Chapter 355 (1/2)

Chapter 355: No Mercy

Nan Xun patted her back comfortingly. He retrieved some clean clothes for Jun Huang and, after she got changed, took her to a dingy prison.

Jun Huang tightened her fists. The place reminded her of the water prison Qi Chen had put her in. The memory didn't evoke fear in her heart, but anger.

They reached the fifth prince's cell. He'd obviously been severely punished. His clothes were tattered, and his body was covered in deep, ugly gashes

Jun Huang looked at him like he was an insect to be squashed. Her superior grace was out of place in the filthy underground cell.

The fifth prince's eyes lit up when he saw Jun Huang. Despite his pain, he crawled toward Jun Huang. The iron chains on his limbs prevented him from getting closer than three steps away from her.

“I'm your fifth brother, Jun Huang,” he begged. “Please spare me. Let me live.”

Jun Huang scoffed. What a joke the man was.

It was clear that Jun Huang wasn't going to forgive him. The fifth prince realized that he was going to die. The hope in his eyes died down, leaving only a burning hatred for his sister.

He stared at her and spouted off insults about their father and mother, his words harsh and his expression malicious.

Trembling with anger, Jun Huang grabbed Nan Xun's sword on an impulse and crippled the fifth prince with a slash. The prince's scream rang and echoed in the prison, croaked and hoa.r.s.e like a howl from h.e.l.l.

Jun Huang didn't kill him. He'd betrayed his family, but there was a line she couldn't cross. The fifth prince deserved to die, but he was her brother. She dropped the sword and looked away, her breaths shallow.

After a long pause, Jun Huang walked out of the prison. Nan Xun knew what she was thinking. He motioned at his men to let the fifth prince go, but without giving the prince anything to sustain him. The crippled man had to rely entirely on himself.

The lead shadowguard was worried. Once Jun Huang was out of earshot, he asked, “Are you sure you're going to let the foul man live, Your Highness? His existence is a threat. What if – ”

Nan Xun sighed. “Jun Huang wanted to spare him. I'm in no place to take the decision away from her. I just want her to be happy.”

“So we're not going to do anything?”

“Have some men keep an eye on him,” Nan Xun said in a cold, chilling voice. “If he does anything suspicious, kill him. If he doesn't, let him live painfully, unable to seek the mercy of death. He has many years to think long and hard about his mistakes.”

That alleviated the lead shadowguard's concern. He went off to pa.s.s down the order.

When Nan Xun walked out of the prison, Jun Huang was standing right outside, looking up at the sky with a lost expression.

She turned around when she heard his footsteps.

“Do you think I'm too cruel?” she asked.

Nan Xun shook his head and caught her cold, trembling fingers.

“Men like him deserve to die,” he whispered. “You've shown him enough mercy. You're not cruel.”

“Don't think too much,” he said gently. “That's going to take a toll on you. You've just recovered your memory. You should rest. Let's go home. We'll talk tomorrow, alright?”

Jun Huang looked down at the ground and nodded, making a faint sound of a.s.sent. She returned to her bedroom with Nan Xun.

Too many things had happened tonight. Sleep didn't come to her easily. Nan Xun held her close and talked to her, trying to distract her from her previous interaction with the fifth prince.

Early the next morning, Yin Yun and Jun Hao heard about Jun Huang's recovery. They'd been staying in an inn. Jun Hao wanted to visit Jun Huang immediately, but Yin Yun stopped him.

“They had to deal with the fifth prince yesterday,” said Yin Yun. “Too many things have happened. The princess must still be resting. We shouldn't bother her.”

Jun Hao pouted at Yin Yun. Subjected to his pitying look, Yin Yun sighed in resignation. He was helpless against Jun Hao's silent plea. “Alright, we'll go to Prince Nan Manor first. If the princess is still asleep, we'll wait for her to wake up. Deal?”

“Deal!” Jun Hao nodded earnestly, his mood taking an immediate upturn. Yin Yun sighed again. After the two of them had a quick breakfast, they made their way to Nan Xun's manor.

As expected, Jun Huang had only fallen asleep when the day broke and hadn't woken up yet. Nan Xun led them to the back garden, telling them to wait.