"I have nothing to do with this, I swear!"
A white-haired woman cried with pleading eyes, tugging on the soldier's arms. Several more guards surrounded her, issuing her arrest.
"Silence, woman. You, an accomplice to the princess' abductors, will be beheaded in public."
A blood curling scream of fear filled the palace steps, just in front of the giant doors. The passersby observed intrigued as the woman fell to her knees.
"Believe me, please! The princess offered me to wear her dress, who was I to refuse? She even invited me to her room!"
"You impersonated the princess to confuse her guards, assisting the culprits of this crime. That's the only way to see it."
Dhein trembled in the corner watching the scene. If anyone finds out that he knew something about the disappearance, he would be done for.
Still, all of this seemed pretty dumb to him, laughable even.
The princess disappeared, and the first and only conclusion that came to their minds was that she had been abducted. The possibility that she had left of her own accord wasn't even considered.
'That's how much they're belittling her. No wonder she was so frustrated.'
He was sure Shina didn't expect this to happen. She didn't strike him as someone who would compromise someone's life for her own gain.
"I don't wanna die..." the woman whimpered.
The guard ruthlessly pulled her arm, dragging her across the ground.
"No one does. But your time is up, so come with us!"
Then suddenly, ominous footsteps drew closer to the guards and the woman. Though they were silent and slow, those rhythmic footfalls to the concrete floor weren't something they could ignore.
A woman draped in white and purple fabric walked in. She grabbed the guard's arm and freed his grip from the woman, bringing an end to the unsightly conundrum.
The guard turned to her with rage, but upon seeing who the woman was, their eyes widened and searched for words that would save them.
"Fiorelle Wixorn..."
Fiorelle removed the fabric covering her head, revealing her pale, blonde hair that was tucked into the purple cloak she wore. Ancient ornaments and beads hung on her head in a fashionable manner, each trinket served not only as a beautiful design, but also a symbol of her unique power.
She spoke softly. "This woman is innocent. Let her go."
The guards looked at each other as though communicating wordlessly before turning back to Fiorelle.
"With all due respect, Lady Wixorn, we must arrest this woman. She assisted in the abduction of Princess Shina Venilon and needed to be punished."
Fiorelle shook her head calmly before responding.
"And I'm telling you that she didn't."
Furrowing his eyebrows, the leader of the guards asked:
"You seem so certain, Lady Wixorn. Do you have proof that she's innocent?"
Fiorelle's calm demeanor started changing into an irritated one.
"Firstly, yes. I am certain that she is innocent. The great spirit of truth lets me see through the heart of the world."
The guards were left speechless. There was really nothing they could say that would refute her statement.
"All of our prophecies have come fulfilled, haven't it? The spirit of truth sees through all. It is the same judge who whispered into me that this woman didn't commit such a crime."
"Secondly, you're asking me for proof of her innocence, but you lack the proof of her guilt yourself. Aren't you having this all in the wrong order?"
The lead guard gritted his teeth, having no clever response to Fiorelle's words. His men stayed silent behind him.
"Lady Wixorn, you don't have the authority to interfere with our affairs. Please step aside."
Their eyes clashed, both had reason to not give in. As Fiorelle was about to speak, they heard firm, steady footsteps coming their way.
From the lower platform, A dark-haired man took the steps slowly and menacingly. He was covered in a magnificent suit of expensive obsidian fabric, and a long, dark cape glided in the wind behind him. He was wordlessly moving, but a certain aura lingered about him. Everywhere he went, anyone who'd seen his face or heard his name, trembled in front of his might.
The guards swallowed hard and then whispered:
"Now this can't get worse."
All eyes fell on Dheinyrus as he walked up to the group. He looked at them one by one before turning to the lead guard and then spoke.
"Wixorn from the Spirit Clan is telling the truth."
He turned to the poor woman on the floor.
"This woman has not committed the crimes you're accusing her of."
He spoke with such confidence because only he knew what had really taken place. Shina was sick and tired of their pragmatic ways that she chose to abandon her role as the princess.
Escaping her impending fate of being tied to someone against her will was something Dhein could empathize with. It was potentially the same thing he was trying to protect Zarria from.
Even he himself was being forced to pretend to be someone he was not.
Maybe they were just all victims of this world.
"Then, with all due respect, lord Theocheirós," the lead guard responded.
"Since you're certain that this woman is not one of the culprits, could you tell us who caused all this?"
Everything went silent.
'About that...'
Dhein wasn't sure how to answer the question. After all, there wasn't a culprit and Shina wasn't abducted. In fact, Dhein, being the one to let her escape, even encouraging her to do it, would be the closest to what they called 'the culprit.'
'I'm so sorry...'
"My lord?"
Each second he continued to be silent, the more complicated the situation became. He had to quickly come up with an answer!
'Ah... fuck it! Let's just ask the real capable one.'
He turned to Fiorelle.
"Miss Wixorn, I believe this work is yours to take."
The blonde lady stared at him with a puzzled expression. It was as though she couldn't interpret what his intentions were, and that was unusual for someone who had access to the spirit of truth.
Nevertheless, she nodded demurely.
"Indeed, lord Dheinyrus. I was the one who initiated this confrontation. Therefore, I should be the one to resolve it as well."
Dhein nodded back.
'I actually just can't do anything myself. Since you're so eager to do it, I'll leave it to you.'
Besides, the mysterious lady seemed capable. If anyone were to prove the innocence of the poor woman, it should be her.
Fiorelle turned to the guards and then declared:
"Give me five days. I'll find out who's behind all this."
Dheinyrus was nodding in affirmation for a couple of seconds until he realized what her words meant for him.
And then, cold sweat began to roll down his forehead, blood draining from his face.
'Oh no.'
Fiorelle added more:
"To make the investigation faster, lord Dheinyrus..."
She turned to the black haired young man. He instantly froze.
"Would you mind assisting me in this case? I'm sure you have information that I am not privy to, so us working together should make things a little easier."
Dhein could think of a million different ways how this could end horribly for him.
From the beginning, when he heard she had access to the spirit of truth, Dhein immediately decided that he wanted no business with Fiorelle. If he wasn't a little bit more foolish, he would have left the scene and ignored the accused woman's pleas.
The Spirit Clan was known for having a strong affinity for ancient spirits. There were hundreds of spirits that existed in this world, and a member of the Wixorn Clan usually should be able to have access to a maximum of five.
Among the hundreds of roaming spirits, these three were most well known:
The spirits of truth, life, and wisdom.
This woman named Fiorelle had access to the truth spirit. Which means that the great spirit will reveal to her any truth that she needs to know in the exact moment she needs it.
And as you may have already guessed, Dhein's secret isn't safe.
Moreover, he was the real reason why Shina had managed to disappear. All evidence would inevitably point to him!
'I am screwed. I am dead.'
But given the way she handled things, it seemed that the spirit of truth didn't give Fiorelle the information in full. Instead, it only let her know when a statement was true or false.
And Dhein witnessed firsthand that it flawlessly worked.
The beautiful witch extended her hand towards Dhein with a smile.
"Lord Dheinyrus, would you bestow me the honor?"
He stared at her delicate hand, she had rings of gold and rare gemstones on her slender fingers. Her wrist was also adorned with several shiny trinkets.
Then, he looked at her beautiful face.
'Hold on...'
This might actually be an opportunity for him. With enough intricately woven lies, he might be able to turn things around for the better. The truth will eventually reveal itself, there was no doubting that. But there must be a reason why the spirit of truth had not yet uncovered Dhein's real self to the world.
However, Fiorelle would find out the truth no matter what, and when the time comes, the facts will all work against Dhein.
So, instead of avoiding Fiorelle, what if he led her on to the truth that he wanted? By being close to her, he could redirect her to believe the situation in Dhein's chosen narrative. Of course, this will be as risky as all the times Dhein had come close to being busted, but he had to trust himself.
After all, Shina must achieve freedom, no matter what. And Dhein had already decided to help her do that.
Dhein took Fiorelle's hand.
"Alright, I'll help you. Be sure to learn well from me while we're at it."