The public execution was over. The people returned to their homes, as did the officials of Calden Castle and the family members of House Helferich.
The hangman had cut the hanging ropes, let the three bodies fall and placed them in the cart.
Quentin wanted nothing more to do with the bodies. He freed the hangman to do anything to the three. The burly hangman with the round helmet nodded obediently to his lord's orders.
Arabelle and Dorren were instructed by Quentin to return to Calden Castle, but it was different with Quentin. He had business to attend to regarding the families of the three people.
"I have something to do before I go home. You should return without me," Quentin replied.
Arabelle agreed with a nod, accompanied by a procession of palace soldiers and Dorren, to return home and rest her heart and mind.
Quentin was still standing on the city street, with his right hand firmly gripping the reins of his horse. Mike walked up to Quentin with a specific intention.
"Do you have anything important to do outside the castle, My Lord?" asked Mike, curious.
Mike's arrival made him turn his head quickly, "Do you know the houses of the three families?"
Mike looked at Quentin's face with a confused expression, having no idea what Quentin was about to do. However, Mike knew where the homes of the families of the executed prisoners were.
"I know, but what do you want to do?" asked Mike.
"Nothing important, just giving them some money to express my sorrow," Quentin explained.
"Oh, I see, huh? You're right. They've been working with the Helferich leader anyway. Their family deserves it," Mike replied.
"Can you drop me off now?" asked Quentin.
Mike nodded. Establishing a good relationship with Quentin, the Lord of Lanercoast, would be good for his position.
Although his face looked innocent, but deep in the man's heart, he wanted the highest position he could achieve.
He hoped that he and his family name could be promoted to honourable nobility by Quentin, on par with the other Houses in Lanercoast.
"I will gladly take you to them," Mike stated.
The man rode together with Quentin out of the city square. The first family they would visit was the Colton Family, located in the southern district.
The two rode quickly, with Mike leading the way. Quentin, who did not know the location of the Colton family residence, could only follow where Mike took him.
It had taken ten minutes for them, who rode from the city centre, to arrive at the southern district of Calden City —Typical of craftsmen.
Their horses came to a halt when they arrived in front of a large house complex with a green front yard planted with flowers and trees.
The house was made of stucco painted white, leaving a minimalist and elegant impression for citizens of that era.
"This is the Colton family's house," Mike replied.
One of the gatekeepers of the Colton mansion came out from inside the gate, kneeling obediently to salute the Lord of Helferich and Mayor Calden.
"My apologies, My Lord. Is there anything I can help you with?" the guard asked.
"I wish to see Mrs. Colton," Quentin stated.
The gatekeeper seemed to fall silent, which made Quentin curious about his ignorant response.
"Are you insulting me with your silence?" asked Quentin, insisting.
"Please forgive me, My Lord. Right now, the Colton family is in mourning. They have no wish to welcome anyone," replied the guard.
"Is that so? Why mourn for an old traitor like him? Tell Mrs. Colton, if I can't see her, then I'll have my troops force her to see me!" threatened Quentin, his voice high with annoyance.
Now, he seemed to enter the Colton residence to announce Lord Quentin's arrival.
"It's too much to threaten her with your army," Mike laughed softly.
Quentin glanced to the side with a piercing glare, "I'm not messing around!"
Mike swallowed his saliva deeply. He didn't expect what he said to give Quentin such an expression. From what Mike had guessed so far, Quentin was much more challenging to persuade than Edgar.
Soon, someone dressed in a black dress walked out. Quentin could see her clearly; Colton's wife was much younger than the old man.
Colton's wife was around 35 years old, while Colton himself was 64 years old.
She came not alone but with Colton's children of various ages. They had three children; two boys and one girl. The two boys were adults around Quentin's age, while the one girl was in her teens, about the same age as Mary.
The four knelt down immediately and bowed to Quentin, apologising for refusing the Lord of Helferich's initial request.
"We are truly sorry for what happened to Colton," Colton's wife replied.
"I did not come to ask for your forgiveness. Colton's sins are brought upon you as well," Quentin explained.
"If the crime Colton committed was theft or rape, I could classify that as an individual crime. However, his crime was a well-planned form of treason!" retorted Quentin.
"One of you must have assisted Colton in devising his plan," Quentin replied.
Colton's wife and three children were stunned, not expecting Quentin to come to such a conclusion as a result of Colton's treasonous actions. Colton's clueless wife denied Quentin's assumption.
Quentin dismounted from the saddle, striding with a dignity that shone simultaneously with fear across the four people who were prostrate in resignation.
The man stepped inside and opened the door to Colton's mansion, a luxurious home with the latest furniture of the period. Quentin looked back, telling the four prostrate people to enter the house.
Mike initially wanted to help Quentin, but Quentin forbade and told Mike to stand guard at the front, ensuring Quentin's black horse did not escape.
Once the four were inside the mansion, Quentin began to pull his lip line up. He smiled broadly at the four people who were trembling with fear.
"Don't be afraid. Colton has been punished accordingly. If you confess, you might get a lesser sentence than Colton," Quentin explained.
"We did not assist Colton in planning the assassination attempt on Lord Edgar, My Lord," Colton's wife said, continuing to be evasive.
"I know. I was only pretending because there was Mike, who didn't know anything," Quentin replied.
Quentin's statement shocked the four of them and confused them with uncertainty in their hearts. Colton's wife was curious, what exactly was Lord Quentin planning?
Both of Quentin's hands stretched forward, asking the three Colton children to shake him, even if it was just a small touch. Those who were already confused and scared did exactly as Quentin instructed.
[Mind Manipulation Ability Has Been Activated]
Quentin's eyes flashed bright crimson red, making the attention of the three Colton children distracted and focused on looking at the red circle of light that shocked their subconscious.
Their minds were imprinted. There was no avoiding it unless they had been exposed to the magic before from Quentin. Now, Quentin could implant commands, information, or suggestions into the children's minds.
"Listen to my words. You will be ashamed of this incident. People mocked you and called you the children of the Helferich traitors. That pressure made you depressed, and decided to hang yourselves!" Quentin insisted.
"All you need to do is end your life using the same method that happened to Colton. I want you to do it tonight; tomorrow, you can meet your father in the afterlife!" continued Quentin.
"WHAT?!" shouted Colton's wife, shocked to find Quentin ordering such nonsense to her three children.
Quentin closed his eyes, deactivating his mind manipulation magic.
Now, the three children had received special suggestions and orders from Quentin; their faces that were initially frightened now turned gloomy with unstoppable crying —Displaying their depressed condition according to Quentin's suggestion.
Quentin opened his eyes and quickly turned his head to the side, staring at Colton's wife with a sharp gaze.
Fortunately for Quentin, there was no one there. The servants seemed to have been ordered away because of the grieving Colton family, or perhaps the servants resigned because the Colton Family was traitorous.
The man grabbed Colton's wife by the neck, making her jump in surprise with her eyes crossed.
The corners of her eyes sharpened with her eyebrows knitted, both hands trying to remove the grip of Quentin's hands on her neck.
"If only that bastard Colton hadn't snapped at me, maybe I would have let him live. But he's still a jerk to me!" snapped Quentin.
Quentin threw Colton's wife's body with force, sending the woman's body flying and crashing into the glass cabinet in the living room.
The woman's appearance was dishevelled at the moment, with a broken dress, messy hair, and glass splinter impact wounds on several parts of her body.
"What do you want, My Lord?" asked Colton's wife, pleading.
"I will give up my body and become your whore as long as you don't kill me, My Lord," Colton's wife pleaded, giving Quentin the option.
Quentin smiled wickedly, stepping closer to Colton's helpless-looking wife, "I don't like junk, nor do you look attractive to me!"
The man arrived near Colton's wife. Quentin's right hand grabbed the woman's hair and lifted her up, letting her see Quentin's face intently one last time.
"I need you to do something for me," Quentin replied.
"Wh-What is it?" asked Colton's wife.
"I want you to confess that Colton is working with Telmarath to destroy Lanercoast."