242 DON'T TOUCH MY MOTHER

With the Crowned Prince's prompt command, the royal guards who were on duty when the delivery man was ambushed, were instantly arrested.

Raigon made it sure that they would speak with all means. But to his dismay, the royal guards kept their mouths shut, as the reports said.

In haste, he went there and saw the interrogation himself.

"They continued to deny the allegation that they put the arsenic on the cupcake, your Highness. Maybe it will be better if you'll be the one who will question them." The guard who was assigned to them said.

Raigon nodded his head as he went to the dungeons where they are. 

The dungeons for those who commit treason were different from the dungeons for petty crimes where Zoe has been. They were dark and muddied, stinking with the smell of blood and rotten meat. This area is not commonly used though because of the peace and order in the land for decades. 

As Raigon went inside, the royal guards were already on the floor, bloodied and all beaten up.

'You would risk your life just to cover up the person who put you in this situation?'

His eyes narrowed in confusion as he believed that the royal guards alone would not attempt to kill the Queen. 

As he observed their demeanors, he noticed that their features were sharp and determined. Not the look of helplessness and distress. 

They were very different from what he expected and their identity seemed suspicious. 

He whispered an order to the royal guard and after leaving, he introduced himself to them.

"I am Raigon Wang, the Crowned Prince of Terra." He declared for all prisoners to hear.

They all scrambled to their feet and knelt down to him even in their bloodied knees. But Raigon doesn't care.

When they were about to stand up, Raigon halted them with a strict order.

"Stay on your knees!" 

His voice bellowed, making anyone endure the agonizing pain of the open flesh sticking into the dirty mud than to suffer in the hands of an angry Crowned Prince.

Raigon paced back and forth with his head tilted up high and a stick that he continued to tap in his palm.

"You know I have the authority to kill you right now. But that wouldn't do anything good to this case since you were so determined to keep your mouth shut."

He then stopped pacing and stood in front of them with a wide stance. "The Queen of Terra, MY MOTHER, almost died. What do you think his son will do? He will make sure the culprits will experience the same agony of seeing their own mothers struggle to live with their own two eyes."

"Guards! Bring me the mothers of these prisoners here with a gallon of arsenic."

"Yes, your Highness!" The guard on duty bowed down and was about to leave with Raigon when one of them stopped them.

"Your Highness!" 

A devilish smile crept up Raigon's face as he swiveled back.

"M-my mother is already old and she was taking care of her grandchildren. Please spare her."

Raigon's lips twitched downward in feigned sympathy.

"That's too bad. But, no."

He swiveled again and was about to leave when the man cried out and lowered down his head on the slimy grub on the floor.

"Your Highness! I beg you! Please kill me instead!"

But Raigon was unperturbed. His face remained cold and apathetic. 

"You should have thought that this would happen before doing it to my mother."

He hissed ruthlessly as his eyes bored into each and everyone of them, attempting to burn them alive with his raging wrath.

"No one would speak?"

He asked again. A deafening silence hushed through the cavern.

"Very well, it seems that you are underestimating me as I suspected. To prove the matter to you, I invited a special guest to start our program for today."

To their horror, one of the suspect's mother was brought inside with a rope tying her arms and a blindfold on her eyes.

"Mother!" One of them shouted in dread.

A creepy smile appeared on Raigon's face as he guided the mother to sit on a chair.

"Greetings, mother. I am part of the royal family. I apologize for the trouble of bringing you here. But your son is not cooperating in the investigation of the assassination of the Queen. I'm sure you didn't raise him up to be disloyal to Terra, isn't it?"

"Yes, my lord. Forgive our family for my son's dishonor. Li Xun! You should be ashamed of yourself! Why don't you cooperate with them? Do you really have to shame our family like this?"

Raigon rubbed her back as she was having a hard time breathing with her anger.

"Relax, Mother. Here is a drink of this freshly made garlic tea. It will help you cool down."

Raigon lifted a cup and winked at the prisoners before offering it to the mother, giving them an idea that it was not tea but arsenic.

He then placed it in her hands and she lifted it to drink it.

"No, mother! Throw it away! I will speak!" Li Xun lifted his hand in the air. 

Raigon snickered as he gently removed the cup from her hand. 

Everyone's eyes glared at Li Xun, but he seemed more decisive now.

"He lied to us. He said the Crowned Prince cannot touch us and our families."

A snigger escaped from Raigon's mouth. "Wrong side. Now you know that the rumors are not true. Who lied to you then?"

"I did." Lord Vigo barged into the scene. 

Raigon's face turned from a menace to a predator. "It is you."

He then asked the guard to take the mother away so she would not witness what the next scenes would be.

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One of the best loves in the world, is the love of a man. The love of a man who came from your womb, the love of your son!