Rina was staring at the ground as if time had stopped at that moment...
The dark stains that colored the earth,and the bodies lying like lifeless dolls.
As for Ron... he was standing in the middle of this scene without a hint of disturbance.
His face was calm,his features fixed, as if he had done nothing more than something he was accustomed to, something like picking up a book from the ground or closing a door.
Rena froze in her place.
She had known Ron since he was six...seven years of friendship, seven years of laughter, little squabbles, and secret outings... and she had never witnessed such power before.
A thirteen-year-old boy could not reach this level of precision,speed, and calm unless he was...
A noble...
Or affiliated with the Imperial armies...
Or something else entirely.
She swallowed hard, then turned to him, her voice carrying a tremor she tried to hide but failed:
"H... how did you do that?"
Ron returned the pistol to his pocket with a calm motion, devoid of any pride or confusion, then said in a low, steady tone:
"This is not the time for talking... Don't you think you should return to the palace before your father goes mad searching for you?"
He was right.
She was a missing noblewoman in the middle of the night,targeted, and no one in the palace knew where she had gone or why she had left...
But she caught something else too—Ron was changing the subject.Avoiding talking about his power. About his truth.
And she did not want to pressure him, when she saw in his eyes those shadows that did not wish to be revealed.
Nevertheless,she asked, in a tone mixing astonishment and confusion:
"And what will you do... with them?"
Ron recalled the scene behind him, then quickly turned, and after a brief moment, he turned his face back towards her and said:
"Wait for me a moment. I won't be long."
He ran with quick steps towards the house he lived in most of the time and disappeared inside.
Within minutes,he returned, seeming more resolute.
"The Verci Knights will handle the bodies."
Rena nodded slowly.
She had no choice but to trust him...despite all the questions that had begun to bloom in her mind like dark doors.
She whispered softly: "Accompany me until I reach the palace..."
Ron didn't hesitate for a moment.
He moved with her immediately,walking with light steps through the earthen alleyways, until they noticed from a distance Verci Knights patrolling in search of something.
"It's clear they're looking for you."
Ron said while watching them with his eyes,then turned to her and removed his warm woolen jacket, offering it to her.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise: "The weather isn't cold."
He smiled lightly and said: "Not for the weather... Cover your face and hair, clever one. If people see you, tomorrow you'll headline the magazines with the title: The Duke's Daughter Roaming in the Middle of the Night."
She stifled a light laugh as she grasped his idea, then lifted the jacket's hood over her head, trying to cover half her features as much as possible.
"No, they'll say I was kidnapped... or running away... or something worse..."
She said it while analyzing the possibilities in a sarcastic manner,then couldn't help but laugh.
A small laugh in the heart of the night...
Hiding behind it,a great secret walking beside her named "Ron."
Rena and Ron continued walking with quiet steps, but each step felt heavy as if sinking into darkness. The night around them was silent, save for the beating of Rena's heart that was accelerating, and the pulse of their footsteps on the cold ground. From afar, Verci Knights spotted them approaching and began to surround them with great caution, their faces filled with worry and suspicion, their weapons hanging at their sides, but their eyes searching for answers in Rena's every move.
"My lady, where have you been?"
"Are you alright?"
"What exactly happened?"
Rena froze for a moment, each question was like a spear piercing her heart. She didn't answer. She didn't even move her lips, her eyebrows were knitted, and her eyes fixed forward. Any word would have blown the truth before her father found out for himself.
She entered the palace with steady steps, each step ascending like a staircase of her fear, until she found her father standing in the middle of the hall, like a pillar connecting the sky and the earth.
She stopped.
Her heart trembled.
She knew this meeting would not be calm.That he would be angry... he would ask... he would seek the truth.
Theo bent slightly to be at her eye level, his smile carrying a touch of sarcasm, but it wasn't hostile. A quiet voice mixing reassurance and mockery:
"Where was my well-mannered daughter? Have you started sleepwalking?"
Rena felt a pang in her chest. It wasn't anger... but a strange feeling of caution and dread. She didn't answer and froze in place.
Her father returned and said in a low, yet sharp tone:
"Why don't you answer?Do you think my anger is limited to you going out? Tell the truth, Rena."
She fidgeted with her fingers, raised her eyes to him, and her voice trembled:
"There...there were bandits... they wanted to attack... Ron... s—"
Theo laughed a short, sudden laugh, carrying a mix of surprise and amusement:
"Are you playing the heroine now?If you had gone there, you and Ron would have died together."
She swallowed, heat filling her cheeks, she felt helpless.
Then he asked her,curiosity and worry mixing in his voice:
"And how did you know there were bandits?"
She froze, but this time she didn't flee.
She raised her head firmly and said in a clear voice,piercing the silence:
"Robinson...the guard who accompanied me... he was the one who hurt me and targeted Ron."
At that moment, Theo's features changed completely.
He transformed from a calm father into a stern Duke,his eyes charged with an anger no one had known before. Everything around him seemed to exude an intensity that seeped into the walls.
Osanna came behind him, her steps quiet and steady, as if carrying a cold light illuminating the place. He looked at her and said:
"Rena...go up to your room now. Rest, read a story, and leave the matter to me."
Rena nodded, her heart beating fast, knowing any attempt to discuss now would be a risk. She slowly ascended the stairs, each step weighing her down with thought, with the sting of pain, and with her full awareness of her father's anger, which she knew could be stern and merciless.
She sat on her bed, her hand on her bandage, thinking about every moment of the day, about everything she felt, and everything that happened. She felt a sharp pain—not in her head, but in her heart—because she was the cause of this suppressed anger erupting.
Downstairs, orders resounded, the entire palace came alive with movement: servants, guards, knights, everyone was summoned quickly.
Theobald stood in the middle, his face rigid, his voice heavy:
"You have certainly heard what happened today.Karina was hurt in the head... and we don't know who did it."
Osanna adjusted her posture, looking sternly at all their faces:
"I don't believe any of you would harm the heiress."
Theo nodded, his voice stern:
"We've trusted you for years...gave you everything... and this is the result."
Some began to whisper apologies, but Osanna sharply cut off their voices:
"Are you apologizing now?Do you know how Verci was? How my husband was? Do you want us to return to those days? Anyone who argues will be killed."
In the past of the Verci family, their dealings with servants and everyone were very strict until the Great Duke, Theobald's father, passed away. At that time, Osanna focused only on raising her children and relaxed the strictness in the palace.
Fear seeped into everyone's hearts because they remembered that time well.
Then Osanna gestured for Carla to step back:
"This is not just a maid...She is the second mother to my granddaughter... I am not addressing any words towards her."
Theobald agreed with her words and replied in a quieter voice:
"You may go...and don't let Rena hear anything about what's happening now..."
Carla nodded, bowed lightly, and left the place, with all eyes of jealousy and envy following her.
Theobald refocused on the rest, his voice stern:
"Why aren't you loyal to the Princess as she has been loyal to you?Do you realize what a girl her age has done? Six years... six full years of study and diligence, while children her age only play... Why? To be qualified to bear the responsibility of the Southern Duchy... For whom? For the people of the South."
Everyone fell silent... The silence was heavy as a wall.
Rena felt the full meaning of what she had sacrificed,her loneliness, and the responsibility she carried, and how everything around her watched, judged, and expected her to endure... because she was the heiress... and she had to learn these matters that were heavy for her age...
Theobald sighed deeply, then took a firm step forward. In his resonant voice that broke the hall's silence, he said:
"I know that person...The person I trusted... But, as always happens, betrayal comes from where we least expect."
He cast a stern gaze, sharp as a polished sword, towards all present. As for Robinson... his heart shrank in fear, and he shifted his feet in a desperate attempt to appear merely expectant, while secretly casting threatening glances at those he had bribed to defend him.
Then Theobald's voice rose, accompanied by a gaze that burned like embers:
"Robinson!Step forward here, before me now."
Robinson trembled, his steps faltering as he stepped forward, his voice shaking fearfully:
"Yes,m... my lord... Did I d-do something...?"
The sharpness of Duchess Osanna's gaze increased, and Theobald's response was decisive:
"I am the one who will ask the questions here!What did you do? Did you think I wouldn't find out? Or that I would remain silent? I made you my daughter's escort, and this is the end?"
Robinson's limbs trembled, and he tried to muster some confidence:
"My lord,this is nonsense! I'm innocent, I have witnesses who confirm I did nothing."
Theobald let out a short, mocking laugh, then gestured with his hand:
"Fine!Let the witnesses come forward, then. Let's see who dares to testify that my daughter is lying."
Fear gripped the hearts of those who had taken the bribe, so they stopped in their places, whispering terrified, not knowing what to say. But one of them gathered his courage and stepped forward with a tense bow:
"My Lord Theobald..."Then, after hesitation, he blurted out: "Robinson... is the culprit!"
The barrier of silence was broken. Robinson shook his head violently, screaming:
"No!He's a liar! And vile! Stop lying!"
But a resounding slap from Duchess Osanna cut off his speech:
"Shut your mouth! Is this how you speak before us? Even if you were innocent – and you are not – you would be punished for your insolence alone!"
Theobald raised his hand to restore calm, then signaled for the witness to continue. The man took a deep breath and said:
"My lord... he gave us... a bribe... for our silence."
The other false witnesses had no choice left,so they remained silent in the back, fearing punishment.
Theobald gestured for them to recede, then turned his gaze back to Robinson. Anger was blazing in his eyes, a look the attendees hadn't seen in a long time, sending a shiver of fear through them all.
Robinson tried to twist the narrative:
"My Lord Duke,hear me... Yes, I made a mistake, but... Lady Elena threatened me to do it!"
It was an outright lie. Elena had never threatened him; he had agreed immediately.
Here,Theobald's anger and his mother Osanna's flared together. Theobald said in his gruff voice:
"Bring her now!Quickly!"
One of the guards rushed off. A sarcastic smile rose to Robinson's lips.
Within minutes,Elena arrived bewildered, and when Theobald addressed her, his question was harsh and direct:
"Do you hate your sister to this extent? Is this the guardianship of the Duchess we left to you? For a laughable matter!"
Elena didn't understand at first, but when she saw Robinson's sarcastic smile directed at her, she realized the plot. She screamed:
"Is this lowlife lying to you?He's a liar!"
But Robinson quickly interrupted her, handing Theobald a set of letters – agreements with bandits, and all the details of the conspiracy.
Theobald read them,his hands pressing on the papers until they almost tore, then he did tear them and threw them violently:
"I can't believe it! You play with the heiress's soul as if it's just a chess piece! Do you think I'll let this go easily? This is a lesson for everyone."
He tried to calm himself for a moment, then looked at his mother as if consulting her. Osanna stepped forward and said in a clear, firm voice:
"Let everyone hear: This is not my opinion alone, but mine and Theobald's. Whoever harms Karina the Heiress, harms the entire future of the South. If this girl is harmed, the entire South will be harmed. We will not search for another heir; we will leave you in chaos, without security, without civilization, without anything."
Theobald nodded in agreement, then added: "This time, I will not carry out this judgment. But next time, if Karina is harmed – by anyone, guard, servant, knight, or otherwise – everyone will be executed."
The attendees held their breath and their hands trembled. They realized this anger would not pass easily. Even Elena froze in place in horror.
After moments,Theobald turned to her and said:
"And you too, my wife's guardian... Be happy that you are the guardian, for if it weren't for that, I would have torn you apart on this spot. You haven't even a quarter of your sister's kindness and compassion. It seems I was wrong... Revellina is incomparable."
His tone was full of regret and doubt – an old doubt about the validity of that guardianship, which was indeed forged, as Rena knew well.
Then Osanna whispered in her son's ear,in a voice audible to all:
"Kill him."
Theobald didn't wait.In one swift movement, he drew the sword tied at his side and raised it high.
Before everyone– servants, guards, knights – the blade descended with cutting speed.
It severed Robinson's head... and blood flowed to spread on the ground.