"Forgive us, Eilika. Our intention was never to cause you any distress," Wilfred apologized softly, speaking on behalf of both himself and his wife.

He stepped closer to the edge of the bed, his expression softening with genuine vulnerability. "Susan was frantic with worry when she brought me the news of the explosion. We are truly thankful to the heavens that you are safe and standing before us."

He reached out and gently patted her head with a fatherly tenderness she hadn’t felt in a long time, then offered her a final, respectful bow before turning to leave the chamber with his wife.

Eilika gazed toward the closed door long after they had departed, a wave of conflict washing over her as she wondered if she had been too harsh in her silent judgment.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain throbbed against her temple, causing her to wince, though the ache subsided after a few fleeting seconds.

Sighing softly, she leaned back against the pillows and lowered herself onto the mattress, closing her eyes to seek the comfort of sleep.

~~~~

"Agh!!" Aldrick groaned in pain the moment a bucket of freezing water was splashed directly onto his face, shocking him out of his heavy, sedated stupor.

A sharp ache flared at the back of his head, and he vaguely recalled the sudden ambush, being struck from behind by an unseen assailant just as he was attempting to flee to the capital.

"Where... where am I?" he mumbled, blinking rapidly against the water dripping into his eyes.

He tried to focus his blurry vision. The first thing he discerned was the flickering orange glow of a nearby lantern, followed closely by a dark, imposing silhouette standing right in front of him.

A few moments later, Aldrick’s vision finally cleared. His heart violently hammered against his ribs and his eyes widened in fear as he realized he was bound to a chair inside a cold, damp dungeon cell.

"Have you finally awoken, Aldrick?" Damian asked, his voice cutting through the damp chill of the cell as he dragged a wooden chair across the stone floor, seating himself directly in front of the prisoner. Between his fingers, he casually flipped an identification token and a folded letter of transit.

"You traveled through many provinces before arriving here in Varos. How exactly did you manage to lay your hands on rare viper venom?" Damian questioned in a cold voice.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but I am entirely at a loss as to why I have been seized and bound in this manner," Aldrick stammered, trying to mask his panic with a look of wounded innocence. "Is there an official warrant for my arrest? Under imperial decree, a citizen has rights—"

"You are surprisingly well-versed in the empire’s laws," Damian chuckled, a dark, humorless sound that echoed off the wet stone walls. He leaned forward, his shadow engulfing the captive. "Yet you seem to forget that here in Varos, my word is the law. I do whatever I deem necessary to preserve the peace of this region. Now, answer the question I asked you. The longer you delay, the faster you will be dragged into the adjacent torture chamber."

When he remained silent for a few agonizing seconds, Damian stood up and gave a dismissive wave to the guards. "Take him to the torture room. Start by ripping off his toenails, one by one."

"No! Please, no!" Aldrick shrieked, his face draining of color as he violently thrashed against his ropes. "I will speak! I will tell you everything!" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Damian paused, looking down at him with an unyielding glare. "Begin. And do not let a single lie cross your lips, because I am not a man who grants a second chance," he warned, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"It was Count Elias!" Aldrick confessed in a rushed, desperate breath, tears of terror mixing with the water on his face. "He came to me... he wanted me to procure the venom for him. I only did it for the money, Your Grace! Nothing else! Please, I beg of you, have mercy!"

"Your Grace, I shall prepare the official warrant for Count Elias’s arrest immediately," Louis said, stepping forward from the shadows of the corridor.

"Do so. And ensure the city guards drag him through the main thoroughfares of Varos before bringing him here to the dungeons," Damian ordered coldly as he rose to his feet.

Hearing the finality in his voice, Aldrich immediately cried out, "Your Grace, please! I gave you the name! Have mercy on me and spare my life!"

"No. You dared to conspire against the Duke by procuring lethal poison," Damian pronounced, looking down at him one last time. "For that, you shall rot in these cells until you draw your last breath."

With that, Damian turned on his heel and walked out of the dim-lit dungeon as Maurice closely followed.

Louis had already departed with a squad of royal soldiers to arrest Elias at his private estate.

"Your Grace, once Elias is securely in our custody, half of the complex schemes he has cleverly orchestrated over all these years will finally be exposed to the light," Maurice stated as they walked through the palace courtyard.

"Yes. And along with him, every corrupt official and noble who benefited from his treasonous actions will be brought to ruin," Damian asserted, his expression grim. "Inform me the moment Elias is brought through the gates. I shall head back to the estate now; Eilika must be waiting for me."

"I will do so immediately, Your Grace."

Maurice then escorted Damian to his waiting vehicle, watching as the Duke drove back toward the residence.

On the midway, he bought Eilika’s favorite cupcakes which she mentions once to cheer up her mood when he saw a newlywed couple in the bakery, feeding each other.

’I shall do things like that too,’ he thought and went back to the waiting car outside. But then, his eyes fell upon on a jewelry shop and realized he wanted to buy a hairpin for Eilika’s long hair.