Chapter 30
Theon's gaze didn't waver.
"Watch me."
Just as they were about to clash, Yohan immediately stepped between them.
"Wait! Stop!" he said, raising both hands.
Duke Theon glanced at him, his expression still cold.
Yohan swallowed nervously before speaking.
"Your Grace... we can't simply disobey a royal decree."
He glanced at the men holding the decree, then back at the Duke.
"We need to think this through first."
His voice was hesitant.
"If we forcefully take her away, it could be seen as an act of aggression against Solaris."
"And without evidence that she's innocent, they could use this incident against us," Yohan continued.
The Duke remained silent.
Yohan lowered his voice.
"We need to find out what's really going on before we make any move."
Duke Theon fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
Wait...
Are they seriously going to let these men take me?
Before anyone could say another word, the man holding the royal decree gave a quick signal.
The men immediately started moving toward me.
"Stop!" Cassian shouted.
He raised his sword again, stepping in front of me.
But Duke Theon finally spoke.
"Lower your sword, Duke Cassian," he said calmly.
My heart sank.
He was going to let them take me.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
I should have known better.
"Duke-" Cassian began, disbelief evident in his voice.
Before he could finish, Duke Theon turned his gaze toward him.
Cassian stared at him for a moment.
Then he let out a heavy sigh.
Slowly, he lowered his sword.
The men immediately moved forward and grabbed my arms.
"No!"
I struggled against their grip.
"Don't let them take me!"
I looked desperately at Duke Theon.
"Please, believe me!"
My voice cracked.
"I didn't do anything!"
I fought against the men, but I was too weak to break free.
"Please!"
I looked at him again.
"Father!"
But he didn't move.
He simply stood there, watching as they dragged me away.
My chest tightened.
Why?
Why wasn't he stopping them?
I continued struggling against their grip, but my strength was slowly fading.
My movements became weaker.
Until eventually, I stopped.
I turned my head one last time.
The Duke was still standing there.
But then, I saw it.
The pain in his eyes.
He was hurting.
He looked like he wanted to do something...
But he didn't.
I stared at him as the men continued dragging me away.
Our eyes remained locked until the distance between us grew wider and wider.
And for some reason...
That look in his eyes hurt more than anything.
★★★
Theon remained standing where he was.
His eyes stayed fixed on Rishima as she was dragged away.
His hands slowly clenched into fists.
That scene...
It was too familiar.
Her desperate voice echoed in his mind.
"I didn't do it!"
Theon's eyes darkened.
The memory came rushing back.
Rishima had stood before him, tears filling her eyes as she desperately pleaded with him.
"Please believe me, Father."
She had insisted again and again that she hadn't poisoned Aurora.
And Theon remembered his own response.
"Do you really expect me to believe that?"
His chest tightened.
Back then, he hadn't believed her.
And now...
He had just watched Rishima plead with him the same way.
The desperation in her eyes was painfully familiar.
Only this time...
He couldn't make the same mistake.
His gaze hardened.
"No," he muttered under his breath.
"Not again."
Yohan looked at him.
"Your Grace?"
Theon slowly turned toward him.
"We need someone to follow her."
Yohan hesitated.
"Your Grace... it would take at least an hour to get our men here."
He looked toward the direction where Luna had been taken.
"We'll lose her if we wait."
Theon fell silent.
His expression hardened as he considered their situation.
An hour was too long.
They couldn't afford to waste that much time.
"I have knights stationed nearby," Cassian said, stepping forward. "They can follow the group to the capital immediately."
"Yes, that's a good idea!" Yohan said, looking relieved. "Let's do it, Your Grace, while we wait for our men."
Theon remained silent for a moment.
His gaze shifted toward Cassian.
He wasn't accustomed to accepting help from others.
But Luna's safety came first.
"I don't like being indebted to anyone," Theon said at last.
His eyes remained fixed on Cassian.
"But fine. Do it."
Cassian gave a slight nod.
He then glanced toward one of his men and gave him a subtle signal.
The knight immediately understood and nodded before turning away to carry out the order.
"You don't owe me anything, Your Grace."
Theon raised an eyebrow.
"I'm doing this for my own reasons."
Theon studied him for a moment.
There was something about Cassian's words that made him suspicious.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Do you like my daughter?"
Cassian's eyes widened slightly.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he quickly shook his head.
"That's not it."
Theon continued staring at him, clearly waiting for him to say something more.
Cassian sighed.
"When your knights came asking me about Luna..."
He paused.
"I lied to them."
Theon's expression hardened as he listened to Cassian.
"I actually knew she was going to Solaris," Cassian admitted, looking away for a moment.
Theon was silent for a moment.
Then he let out a quiet sigh.
"It's fine."
Cassian looked at him.
"We've found her now. That's what matters."
Theon's gaze shifted toward the direction where Rishima had been taken.
His expression grew serious.
"What's important is getting her back."
He turned toward Yohan.
"Let's go to that village they're talking about," Theon said firmly.
"If they're accusing her of slaughtering an entire village, I want to see the place myself."
Yohan's eyes widened slightly.
"You're going to investigate it yourself, Your Grace?"
Theon didn't answer.
Instead, he turned toward one of the Solaris knights.
"Which way is the village?"
The knight hesitated before pointing toward the forest.
"It's that way, Your Grace. Beyond those trees."
Theon followed the direction of his finger.
"Let's go."
Without wasting another moment, Theon and Yohan headed toward the forest.
Cassian watched them leave before turning toward his own men. Together, they headed back across the border.
Meanwhile...
After walking through the forest for a while, Theon and Yohan finally saw the village in the distance.
They slowed their steps.
Theon's eyes narrowed.
As they entered the village, they noticed dark stains scattered across the ground.
Blood.
Yohan's expression changed.
Theon crouched down and examined one of the stains.
They both looked around.
There were no bodies.
No weapons.
No belongings scattered around.
Nothing that could clearly show what had happened.
Someone had already cleaned up the scene.
Theon slowly stood.
His eyes swept across the empty village.
"They made sure no one would find anything."
Theon and Yohan continued deeper into the village, carefully searching for any evidence the men might have overlooked.
After a while, Yohan noticed something unusual.
"Your Grace, look."
Theon followed his gaze.
Near one of the ruined houses was a wooden door partially buried in the ground.
It was barely noticeable, covered with leaves, dirt, and loose soil.
Yohan quickly brushed the debris away.
He reached down and lifted the door.
The moment he looked inside, he froze.
There, hiding beneath the ground, was a little girl.
She was curled up in the darkness, staring up at them with wide, terrified eyes.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Yohan's eyes widened.
"Your Grace..."
Theon immediately stepped closer and looked down.
His expression changed.
"It seems like I was wrong."
He looked around the empty village before turning his attention back to her.
"They didn't manage to clean everything up after all."
The little girl immediately scrambled backward, pressing herself against the wall.
"Don't come near me!" she cried, her voice trembling with fear.
Theon stopped.
"It's alright," he said calmly. "We're not going to hurt you."
The girl stared at them through tear-filled eyes, still terrified.
Yohan slowly crouched down, trying to make himself less intimidating.
"We just want to help you," he said gently.
The girl remained silent.
"Can you tell us what happened here?" Yohan asked.
The little girl wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"My father told me not to come out..." she whispered.
Yohan's expression softened.
"He told you to stay here?"
The girl nodded.
"He said I shouldn't leave until he comes back to get me."
Her voice trembled.
"But... he hasn't come back yet."
Theon and Yohan exchanged a look.
They both knew her father wouldn't be coming back.
Yohan glanced toward the empty village.
"There doesn't seem to be anyone left," he said quietly.
Theon looked back at the little girl.
"We'll take you with us for now," he said calmly. "We'll find your father."
The girl hesitated, still clutching the edge of her clothes.
"Are you really going to find him?"
"We will," Yohan assured her gently.
The little girl slowly nodded.
Yohan reached down and carefully helped her out of the underground storage room.
"Tell us everything you know," Yohan said gently.
"Some men suddenly came to our village and attacked us," the little girl said quietly. "My father took me here and told me to hide."
Yohan's expression grew serious.
"Men? There weren't any women?"
The girl shook her head.
"No. Only men."
Yohan frowned.
"Do you have any idea why they attacked your village?"
The girl thought for a moment.
"Maybe... because our village is back to how it was before?"
Yohan blinked.
"Back to how it was before?"
The girl nodded.
“Before, our village suddenly fell into darkness. The trees and plants started dying, and everyone got sick.”
She paused.
"Then Uncle Silas came with a girl."
Her eyes brightened slightly.
"She made it all disappear... and everyone got better."
Theon's expression suddenly changed.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Tell me about the girl," he said, his voice suddenly tense.
The little girl looked up at him.
"She had silver hair..."
Theon froze.
"And violet eyes," she continued, staring at him. "Just like yours."
His eyes darkened.
Silver hair.
Violet eyes.
There was no mistaking it.
It was Rishima.
The seal he had placed on her years ago...
It had been broken.
Theon's expression darkened.
"So that's why they're doing this..."
His fists slowly clenched.
"They're using this accusation as an excuse."
His expression hardened.
"They want to get rid of her."