Now that Kyran thought of it, Iulia tried to persuade him to give Euan a chance to explain his side. And he almost did. Unfortunately, the first time they met, he was no longer posing as Tyr but himself. Thus, the discussion did not veer in the direction Iulia had hoped for.
Nevertheless, it was partially because of Iulia that Kyran did not kill Euan at first sight. Although, he did threaten him a little even though Mannick was with him.
Putting that matter aside, Kyran recalled the punishment given to him and could not help but smile wryly.
That part was purely Iulia's idea. At least, Kyran believed so after hearing the gasps of shock among the people with her.
The communication device that transmitted Iulia's image should not have transmitted other sounds apart from hers. However, it happens on rare occasions when the noise around the person using the communication device is too loud.
As Kyran guessed, the decision to 'punish' him was Iulia's idea. She knew he intended to find the Crown Princess anyway and thought she could use that to pacify the great mass's dissatisfaction.
Iulia was not a fool to think she could convince the great mass, especially all those who had been wronged by the first Emperor's decree about forbidden magic, to let the matter of the Regis Clan go. Thus, she thought of how to lessen their displeasure, if not completely remove it.
For this reason, she thought of using punishment.
Which was a better way to do this than have the great mass think that the Royal Family chose to punish Kyran? Not only that, searching for the Crown Princess— whose whereabouts were unknown— would make them believe it was the Royal Family's subtle way of 'exiling' him.
Of course, Iulia planned to slowly build Kyran's image while he was away so that she could convince them he was harmless. And when the time came that he returned with the Crown Princess, the great mass would have already let go of their displeasure. Hopefully, they would see Kyran as the hero who brought back their beloved Princess rather than the man who possessed the most feared forbidden magic by then.
Iulia ignored the shocked reactions of the Royal Court and ended her address on that note. After that, she stood up and left the room without giving them a chance to question the last part of her address.
The two court members from Iulia's side also followed. However, just like the other court members, their expressions remained dumbfounded.
In the end, they did not ask Iulia about it either. Others might not know, but to them, she was a person who possessed foresight. Her innate ability was not about seeing the future but understanding the situation and finding the most effective way to deal with the problem.
As a matter of fact, Euan knew about this, which was why he believed she was fit to be the Empress. Unfortunately, she did not come from a powerful noble family and could even be considered 'average.'
Though the circumstances were not exactly good, Euan was glad that Iulia finally became the Empress.
When Empress Iulia's address ended, most people were overwhelmed by everything they had learned.
As for those who were displeased about the reveal of the Regis Young Master's magic, they had indeed been pacified by the Royal Family's punishment.
To them, the Crown Princess's case was already a lost cause. It would be impossible for him to win her back. Although they did not blame the Crown Princess because they believed she was also a victim in this war, they were not really fond of her. It could even be said that they were not particularly fond of the Royal Family.
How could they? When they were the ones who decreed how to deal with people possessing forbidden magic. Nevertheless, they looked forward to what Empress Iulia had said about Emperor Euan wanting to correct the wrongs.
Because, in as much as they despised those people who managed to get away from being persecuted by the army, they also hoped there would no longer be victims of such injustice.
Meanwhile, after Iulia left, she returned to her quarters and was almost given a fright when she saw someone waiting inside.
Right outside the opened doors leading to the room's balcony, a silhouette approached her slowly.
"So looking for the Crown Princess is a form of punishment now?"
Iulia's nerves loosened as she recognized Kyran. After learning about his magic, she expected he could 'warp,' like the Dark Sage. But seeing how he did it without arousing the palace's defensive array would make anyone who did not know him afraid.
After all, if someone could suddenly appear before you without so much as a sign and that someone happened to be hostile, then you were good as dead.
"I had to give them something to think about."
Kyran chuckled, "I think what you just said gave them the false impression that you are exiling me."
"Smart people would know otherwise. Could I exile someone who could easily come and go given the nature of his magic?"
"True."
Iulia smiled and approached him.
"And? What do I owe this sudden visit?"
Kyran shrugged before looking out the balcony.
"Nothing much. I just thought you'd want to know when I'd leave."
Iulia's expression sobered at his words.
"Although I announced it as a punishment, I hope you did not think I am forcing you to leave immediately."
Kyran shook his head, "You don't have to worry about that. The truth is I planned to leave today."
Iulia raised her brows, surprised at his words. Then again, most of the things they discussed had already been made, so he probably thought leaving was fine.
As if reading her thoughts, Kyran said, "Even before we talked that day, I already planned to leave in the next four or five days. Well, today is the fourth day and I think it is fine to leave everything with you guys."
"Are you not afraid those conservatives of the Royal Court would try something also to punish your family? Although my address appeared complete, many things were not said and would likely cause the great mass to question the Royal Family.
"When that happened, the Royal Court would be forced to do something to alleviate their concern. They might force me to punish your family as well."
Kyran looked at Iulia with a wry smile.
"I don't deal with politics. In those cases, my grandfather will deal with it. Besides, I don't think those people is stupid enough to think that they could bully my family."
Iulia chuckled at Kyran's confidence.
Then again, he was right. Besides, the conservatives' real target was Iulia. If anything, they would attack her for not punishing the whole Regis Family for hiding the truth about Kyran. But they would not act rashly when confronting her because they would think the Regis Family was backing her. When something happened to her, how would the latter act?
If they could hide the truth about Kyran without so much as batting an eye, would they also fear the Royal Court?
Definitely not.
"Besides," Kyran paused, trying to consider what he should tell her. "Neah has been gone for more than a week now. Time flows differently in each plane. A few days here might have already been a few months where Neah had gone to."
In the end, he decided not to tell Iulia how he heard Cyneah call him, sounding somewhat distraught. Iulia might not have met Cyneah, but he could sense she was worried about her, just like a mother would to her flesh and blood.
Her emotions might have been due to her affection for Haylee, but that was unimportant.
Knowing she would worry if he told her something might have happened to Cyneah, it could affect her condition.
Iulia already had her hands full, acting as the de facto ruler of the empire while Euan was missing. Kyran did not want her to worry about anything else. Not to mention she was also pregnant.
"Do you have an idea where she might have gone?"
As soon as Iulia asked this, she shook her head at once and retracted them, "No, I suppose you do not. If you do, why would you even want to search."
After a short pause, Iulia looked at Kyran and asked the question that likely everyone wanted to know.
"Where do you plan to search first?"
Kyran fell silent as he contemplated what to say.
Finally, he answered, "Before that, I have to meet a friend. Although I don't think he would know where Neah is, I'll start by gathering intel on each planes he is familiar with."
Iulia nodded in agreement.
"Narrowing the list of planes to visit will give you a better chance of finding her sooner."
Kyran smiled, and instead of affirming her words, he said, "I'll find her, even if I can't narrow down the list."
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