"Am I scared of death? Or the pain I will have to experience?
Do I love life? Believe me when I say I do…"
Although still in a dilemma, Alen was fast on his way with the knights. They were also notified that the baron had left the moment Lady Jannet exited the banquet hall. There were chances he had already hidden his daughter away… There were rumors of how much he loved her, and no sane man would ever give his daughter to Tharion—not at all.
Not only that—the punk had ordered them to kill Baron Zakir after taking Lady Jannet. Also, to burn down the mansion and take down all of his supporters. If he went on like this, it would never work. Even if Lady Jannet was not his biological daughter, if he loved her, then Tharion could do no such deed. Rather, he should beg for his approval.
A small smile appeared on Alen's face, and he felt a light tightness in his chest. After more than sixteen years or so, he was about to meet that child again—the child he had loved as his own. The child he had once seen with his friend George, roaming around town, smiling ear to ear.
Dawn had broken by the time they reached the Baron's mansion, and Alen, prepared to beg if needed to complete this mission, was met with the baron rushing out of the mansion like he was fleeing a crime scene—sweat trickling down his face.
As soon as they arrived, two knights blocked the gates and showed the guards the Emperor's decree. No one was to leave the mansion before proper interrogation—and before the execution of Baron Zakir. Alen grabbed a sword from one of the knights and now moved toward the shouting baron.
"How illiterate of you to not even greet the Royal Advisor and Grand Duke of the Empire… I'm sure we've seen each other plenty of times."
The baron bowed his head and changed his entire act shamelessly in less than a second.
"My Lord Alen… what brings you to this humble house? As you see, I was quite in a hurry. But then suddenly, you blocked my way with Imperial Knights… Actually, my daughter fell down the stairs and is in quite a dangerous situation… I must bring the doctor before it's too late…"
The baron excused, almost out of breath. By the looks of it, one could have believed his words—knowing the rumors of how much he loved his daughter. And now that she had fallen from the stairs—and there was no doctor in a baron's mansion…
"Oh my! That is grievous… she must have gotten many injuries and wounds… must have lost a lot of blood as well. You must be finished at the moment…"
Alen said, sounding concerned and sympathetic.
"Y-yes, my lord… now if you will please excuse me as I have to bring a—AA—"
Before he could utter another word, Alen had swung his sword, separating his head from his body. The blood oozed out like a shower. He put his sword back in the cover and rushed toward the mansion, while commanding one of the knights to deliver the message to bring the Imperial Doctor to his duchy—as well as the best doctor from town, ASAP.
In what kind of ordeal had Alen been put in his old age…
He swung open the mansion doors—no one was inside. It was getting stranger and stranger with each passing second.
"Dame Diana, you search for the lady in the side building. And you, go to the other as well, Sir Kallian."
Both nodded, bowing to Alen's command and heading their opposite ways. Alen, on the other hand, searched all around the mansion in search of a single person—but there was no one in sight. It was as if they had all already evacuated. The mansion had been bustling with noise when he had come to drop the lady off earlier, and now it was so silent, it felt like nobody had ever lived there. With each passing second, his heartbeat was dropping.
Finally—finally—as soon as he stepped into the annex, he heard the cry of a lady. Running toward the sound, he entered the last room, where he found none other than Lady Jannet, lying lifeless on the floor, and a brown-haired young servant crying while trying to tend to her wounds.
Blood was spilled all over the floor where Lady Jannet lay, and the whole room was full of broken glass and other debris. Alen rushed to Jannet, picked her up, and ran downstairs. Sara followed hurriedly, terrified.
Alen laid Jannet on the bed in one of the rooms on the first floor. Sara, carrying bandages and antiseptic, followed right behind.
"Bring a change of clothes, warm water, and two towels," Alen said. Sara nodded and ran out.
Alen tore Jannet's clothes and pressed a cloth on her back, where the blood was continuously coming out. He applied pressure to try and stop the bleeding.
By then, Dame Diana and Khallian had returned. Diana was allowed to stay in, but Khallian was denied entry. Alen had doubts about what their reaction would be if they saw their leader in such a pitiful state as their first impression.
Diana gasped but rushed to help Lord Alen and tend to Jannet. Not long after, Dame Lila returned—carrying a fragile-looking doctor in her arms. He clutched his kit tightly. She helped him stand as they neared Jannet's bed.
"My gosh," the doctor let out a breath before beginning treatment.
Meanwhile, Lila and Diana fisted their hands tightly, jaws clenched.
Many hours passed. They stitched her wounds, put back limbs that were out of place, wiped her down, bandaged her, and gave her medicine. And now, she was in a deep slumber.
On the other side of the kingdom, Tharion had declared war—locking up the monarch and the aristocrats, and recruiting the kingdom's knights.
Though the knights were ordered to leave the kingdom before the evening—Jannet was in no condition to travel. And they were in grave danger if they stayed.
The final decision lay in Alen's hands.
And he had commanded the troops to prepare—to survive for at least a month in this mansion. Only after that would he move with Lady Jannet, putting his and the knights' lives on the line.
"If you want to leave and join your families… go now."