All eyes turned to Mina, and silence fell over the place as they processed what he had said.
"Leave now, and don't think I haven't punished you," Aretha said, turning her gaze to the five. Then she looked at Mina, "And you will come with me." To Athena, she said, "Athena, I will leave you to deal with your subordinates and how the human prisoner escaped."
She approached Mina, placed her hand on his shoulder, and they vanished. The five stood looking at each other, especially the three, realizing they had landed themselves in serious trouble. With a sigh, they left the place.
Athena looked at Richard, and before she could say a word, he knelt on the ground and repeatedly struck his head against it.
"I'm sorry, Lady Athena."
"You should direct your apology to the Queen, not to me. Now, explain to me what's happening and how the human prisoner got here."
"I brought him here."
"How and why did you bring him here?"
"I tricked the soldiers by telling them you wanted the human prisoner. As for the reason, I wanted to interrogate him about my daughter's whereabouts."
She sighed, "I didn't expect you to do that; you're one of our most competent leaders."
"Because I'm desperate. My daughter is the only thing keeping me alive. My wife died because of me."
"Richard, your wife's death wasn't because of you."
Richard yelled, "No, it was because of me! If I had been more careful and stronger, she wouldn't have died; she wouldn't have sacrificed her life for me!"
"Richard, it wasn't your fault. You were fighting two humans; you didn't know there was a third human who had snuck up behind you. You need to stop thinking this way and consider what would happen to your wife and daughter if you died now, and if they fell into human hands."
"And that's why I've stayed alive until this moment—my daughter is the hope that kept me alive. Otherwise, I would have killed myself to join my wife. But now, that hope is lost. I don't know if she's alive or dead."
Athena was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know what to say because I haven't been through circumstances like yours, but you must be strong and banish the thought of suicide from your mind for the sake of your daughter, who might still be alive. Now, we must go to the kingdom for your punishment."
"Yes, Lady."
As they returned to the kingdom, Athena began to think: the situation is getting out of control, and we must find a solution, or the kingdom will descend into chaos. I hope the human truly wants to help us and that this isn't all a plan to bring down the kingdom.
.....
"I apologize for the interruption and for this short chapter. I'll try to continue.
If you enjoyed this novel, I hope you'll support me with power stones to continue, and don't forget to leave a comment. Goodbye!"