“What in the nine hells are you talking about!?” Byron yelled. Astoria became scared and started shivering. Byron saw her pitiful figure and relaxed.

“I’m sorry for yelling, please explain what you mean clearly.”

Astoria wiped her tears and began.

A good lie is mostly true, she told herself.

“The headmistress told me about her suspicions. The way someone evaded all the soldiers, killed the two guards quietly, released the intruder, and fled without anyone escaping, it was impossible for someone to do that unless they knew all the ins and outs of the mansion.”

Byron frowned.

“One day headmistress approached me and asked if I noticed anything unusual about Master Henry. I asked her what she meant, and she asked me whether Master Henry would do or meet anyone suspicious. I said I didn’t know anything about that since my duties were just to clean Master Henry’s room and tend to his needs. She told me to be careful around Master Henry and left.” Byron frowned deeper.

“Then one day, two weeks ago, I heard the headmistress confronting Master Henry. I don’t know exactly what they talked about, but Master Henry got very mad at the headmistress, and she ran away in a panic. I asked the headmistress what happened afterwards, and she told me that she had been using someone to spy on Master Henry’s outside activities. They seemed very suspicious. He would often meet some shady man, just around the time when the search party would start looking in a new direction. So she questioned him about it, but he just became very mad and shouted at her.”

“Then, tonight, as I was helping the headmistress with her chore, her spy suddenly arrived. He told the headmistress that he was following the suspicious man that Master Henry would often meet, and that tonight, that suspicious man entered the house, and someone let him in!”

Byron became alarmed.

“Headmistress immediately thought it must be Master Henry. She told me to run to you and that she would go stop Master Henry. I obeyed and started running here, but then I thought that the headmistress was all alone confronting two people. What if something happened to her? Thinking so, I followed the headmistress. She headed down a tunnel, followed by her spy. But when I arrived, the headmistress was already dead! And her spy was fatally wounded! I tried to save the spy, but I couldn’t, and in his dying breath, he told me this.

‘The young master will sell the Zenith pill recipe for a large amount of cash to someone in an area close to the eastern gate, and then run away. You must stop him!’

After saying that, he immediately died. I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified and ran here!”

Astoria immediately started crying.

Byron’s mouth was wide open. This can’t be true!

“Take me to the bodies!” he commanded.

“Yes, my lord!” Astoria answered, wiping away her tears.

Soon, she led him to the tunnels and Byron was horrified to see the bodies of the spy and the headmistress. He immediately ran towards the treasury.

The guards were surprised but didn’t block his way. Byron barged into the treasury and started frantically looking for something. When he couldn’t find it, he became panicked and ran back.

“Did anyone enter the treasury tonight?” he asked the guards.

“Um, just Master Henry came in some time ago,” they responded.

“DAMMIT ALL!” Byron screamed and punched the nearby wall as hard as he could. The twins were shocked and confused. The entire tunnel shook.

“HOW COULD YOU?”

His own son? Betrayed him?

No, he needs to see it for himself.

“Olivia,” Byron murmured.

“Yes, my lord?” she asked softly.

“You said he is escaping through the eastern gate with his money, right?”

“Um, that’s what the spy told me, yes lord.”

“Good. I want to see it with my own eyes. Follow me!”

Astoria followed Byron back into the mansion. At this point, many people were already awoken by the commotion. Byron ignored everyone and ordered a dozen guards to gather.

“We are marching to the eastern gate right now. Olivia, you come as well,” Byron said, looking at her.

“Um, my Lord, I’m scared. Can I… just stay here?”

“Don’t worry. With all of us together, no one will harm you,” Byron comforted.

After a few more seconds of hesitation, Astoria firmed her will and nodded.

Astoria rode behind Byron on the same horse, and there were a dozen guards armed to the teeth following them.

This can’t be. There must be a mistake. There must be an explanation.

Byron kept repeating the same words as he marched along. At this time, a scout he had sent out earlier had returned.

“Did you find anything?” Byron asked.

“Yes,” he responded. “As you suspected, Master Henry is in an abandoned building close to the eastern gate. He seems to be carrying a bag and a small suitcase.”

Impossible! I must see it with my own eyes!

Within a few minutes, they arrived. Henry was sitting on top of his suitcase, with his money bag on the side.

As the group barged in, Henry stood up in surprise.

“Father! What are you doing here?” But Byron ignored him.

“Check the bags!” Byron ordered. Immediately, two guards rushed forward. Henry tried to stop them, but they reached the money bag before Henry could react. The guard roughly tore open the bag and a huge amount of bronze, silver, and some gold coins fell on the floor. Along with those fell out the other treasures that Astoria had taken from the treasury. All except the Zenith pill recipe.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing!” Henry yelled. He was confused about what those treasures were as he didn’t recognise them.

However, Byron did.

Meanwhile, the other guard was approaching his suitcase, but Henry stepped in front.

“Stop! Go away, I’m ordering you!”

The guard hesitated and looked towards Byron. Byron nodded in approval and Henry was surprised. How did father find out so quickly? Did he always have some suspicions? The headmistress said she was always spying on Olivia. Maybe she spotted her moves, deduced everything, and told father? Or maybe they captured her?

Oh God! He promised Olivia that he would fight the world for her. He must keep that promise!

“GET BACK!” Henry yelled and unsheathed his dagger. The entire room froze.

Huh? Why are there blood stains on my dagger?

Byron was at a loss.

“So, it was all true… It was true all along,” he murmured.

Henry heard his father and ignored the blood. He thought that his father was talking about his relationship with Astoria.

“Yes father, it’s true. I just want to live my own life the way I want. I don’t care who gets in my way, even if it’s you, I will not back down!”

Seeing his son holding his dagger and threatening him, Byron was frozen.

His son whom he had raised for fifteen years, had turned against him.

He couldn’t understand why. What possessed him to do this? But the reason didn’t matter. The guards who saw him enter the treasury, the bloody dagger, the large sum of money, the stolen treasures, him coming to the eastern gate so late at night, and his own words just now – they were all undeniable proof!

He wanted to sell the village’s treasures to make quick money and start his own life. When the headmistress confronted and tried to stop him, he murdered her in cold blood.

The headmistress who raised him like a mother!

Did he kill those guards when rescuing that intruder too? Who else could it be?

Those guards were very trusted soldiers of his. He would even call them friends. And yet, they had died in his son’s hands.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!” Byron screamed.

Something in him snapped.

One second, he vanished, and in the next, he appeared behind Henry. With a slap, he sent Henry and his dagger flying across the room. Henry didn’t have time to react and smashed against the wall.

He got up coughing blood, surprised by the sudden attack from his father. His eyes were blurry, and the attack had kicked up a dust cloud in the room.

It took a few seconds for the dust cloud to settle and for his eyes to adjust. He was once again stunned by what he saw.

Previously, Astoria was hiding behind Byron, so he didn’t spot her. But now, Astoria was plainly visible, surrounded by guards.

And she was covered in blood.

So, he was right then, they did capture Astoria. That’s how they found him so quickly.

They really tortured a young girl for information.

How cruel could they be!

He must save her from them. They were only in this predicament because he proposed running away. He couldn’t let her suffer for him. He promised he would protect her and that’s what he had to do.

Finding new strength, he got up and looked back and forth between his father and Astoria.

Byron immediately appeared in front of Astoria again.

“You are not touching this girl,” he said firmly.

“Father, you may do what you like with me, but let Olivia go.”

“Oh, I am going to do a lot of things to you alright. From now on, you are no longer the younger master of this village.”

“Fine!” Henry shouted defiantly.

“And you are exiled from ever stepping foot in this village again!”

“…Fine!” Henry shouted, less confidently. Everything would be okay so long as he could be with Astoria.

“And…” Bryon quieted down. He took a deep breath and said, “And you are no longer my son.”

“Father…” Henry gasped.

He would really disown him for falling in love with a servant maid? He knew his father would be angry. Even if he sent him away for some time, he figured he would calm down eventually.

But disowning him… wasn’t this too much?

“Father, I just want to be happy. Find my own happiness. Is that so bad?”

“It is when you kill so many people and steal from the village to make it happen you SCUM!” Byron screamed.

Henry was confused. What was going on?

“Father, I don’t know what you think I did, but everything was for Olivia.”

“ENOUGH! STOP MAKING EXCUSES!” Byron screamed; his blood was boiling right now and he wasn’t thinking rationally. Astoria seemed to become scared and tugged at the hem of Byron’s shirt while hiding behind him timidly.

“I am not letting you touch Olivia!”

“Why not? I lo-”

“Why not? WHY NOT? So, you can kill her the same way you killed the HEADMISTRESS!?”

What? The headmistress was dead? What was going on? Henry was confused.

“Father, I don’t know what you are talking about. I didn’t kill any-” but he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Because in his hands was a bloody dagger.

Why was there blood on his dagger?

Henry froze.

He looked around the room.

His father and over a dozen guards were looking at him with disgust and hatred. Regardless of how much they were against him eloping, it did not warrant this kind of reaction.

And why were they talking about death and murder? And why was there blood on his dagger?

Did they think he killed someone?

Did they think he killed the headmistress?

“Father… what is that you think I did?” Henry asked.

He was scared now. He felt like he was caught up in a conspiracy.

“Don’t play dumb with me you BASTARD!” Byron snapped and smacked his son once more. Henry flew back and crashed against the wall again. Byron approached him and lifted him by the throat.

“Tell me, who did you sell it to? Which bastard did you sell the ZENITH PILL RECIPE TO?”

“Father… please… you are… hurting… me.” Byron let go and Henry fell to the floor, gasping for breath. It took a few seconds for him to recover. What was father talking about?

“Father, I didn’t sell any pill recipes, I have no idea what you are talking about!”

“Really? After all this, you are going to still play dumb?” Byron asked.

“Father, I actually don’t know what the hell you are talking about! I didn’t steal anything or kill anyone!”

“Oh really? Then why is there blood on your dagger?”

“I… don’t know,” Henry said, hanging his head.

“Why are our village’s treasures in your money bag?” Byron asked, pointing to the treasures on the floor that fell out from the money bag.

“I… don’t know…” but Henry was confused. Why were they there?

“Why do you have so much money?”

“Because I wanted to run away with Olivia…”

As he said the last word he froze.

Olivia…

She was the one who gave him the money bag! Did she put those treasures in there? How did she get them?

He looked at Astoria again, standing in bloody clothes, but there were no bruises on her body. Was it not her blood? Who’s blood, was it? He looked at his dagger again and his eyes widened.

Now it was Byron’s turn to be confused.

Why did his son keep talking about running away with Astoria?

Seeing this, Astoria couldn’t stay idle anymore. She immediately started crying.

“Please Lord Byron, don’t let him take me!”

Henry froze.

Everybody froze.

The room was dead silent.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Master Henry did this all for me. Master Henry would always suddenly hug me and touch me. He told me he wanted to make me his wife and take me away. He told me that he would make a lot of money to give me a very happy life! I didn’t know what he meant by that, and I was scared of what would happen if I refused Master Henry. The other maids told me… what he did to his previous servant. I thought… I thought if I refused him, he would do the same to me! So I… so I…”

Astoria started crying uncontrollably now. She was trying to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Say it, tell me what happened,” Byron asked, gently.

“So, I… I just went along with everything he said! When he hugged me, or kissed me.. or called me at night... I did everything he asked! I was so scared! Aah! But I knew he did everything because he loved me. Please don’t blame Master Henry. He did all this for me. It’s all my fault!” She started crying loudly.

Everyone in the room was looking at her with pity.

All except one - Henry.

What. The. Hell.

“That’s enough, arrest this bastard!” ordered Byron. “First, we’ll find out who he sold the Zenith pill recipe to. Then he will be exiled forever!”

Henry did not even attempt to resist. He saw Astoria, crying pitifully on the floor. If he didn’t know she was lying, he would have believed her.

What the hell is going on? What the hell did you do, Olivia?

Once they had taken Henry away, Byron turned to Astoria.

“Don’t worry little girl. You are safe now. He will no longer hurt you.” Astoria’s crying came to a stop.

“Really?”

“I promise.”

“Then, can I ask a favour?”

“Anything. You have suffered so much because of my stupid son. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, you just need to name it.”

“Then… I want to leave. I cannot go back to that mansion again. Will you please let me leave? I cannot live here anymore,” saying so, she started crying again with her head between her knees.

Byron sighed. He picked up all the money on the floor, apart from the treasures, and placed it in a new bag.

“Here, take this,” he said.

“Huh?”

“How will you be able to survive on your own without money?” Byron asked with a smile.

Astoria was overjoyed. She broke into a smile and hugged Byron like a daughter hugging her father.

Byron was happy.

As he gave the bag, he said, “If you ever want to come back, our mansion will always be your home.”

“Thank you, lord Byron,” said Astoria.

Then, giving a deep bow, she left. They were close to the eastern gate already, so she left the village immediately with her money. Soon, Byron and the guards took Henry away.

Around an hour later, another figure left through the eastern gate.

In the middle of the night, two figures stood just outside the eastern gate of the Leon village. Initially, they were separated by a few meters, observing each other from a distance.

Then, as if on cue, they both ran towards each other.

When they met, they fell into an embrace.

“We did it!” Sam whispered.