That night, Lucas showed his dark and scary side
The mayor's wife's crying echoed through the corridors of the wing, reaching even the ears of the guards at the gate.
Inside, Lucas stood before her with deadly coldness, forcing her to swallow spoiled food, indifferent to her pleas, her pretense of confusion, and her denial of doing anything.
She hesitated, trembling, but he gave her no choice. When she stopped, he intervened himself, pushing the food into her mouth with silent violence, until her tears mixed with disgust.
He did not stop…
Until her words finally broke.
And she confessed.
She confessed everything… her deep-seated hatred, and her desire for revenge against Irene because she was from Ascard.
He continued to pressure her until she almost lost consciousness, her body collapsing under the weight of pain and vomiting, her voice gradually disappearing.
Only then did Lucas turn and leave the room as if nothing had happened.
Outside, the head of servants was waiting for him, standing with a slight bow and a calm smile, his hands behind his back he knows who his master was .
Lucas slowly took off his gloves and said coldly:
"Finish the rest."
The head of servants replied immediately:
"As you command, Your Majesty."
With a single gesture, the guards moved. She was ordered to be secretly taken away, unseen by anyone!
On the ground, Georgina was just a shadow of a human being… crying, broken, drowning in indescribable despair.
Lucas walked quietly through the corridors, his steps steady as if nothing had happened. A faint smile appeared on his lips… the smile that only shows at certain times
in wars
when punishing traitors.
And despite what he did to Georgina, he realized deep inside that he had restrained himself.
After all, she was a woman… and the wife of a man he trusted.
What he did today… could never compare to what he usually does to criminals.
Yet,
he could not deny that hidden feeling.
A small, cold satisfaction… crept inside him.
Days passed, and Irene's condition improved greatly.
She became stronger and clearer in her thinking, she had finally decided what she wanted to do.
Her meetings with Lucas were rare, due to his constant preoccupations, which gave her enough space to organize her thoughts.
That morning, Sally was quietly brushing her hair.
Irene said, "Tell the head of servants that I want to go on a tour to the city."
Sally paused for a moment:
"My lady… your body hasn't fully recovered yet."
Irene replied calmly:
"I'm fine. I've wasted enough time, and I won't waste more. Since I'm in the south, I want to check on something."
Sally did not argue further.
By order of the head of servants, the carriage was prepared.
Irene headed to the city with Sally early in the morning.
The atmosphere leaned toward warmth, unusually so for this season. Irene felt something strange… a feeling she had never experienced before.
To walk outside the palace… without restrictions.
A vendor's voice came from one of the stalls:
"Bread… fresh bread."
Irene turned toward the voice, then approached him.
"Excuse me."
The vendor raised his head, then smiled:
"Ah… has an angel come down today? How can I help you, beautiful lady?"
Irene said calmly:
"I want some bread, this kind please."
His expression changed slightly, and he looked at her carefully:
"Sorry… but your accent is strange. You're not from here, are you? I haven't heard this accent before in Valerian. Are you foreign?"
Irene hesitated for a moment.
She did not intend to prolong the conversation.
"Yes… I'm not from Valerian."
His face changed quickly:
"Don't tell me… are you from Ascard?"
Irene remained silent.
Sally held her hand in fear:
"My lady…"
The man's voice grew harsh:
"Your silence proves that you do not deny it… I just remembered, I heard this accent from Ascardian soldiers during the war."
His voice rose little by little:
"Do you even know what those soldiers were doing in this area?!"
He grabbed a piece of bread and threw it at her:
"Leave immediately… before I kill you with my own hands."
Voices rose around them.
The vendor shouted loudly:
"She's from Ascard!"
"How dare you come here without shame?"
Irene stepped back, shock freezing her features.
People began to gather around them, and the noise increased.
The vendor insulted her with the worst words.
Sally tried helplessly to protect Irene and screamed for help…
No one came to help… on the contrary.
Some rushed toward them, and chaos began.
A woman tried to grab Irene's hair, while another shoved her violently.
Irene curled up, protecting her head, her body still weak.
Her breathing tightened, and the voices mixed around her.
Suddenly, she remembered Lucas's words…
That the people of the south do not accept all the strangers, especially those from Ascard.
She realized within herself:
"oh no What have I done…"
From afar, the driver watched what was happening.
"What's going on…"
He rushed toward the crowd, pushing people strongly until he reached them, standing in front of Irene trying to protect her.
Moments later, the city guards arrived and managed to disperse the people.
Irene sat inside the carriage, still trembling.
Sally offered her water:
"Drink… slowly."
Sally could not hold back her tears:
"Why all this hatred…? We didn't do anything…"
Irene sighed:
"Calm down, Sally, please."
Outside, the driver spoke with the guards.
After he finished, he approached the carriage:
"My lady… are you alright?"
"Yes… I'm fine."
He sighed:
"It's better to return to the palace. This place is no longer safe."
Irene clenched her fist and closed her eyes for a moment.
"No… not now."
He looked at her in surprise:
"Staying here is very dangerous, my lady."
Irene had failed to get any information from the townspeople about what she found in the book… but she did not give up.
She calmed herself, then took out a torn page from the book she had taken from the royal palace a map.
She handed it to him:
"Do you know this place?"
The driver leaned closer, examining it:
"It's not clear… I don't think I've seen this place before."
She said calmly:
"That's fine. Can you take me there?"
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded:
"Alright."
The carriage moved again.
After a while, Sally spoke:
"My lady… are you sure you're alright? What happened earlier… cannot be ignored."
Irene replied calmly:
"I'm fine. I'm used to this kind of thing."
Then she turned to Sally and smiled faintly:
"Thank you, Sally, for risking yourself to protect me. I'm glad you're safe… I won't forget what you did."
She lowered her gaze slightly:
"And I'm sorry. I should have thought before coming."
Sally looked at her sadly:
"My lady… this is not your fault. Please don't blame yourself."
Irene turned her gaze to the window…
Trying to leave what happened behind her, at least temporarily.