<b>Chapter </b>713


    In Harmony Pce, several matriarchs and Rosalind gradually left, leaving only Natalie behind. With so many women in need of treatment, it was essential to have someone in charge, especially since Eleanor had yet to be captured.


    After Barrett and the others finished their treatment, they waited for the capital and garrison guards toplete their work before sending them back. They were ced on the elevated tform, separated from the women in the building.


    Once Michael had dealt with the household soldiers and secured the servants of Harmony Pce, he gathered the stewards in one ce. He ensured the situation was under control before turning his attention to Barrett and his group.


    “How are you holding up?” Michael asked.


    Among the five, two were severely injured. Their bleeding had been staunched, but they remained in critical condition. The household physician had advised against moving them, so they were covered with thick nkets. Barrett and the other two had also sustained serious injuries, but their situations were rtively better as none of their vital areas had been hit.


    It was only now that Barrett began to feel the searing pain. When Michael asked about his condition, he


    gritted his teeth and replied, “I’m managing.”


    Michael nodded. “Good. That’s what I like to hear.”


    Barrett hesitated momentarily before asking, “Sir, have the assassins been caught?”


    “All the assassins escaped. Not a single one was apprehended,” Michael replied.


    A surge of anger welled up in Barrett as he recalled how close he hade to dying in the dungeon.


    “Sir, I suspect we’ve been used. I came face to face with one of the assassins. Although he was masked, I recognized him.”


    Michael chuckled softly and gave Barrett’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Do you know how I found the dungeon where you were held? Barrett, you’ve done well.”


    Barrett froze.


    Had he done well?


    He hadn’t entertained that thought, nor did he have time to ponder it.


    Barrett mulled over Michael’s words. How had he been found in that dungeon? After Eleanor entered, the dungeon door had been locked. If one didn’t know the entrance, there was no way in.


    Had the Hell Monarch turned back to open the door and let Michael and the others in to rescue him?


    But with so many soldiers from the Capital Guard and Garrison Unit around, wouldn’t it have been dangerous for Rafael to turn back after escaping? There would be no way to clear his name if he got caught or recognized. It would be impossible, even if he sacrificed himself in this battle.


    Barrett was skeptical, but the thought of having achieved something ignited a surge of excitement within. Regardless of whether that man was truly the Hell Monarch or if he hade back to unlock the


    dungeon door, the fact remained–Barrett had both aplished something and been saved.


    He desperately needed to prove himself. Initially, he had thought he was doomed to lead a mundane life as a capital guard. Now, though, he found himself with a glimmer of hope.


    Perhaps it was just his usual bad luck, but the heavens seemed to have dropped a slice of pie right into hisp.


    Meanwhile, Harmony Pce was aze with light.


    Eleanor Sanford was her name, given by Augustus himself rather than the Ministry of Protocol. It meant benevolence“, as Augustus had wished for her to be broad–minded and cultured.


    Unfortunately, she hadn’t be what her father had envisioned.


    Harmony Pce echoed with her furious roars.


    “Why are you following me?! Get away! I’ll kill you!” All rights ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Her voice was nearly hoarse, yet she continued to scream, her rage carrying from the backyard to the front. Every person she could see wasn’t from her residence. The only one able to roam freely within Harmony Pce was herself.


    “Where’s Florence? Where is she?!”


    Stepping back into the main hall, Eleanor’s hair was in disarray, and she appeared utterly unhinged.


    The battered and injured women in the main courtyard trembled in fear. Their terror of Eleanor had seeped into their bones, and just hearing her voice made it hard to breathe.


    Natalie paid Eleanor no mind and focused instead on watching the physician treat each injured woman. She had already spoken to those who could talk and learned they had all been abducted.


    17


    Almost all of them weren’t locals from the capital. Only one woman was from the capital–a pitifully thin one named Mnie Lester. She was so weak, she could barely sit up. She had been coughing relentlessly, nearly bringing up blood.


    Eleanor grabbed Mnie’s hair, her eyes wild with fury. “You wretched girl! Who permitted you toe out? Get back to the dungeon!”


    No one anticipated Eleanor’s sudden outburst. After all, she had walked through the main hall several times without acknowledging these women.