Later that night, at the King’s palace..

The corridor outside Prince Alistair’s chamber was quiet as Annette and Leona held their positions right outside the door.

Then Leona’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out, glancing at the screen beneath the low light.

[Unknown Number]: I’m ready.

The moment her eyes registered the words, she slipped the phone back into her pocket.

And right then, Annette’s body went rigid. It was subtle at first, a slow twitch in her fingers, then her entire body began acting up.

Her eyes widened as veins began surfacing along her neck and temples. Blood rushed upward in an instant, flooding the whites of her eyes until they burned red.

She tried to move with this look of terror in her eyes. Her lips trembled, barely parting before closing up as jaws were clenched shut against her will.

Her hand strained as she slowly lifted it less than an inch before it suddenly returned back to her side.

Panic surged through her chest as she tried to force another movement, to push through the resistance with sheer will.

But, her own body had turned against her and every signal her mind sent simply died before it arrived.

Her breathing hitched as she struggled, forcing her head to turn, inch by inch, toward Leona who wasn’t reacting.

Why wasn’t she doing anything? Annette wondered, but in that moment the hilt of Leona’s sword caught her at the back of the head.

The commander’s vision faded to black and her body crumpled instantly.

Andrea stepped forward from the dim edge of the corridor, resting her eyes briefly on Annette’s fallen body.

"Blood manipulation," she said with a smile on her face. "Control the flow and the body becomes nothing more than a cage."

Leona said nothing, instead she pushed the chamber door open, and held it.

From within, Alistair stepped out already dressed in an Imperial Guard uniform, with the cap pulled over to cover the upper half of his face.

He was the one who had sent Leona that text.

And in fact, every detail of this moment had been planned over the last few hours of confinement.

Leona moved immediately, grabbing Annette under the arms and dragging her body back through the chamber door.

Then she stepped out again and shut the door, following behind Andrea and Alistair who already began moving.

——

Now they were outside the main building, with Andrea walking forward.

Alistair followed behind her, mimicking the appearance of an imperial guard officer accompanying the princess.

No one looked twice nor stopped them. And like that, they continued all the way until they reached one of the cars packed at a corner.

——

Commander Leona, on the other, did not follow them.

She had already taken a different route to entrance of the dungeon’s inner section which was manned by two regular palace guards.

They straightened immediately at the sight of her approaching.

"You’re both dismissed for the night," Leona said flatly, not breaking stride.

The two guards exchanged a quick glance.

She was Imperial Guard and one of the three commanders. Her instructions to them did not invite any sort of debate.

"Y-Yes, ma’am." One of them said, and like that, they moved away from the dungeons .

Leona continued forward, with a short duffle bag hanging from one hand.

She moved through the dungeon, taking turns without slowing as she passed rows of sealed cells until she arrived the very one she was looking for.

It was slightly different from the others.

There was so much mana-dampening crystals lining the walls, creating a sort of suppression field so dense. Thick chains ran from anchor points in the floor and ceiling, converging on the kneeling figure at the center.

Around his wrists and neck, were heavy collars of the same material, zaranite stones, which ensured that whatever power he carried stayed buried.

The man inside looked worn through. He had white hair and light skin, though it was bruised from almost two months of captivity.

Leona opened the cell door and the hinges gave a low groan.

The sound reached him, and slowly, he lifted his head. "...So," he rasped, in a dry and rough voice. "You’ve come to finish it."

A bitter smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

"Like you did the others."

Leona said nothing, instead stepped forward.

Shk.

She swung her blade, snapping the chains in half. The motion carried through without pause, as the collars followed immediately after, falling apart and hitting the floor in pieces.

The man went completely still, staring at his own wrists, the broken chains and collars lying at his feet.

There was shock on his face, but before he could speak, Leona tossed the duffle bag.

"Get up," she said. "You’ll follow me quietly....Lucien Fitzgerald."

He looked at her for a moment. Then, slowly, he moved his hands and unzipped the bag to find the folded Imperial Guard uniform inside.

A moment later, Lucien placed the cap over his head and stepped out of the cell, right behind Commander Leona.

The next morning...

Ethan was already dressed for the day. A plain white shirt, simple trousers, and a long overcoat resting over his shoulders.

No tie or any other thing that would restrict movement.

Behind him, the rest of the team including the part-timer, Bettie, had dressed accordingly, prepared for whatever awaited them in Lohansburg.

There was also a special guest, Maya Heydrich, who refused to stand by and watch her younger brother walk into the danger of a dimensional break without being there to protect him.

Everyone gathered outside the manor, slowly approaching the parked vehicles.

Ethan stood slightly apart for a moment, finishing a call. "Get any of the jets ready," he said. "We’ll be taking one."

On the other end, Lucy acknowledged and the call ended.

Then he lowered the phone, and continued towards his car.

Francesca stood at the entrance, speaking in low tones to Eduardo. "Please...Don’t let anything happen to our boy."

Eduardo simply nodded, then turned away.

Francesca stepped back, forcing a smile onto her face as she watched them move toward the cars.

They were seconds away from leaving, when suddenly a sound came; HOOONK.

Ethan stopped, so did Eduardo whose eyes had moved toward the gates. Right outside, was a a convoy of vehicles from the palace.

Eduardo pulled out his arcphone and after a few clicks, he pressed something on screen that made the gates slide open for the convoy to drive in.

Several vehicles rolled into the compound before coming to a stop. Doors opened almost in unison as members of the Imperial Guard stepped out.

They spread out quickly, some taking positions around the perimeter as if securing the entire area.

Then, General Iroh stepped forward, with an angry looking Annette behind him.

Isabella walked towards him as well. "General... what is the meaning of this?" she asked.

The General stopped a few paces from her. "My princess," he said in a firm tone, "you have been summoned to the palace at once."

"The King requires your immediate presence, and you are to come with me now."