Yue Hanshan and his subordinates went deathly pale. As they watched the figure enter, their expressions shifted again and again.
Even now, Yue Hanshan could not work out what had gone wrong. His plan had offered every advantage without a single flaw. It had been seamless, so how had it been discovered?
His subordinates dropped to one knee, all of them silent, as though waiting for the newcomer to announce their punishment.
The man who entered was Ruthis. Ever since his subordinate had brought back a fish, he had been restless. A vague sense of unease had prompted him to send someone to check on the fish again, only to discover that someone had switched it out.
After hearing the Kitchen Lady's account, his subordinate had reported every word to him. Only then had Ruthis realized where that faint unease came from.
Apart from the Lord Divine Dragon, the only person who gave him that feeling was the minor official beside the Crown Prince-the dragon's human form. He had sifted through the possibilities in his mind again and again before finally noticing something amiss. Immediately, he had turned the residence upside down in his search, and his efforts had paid off.
He had found the fish. At first, he had thought a subordinate sent by the Crown Prince had taken it away. But when he actually saw his own men deceiving him and making the switch, the anger he had been suppressing finally erupted.
Ruthis sneered. "Why didn't you just take him out of the residence?"
The question was ambiguous, but to Yue Hanshan, it sounded like an accusation delivered before his execution. A thin sheen of sweat formed on his palms. Only after a long while did he raise his head and look Ruthis in the eye. "I admit