1753 Reality Kicks In!
In the damp confines of the small room within the palace walls, a burly man with an awful scar underneath his left eye was now on his knees, tied up and in a bad state.
His body was badly bruised and covered with blood that mostly wasn't his.
Yet, he looked defeated, haggard and his hair damp from sweat and snow.
The man had always remained stubborn, but when he saw his granddaughter walk in, his body trembled and softened like jelly.
"Ezenia! Are you okay? Are you fine? You bastards! Is this how you treat my grandaughter?!!"
Worry gripping his throat, the man wished he could free himself now and gently rub his hands against his beloved granddaughter's cheeks to assure her that everything would be alright.
Regret bubbled in his belly, wishing he could go back in time and stop his actions as well as hers.
They had been fooled by Henry's kindness, underestimating his resourcefulness to save himself.
After Ezenia failed, he too swore to use his means to get her out.
He felt Henry could never properly defend himself if he made a move.
Yes...
He was overly arrogant and didn't think his TOEP men, who had been trained for longer periods than Ezenia's, could lose to Henry.
Everything was supposed to go well, but somehow, Henry knew of their plans, killing off all enemies within the blink of an eye.
Of course, he trusted his men very well, knowing that even if they were caught, they wouldn't dare reveal he sent them.
Why? Because when they invaded Henry's space, they didn't have any items that could associate himself with them.
If anything they only looked like assassins paid to do a job.
This way, no matter how suspicious Henry is, he cannot make a move on him publicly... at least not yet.
And if he suddenly disappeared, there would also be rumors, with all fingers pointing Henry's way.
He thought that with all his calculations, Henry wouldn't dare come at him so blatantly.
But that was where he was wrong.
Not only did the bastard send people over, but he also did it so loudly and publicly that even the commoners knew of his suspicions.
That day, the drama was heavy.
They picked him up like a common criminal, dragging him about with no respect for his high-standing title.
Hell!
Do you know they even placed him in barred wagons that were more or less a drive of shame, allowing everyone to take a peek at him?
Several times, he thought the distance from his home to the palace was considerably short (in terms of inner-city travel time for this era).
But after riding in the barred prison wagon, he couldn't help feeling the time was too long.
It felt like an eternity for him who was slowly driven to the palace.
And what was even worse was that some bastards still dared to throw rotten items at him in secret.
Indeed, old habits die hard.
There are laws against throwing garbage on the public streets.
Hence the many city garbage bins around.
You can get fined for littering.
But back in the day, prisoners driven in these sorts of wagons like these were typically stoned with rotten fruits along the way.
But now that littering is a crime, people only shoot at him in secret before running away.
Heh.
Looking at the guards, he was sure they too saw the guilty parties who threw rotten items his way.
Yet, they did nothing, acting as if blind.
Bastards!
.
Alpantio was so posted he almost had a heart attack when moved around like a zoo animal.
Even some nobles he recognized, drove by, telling him to take heart, but deep down, they were mocking him.
Hey... It's not every day you get to see the great Alpantio in such dire predicaments.
When he finally got to the palace, they told him cleanly that he was suspected of attempted murder and would be held in their custody until they had further evidence to prove he was innocent or guilty.
With that, he kept him under house arrest within the palace.
Judging from Henry's actions, Alpantio knows he will only get released several days after Ezenia leaves for Baymard.
Don't you know how fast those Baymardian vehicles are?
In a few days, they should have already reached the Coastal zones and would be looking into boarding, bundling and shipping Ezenia off to Baymard.
So even if he sent his men after her after his release, it would be too late.
It was amazing how they still planned to release him after this, but not without repercussions.
... You see the power he loved clinging to so much?
Don't you think most of it should be taken back?
MOST is the word.
He still planned to let Alpantio keep some of his men and continue staying in power because was the bait to catch the many TOEP fishes in his beloved empire.
Henry needed Alpantio moving and desperate.
Such a wonderful bait must not get locked up in the dungeon cells.
No way.
It's best to let him roam free and lead them all to the enemy's promised land.
Many might think he was too scared to kill Alpantio but only he and his aides knew who he would leave him be.
.
With his voice degenerated into a childish whimper, Alpantio almost wept seeing his beloved Granddaughter in such a state.
But on Ezenia's side, she couldn't help opening and closing her lips severally with all sorts of emotions warped in her heart
Waste!
Worthless waste!
Was this what her grandfather truly was? A piece of garbage who couldn't even get a simple job done?
(`^`)
Ezenia was inwardly condemning Alpantio, forgetting she too failed to do another simple task of killing Henry a while back.
This... this... this...
Was her all-powerful Grandfather this weak and worthless?
'What a fool! A dime rescue mission and he can't get it done? Doesn't he know I have to get out fast to ensure my beloved is rescued from Baymarfian prison too?'
No matter how Ezenia looked at it, her former filter for her Grabdathef had fallen off and now, he looked like regular, regular, worthless trash to her.
What love?
So what if he truly loves her? In her world, only Ultich was worth locking.
He was the only one she could sacrifice for.
If you tell her to keep Alpantio now for more power, she will do it without hesitation!
Bastard!
Ezenia wanted to curse but knew she had to keep her grandfather's love for her at a maximum so he could one day get her out.
'Well, even if he was worthless, maybe, just maybe those bloody scamming TOEP people will miraculously save me later.'
Thinking like that, Ezenia's eyes turned warm.
"Grandfather..."
