Princess Isis thought the date was going well. So they continue their journey until they reach the lake, where they can hear voices from the side, which appear to be men conversing.
"It's funny that the Crassore will choose between Medea and Natalie," a man laughs so loudly that Medea and Isis come to a halt.
His other accompanies chuckles at his remark, but the other shows a blank face, trying to understand it.
"Why would it be funny?" one man on his left asks why he said that.
He proudly responds, "They are both chosen solely because the Crown Prince rejected them. Medea, his ex-fiancée, is humiliated by being dumped and enters the Crown Princess competition, only to see Countess Hera, her supposedly loyal friend, engage with the Crown Princess. Their ceremony is even happening right in front of her eyes!"
The man wipes his eyes and rolls down the floor, trying to hold his stomach.
"These peasants!" the anger poured down on Medea.
"Natalie, on the other hand, is well-known for her obsession with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince never looked her in the eyes, never saw her as a woman. As a Duchess, how could she be so stupid? Natalie always follows him around like a good dog. I'm sure she'll look great on all fours like a dog for me. That face would squint in delight," both women could hear his howling laughter afterwards, as Medea's guts twisted in disgust for him to see Natalie that way.
The Duchess closes her eyes, attempting to restrain herself before striking them and finding a plausible reason to drag them to her prison, where they will most likely be tortured.
"If the Crassore rejects them, they will likely wag their tails at us, the commoners!" another man enters the scene, grinning madly while his hands grip the beer bottle tightly.
"Wait a minute. That's not how we should talk about the Duchesses!" one of the men disapproves of how they talked about them.
"What are you scared of? Are you afraid of women? Be a man!" the other man encourages him.
Meanwhile, the man keeps saying, "No! It's sickening that you regard the Duchesses in this manner! We could be executed simply for saying that!" he panics, looking around, and then freezes as the amethyst and red eyes burn through his eyes.
He could not utter any words anymore as his silence surrounded him. The man's words are being ignored, as he couldn't hear them coming from their mouths. He is petrified over their fate.
"It's the truth, Phillips; we didn't even get it wrong, did we? Similarly, the Crassores will select one of these discards," Isis punches him in the face before he can finish his sentence, alarming all men.
"Who the hell are you, bitch?" the veins on his neck and head are visible, pulsating so much that his face is red from the anger.
He had no idea Duchess Valimos was standing next to the woman who punched him. The others are already aware of her presence, sweating coldly and waiting for her to move. He doesn't even greet her, and the woman beside her does not appear to be a regular woman. Also, her presence seems noble.
The man was oblivious to it, blinded by his rage. He steps forward, swinging his arms, attempting to punch Isis but failing as his arms twist in a split second. The man struggled like a fish trying to find air on land, turning his head to look for a familiar face before turning pale. That's Duchess Medea, trying to remain calm over his insulting remarks.
"Allow me to teach a lesson to the Angelos' people, Your Highness. There's no reason to taint your reputation as the Crown Princess of the Crassore Empire with these filthy creatures," when he heard the words, Crown Princess, the man became even more terrified.
"No-" Isis insists on punishing them on the spur of the moment for insulting her and the Duchesses' honour, but Medea decides to punish them in her way.
The Crown Princess has no choice but to hand them over to the Duchess, as rumours of her attempting to assert authority at the Angelos Empire will circulate. There would be another complete story, possibly involving the Angelos people.
"Take them all," Medea waves her hand, signalling her knights to take them to the Valimos' prison.
All of them are on their knees, trying to convince the Duchess. Duchess Medea deafens her ears of their pleas and then leaves as the knights bring them away. Princess Isis lets out a big sigh that the date seems ruined when seeing Medea's jaws clench during their walks.
"Duchess Medea, I apologise for ruining our first meeting. I should not have brought you here," the Crown Princess smiles apologetically.
"It is neither your fault nor mine. Sometimes we are just in the wrong place," the Duchess tries to smile at her efforts.
"Let's put that aside and continue on our way. Shall we, Your Highness?" Duchess Medea extends her hand and links her arm with Isis's.
The Crown Princess is still enraged by the man's remarks about the Duchesses. Although she smiles at Medea, her mind is already planning a thousand ways to punish all of them. Isis had no idea that Medea was doing the same thing.
"I'll make sure they would beg to die instead of being tortured tonight," Medea's fury sprang to life.
When Isis offers to navigate them to the Valimos' manor, they both take their leave. Duchess Valimos could only nod and smile as they rode to the household.
"I'm having a wonderful time today, Duchess Medea, except for some arrogant brats," the Crown Princess says, extending her hand to the Duchess.
Medea accepts the gesture as she stands in front of Princess Isis. They are both the same height, but Isis is slightly taller.
"Thank you for today, Your Highness," Medea tries to conceal her frosty voice as the men keep lingering in her head.
The Crown Princess kisses Medea's hand after she says, "I will take my leave."
Isis gets into the carriage as Medea watches her. Duchess Valimos still standing there, looking at the carriage as it departs and leaves her sight, before walking into the manor. But, then, the amethyst eyes glow in a dark desire, thinking about what shall come tonight.
The night has come, consuming the light in the Angelos Empire's sky.
"Your Grace, it's time to interrogate the criminals," the knight knocked on Medea's room.
The woman had just finished her bath, spraying her perfume with coffee, and vanilla scent, giving her a robust and intimidating woman appearance. She continues to wear her attires for the night. Her knights await her when she opens the door, standing and greeting the Duchess.
Then, without further ado, they proceed to the dungeon area. Medea continues her march with the knights until she has five figures in her sights. Some people are terrified as they stare at the infamous devil, waiting for their fate. Perhaps they will suffer and die at her hands beyond their wildest dreams. The other people's expressions are filled with rage at the Duchess. Medea smirks the most at this expression; she is too used to these looks of hatred.
"There you go, my rats," her shoes click on the ground, as the sound is the only thing the men can focus on right now.
Fair-skinned hand gestures to the knights to leave her with all the men. She approaches the prison's bar, keeping her frosty gaze fixed on them, pushing the men could feel themselves shrinking. They're waiting for the Duchess to open her mouth and start talking about whatever she wants. But instead, the purple-eyed woman stares at them as if she is looking for something valuable within them.
As a result, the men are even more terrified than before. But on the other hand, the Duchess is trying hard not to let her emotions get the best of her.
"That man treats Nate as if she is an honourless and worthless woman in his eyes. Somehow, it makes me want to twist his neck, feeding his tongue to dogs," Medea determines that she shouldn't let the men get away with their insulation and Natalie's honour like that.
They're talking lewd while fantasising about Natalie's body soaring her rage up to the sky. Also, she is enraged at those imbeciles for mentioning her misery at being played by Ares in the Crown Princess competitions. Due to that incident, she has lost her nanny, the person she loves the most. Their insulting words rub the salt in her wound.
Duchess Valimos tries to regain control of her breathing and calm herself down. Meanwhile, the men were still waiting for her to speak, their heavy breathing filling the silence as their bodies shook in fear.
The Duchess gives them one last look before leaving. The men couldn't believe Medea didn't do anything to them, which helped them breathe easier. They could finally see clearly and laugh with delight. Phillips, on the other hand, is still concerned about it.
"It would be strange for her to leave without saying anything. Silence is more powerful than a thousand words," Philips feels unsettled feelings in his chest.
While Phillips was still in his world, thinking about what had just happened, the other man, William, noticed that the bar was fastened with an ordinary lock. He smiles as he pulls out a trip wire in an attempt to open it. The others squeal with delight when William successfully opens it while Phillips remains unconcerned. They are overjoyed with the news. Then, the men begin to plot their escape from the prison. But, as the knights return, they remain silent, waiting for the opportune moment.
"We will escape tonight," William informs the others, whispering faintly.
The two knights began drinking alcohol and managed to convince them that their moment was approaching. It feels like an eternity when the knights nod off from their drinks and pass out at the table. The men began to take deep breaths and move with feathery steps, making as little noise as possible. The most challenging part would be opening the lock, so William shakes his hand before attempting to do so.
"William, slowly," the other man whispers desperately.
Their heartbeats were pounding so hard because they were nervous about being caught in the act. People would have assumed the knights were dead if their chests weren't moving, as they appeared deep in sleep.
William finally got it off and then slowly opened the prison bar and began their escape from the prison.
"Let's go," William moves his head, asking the others to follow him.
The Goddess of Luck must be on their side today as the knights on the outside move from their post, changing shifts. It should take about ten minutes and would be enough for them to escape at the moment. Their steps get faster to move when the knights leave, leaving them a golden opportunity to run.
Phillips follows them half-heartedly, debating whether he should stay or flee. He appears to be a fool, but his survival instinct kicks in. They finally leave the Valimos' manor after hearing a bell ring from there, indicating that the criminals have escaped.
"The rats have escaped!" the sound of the knights roaring about the news.
As the horses began to gallop inside the manor to the gate, they realised they needed to move as soon as possible.
The men flee wherever they can, which leads them to the woods and makes it more difficult for the knights to track them down. They were rejoicing together and relieved to have escaped the death door. Yet, Phillips' frown irritates William.
"What a jerk to ruin a good thing," William clicks his tongue.
"The security at the Valimos is so easy to breach," another man noticed.
Still beaming with pride, William stated, "After all, it appears Valimos' claim about the financial crisis is correct. They couldn't even provide adequate security! They are on their way down!"
The men burst into boisterous laughter until they heard a woman's voice behind them.
"Having a good time?" all the men turn their heads to see the amethyst eyes glowing like the ones they saw at the Valimos' manor.
'Run as fast as you can.'