, loud enough for the guards to hear.
If his mother had forbidden the meeting, the guards would have stopped him. But they said nothing. Selara had promised he could see the assassin, and since no information could be extracted from him, he might try his interrogation skills.
The guards followed a few steps behind as Kael headed toward the dungeon entrance.
Revanor Castle's dungeon lay deep underground. A long staircase led down to it, and it took nearly twenty minutes to reach the cell where the elf was held.
When the guards stationed near the cell noticed Kael, they opened the door without a word.
The cell walls were made of stone, layered with powerful spells. The door itself was forged from an extremely durable magic metal.
Unless the prisoner possessed knight-rank physical strength or a B-rank skill capable of destroying walls or doors, escape by force was impossible.
Kael entered the cell.
The guards his mother had assigned—against his wishes—attempted to follow him inside, but Kael closed the door behind him before they could step in.
They watched him through the small viewing window, but Kael blocked that from the inside as well. After that, they understood he did not want anyone entering.
Idiots, he thought.
Once every opening was sealed, Kael turned his attention to the elf.
The elf looked half-dead from interrogation. He could not move. He did not even glance at Kael upon his entrance. Chains covered his body—hands, legs, and torso all pinned to the wall, forcing him to stand.
A collar rested around his neck, most likely suppressing his mana.
Kael did not approach him immediately.
Instead, he pulled a scroll from the pouch around his waist and placed it on the ground. He opened it and poured mana into it, resting his hand atop the parchment. Strange markings glowed and expanded, covering the entire room.
Only then did the elf notice Kael.
He glanced at him once, then lowered his gaze to the floor, as if Kael did not matter.
Kael said nothing.
He walked closer, stopping half a foot away, then pulled out a green potion and forcefully fed it to the elf.
The elf's body began to glow as most of his wounds healed instantly.
This time, he looked directly at Kael—but still did not speak.
Kael stepped away and returned to the door. He sat down with his back against the wall and looked at the elf. They stared at each other in silence for half a minute.
Then Kael spoke.
"Who are you, and who sent you?" His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
The elf remained silent.
"You don't want to answer?" Kael continued. "Then I'll make you."
Still no response.
"Are you trying to gain something by staying silent," Kael said calmly, "or are you mute? …Either way, let's start searching."
He lay down on the small bed in the corner of the room and pulled out a notebook from his bag, flipping through its pages.
"Green hair and grey eyes. Green hair and grey eyes. Elf assassin…" he murmured.
Nocthyr Thalanir thought bitterly, You won't find anything about me. I was never caught. I always wore full-body coverings. No one knows my past in these lands—except him…
"Green hair, grey eyes…" Kael paused. "Ah. I think I found it."
He glanced up.
"Nocthyr Thalanir. Assassin. Green hair, grey eyes. Yes, that's you. I'm glad I wrote this down during my free time. I nearly forgot most of it."
"How do you know my name?!" Nocthyr suddenly shouted.
Kael smiled faintly. "Your name is nothing. I know much more, like about you and your master."
Nocthyr froze.
Kael continued, his voice calm yet cold. "Your employer is the elven princess Nyssara Silverbloom, correct? Why did she try to kill me? Do you know?"
"How do you know that?!" Nocthyr shouted again.
Kael ignored him.
"Do you know what would happen if my parents learned that elven royalty attempted to assassinate me?" he said casually.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Very interesting things. We might start enslaving elves again within the duchy. Four thousand captured elves were sent back to your lands this year alone—and that's only the surface of elven contraband."
His eyes hardened.
"I hate slavery. But revenge is different. If elves want me dead, I can suggest this idea to my parents. Every slave trader in the empire would rejoice. This place would become a prime market for delicate, beautiful elven slaves."
Nocthyr spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper.
"The princess was right about you."
"So you admit it was her," Kael said calmly.
"What do you want?" Nocthyr asked quietly. "I'll answer everything. Just don't tell anyone who ordered the assassination."
"Why would I agree to that?" Kael replied.
"You'll do as I say regardless. I don't need your consent."
He stood slowly and looked directly into Nocthyr's grey eyes.
"Corrupting Gaze."
Kael's purple eyes glowed brighter— unnatural and merciless.