Soon, two guards escorted a man inside.

It was none other than His Highness Prince Elliot.

The once-dashing prince was now a complete mess.

His magnificent robes were wrinkled and stained, his hair was a mess, and his face was so pale it was devoid of color. His eyes were vacant and dejected.

His time in confinement had utterly shattered his pride.

When he lifted his head and saw Angmar Duke, a brilliant light erupted in his dead, ashen eyes.

"Uncle!"

As if clutching at his last straw of hope, he broke free from the guards, stumbled, and threw himself at Angmar Duke’s feet, almost crawling the last few inches. His voice was thick with tears.

Angmar Duke looked down at his nephew, his expression complex—a mix of pity, but mostly disappointment.

"Look at the state of you."

He shook his head and turned to Aiden Duke.

"This nephew of mine is truly a disappointment. But he is my sister’s only blood, after all. Aiden, give him to me. I’ll take him back to the Violet Empire, give him a change of scenery, and teach him how to be a proper man again. As for the mistakes he’s made, the Empire is willing to offer compensation."

All eyes turned to Aiden Duke, awaiting his decision.

Handing over a prince guilty of treason to another nation was unimaginable anywhere.

However, Aiden Duke simply waved a dismissive hand.

"For him to have ended up like this—narrow-minded and biased—I, as his father, cannot escape the blame."

His voice betrayed no emotion.

"Very well. There is no place for him in the Thunder Dragon Duchy anymore. I am relieved to entrust him to you. I hope he can turn over a new leaf in the Empire."

His words preserved the royal family’s dignity while also displaying a father’s magnanimity and a King’s bearing.

The deal was struck.

And just like that, Elliot’s fate was sealed.

He collapsed to the floor, first stunned, then his face flooded with the ecstatic joy of having survived an ordeal.

’He wasn’t going to die. He could leave this place and start over in the Empire!’

But just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Raylo standing quietly to the side.

’The man who had made him lose everything.’

’Humiliation, resentment, indignation...’

All these emotions bit at his heart like venomous snakes.

’He could be led away like a stray dog, but not like this!’

A rush of blood surged to his head. Elliot suddenly scrambled up from the floor, his bloodshot eyes locked on Raylo.

"Wait!"

he shrieked, his voice sharp and hoarse.

"Uncle! My sacred duel with Count Raylo is not yet complete! I demand... I demand that we finish it here, in the Royal Palace, with all of you as witnesses!"

The great hall fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned by Elliot’s sudden outburst.

’How dare a prisoner make such a demand?’

The look of disappointment on Angmar Duke’s face faded, replaced by a playful smile.

He sized up his nephew anew, as if seeing him for the first time.

"Hahahaha!"

He suddenly burst out laughing, his voice echoing through the hall.

"Good lad! I thought you’d gone soft, but it seems you still have some of a Knight’s spirit left in you! Interesting!"

After he finished laughing, he turned to Aiden Duke and asked with great interest,

"Aiden, what do you think?"

Aiden Duke’s gaze did not linger on Elliot. Instead, he slowly turned toward the other person at the center of this storm.

He knew Raylo must have had his reasons for rushing to Thunder Dragon City at this particular moment.

Otherwise, according to the private instructions he had sent via messenger, Raylo shouldn’t have stepped into the eye of the storm right now.

At that moment, every gaze in the great hall focused on Raylo.

"Count Raylo, this is a matter between you and His Highness Prince Elliot. What are your thoughts?"

Aiden Duke’s voice rang out.

"This is the Thunder Dragon Duchy. You need not have any reservations."

Inside the great hall, the air seemed to freeze.

As all eyes were upon him, Raylo rose to his feet.

His movements were unhurried, almost leisurely.

He didn’t look at Aiden Duke, nor did he acknowledge Angmar Duke’s gaze. He walked straight to the center of the hall, stopping a few meters in front of Elliot.

"Fine."

Raylo said.

He had wanted to eliminate Elliot for some time now. If Elliot returned to the Violet Empire and leveraged the power of Angmar Duke, a Catastrophe Level expert, he would undoubtedly bring endless trouble to Black Stone Territory.

Elliot himself had mediocre abilities, but his constant scheming from the shadows was endlessly irritating.

Raylo knew with perfect clarity that while someone like Elliot might lack the ability to accomplish anything great, he certainly had a talent for causing trouble—and a significant one at that.

’Keep him alive, only for him to backstab me at a critical moment later?’

Raylo knew that the best opportunity to end Elliot’s life was today, here, in front of everyone.

He had both the justification and the ability to do it.

Raylo wasn’t worried about the outcome of the duel. With his current foundation, there was simply no reason for him to lose. The only thing he needed to consider was how many of his trump cards he would have to reveal to finish Elliot off cleanly.

"However, since this is a sacred duel,"

Raylo’s gaze shifted to Angmar Duke.

"there are some rules that I believe need to be clarified beforehand."

Angmar Duke raised an eyebrow, the smile on his lips widening.

"Interesting. Speak."

Only then did Raylo turn his gaze back to Elliot.

"First, the method of the duel?"

"One-on-one!"

Elliot all but roared the words, desperate to seize this opportunity.

"Just you and me! A Knight’s duel!"

he yelled, panting heavily.

"To be fair, neither of us can use any Magic Artifacts, only our personal swords!"

He knew Raylo possessed that Horn capable of summoning a Domain Knight—it was one of his greatest advantages.

As long as that was forbidden, he was confident that his power as an Earth Knight would be more than enough to crush Raylo.

After all, when Raylo left Thunder Dragon City for the Northern Border, he was merely an Official Knight. In just over a year, the most he could have become was a Tier Two Great Knight.

The surrounding nobles broke into low murmurs.

This condition was clearly aimed at Raylo.

Raylo continued, his voice quiet yet carrying clearly throughout the great hall.

"Second, what of life and death?"

Those few words were like a block of ice dropped into a vat of boiling oil.

The great hall instantly fell silent again.

The color drained from Elliot’s face in a flash.

He wanted to live, and he wanted to kill Raylo, but his true intention in proposing the duel was to regain a shred of dignity in front of his uncle and then leave honorably.

He had never imagined Raylo would so bluntly put the option of "death" on the table.

Given his status, it was a question that should have remained unspoken.

The smile on Angmar Duke’s face tightened slightly.

Elliot felt the pressure from all sides. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

He knew he had no way out.

If he backed down now, he would lose even the last vestiges of his dignity.

"...To the death!"

He practically had to grit his teeth to powder to force out those words.

Sweat trickled down his temples, soaking his disheveled hair.

"Very good."

A smile finally touched Raylo’s lips.

"One last question."

His gaze swept over Aiden Duke on the throne and Angmar Duke at his side.

"How will the fairness of this duel be guaranteed? I don’t want any uninvolved parties interfering midway through."

It was an incredibly bold question, bordering on a challenge to the two Dukes’ integrity.

But instead of anger, Angmar Duke laughed and clapped his hands.

"Rest assured, Count Raylo. This is a sacred duel between the two of you. I swear on the honor of the Violet Empire’s royal family that I will not interfere. Unless..."

He glanced at Elliot on the floor.

"my disappointing nephew here opens his mouth and begs for mercy."