Chapter 13 Rose Festival 07

Zhu Yu did not expect Mrs. Lucia to be so efficient.

At noon the next day, her people successfully brought the rescue target back to the mansion.

Upon hearing that the person had been placed in the front yard, Zhu Yu immediately put down what he was doing and hurried over.

However, as soon as she ran to the door, she was stopped by the housekeeper.

"What? Are you saying there's a plague in Beleriand?"

After the butler finished explaining, Zhu Yu showed a look of astonishment.

"Yes, there are also infected people in several villages around Belran. All people who go out must first be disinfected and quarantined in the front yard for a period of time. They can only enter the room after confirming that it is safe."

Mrs. Lucia, who came after hearing the news, looked worriedly at the noisy crowd outside. She had been sleeping poorly recently and her eyes were full of red bloodshot.

This sentence instantly drew Zhu Yu's attention back.

She frowned and asked, "How could the outbreak of plague be so sudden? How could it spread so quickly?"

When she first arrived in Beleriand, everything in the city was normal, and there was no sign of plague at all.

Madam Lucia shook her head. "I don't know either, but the city lord has issued a city closure order. From today on, no one is allowed to leave Belran. The Rose Festival is just around the corner, and he won't allow any unexpected events to ruin the festive atmosphere."

No wonder Lady Lucia's men were in a hurry to get the rescue target back.

If we were a step later, we would be locked outside the city and unable to enter.

The sound of horse hooves and the orders of patrolling soldiers could be faintly heard on the street, and the air was filled with tension and anxiety.

Zhu Yu lowered his eyes to think, and suddenly realized another problem:

"The civilians in the city still don't know about the outbreak of plague?"

"Yes." Lady Lucia took Zhu Yu's hand and walked into the room. "But the city lord did this just to avoid causing panic among the people, not to disregard their lives."

"He issued an order that if someone was confirmed to be infected, they would be executed immediately and their bodies would be burned. If there were any suspected symptoms of infection, they would also be forcibly isolated. It took only a few hours for the news to spread and the spread was initially controlled."

Zhu Yu followed Mrs. Lucia through the thickly carpeted corridor and returned to the reception room.

"So do I have to move up my plan to enter the Inquisition prison?"

The plague has just spread, and now is the best time to act.

At this time, the prison's staffing must be in chaos and its defenses are lax, which is a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Once the blockade and security are fully implemented, it will be difficult to sneak in.

"No, I don't need your help to rescue Dinah from the prison now."

Mrs. Lucia paused, turned around suddenly, and clasped her shoulders tightly with both hands, with such force that Zhu Yu subconsciously tried to break free.

"I just received news that there are also infected people in the prison of the Tribunal, and some have even died from it."

The light slanted in from the window, shining on Mrs. Lucia's bloodless face.

Zhu Yu met the other person's red eyes and took a step back.

"You mean Dinah—"

"She was already given a potion that suppressed her magic power, and her body couldn't hold out for a few days. If she gets the plague now, you'll only see her ashes after being burned by the raging fire..."

Mrs. Lucia's throat rolled and the sound stopped abruptly.

As if she had foreseen the scene of her friend gradually losing her life in the cold cell, she looked away, her shoulders trembling slightly.

A low sob escaped from her lips, like a candle about to go out in the night wind, weak and sad.

Looking at Mrs. Lucia who had lost her usual composure, Zhu Yu was at a loss for a moment.

She raised her hand and placed it on Madam Lucia's back, patting her gently as if to comfort her.

"What if Dinah is lucky and doesn't get the plague? If we rescue her in advance, she might be able to get treatment in time."

"No, even so, you will be at risk of infection." Madam Lucia refused again, "You are still young and have a long way to go in the future. I can't let you take the risk of setting foot in this shadow of death. The prison of the Inquisition is extremely dangerous, and now the plague is spreading inside. If something happens to you, all our efforts will be in vain."

Mrs. Lucia took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the emotions surging in her heart.

After a moment, she looked up at Zhu Yu, her eyes filled with earnestness and worry:

"Dinah...she'll understand."

After saying this, Mrs. Lucia fell silent.

She seemed unwilling to continue this topic and turned away from the living room with a staggering step.

Zhu Yu looked at her departing back and sighed softly.

"Miss, the person you want to see is here."

Maggie carefully poked her head out from the stairs, looked around, and waved to Zhu Yu in a very low voice.

Zhu Yu cheered up, put the prison matters aside for the time being, and walked quickly upstairs.

When she arrived at the door, she pushed it open and slipped into the bedroom.

Inside the room, two men were kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs.

Under the candlelight, their foreheads were covered with cold sweat and they lowered their heads, not daring to look Zhu Yu in the eye.

"You two are the secret emissaries sent by the family to monitor me, right?"

Zhu Yu folded her arms and walked slowly to the center of the room. The hem of her skirt brushed lightly on the carpet, drawing a silent arc.

"Miss, all the assassination plans were planned by Carlos and me. They really have nothing to do with Master George. Please let him go for the sake of him being your brother."

Samuel spoke with a slight tremor. He and Carlos looked at each other and saw deep regret and fear in each other's eyes.

The Miss Draka in front of them was so terrifying - they originally thought that she was just a noble lady marginalized by the family, isolated and helpless, but now they realized that they and the family had completely underestimated her.

What kind of terrifying strength is it to subdue a rigorously trained knight alone?

"Forgive him?"

Zhu Yu sneered, "Who said I restricted the personal freedom of my dear brother?"

She tilted her head and waved behind her.

The guard standing by the door slowly walked towards her.

"Take a good look at this face. Does it look familiar?"

"What!"

Seeing George Draca standing next to Zhu Yu in guard uniform, Carlos was shocked and his voice suddenly became higher.

"Master George, you...how could you...you betrayed the family?"

Carlos sounded shocked, and could hardly believe his eyes.

George looked a little unnatural, his eyes were evasive, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

He muttered quietly: "Her last name... is also Draka, and I am loyal to her... How can this be considered treason?"

Samuel and Carlos' faces turned pale as paper in an instant.

Zhu Yu smiled happily, walked to George, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a hint of teasing:

"My brother is quite clever, isn't he?"

George pursed his lips and lowered his head in silence.

Zhu Yu put away his smile and walked up to the two secret envoys:

"Okay, now you all understand the current situation. You have no other choice. If you still want to save your life, tell me all the plans and arrangements behind it."

"We say...we all say..."

George Draka's betrayal dealt the two emissaries a greater blow than the defeat itself.

The two men slumped to the ground in despair and gave up resistance completely.

After listening to the plan explained by the two, Zhu Yu made up his mind.

Sure enough, to ensure that the plan was foolproof, they planned to hide in the float on the day of the Rose Festival and wait for an opportunity to assassinate during the parade.

But it is obvious that this plan is no longer possible.

"Take them away and lock them up."

Zhu Yu gave orders, and the guards immediately stepped forward and took the two secret envoys away.

After solving a major issue that had been weighing on his mind, Zhu Yu's tense nerves finally relaxed a little, followed by an irresistible sleepiness.

She told George to continue to be a guard and not to reveal his true identity, then she drove him out of the room and took a nap peacefully.

*

In the evening, news came from the manor that servants were suspected of being infected with the plague, and the entire manor was shrouded in panic.

Fortunately, Mrs. Lucia responded promptly and isolated those suspected of being infected in the backyard of the rose garden, barely stabilizing the situation.

"Let's go and see my rescue target."

After waking up, Zhu Yu yawned, then lazily took Maggie with him and walked towards the front yard.

However, when she saw the face of the little girl hiding in the corner, her pupils shrank slightly and her sleepiness disappeared instantly.

"Elvira?!"

Another "old acquaintance" from the previous copy.

The little girl, who had originally looked tired and alert, suddenly looked up after hearing the familiar voice, with a hint of surprise that was hard to conceal in her eyes.

However, both of them understood that now was not a good time to reminisce about the past, and tacitly did not say much.

Zhu Yu took Avella's hand and walked towards the restaurant with her.

The long dinner table was filled with roast lamb chops, cream of mushroom soup, fresh vegetable salad and a plate of fruit pickled in rose honey, and the aroma was everywhere.

Madam Lucia's eyes fell on the thin Elvira and said with pity:

"Linda told me that the child accidentally showed her ability to tell fortunes, so she was discovered by the villagers and tied up... When they arrived, she was almost crucified and burned to death. What a poor little girl..."

Zhu Yu picked up a piece of tender grilled lamb chops, gently placed it on Avella’s plate, and said softly, “Eat more, you look too thin.”

"thank you."

Elvira whispered thanks.

Mrs. Lucia raised her eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised at Zhu Yu's attentiveness and patience towards Elvira.

Zhu Yu smiled and said, "She reminds me of the time I spent with my brother when we were little. At that time, he always pestered me to play with him. But later, he became a knight and went to the royal city. We had less and less contact... Maybe he had completely forgotten about me, his sister."

George, who was standing by the wall, listened to these words, his eyes watching his nose and his nose watching his heart, and he couldn't help rubbing the goose bumps that instantly appeared on his arms.

Lady Lucia sighed, “The Draka family is indeed a noble family… Your concern for your family is truly touching.”

After dinner, Zhu Yu stopped Mrs. Lucia who was about to leave and said seriously:

"Ma'am, I decided to go to the prison."

"Based on the information you provided and the intelligence collected by the people I sent out, I have figured out the layout of the place. Every day around midnight, a guard would load the bodies of the prisoners onto a cart and send them to the incinerator. As long as I can replace that person, I can sneak into the prison and bring Dina out."

Mrs. Lucia frowned and couldn't help but advised:

"Are you sure? This plan is too risky—"

"I have made up my mind, and there are some clues that I must confirm from her in person."

Seeing Zhu Yu's determined expression, Lady Lucia had no choice but to compromise:

"I still hope you can reconsider it. But since you have made up your mind... then do as you wish."

*

The night is late and time is running out. No time can be lost.

After receiving the secret signal from Betty, Zhu Yu put on a black cloak, rode on fast horses with several guards, and galloped towards the designated meeting point under the cover of night.

The night wind blew, the horse's hooves made a crisp "clacking" sound on the cobblestone road, and the street lights along the way gradually disappeared behind her.

When we arrived at the agreed place, Betty had been waiting for us in a hidden alley for a long time.

The alley is close to the residence of the guard on shift tonight.

"Where are the people?" Zhu Yu dismounted and tightened his cloak.

“It’s been resolved.”

Betty replied, pointing to a house not far away.

Zhu Yu walked over quickly and saw an unconscious person lying on the floor, holding an unlit oil lamp in his hand.

Her clothes, badge and keys were neatly placed aside.

“Well done.”

Zhu Yu curled his lips slightly and quickly changed into the other person's clothes.

"Wait for me here. If everything goes well, we can go back before dawn."

"Miss, please be careful."

Betty bit her lip and watched her disappear into the night.

After walking for a while and making sure that there was no one around, Zhu Yu took out the camouflage skill card from the space, adjusted his appearance to that of the guard, and then continued to walk towards the direction of the Tribunal Prison.

The gray stone walls of the Inquisitorial Prison looked even more eerie in the night.

At the towering iron gate, two guards were leaning against the wall lazily talking. When they saw Zhu Yu coming, they glanced at him casually.

"Shift change? Why are you here so late?"

"I was delayed on the way."

Zhu Yu lowered his voice, pretended to be tired and responded, holding the badge in front of the two people.

"It's my turn to clean up those 'guys' today."

The guard sighed and waved his hand:

"Go ahead, don't forget to sign the duty register."

"Got it." Zhu Yu responded and entered the prison.

On both sides of the long and narrow corridor are cells where prisoners are held.

From behind the cold iron bars came low moans and murmurs, mixed with the friction of iron chains.

Zhu Yu ignored the prisoners who stretched out their hands to beg for mercy, and looked for the cell number provided by Mrs. Lucia.

"16, 17, 18..."

Zhu Yu's heart tightened slightly as he glanced at the wooden sign of the cell.

"Number 19."

She stopped suddenly, the cell was empty!

how so?

After forcing himself to calm down, Zhu Yu quickly followed the guard's daily route and came to the "morgue" deep in the prison.

She gently pushed open the door, revealing a crude stone room with corpses wrapped in straw mats piled in the middle. The air was filled with a strong, nauseating smell of disinfectant and blood.

She walked closer quickly, her eyes scanning each body, and suddenly stopped beside a straw mat.

This corpse is placed at the outermost position and should be "fresher" than the other corpses.

Zhu Yu bent down and carefully lifted the straw mat.

What came into view was a pale face. It was the white-robed wizard mentioned by Mrs. Lucia - Dina.

Zhu Yu frowned as she saw black spots spreading on Dina's neck, a sign of someone infected with the plague.

"Are you still a step too late..."

Zhu Yu sighed softly, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly stopped.

She held her breath, touched Dina's wrist with her fingertips, and felt an extremely weak pulse!

She checked again and found that Dinah's chest was rising and falling very slightly.

"The person is not dead yet!"