"Are you really Rheannon Whitley?" asked Hadrian suspiciously.
Once again the figure nodded slightly, then pointed at her own neck and said hoarsely, "It hurts." She pointed to himself and said, "Rheannon."
"Why your voice..." Hadrian shook his head. That's not what's important now. "I'm sorry, My Lady. You must come with me."
To his surprise, Rheannon shook her head.
"I don't want to use violence here."
Rheannon raised her hand, then began to take a step forward.
"Wait!" Hadrian stopped her. He was ready to draw his sword, but on the other hand didn't feel any threat from the little woman. Rheannon showed no sign of stopping and moving on. "What is-"
Rheannon's steps finally stopped. She seems to pay special attention to Axelle's prison cell.
"Back off…. please," Rheannon said.
Hadrian doesn't know why he complied.
He watched the woman. Her thin hands rubbed Axelle's prison cell in light motions. Then she closed her eyes and mumbled something.
Finished with the strange move, Rheannon turned around and said to Hadrian, "The demon… a nightmare."
"You mean… Prince Axelle was possessed by the nightmare demon?" asked Hadrian unsure. Rheannon nodded, then pointed to Hadrian. "Me, too?" Again Rheannon nodded. "How-"
Rheannon raised her hand, then repeated the small ritual she had done to Axelle's prison cell just now. Hadrian felt something hit him. A moment later, he felt calmer.
"I've . . . I kicked… it out," Rheannon said with a smile.
"Why did you do it?"
"Gratitude."
"You are an escaped prisoner. I still have to hand you over to His Majesty the King even though you have just been kind to me."
Rheannon smiled again.
[After capturing and beheading my parents, you will do the same to their children?]
A voice whispered in Hadrian's head. A terrible deep voice, which seemed to have come from far away. This voice seemed to come from the woman in front of him.
A voice that made Hadrian tremble.
Will Hadrian repeat what happened ten years ago? To the suspect's children, to Axelle Rexton and Rheannon Whitley? Wasn't it just a moment ago that he took pity on Axelle and questioned the King's overly cruel policies?
Rheannon let out a chuckle.
[My apologies, Your Grace. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty like that].
How did she know what I was thinking? Hadrian thought.
[People whose hearts are weak, their minds are easy to read and possess].
They stare at each other.
"I still can't let you get away with it," said Hadrian. Now he had actually pulled out his sword. The tip of his sword pointed straight at Rheannon.
"I figured… it out," Rheannon said calmly. She thrust her hand out to Hadrian just like that. "Catch me."
Hadrian's tense muscles loosened. He stared at the woman in front of him in disbelief.
At first he thought that this was all just a trick. But even as Hadrian tied those frail hands, Rheannon didn't dodge the slightest bit. The woman also complied as Hadrian led her before the King.
The King looked surprised. Likewise with several royal supervisors and security nobles. This is the Rheannon Whitley they've been looking for these days. Her hands were tightly bound with Hadrian watching him directly behind him, ready to immobilize her if she made the slightest suspicious move.
"Keep this a secret for the time being. We don't want the public to be confused and frightened," said King Rexton V. His eyes scanned Rheannon's figure sharply. "Take the prisoner to the dungeon. Place special knights there."
Rheannon Whitley was caught back so easily.
***
But without anyone guessing, there are other people who know about the arrest of Prince Axelle and Princess Whitley. Palace walls do have ears everywhere.
So overnight, the nobles who were actually gathered in the Ozera Capital flocked to urgently meet the King. They demand the real news. Prince Axelle was arrested–why? Will there be a coup from the Outcast Prince? Rheannon Whitley had been imprisoned in the Palace and tried to escape after a long time–why doesn't anyone know? They thought the child was long dead.
The situation in the bustling Ozera Capital became a bit chaotic. Worse, the chaos occurred in the middle of the Princess' birthday celebration.
The door to Rheannon's cell slammed open. It was the first time in a long time Hadrian was angry.
"Tell me the truth, Lady Rheannon," Hadrian growled. "It was the person who helped you free, wasn't it, the one who spread the news of you and Prince Axelle's capture?"
Rheannon smirked, then shrugged. She pointed at the cell across from her, at Axelle's.
"You're saying that the one who freed you was Prince Axelle, so there can't be someone else who did it?" Hadrian gritted his teeth. "You want to say if people out there just found out? Please don't joke."
Again Rheannon just smiled.
[Just try me and Prince Axelle. Just try to kill me. You will know for yourself how it will turn out later].
Rheannon chuckled.
***
"Did you guys hear about it? It said that Prince Axelle was arrested!"
"Yes, I have heard of it. To think His Highness dared to free the Palace prisoners."
"I thought His Highness was the kind of person who would always be on the safe side..."
"This is the first time Prince Axelle has done something, right? Do you think in the future the Prince will be able to do something more?"
"Like take the throne? Yes, maybe."
"Ah, I don't think that's possible. The prisoner His Highness released was Whitley's, and it said he released her out of pity."
"Lady Whitley? So all this time she was being held captive by the palace..."
"I thought she was dead. Never heard of anything before."
"Wait, if the prisoner on the loose is Lady Whitley… Does that mean there's currently a demon controller roaming free here?"
"No, Lady Whitley has been recaptured."
"But there's going to be a chance of her running away again, right? I mean, she's managed to escape once even with the help of His Highness."
"That's right. Why doesn't His Majesty the King do something immediately?"
Chas walked away. When he was far enough away from the noble ladies who were drinking tea while gossiping, he lowered the hood of his robes. His long legs led him to the center of the folk summer festival, which this time was not as crowded as usual due to the princess' absence.
This way, everyone knew that Rheannon Whitley was still alive and that she was being imprisoned in the Palace prison along with Prince Axelle Rexton. If things go according to plan, people will demand an open trial for both. Then, the King was forced to impose a sentence of exile somewhere because he could not open an open court at the Beulah Holy Temple.
Well, if they were lucky, the dilapidated Beulah Sacred Temple would also be exposed.
"I hope everything is fine," Chas wished every minute.
The plan was too risky. Chas himself had turned it down, but Rheannon insisted. Otherwise both her and Axelle would continue to be confined within the Palace grounds and would never truly be free. After all, the people could not continue to believe that the Beulah Holy Temple were as pure as they thought.
"I hate to say this, but at this rate we will be led by the devil," said Duke Colton.
"But it's possible for the King to play murder!"
"Don't worry… the King won't…" Rheannon said as she reassured Chas.
Chas wouldn't forgive himself if Rheannon had to suffer again.
"Lord Chas?"
Someone–no, a boy greeted him.
"Desmond, right?" said Chas. The boy nodded. "You're alone again. Not sneaking off again, are you?"
"No," said Desmond in a slightly annoyed tone. "Someone's following me," he added, shuffling into one corner. There were two Hadrian knights watching from a safe distance.
"Good. At a time like this, it's not good to be wandering around alone. Especially when you're so young," said Chas, patting Desmond's head.
Desmond who didn't like the treatment scowled. Chas chuckled in response.
"But Lord Chas isn't… the person in this gossip is your cousin?" Desmond asked timidly.
"Why ask when you doubt so?"
"I mean..." Desmond looked unsure. "Sorry. I was just wondering if Lord Chas was all right or not."
"Oh." Chas was slightly taken aback by the statement just now. "No, no. I should be the one apologizing. Even though you mean well. I am, well, a little depressed and worried about all this. Rhea is like a little sister to me. Just like Father who was unable to carry out the King's order to execute the late Lady Talisa, I nor would he be able to do that to Rhea."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Desmond said sincerely.
"Thank you," Chas said. "I just want freedom for her."
"Why isn't a demon controller allowed to be free? They used to live peacefully in their territory, even free to travel, right?"
"Because according to people, demon controllers are dangerous humans who can abuse their abilities. Everyone also believes that demon controllers are traitors."
"But at that time Lady Whitley didn't do anything, right? At that time..." Desmond seemed to think, "Lady Whitley should be only a year or two different from me now–like, 10 years old? I don't think she could possibly be able to do anything. Likewise with Prince Axelle ."
"You're surprising me again," Chas snorted amused. "Your parents must have raised you well."
"I don't know, I don't remember clearly. I just feel like I'm right." Desmond averted his eyes and gazed across the city's peaceful shopping mall. "Lady Whitley is the last demon controller in the Rexton Kingdom. If the King wants her dead..."
Chas furrowed his brows. But then he looked at the crowd that was so peaceful.
It is said that there is no demon controller in Pyrs. That's why they first invaded Rexton to kidnap some of their demon controllers.
Rheannon sounded sure that the King would not dare to kill him. Perhaps…
"Lord Chas?"
"Ah, sorry. I have to go," Chas said hastily. "Don't wander around alone, boy. See you later.
Chas went to infiltrate the Beulah Sacred Temple.