Chapter 57: Ch 57. A Possibility

"That’s good. I thought she was going to marry that Dali Hawksen again, but it turns out she was just joking."

"That’s right. I feel so relieved. I’m going back to the Wolf Palace to ask the spies I’ve summoned to start looking for the names of the rare plants Selena said could cure me."

"I’m also heading to the Phoenix Palace. Since the illness in my chest has improved, I need to take care of some pending business. Last night, Sovel also captured one of the traitorous Phoenixes who was planning a coup. I’ve only just had the chance to deal with it now," said Jhon as he walked briskly alongside Stoner.

"Someone wanted to stage a coup against you?"

"Hmm, every leader faces problems like that. You’ve experienced it too, but I’m grateful that at least my enemy isn’t from my own family," Jhon said with a hint of sarcasm.

Stoner snorted in annoyance. "He’s not my family," he retorted, making Jhon laugh.

"But he’s your father—his blood runs through your veins."

Stoner snorted loudly, but then fell silent because what Jhon said was true, even though he refused to admit it.

As they moved further away from Selena’s room, they didn’t realize that Vylen had been listening to their conversation from the side of the building the whole time. The man took a deep breath, hesitantly stepping toward the door and seeing Selena intently reading a medical book.

Selena was actually aware of his presence even without having to look toward the door. Her sense of smell was quite keen; she could even sense an unpleasant aura emanating from Vylen’s body.

It was a sign that he wasn’t all right—especially now that he seemed to be slumping into a chair.

"It seems like the problem you’re facing is very serious, Your Majesty," Selena said in a flat tone, as if she had no sympathy.

Vylen sighed again, this time even more heavily. Selena glanced at him, staring at his sour expression—as if he’d just swallowed something disgusting—once more.

"Are you done asking your father questions? At least come here with an explanation about that, because I’m busy enough dealing with other matters." Selena said, glancing at the medicinal ingredients on her desk. "I’m responsible for your lives, so I don’t have time to listen to unreasonable whining."

Vylen, who knew full well that Selena wouldn’t be gentle or considerate, rubbed his face in a gesture of despair.

"My father won’t explain or admit anything," Vylen said softly, while Selena narrowed her eyes. "When I asked about the Besmooth family being massacred, he refused to answer any of my questions. My father only said that family was the one who killed my mother, but when I asked why and how she was killed, he absolutely refused to answer."

"I’ve been asking for quite a while now, including asking about Briella and whether she had anything to do with what happened to my mother back then. But my father wouldn’t answer at all; in fact, he hates that girl intensely because he feels he was deceived. My father said that woman was the one who poisoned me because she had once deceived him."

"I don’t understand how all of this could have happened, but it seems like my father needs an antidote," said Vylen, making Selena smile as he looked at her.

"Because he’d been taking the drugs that woman gave him—under the guise of sedatives—for too long, his condition is now unstable and uncontrollable in certain situations. That’s why he needs sedatives, which is why he’s willing to do whatever Briella orders, right?" Selena asked, though it didn’t sound like a question.

Rather, it was a statement—one she’d been mulling over for so long that she could easily make the right guess.

Vylen sat up straight, looking at Selena, who was smiling as if he were being silly.

"That’s exactly what I was thinking. How did you figure it out?"

"I’m not a stupid woman," Selena replied casually, then plucked the medicinal ingredients from their stems to put them into the stone grinder. "I’m an Extinction Healer; of course I understand this. Every poison that’s created always has an antidote, and to get that antidote, someone who’s been poisoned would be willing to do anything."

Vylen swallowed hard, realizing that Selena was right—and that she wasn’t as foolish as she used to be. This woman had awakened to the full power within her as an Extinction Healer, so she certainly understood basic things like this.

"It’s just like what Briella did—threatening your foolish, poisoned father with an antidote is the easiest thing to do. It’s also your father’s fault—how could he, as king, trust a woman he’d just met for the first time so easily? Unfortunately, your father has absolutely no authority as a king," Selena commented as she added a medicinal ingredient in the form of tiny flowers.

Vylen let out a heavy sigh. "This method is very common, but it feels incredibly condescending to those who don’t understand. The people who use this method are arrogant—they think someone is so stupid that they can be easily deceived," she said, her voice tinged with emotion.

Selena smiled mockingly. "You can’t say it’s the perpetrator’s fault. The victim should have been more discerning in their choices—not so naive—so they wouldn’t end up being deceived. The world is indeed cruel, because from the start, not everything you want happens exactly as you wish."

"The world never sees you as a queen, a king, a prince, or a princess—the world doesn’t care about that. The world only sees you as an ordinary, insignificant being. So, the world moves as it should, and sometimes it does follow the behavior of beings who act as they please. But that doesn’t mean the world is at fault when that person is careless and foolish in choosing their path in life," Selena concluded, causing Vylen to let out a heavy sigh.

"You’re right—the world won’t always be on our side."

Selena smiled slightly as she watched him hang his head, having completely lost his zest for life as if he’d been struck by an immense and terrifying tragedy.

"Briella is indeed the only surviving daughter from the massacre of the high-ranking Fox clan family—the Besmooth family. To be more precise, her father was the Minister of State for the Fox Kingdom; she said her father was also quite close to—and a close friend of—your father back then."

"She’s the only one left because her mother managed to save her before the night of the massacre; now she’s come to seek revenge," Selena said, making Vylen swallow hard.

He stared at Selena, who had just said all that, then furrowed his brow. "How do you know?"

"Briella herself said it when I interrogated her just now. Your father refused to admit to the allegations; the records of the incident were also lost, and the matter was covered up. That won’t hide the evidence that’s existed all along. Living proof is far more terrifying than mere physical evidence related to the incident," Selena said calmly.

But Vylen realized something. From the tone of Selena’s voice as she said all that, it was clear that they were the ones at fault here—more specifically, his father, who had made and enforced the decision back then.

Vylen realized that too; he also knew something was off about the case of the massacre of the Fox clan’s high-ranking family. The proof was that his father was completely unwilling to offer an explanation, even though he could have spoken up to clarify what had actually happened back then.

His father kept all of this strictly under wraps, while a girl had appeared, seeking revenge for the massacre carried out against her family decades ago. It was none other than because the case was indeed connected, and there were those dissatisfied with the verdict—which felt unjust—so she dared to take action to seek revenge.

In fact, she didn’t hold back; the girl had already gathered hundreds of members of the Fox Clan and turned them into monsters under her control so they could attack the Fox Palace in pursuit of justice.

That was no simple matter...

Vylen had a headache thinking about all the possibilities, making Selena smile as she watched the man feel overwhelmed.

"I don’t know how to say this without offending you, but honestly, your father is a wimp," Selena said boldly while Vylen swallowed hard.

He didn’t dare to argue, because he’d also seen how his father was unwilling to talk about what had happened in the past.

His father was such a wimp—it’s not like it would be that hard to just talk it out and find a solution.

If this problem was indeed a mistake, but it were resolved immediately, then his father’s life wouldn’t be in danger anymore. But Vylen had already tried to persuade him many times, only to fail again.

His father seemed unwilling to reveal the truth about the past, which made Vylen tired of interrogating him. That’s why he decided to stop—since he wasn’t getting anywhere.

"I’m sorry I wasn’t able to interrogate him properly; my father is really stubborn..." said Vylen, bowing slightly toward Selena.

The woman snorted. "It just makes me suspicious. Don’t let my mind wander and think all sorts of things. I really can’t help the possibilities that suddenly pop into my head," she said, half-annoyed.

"W-what possibilities suddenly popped into your head? Did you find another inconsistency that led you to guess that?" Vylen asked, looking at her hopefully.

Since she was truly exhausted, it felt like this case was going in circles with no clarity.

That made Selena smile coldly; she leaned back haughtily and said.

"It’s possible that behind your father’s deliberate dishonesty—his refusal to talk about the family massacre, his lack of intention to bring justice to the victims’ families, and the inappropriate legal ruling—there’s a deeper meaning or plan of his own," Selena said, deliberately trailing off until Vylen swallowed impatiently.

"It seems your father did that on purpose and immediately believed the first person to claim that the family Besmooth of the Fox clan’s high-ranking official—the Minister of State—was to blame," Selena said, staring at Vylen with a cold smile. "Do you want to know why, and what wild possibilities I’ve considered, Fox King?"

Vylen shook his head, swallowing roughly.

"Because your father probably wanted to protect someone," Selena said calmly. "To protect your mother’s ’murderer.’"