“I want to know what kind of deal Geoffrey has made with the vampires.”
At the mention of Geoffrey, hatred flashed across Felix’s face. “A long time ago, Geoffrey and the vampires had reached a mutual nonaggression pact. The price was that the werewolves outside the wall, like me, would have to participate in the monthly hunting game and serve as prey to vampires.”
He snorted and continued, “Werewolves inside the wall live a happy life at the cost of our lives. They lead a peaceful, wealthy life with abundant resources. However, the safe haven they were talking about is built on our bones.”
His answer enraged me. “That filthy bastard!”
“Don’t be too surprised.” Felix scoffed. “Our lives mean nothing to them. Beasts in human skin are the real monsters. Although it’s an unfair deal, the werewolves inside the wall look up to Geoffrey and regard him as a respectful leader.”
“That’s ridiculous!” I couldn’t believe such a pact was concealed from everyone.
However, Felix smiled wryly, as if he was tired of being exploited time and again. “Ridiculous? I’m used to it.”
“But haven’t werewolves and vampires already reached a peace agreement?” I was still confused. ‘Wasn’t Geoffrey afraid of letting the vampires in? He was only inviting trouble.”
“The peace agreement is just a stunt to maintain the peace on the surface. It’s far away from the imperial capital city. The lycan king can’t interfere anyway. Those so-called royal members were probably busy fighting for the throne, or having fun and consolidating their power now. They have no time to care about us,” Felix said flatly.
“How could they not care? Geoffrey must have deliberately concealed the situation, so the royal family wouldn’t find out about it,” I hurriedly explained.
“Just because one or two of them are corrupt and greedy, you can’t generalize the entire royal family. At least Rufus is not like that.”
“So what? How do you know so much about the royal family?” Felix snorted with disdain. “Besides, how could you be sure that the lycan king hasn’t acquiesced? Maybe our sacrifice was written in the peace agreement in the first place.”
Sylvia’s POV
I didn’t believe that.
If the lycan king had acquiesced, Rufus would have known it.
“I know you don’t believe me. You come from the imperial capital and have lived a happy, peaceful life…”
“You are wrong, Felix,” I interrupted him. “I used to be a slave. My life was no better than yours.”
Felix was silent for a while, and his face finally softened. “It doesn’t mean others are the same as you. In all these years, the lycan king has not once asked about the situation in our pack. Either he feels guilty or he just doesn’t care.”
“Enough! Felix, you can’t make claims without evidence. I don’t want you to get yourself into trouble because of spreading this rumor,” I reprimanded him. I didn’t want the innocent boy to get into trouble by making false claims.
But my mind was a complete mess now. I couldn’t help but think of Ethan being paranoid about power and inheritance. Even though Richard had committed such serious crimes and taken the lives of many innocent soldiers, Ethan still spared Richard’s life because only he could extend his bloodline.
Ethan was probably more ruthless than I thought.
Felix didn’t utter another. He lowered his head, and my heart broke at the sight of the little boy who looked broken and dejected.
“Felix, your anger is justifiable. I understand your situation. But…” I wanted to remind Felix that the world wasn’t as cruel as he thought. However, I couldn’t because I had no right to say that. After all, no one could erase the pain and unjust he had encountered. The people in power had ruined the little boy’s life and left an indelible scar in his heart.
Felix looked up at me. His silence made me feel a little guilty.
“I’m sorry, Felix. I know I have no stand to speak for you or anyone else. But I hope you can keep those speculations and doubts to yourself until you find conclusive evidence. After all, you are talking about the king who has the power to decide the fate of the entire empire. Even if you don’t care about yourself, you should do this for the sake of Alva,” I advised him.
Felix lowered his head and clenched his fist as if he were controlling his rage against the world.
Finally, his shoulders slumped, and he nodded weakly. “I know. I will control my anger and never utter those words again.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed his shoulders. “The children in the orphanage are all hostages for those outside the wall, aren’t they? They are shackles that trap you here so that you’d surrender without resisting.”
Felix smiled bitterly. “Not exactly. The children inside are all our family members. We’ve sent them there in person though.”
“Why?” I was confused.
Felix remained silent for a while. When he looked up at me, I could see the pain in his eyes. “The best resources, education, and living environment is available only inside the wall. We can also visit them once a month. The children live a happy, comfortable life there. Even if their relatives outside the wall die, the children inside would live a secure life, free of fear. They would also receive a generous pension as compensation.”
He smiled sadly. “So I guess you have an idea now as to why the werewolves outside the wall are eager to become prey for the vampires. We want to secure the life of our dear ones.”
Felix sounded calm as if we were discussing the weather. I could see life had toughened the innocent boy – he had become numb. However, his eyes lit up every time he spoke about Alva.
“I’m doing all this for Alva. How can such a young child face this cruel world all by herself?” Felix grew depressed. Talking about Alva seemed to reveal his vulnerability.
My heart broke as I silently watched the little boy risking his own life just to keep his little sister happy.
Sylvia’s POV
“Werewolves outside the wall are born as prey. Our lives are destined to be traded to benefit the privileged. You asked me that night in the sewer why I didn’t escape. Remember?” Felix looked up at me, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Do you understand it now? No one can escape. This is a cage, and countless invisible shackles bind us until the day we die.”
I felt sorry for Felix. A little child had to endure so much pain and hardships.
“There will be a way to change this.”
My words didn’t seem to convince him. After all, our lives were insignificant in this strict hierarchy.
The wall wasn’t a mere barrier. The rules Geoffrey and his people had built was like a huge mountain that couldn’t be uprooted by simply people like us no matter how we wanted to change the system.
Even if we were determined to overturn the wall, the werewolves inside would undoubtedly be the first to object.
As Felix said, no one was innocent in this massive conspiracy system.
But I couldn’t tell who was right and who was wrong.
No one could determine their birth and parents. Accepting new things was easy, but changing existing concepts required a lot of time and effort.
I knew the werewolves inside the wall already regarded those outside the wall as baits to feed the beasts. They didn’t care about the lives of the people outside.
Felix let out a weary sigh. “Will that happen? I don’t see that day coming.”
“Don’t lose hope. I will try my best to help you,” I promised, staring into his eyes. “I know you have lost all hopes about life, but please think about Alva.”
The boy didn’t resist when he was presented to the vampire duke today. I could tell Felix had given up on life.
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