The neers reeked of filth. Among them were two who seemed utterly mad. They rushed forward to grab the fresh fruit from the offering table, gnawing at it as if they were starving.
A few others were so weak that they could only lie on the ground. Their faces were pale and drawn, indicating they had been ill for a long time.
Just as the onlookers were trying toprehend the identities of these unfortunate souls, another group was ushered in.
Even before they entered, the stench hit those already in the room. It was nauseating, the foul odor reminiscent of rotting flesh. Molly covered her nose with a handkerchief and retreated to a corner, trying
to distance herself from the horrid smell.
The high priests opened their eyes. Upon seeing the limping women brought in–missing limbs, battered, and broken–a short prayer slipped from their lips.
The high priests werepassionate and had a high level of spiritual practice. Despite that, the sight of such suffering stirred their anger.
The nobledies gasped as they witnessed the women being carried in. They instinctively stepped back in
horror.
Rosalind quickly unfurled her handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose, joining the otherdies as they approached to assess the situation. Uponying eyes on the gruesome injuries, her face went ashen.
“Hurry! We need to get them to the infirmary!”
However, most people merely ran away. The smell was overpowering, and the sight was enough to make anyone retch. They felt sick to their stomachs.
“Is there a physician in the pce? Where is the household physician?” Nadine called out, grabbing a maid by the arm. “Find the household physician, quickly<b>!</b><b>” </b>
The maids were startled by the chaos and froze in ce. They were only attendants responsible for serving in the main courtyard and knew nothing about the dungeons. All they could see were the thin figures being carried out.
Some were familiar, while some were not. However, all of them were abnormally thin, injured, or maimed.
Hearing Nadine’s urgent plea, the maids instinctively scattered and rushed to find the household physician.
The nobledies present normally had a flock of attendants fluttering nervously at the slightest injury. They were nowpletely dumbfounded by the scene before them, too frightened to take a step forward.
A woman with a broken leg was so weak she couldn’t even prop herself up. As shey on the ground, <b>her </b>eyes flickered between despair and delirium.
Youu.
<b>“</b>Is it finally time to die? Just make it quick, I beg you! Give me a swift end!”
Her cries mingled with eerieughter<b>, </b>creating a sound both terrifying and heartbreaking.
Irene bent down and grasped the woman’s hand, which <b>was </b>as thin and frail as a twig. “It’s all right<b>, </b><b>dear</b>.
The physician will be here soon.”
The stench from the woman was overwhelming, even from several feet away. Yet, Irene seemed oblivious to it. With her free hand, she brushed aside the matted hair clinging to the woman’s face, tenderly caressing her cheek.
“It’s all over now. Everything is behind you.”
Perhaps it had been a long time since someone had shown the woman such kindness, or maybe she ‘hadn’t heard a voice so gentle in ages. After a moment of stunned silence, she broke down in deep sobs, her cries piercing the air and breaking the oppressive silence of Harmony Pce.
Florence had been in the kitchen, overseeing the cooks as they prepared a nutritious soup essential for staying up all night. The kitchen was far away from the main courtyard, so when she finally arrived, she found the household physician had already been summoned.
Seeing the room filled with women who should still be in the dungeon, along with the Capital Guard and Garrison Unit she had seen on her way, Florence realized that they could no longer protect Harmony
Pce’s darkest secrets.
After a moment of panic, a wave of relief washed over her. She leaned against the door and slowly sank to the floor.
Whatever the oue, it was finallying to an end.
However, the ordeal was far from over for those still trapped in the dungeon.
Barrett fought fiercely, taking down several attackers. Unfortunately, he was injured in the process. Though his martial arts training allowed him to evade critical strikes, the pain from multiple wounds left him on the brink of copse. Original content from N?velDrama.Org.