"Bastard! Get away from me!" a middle-aged woman screamed, gripping lattice on the window. "I demand to see Anthony right now!"
Despite her screams, the mercenaries guarding her carried on with their duties as if they could not hear her.
"It's been three days," a voice said coldly. "Haven't you screamed enough?" Anthony walked into the yard below the window, his face gloomy.
"You…" Nishieva has been demanding a meeting with Anthony for three days, but when he was standing before her, she did not know what to say. She stared at him then spat. "I never took you for one so cruel."
"Me?" Anthony asked, shaking his head. "You are my wife. I never wanted to put your life in danger. You, on the other hand, wanted to kill me."
"I did everything for you!"
"For me? Nishieva, look at me and tell me. Have you ever thought of me? You are here, sure, but everything you did was for Ellisen Empire. I can't see how killing Alice would ever benefit me. Do you have any idea what would happen if we piss of Anfey and his people?"
"So you're scared of him!" Nishieva said with a frustrated laugh. "You're scared of him! So you put your own wife in prison! You're not just cruel, Anthony, you're a coward."
"I'm not a coward," Anthony said. "I did what I did so I wouldn't be manipulated anymore. Don't push me too far, Nishieva. I don't want to do anything to you."
"Really?" Nishieva said, laughing. "Sure. Come kill me. You really think I care? Kill me, then go lick the boots of your new masters! I can't believe I agreed to marry you."
"Neither one of us had the choice," Anthony said, shaking his head. "It was purely political, Nishieva. I thought that at least you would be helping me after our marriage, but clearly I'm wrong."
Nishieva stared at Anthony, her knuckles white from gripping the lattice too hard.
"I worked for Ellisen Empire, what did I get? I work for Anfey, and what did I get? Even you must agree that Ellisen Empire is way too stingy, yet you still spent years trying to help it. Why?" Anthony sighed and lowered his gaze. "Nishieva, you are my wife. If I'm just Anthony, I would throw away everything to help. But I'm not just Anthony. I am also the leader of Glory mercenary group and I'm responsible for the lives of thousands of mercenaries. I can't abandon them just because of you."
Nishieva watched Anthony in stunned silence. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted her son David walking in behind his father. She reached out and called, "David! David, help me!" David saw her and froze. He looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness, then lowered his head hurriedly.
"I promise you, no one's coming to save you," Anthony said. "Of course, I can also promise you that no one will come and hurt you. David, are you ready?"
"Yes, father," David said quietly.
"Bring them in," Anthony said.
David turned and shouted an order. Around fifty people were ushered into the yard. They were all dressed differently and were different ages, but they were all bound.
"These are your achievements, aren't they?" Anthony said. "I must apologize, but none of them can leave here today." He waved his hand and the mercenaries he brought with him all drew their swords. The mercenaries present had all been following Anthony for years and all knew better than to question him. A few minutes later, the last of the mercenaries returned his sword to its sheath. Nishieva looked at the bodies in horror.
"To be honest, what happened yesterday was worse," Anthony told Nishieva. "Of course, you're my wife, and I don't want to cause you any discomfort." He paused. "This is the last time you'll see me. I won't come here again, and you won't leave here again." He turned to David and said, "Let's go."
Anthony departed from Nishieva with sure steps. Nishieva screamed and cursed his name, but none of the curses were enough to turn him around.
Christian pushed his way into Alice's room and saw that she was busy with ledgers. Alice smiled at him and returned to the numbers.
Shinbela nodded at Christian. Alice's safety became a topmost priority, and was followed by dozens of mercenaries wherever she went. Shinbela had been staying close to her as well, no matter where Alice was. It was her neglect that had given the assassin a chance to get close to Alice, and she did not want that to happen again.
Christian smiled at Shinbela and sat down on a chair next to Alice. "How are you doing? How's your throat?"
"It's better," Alice said. "Still can't raise my voice, but it could be worse. Do you need something?"
Christian nodded. "Anfey's coming back."
"I see."
Christian pursed his lips. It's clear after that night that Alice liked Anfey, and to Christian, the more she acted like didn't care, the more she cared.
"Anthony killed a lot of people," Christian continued.
"Why?"
"He said that they're all people from Ellisen Empire," Christian said. "Anthony has shown his stance. I think we can trust him. We need to work with him to ensure peace. He's instrumental in inviting Batusimon here. I don't think Batusimon will work with us if Anthony isn't working with us. If we turn Anthony away, it could be disadvantageous."
"What did he do with Nishieva?"
"He imprisoned her," Christian said. "He got two alchemists to seal off the tower he is keeping her in. He's serious."
"Nishieva's from Ellisen Empire. She's a thorn in our side."
"But there's no way Anthony will kill her," Christian said. "Killing her servants and imprisoning her is the most he can do."
"Let me finish," Alice said with a smile. "I agree. I'm fine as long as Anthony stops trusting Nishieva."
"You don't want to do anything else?"
"What else is there to do?"
Christian nodded. "Alright," he said. "If Anfey's unsatisfied with this situation, you should try and talk to him. You're the victim, and your words will weigh more than ours."
"I trust him to make the right decision," Alice said with a shrug. "He's always sensible. But sure. I will talk to him if he wants to do anything else."
"You don't understand," Christian said. "You don't know what he said when you were unconscious." Christian knew that Alice liked Anfey and that telling her what had happened would only fuel her fondness. However, he also knew the more she repressed it, the stronger her feelings would grow. He wanted to take another approach in quelling her feelings.
"What did he say?"