116: Arlan's Arrival

Arlan's Arrival

"You brazen servant, won't you answer?" The Count hunkered down in front of her and gave her a hard slap. "Hah. Aren't you scared of dying? You must be an assassin then, sent to kill my son!"0

"If I was, then I would have slaughtered this pig you raised," she sneered. 

Thud!

Count Milton stood up and kicked her kneeling form with more force than earlier, causing her to collapse on the floor, but her mocking sneer and sharp gaze didn't change even for a moment. 

Not only the Count, even his wife and the guards could see the anger and disgust in this young servant's eyes. For some reason, they found her gaze intimidating. If this was not a mere servant kneeling in front of him, the Count would have felt wary of him. 

"Since you are not scared of death, then pay the price of laying a hand on a noble!" 

The angry lord grabbed the sword from one of the guards and pointed its tip towards her neck. 

Still, there was no sign of fear in her eyes as she faced her death bravely, even squarely meeting the furious noble's gaze.The Count raised the sword when—

"What is going on here?"

—a dignified voice stopped him. 

No one realized when the door opened, but Arlan was standing at the doorway with a few high nobles behind him. Though this part of the mansion was sealed, who would dare stop the Crown Prince of this kingdom from entering this place? 

Walter Milton stopped as he lowered his sword. He first bowed to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness."

Oriana turned to look at the source of the familiar voice and a shiver ran down her spine.

All she could think of was 'damn, damn, damn!' 

This Count Milton was an important official of the palace. In order to strengthen their hold on the nobility, the prince should not mind sacrificing one useless commoner. Arlan would likely give away her personal details, like where she lives, and now everyone from the village was going to be killed. 

Arlan glanced at her for a moment and was taken aback by the fear in those hazel eyes. Shouldn't she be glad to see he was there and help her escape this situation? 

'Isn't her brain working in the right direction?'

Arlan's gaze scanned the room—from Count Milton, then to his son and the assaulted female victim at the corner who had her head lowered.

On the way to this chamber, Arlan had heard each word said here between Walter, Wallace and Oriana. 

"Your Highness, this lowly servant had committed a crime and I was punishing him for that," the Count answered without Arlan needing to ask anything. 

"What crime?" Arlan asked, despite knowing the truth, but he meant the others who followed him to know it as well.

"This servant dared to sexually assault a noble lady. When my son tried to stop him, he violently beat him as well," Walter answered.

Arlan looked at Oriana who had not a single visible injury on her, but the man sitting on the bed looked like had gotten the worst beating of his life. It was impossible to believe such a frail woman could beat a big man like Young Master Wallace of the Miltons. 

'Shall I applaud her for being a brave woman, or sigh at her foolish self who cannot mind her own business? She didn't even tell them she works for the Palace of Thistle, or else this Lord would not have dared punish my servant without my consent.'

Arlan looked at the Count. "It seems like your son is not capable enough to get beaten up by such a weakling. Doesn't suit the next lord of the prestigious Milton Family to be such a pathetic person. I advise you to think before deciding your heir, Lord Walter." 

Though Count Milton was insulted by this, there was truth in Arlan's words. Moreover, how could he dare cross the Crown Prince's words when those words were rooted on facts? The other nobles were looking at him as well and he needed to resolve this situation in his family's favor.

"Your Highness, you are right. I will surely think about it, but for now, we have to pay attention to this culprit here whose master forgot to discipline him well. He dared assault a noble woman, and in this kingdom, there is no place for such a man. We do not take such heinous crime lightly. We need to seek justice for the young lady." He looked at the onlooking nobles behind the prince. "Am I wrong, gentlemen?"

"You are totally right, Lord Milton." 

"We shall punish this criminal with the death punishment so no servant would dare look at women of noble families."

"Punish him. We are with you."

Feeling satisfied with the reaction from others, the Count looked at Arlan. "Your Highness, I believe you agree with us as well."

"Hmm! Let's seek justice for a lady." When Arlan said those words, his eyes were at Oriana, but the young woman was not paying attention. She looked like she was ready to accept her death. 

"Then I will leave this matter in His Highness' capable hands." Walter was utterly happy inside, thinking he had convinced everyone. "We will accept whatever punishment Your Highness decides for this criminal."

"Very well." The corner of Arlan's lips raised in a light curve and he looked at the woman forgotten at the corner of the room. "Were you assaulted by this servant, young lady?"

"Lady Beatrice?" the Count called out, his intention clear.

The woman with her head lowered, clutched that bedsheet in her hand and wanted to say the truth, but she simply could not. 

"Y-Yes, he was the one…" 

She chose to save her entire family over the life of one servant she didn't know. Though her guilt was eating her, the servant himself seemed ready to die and didn't look regretful about his actions. 

She looked at Oriana with an apologetic gaze, but Oriana didn't react and neither did she blame her. She knew how things worked in this cruel world. 

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