𝓐𝓶𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓓𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝔂

👑 Chapter Three 👑

The waggon was nearby, with the temple crest on its door, two doves each holding an olive branch in their beaks. No one dared to approach or inspect it.

He quickly changed his bloody-stained, dirty clothes and used the coachman to conceal the corpse, burying it along with the clothes he had taken off. At first glance, he looked as if he were carrying a sack of flour, and no one would suspect that he was kidnapping a girl.

The driver placed her in the front compartment of the carriage, and they set off. The journey from the village to the heart of the capital takes approximately four hours. They encountered no trouble until the carriage came to a halt behind a long line of carriages in front of the main gate of the capital.

The temple man wondered in annoyance, "What's going on, coachman? Why have you stopped...?"

The Coachman got down from his seat and headed to the man's window, "Sorry, sir... There's a checkpoint."

The man stormed at the coachman's face loudly, "Damn it! It's not the right time... Inform them that I have an urgent message that cannot be delayed."

The King's Knights did not allow him to bypass the line and pass the other carriages without the search. The King's orders applied to everyone. The man quickly disembarked from the carriage, hoping to intimidate them by invoking the name and reputation of the temple in his speech.

The man spoke arrogantly, "You do not comprehend the consequences of your actions... mistreating temple men and underestimating them?!"

The head of the capital's knights, Felix Clifford, was present to oversee the search. He was busy giving orders when one of his knights informed him that a man from the temple was causing a disturbance over the inspection. "When will we be finished with these temple rats?" Felix remarked, and then he went to meet the man.

Felix enquired with an annoyed expression: "What is the problem?"

The man replied, "Commander, I have an urgent message for the temple that cannot be further delayed, but your knights have prevented me from delivering it."

Felix scrutinised him suspiciously from head to toe for a moment before speaking. "You told my man that you are a knight, but I see no trace of dust on your clothes. It appears you have recently changed them."

The man nervously answered while avoiding Felix's gaze, "Oh, of course, I boarded a carriage."

Felix posed a challenging question, "Do ordinary knights ride carriages or do they ride their horses?"

Upon seeing Felix's doubtful expression, the man replied, "I had to transport an important guest, but I could not find him."

Felix stroked his chin and looked away, trying to suppress his laughter at the nonsensical reason he was given. Then he turned his gaze back to the man and spoke lightly, raising an eyebrow, "How peculiar! An important guest... and you plan to share the same carriage with him since you have no horse?"

The man found himself unable to fill the gaps in his story, and as time passed, Annie began to regain consciousness.

Felix firmly ordered his knights, "Search his carriage!"

The man acted as if he were being underestimated. "What are you doing?! This is disrespectful behaviour!"He shouted.

Felix shrugged indifferently and replied, "Since you claimed to be running late, I will grant you the privilege of being inspected first... There is no doubt that your safety is our priority." He added, "We have received information about a fugitive attempting to enter the capital. He might be hiding in your carriage, putting the temple's image at risk."