Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!

Chapter 598 A Lifetime of Deception

Imperial Prison!

Darkness filled the underground prison.

Cold air lingered heavily within the stone corridors.

Torchlight flickered faintly against the damp walls, casting long distorted shadows across the cells.

Deep beneath the Imperial Palace, the Second Prince sat quietly inside a heavily sealed prison chamber.

His hands and feet remained bound by Qi-sealing chains.

Numerous restriction formations glowed faintly around the cell.

Clearly, the Imperial Family held no intention of allowing even the slightest chance for escape.

Yet strangely enough, the Second Prince appeared far calmer now compared to his outburst earlier within the Imperial Court.

He merely sat silently against the cold wall with lowered eyes, almost lifeless.

CLANK! CLANK!

The sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Soon, several figures appeared outside the prison cell.

At the front stood Yu Zidi.

Behind him followed several heavily armed guards.

The prison guards immediately knelt respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

Yu Zidi waved his hand lightly.

"You may leave."

"Yes!"

Very quickly, only the brothers remained within the corridor alongside a few trusted guards.

The Second Prince slowly lifted his head.

His gaze landed upon Yu Zidi calmly.

Surprisingly, there was not much emotional fluctuation anymore.

No furious cursing.

No struggle.

No madness.

Seeing this, Yu Zidi frowned slightly inwardly.

Honestly, he had expected something else.

He wanted to see this younger brother of his break down completely.

Beg for mercy.

Curse desperately.

Plead for survival.

Yet instead, what he received was near acceptance.

"Tsk!"

Yu Zidi clicked his tongue inwardly.

(Still pretending?)

Yu Zidi slowly stepped closer toward the cell.

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a small jade bottle appeared within his hand.

He casually tossed it toward the Second Prince.

The jade bottle rolled across the floor before stopping nearby.

"Drink it!"

The Second Prince glanced at the bottle quietly.

There was no need to ask what it was.

Poison!

Yu Zidi naturally had no intention of openly executing him publicly.

No matter how grave the crime, directly killing an Imperial Prince would still create enormous backlash throughout the empire.

If he decided to execute his brother publicly, then perhaps the people might accuse him of being too heartless, similar to his father.

He wasn't going to walk the same path as his father.

But what if Second Prince suicide?

That was different.

If the Second Prince supposedly took his own life out of guilt and shame after his crimes were exposed, then many troublesome issues would disappear naturally.

Of course, Yu Zidi never truly expected his brother to obediently drink it willingly.

If necessary, he had already prepared countless methods to make him "choose" suicide himself.

Torture.

And if that didn't work, then he would simply force the poison down his throat afterward and announce the result publicly.

In the end, the outcome would remain the same regardless.

However, to Yu Zidi's surprise, the Second Prince merely picked up the jade bottle calmly.

Then a strange, somewhat self-deprecating smile appeared upon his face.

Seeing this reaction, even Yu Zidi paused slightly.

"Before that…"

The Second Prince finally spoke softly.

"I would like to ask a few questions."

His tone remained unexpectedly calm.

Yu Zidi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then he suddenly smiled faintly.

His mood today was extremely good.

After all, the greatest obstacle before him had already completely fallen.

And since this was likely the final conversation they would ever have, Yu Zidi decided to humor him.

"Very well."

He clasped his hands behind his back calmly.

"You may ask!"

The prison fell silent for several moments.

Only the faint crackling of torchfire echoed through the corridor.

The Second Prince slowly looked down at the jade bottle within his hand.

Then he finally raised his head again.

His bloodshot eyes stared directly at Yu Zidi.

"How…"

His voice was hoarse.

"How did you do it?"

The Second Prince clenched the jade bottle tightly.

"How did you convince them to betray me?"

His voice grew heavier.

If it were one person, perhaps even two, he could have still understood. After all, the human heart is complex, and there is no telling what might happen.

But every single one of them?

The Second Prince didn't know what trick Yu Zidi had used.

Disbelief still lingered deeply within his eyes.

"Just how is that possible?"

Those people were not ordinary subordinates.

They were the people closest to him.

The people he trusted most throughout his life.

Even now, he still could not understand how all of them had turned against him simultaneously.

Hearing this, Yu Zidi suddenly smiled.

Then—

"Hahahahaha!"

The First Prince laughed openly.

His laughter echoed faintly throughout the prison corridor.

When he looked back at the Second Prince again, there was almost pity within his gaze.

"Brother…"

Yu Zidi shook his head slowly.

"Did you truly never question their loyalty?"

The Second Prince frowned deeply.

Yu Zidi's smile widened further.

"Or perhaps…"

He looked at him almost mockingly.

"Did you really believe those people were ever your loyal subordinates to begin with?"

The Second Prince's pupils contracted slightly.

For a moment, he could not fully understand Yu Zidi's meaning.

Seeing this, Yu Zidi no longer bothered keeping him in suspense.

His lips slowly curled upward.

"The people you trusted most, they were mine from the very beginning."

"They didn't betray you. They were never loyal to you in the first place."

The Second Prince's eyes widened violently.

"What?!"

For the first time since entering the prison, his calm expression completely shattered.

"That's impossible!"

He suddenly stood up abruptly despite the chains restraining him.

The chains clattered loudly.

"How can that be?! How can they be your people, they were clearly… "

His voice was filled with genuine shock now.

Because this revelation was simply too absurd.

Too impossible!

Those people had followed him since he was young.

Some had grown up alongside him.

Some had protected him through countless dangers.

One of them had nearly died several times shielding him from assassins during their younger years.

Another had abandoned his own family entirely to save him when forced to choose between them.

Their loyalty had always seemed absolute.

Or at least…

That was what he believed.

More importantly, many of them had followed him since childhood.

How could people like that possibly be planted by Yu Zidi?

The Second Prince's breathing became increasingly unstable.

"No…"

He shook his head repeatedly.

"No, that's impossible…"

His eyes stared fixedly at Yu Zidi.

"You're lying."

But hearing this, Yu Zidi merely smiled calmly.

"A lie?"

He slowly stepped closer toward the prison bars.

"Since your death is already inevitable, I suppose there is no harm in telling you everything in detail. Listen Carefully!"