When they reached the gates, the soldiers' faces filled with panic. "Call the healers now! The baron has been wounded!"
Frederic had been struck by two arrows—one lodged in his back, the other in his right thigh. As the clerics carefully escorted him to the mansion, Rafael hurried inside, searching for Ella. After asking around, he learned that she was in her mother's room.
"Bella, is Ella inside? I need to speak with her." Bella stood guard in front of the door.
"She's with her mother and doesn't want to be disturbed." Bella's expression was unreadable.
"Bella, I need to talk to her!" Rafael took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing, "Baron Frederic suffered a murder attempt. Do you understand now?"
"Oh my God!" Bella gasped and quickly knocked on the door before opening it. "I'm sorry, miladies, but Mr. Robert has urgent news."
Rafael saw Ella and Avice rise from their chairs near the bed. "Frederic was attacked and is wounded." He said without spending time.
"What?! Where is he now?!" Avice cried out in terror, rushing out when she heard that the healers were tending to him. Ella remained frozen, staring downward, clearly struggling to process the information.
Rafael approached her and gently pulled her into a hug. The embrace seemed to break through her shock, and she began to cry. "It's okay, Ella. Your father is strong; he'll get through this."
She buried her face in his chest. "Why... Why is this happening..."
I don't think he's going to survive. There aren't even antibiotics in this time. Heck, I don't think the concept of medicine exists yet, Rafael thought grimly.
It was just past two in the afternoon when Frederic was attacked, and the city was now on high alert. One of the assailants had been captured, but the other remained at large, prompting an intense manhunt.
The captured man, after enduring severe beatings, broken fingers, and lost teeth, finally confessed. He and others had infiltrated the city days ago to assassinate the baron and the commander of the troops, but none had left the inner circle.
They had hidden in an empty house, crafting crude bows and arrows for the attack. The man claimed there were more infiltrators within the city, but in truth, only he and the other remained.
Despite the torture, he insisted there were many more waiting for the right moment, forcing the commander and advisors to take his claims seriously. The potential consequences were too dire to ignore, so a large-scale search began.
An hour later, Avice summoned the entire family to Frederic's office. Rafael accompanied Ella, and for the first time, he met the entire family. He noticed how the two eldest brothers looked at him with disgust and suspicion.
"What is this peasant doing here?" one of them sneered, his eyes greedily eyeing Rafael's clothes, contradicting his words.
"Godwin! You know he is your sister's husband, which makes him part of the family. Apologize," Avice demanded.
"Hmph." Godwin looked away.
"It's fine," Rafael said to Avice.
"Listen, everyone, your father was attacked an hour ago and is being cared for by our best healers. We must pray that he survives. I spoke with him, and he instructed me to continue with our plans. So, get everything ready by tonight. That's when we'll leave."
"Can I see Dad?" Adelaide, the youngest, asked with tears streaming down her face.
"The healers will inform me when we can visit him. For now, we must prepare and wait."
Godwin exchanged a serious look with his brother, and without words, they came to an agreement.
Rafael stayed with Ella in her room, consoling her. After some time, she spoke softly, "...Robert." Rafael noticed a change in her voice. She had stopped crying.
Ella looked directly into his eyes. "I want them dead... I want them all dead. Will you help me?"
A chill ran down his spine. "Yes."
Despite knowing what that meant, deep down, Rafael felt a thrill. How about building the strongest kingdom in the world? Of course, it wouldn't be easy, especially with the church acting as a barrier to his plans.
Some time passed, and they were given permission to see Frederic. He was pale and looked weak.
After reassuring them that he would survive, making everyone sigh in relief, Frederic spoke, "I will be passing the management of the troops to my commander. He may be even better than me at this... And I've decided to stay here."
"What?!" Everyone was shocked by his decision, except his wife.
"I've made up my mind."
"Please don't!" Ella begged.
"Dad, no!" Adelaide cried.
"If you're staying, then I'll stay too!"
"Me too!" Godwin and Eruin chimed in.
"No way! You will obey your mother, and we are all leaving!" Avice shouted angrily.
"We're not children anymore! We can decide for ourselves!"
"Please, everyone, Baron Frederic needs to rest. If you keep shouting, it will only make things worse for him," a healer interjected.
Avice nodded, gritting her teeth, and ordered everyone out of the room.
Outside, in the hallway, the argument continued.
"No, you can't stay! This isn't some kind of fantasy or fairy tale; this is real life, and our country is being invaded by enemies! You know there's no way to defend our lands!" Avice argued.
"Shut up! I'm tired of doing what others tell me!" Godwin shouted, pointing a finger at his mother.
"S-Stop." The little girl began to cry, clutching Avice's hand. "Mother, why is brother shouting at us?"
"Stop this; you're scaring your sister!"
"I don't care! You're all cowards, running away instead of staying to fight for our home!"
"Godwin, please stop," Willian, the second youngest, tried to calm them.
"And you! You should be a man for once and stay with us! I never understood how you could be such a coward."
Damn... This family is falling apart, isn't it? I better not get involved. Rafael stood quietly on the sidelines.
"I'm not a coward! Shut up!"
"Go away, kid; the adults are talking here," Eruin mocked. Willian, in tears, rushed forward and started throwing punches, only to be kicked back.
"Stop this! What's wrong with you two? He's your brother! We're your family!" Ella helped Willian up.
"Family? Hahaha, you threw your family away when you let a filthy peasant fuck you! You married a lowlife, a pig from the streets!"
Rafael saw how deeply those words hurt Ella. He knew she understood they weren't true, but it still stung. "Hey, Ella, do you want me to shut him up?"
"Hahaha, what the fuck are you saying? Do you think you can lay a finger on me? You shit commoner, if it wasn't for her marrying you, you'd be out on the streets eating dog shit."
Rafael ignored their taunts and focused on Ella. "No, it's okay. They're just frustrated that our good life is ending. Let's go, everyone. If they want to stay, let them."
Wow. That's really mature of her. Ella took her little sister's and brother's hands and walked away. Rafael followed her.
"Where's the tough guy now? Go back to the pigsty where you belong, you coward!" Godwin taunted.
Avice remained behind, still trying to convince her sons.