Louis dragged his feet, trying to keep up his pace so he didn’t get lashed as he had already reached his limit.

"Move, move," the guard in charge shouted, hitting a whip on the table, which startled the slaves. "You old man, we won’t sleep here if you don’t work, there won’t be any food for you!" he pointed at Louis, who was slow compared to the rest.

Louis inhaled deeply, with the side of his eyes closing. He tried to keep his eyes open and hit the steel before it was placed in the furnace, but he ended up hitting his own hand and writhed in pain.

"What is wrong with you? Stand up from there now!" the guard commanded, going to whip the man.

Oriana entered the room with Adric. The moment she saw that Louis was about to get whipped, she ran to cover him with her body.

"Who are-" the guard who was ready to whip Oriana too paused when he saw the Crown Prince. "Your Highness," he bowed.

Adric’s focus was on Oriana and the man she was trying to protect at the moment.

"Louis, oh my god... I’m sorry I’m late," she used her dress to clean his face while holding his head up. She turned to look at Adric with tears now filling her eyes. "Please, save him... please..." Oriana sobbed.

Adric turned to his personal guard, "Where are we?" he asked.

"This is Queen Gwen’s swordsmith shop. She creates her own weapons," Rowan informed dutifully.

Adric nodded, "Why is that man here? Was he not among the slaves you bought?" and Rowan nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard replied.

"Carry him and make sure the royal physician attends to him," Adric ordered.

Oriana moved aside when Adric’s guard helped Louis stand up, then carried him on his back before leaving the place. Oriana held her hands together, praying that the man would be fine.

The guard in charge of taking care of Gwen’s slaves raked his finger through his hair. He was going to be punished if the Queen found out, but he couldn’t go against the Crown Prince either.

"Do you have something to say?" Adric asked the guard who was standing in his way, lost in thought.

The guard shook his head, "No, Your Highness," he bowed.

Adric nodded, "Great, because I do," he replied. "I won’t tolerate any disrespect towards the Crown Princess anymore. Her words should be obeyed the same way as mine. Understood?"

The guard nodded, "Yes, Your Highness." He turned to Oriana, who was looking at Adric, and the guard bowed, "I apologize for my earlier mistakes, Princess."

Oriana was surprised to see Adric standing up for her. For a moment, she was able to see the good side of him, which disappeared the moment he grinned.

"Don’t let little things sway your heart, chicken brain. Are we done here?" Adric asked, stepping out of the place.

Oriana fisted her hands into small balls, ready to punch him before following him outside. "There is one more person, Freya," she said to Adric.

"Alright, let’s go."

Before Oriana could get to where she had seen Freya before, she was told that their carriage had left the palace. This scared Oriana.

"Where, where did you take her to?" she asked, cleaning her clammy hands on her dress.

The head maid didn’t reply to Oriana; she stood there unwilling to talk.

"The Princess asked you a question," Adric intervened, seeing the disrespect in the way the maid looked at Oriana.

The head maid reluctantly replied, "Her Majesty sent them to the flower house of Orion."

"Flower house," Oriana repeated, looking at Adric. "Where is it? What happens there?"

Adric couldn’t help but wonder what relationship Oriana had with these people that made her worry so much about them. "It’s a place like the house of demi-monde."

"No! Let us go now before something happens to her," Oriana pleaded with her eyes. Freya was too young to be used as a bed assistant.

Adric sighed, "We should use the horse if we are to get there fast. Let’s just hope the girl is fine because the men there are monsters in human flesh."

Adric’s words did little to calm Oriana’s nerves. She prayed that nothing had happened to Freya. When Adric’s horse was brought forward, she let Adric help her up. She sat behind him, holding his waist so she wouldn’t fall.

The ride to the flower house was a quick one, as Kato was a very fast horse. Dust gathered as they raced against time. The moment Oriana’s feet touched the ground, she ran inside the inn, looking for Freya with worry etched on her face.

Adric walked behind her, stopping anyone who tried to interrupt her search. The entire inn came to a halt with the arrival of the Crown Prince.

"Greetings, Your Highness. To what do we owe your honored presence?" the man who looked like he was in charge of the inn asked.

Adric replied, watching where Oriana was going, "The girls that came from the palace, where are they, Lance?"

Lance bowed, "This way, Your Highness," he pointed. When they got to a small room, Oriana saw the girls who were with Freya, but there was no sign of Freya. She turned to look at Adric.

"She is not here," she muttered, dread filling up her very soul. Was she too late?

Adric said to the owner of the inn, "One person is not here."

Lance cleared his throat. The look on his face showed that he knew who they were looking for, but he didn’t want to talk.

"Think before you answer me, Lance, and don’t lie," Adric’s words were calm, but anyone who knew better wouldn’t miss the threat laced in his words.

The owner of the inn looked down with a defeated voice. He replied, "She was requested for specially."

"Where is she?" Oriana held the man’s collar, ready to push him. Terrified by Oriana’s action, the owner of the inn turned to look at Adric.

"Tell her."

"T-he next room," he stammered.

Oriana dashed out of the room. She tried to push the door, but it was locked. Since it was a paper door, like every other inn, Oriana tried using her entire weight. She pushed the door so hard that she landed on the floor with it.

"Freya!" she shouted, seeing her friend forcefully pushed on the bed with a man hovering above her while unfastening his robe. "Get away from her!" Oriana ran to the bed, pushing the man aside to cover Freya.

"Who are you?" the man asked when he regained his balance. He tried to drag Oriana by the hair, but his hand was caught midair. "Who—Your Highness," the minister recognized Adric immediately.

Adric grinned, "Am I interrupting something, Minister of Culture and Morals?"

The man got down on his knees, "Your Highness, this is all a misunderstanding...I wasn’t...I" he stuttered, looking for an excuse.

Adric sighed tiredly, "I would have loved to sit down and listen to your story, but I don’t have the time. But we can do this better in the palace; I know you have a lot to say," Adric turned to Oriana and signaled for them to leave.

The rims of Freya’s eyes were already bloodshot, and she was just too tired to speak. She held Oriana’s hand tightly, afraid of being separated again. Before they left, Adric ordered the owner of the inn to release the other girls that had come with Freya, giving them the chance to choose what they wanted.

Oriana and Freya took the carriage while Adric rode the horse back to the palace. At the palace entrance was an angry Gwen; behind her was the head maid who had reported everything to her.

"Adric, how dare you—"

"Save it, Mother. The Minister of Culture and Morals was found in an immoral situation, and he mentioned your name. Save your words, for you have a lot of defense to do," Adric cut the woman’s words short.

Gwen stopped talking when she heard this, "That idiot mentioned my name?" she muttered, knowing how it would tarnish her image if people were to find out that she groomed young girls for ministers.

"Let’s go inside. Mother needs her time alone," Adric said to Oriana.

Oriana held Freya, following Adric behind. Then she stopped, "One more thing," she said, "Hold on, Freya." The princess walked past Gwen and went straight to the head maid who still had a rude look on her face. She landed a deafening slap on her face.

Everyone was shocked by this, including Adric, who started laughing, and Gwen, who was startled as she didn’t see it coming.

"Let’s go," Oriana said with a serious expression. She held Freya and walked inside.

Adric said to Gwen, "I will tell you a secret for free; that slap was meant for you. The princess won’t miss next time," he laughed as he walked inside the palace.