Zayden brought James with him outside of the mansion where the knight sent by Duke Danman stood.
When James spotted the silhouette from afar, he exclaimed, "Yuang?!"
James nodded, eyes glued on the blonde-haired man standing beside the wooden carriage.
"He used to work with me."
James chuckled before continuing.
"No. We started to work as helpers in the kitchen."
"Hmm? He sure achieved a good job if he started in that position," Zayden glanced at James.
The man shook his head, eyes shut tight as if he was recalling memories he had forgotten until now.
"He helped the Duke with all his crazy fantasies."
"Like chaining up servants and..." James’s stomach twisted. He had seen it. Those horrible, terrific, vulgar acts unfolded before his eyes.
Zayden’s steps faltered, eyes narrowing.
The Duke, known among the high society, was a nobleman, a respectable one. Even if greed ran in his veins, he wouldn’t hurt
"Ah, but he did try to harm me by stealing my documents," he scoffed.
Soon, they stood before Duke Danman’s messenger, keeping a safe distance from him in case he had ill intentions or was instructed to harm them.
A few guards surrounded the carriage to keep their master from getting injured, although they knew he didn’t need protection.
"James!—You traitor!" Yuang shouted instantly. "You joined hands with him?!"
James didn’t answer, arms folded.
The familiar voice reached Zayden’s ear. When he turned, he spotted Eiran running toward him. He frowned, glaring at Ren who tried to hold the child back but failed.
"Why did you bring him here?" He growled.
"He wanted to come see you," Ren replied firmly.
Zayden cursed under his breath, making sure Eiran wouldn’t understand. Then, he placed the boy behind Ren.
"Stay here," he ordered, then strode back to James’s side.
By then, James and Yuang’s conversation had already begun to heat up.
"James, you’ve lost your mind! He killed your Cael! How can you join him?!"
"Hah, really?!" James snapped, his brows furrowing. "You know who truly killed him?! That damned duke of yours! Acting all mighty while all he is good for is fucking people who are vulnerable, abusing them until they die!"
"Don’t you dare insult the Duke, James or I will forget I ever knew you! Cael agreed to it. No one forced him!" Yuang’s neck muscles corded, veins bulging as his anger burst free.
"Not when he forced me into this mission under the disguise of ’it’ll be good for you! Not when he told Cael I could lose my life!"
"Shut up!" Yuang roared, ripping his sword free of its scabbard.
Ren rushed in from the side, his blade intercepting the strike at the last second.
Zayden drew his sword in the same breath, stepping in front of Ren and James, his glare pinning the knight in place.
"Protect Eiran!" he barked.
"Yes, My Lord!" the guards answered in unison, breaking formation to rush toward the young master.
"Who are you?!" Yuang snarled, his voice edged with fury.
Zayden cast a glance behind him. Ren’s blade had already slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground. He didn’t notice when the servant had pulled out a sword from one of the guards and shielded James—Ren was as fast as light.
"Y-You can use a sword?" He hesitantly asked, still shocked.
"You told me yourself that I look like someone who has trained."
The answer wasn’t clear, but not too vague. Zayden understood what that meant—Ren had trained in the past.
"Y-You’re crazy, Yuang!" James yelled, startled, sitting on the floor, legs trembling, eyes blown wide in shock.
"It’s your fault," the man grinded his teeth.
"Well, whoever is at fault. It doesn’t change that you will be arrested," Zayden grinned, waving his guards to surround Yuang. "Seize him!"
"W-What?! You can’t do this! The Duke!—"
Zayden stepped forward, locking gaze with the man. Dark red light flickered at the palm of his hand, a serious expression. Abruptly, he curled his lips into a smile.
"The Duke, what? What will he do? Come and save you? Will he really risk his status for a knight who tried to harm the general?"
Yuang’s eyes narrowed, perplexed.
"What are you talking about?! I didn’t harm you—"
He looked around, all eyes staring at him.
"Who will say otherwise?"
The question already came with an answer—no one.
"Let me go," Yuang said softly.
Zayden folded his arms, not replying. As if he hadn’t heard him at all.
"I need to return to the Duke’s castle and give him your answer to the letter—" he paused, gaze flickering upward. "I hope you read it... Didn’t you?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." He sneered.
The letter crumbled into ashes under his palm, using his magic. He didn’t bother reading it—not after uncovering the Duke’s schemes. Another marriage proposal, as expected.
"Dad! Dad! I wanna be like Papa and you!" Eiran excitedly ran towards them. However, he was quickly picked up by Ren who dashed his way. He couldn’t give the general another reason to doubt his capacity.
"Papa! I wanna talk to Dad!" The child repeated over and over.
"Head back to the mansion for now. I will join you when I’m done with this," Zayden smiled.
Eiran puffed his cheeks, resting his chin on Ren’s shoulder.
When the two left the scene, Zayden turned toward Yuang, forced to kneel before him by his guards, hands now bound by tight ropes.
"General, you—" Yuang glared.
"You’re so scary," Zayden mocked, his shoulder shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter.
"Truly, My Lord. You are one of a kind," James stood to his feet, brushing off the dust on his pants.
"I know," Zayden simply replied, not glancing at the servant. "Lock him up in the dungeon," he ordered the knights who bowed.
Two picked the man up with an arm, dragging him toward the mansion’s basement. The entrance of the dungeon was not inside the mansion, but completely at the end of the marbled road.
When they reached there, the guards unlocked the door with the keys. They descended the stairs, still dragging Yuang as he groaned in pain.
"Shut up!" One of the guards glared at him. "Or I know how to shut that mouth of yours," he frowned.
Yuang clenched his jaw only to sigh. He couldn’t defeat them. He could only wait for Duke Danman to send help.