207 I KNEW YOU WOULD COME FOR ME

"But how can that be? The Hou's have been serving the family for centuries!" Raigon suddenly stiffened as he reacted in bewilderment.

Lady Thana shrugged her shoulders. Then she pulled out a card from within her Hanfu. It is a greeting card for Lady Wiktoria's birthday with Lord Hou's seal in it. 

Raigon's knees went weak as he upholded it. He looked for a nearby chair so he could sit on it.

"I don't accept this. We have been there this week. And I see no signs of hostility against the royal family from them."

Raigon brushed his hair, his palms staying on his forehead as his elbow was on a table. 

"Lord Hou's extremities were even too weak, he can't even lift it up without other's help."

Lady Thana looked for a rug and wiped the chair adjacent to Raigon before sitting beside him. 

"Is it? Then perhaps his caretaker has done it. Azra is his grandson, right?"

Lady Thana joined him in finding clues who the culprit might be.

"No!" Raigon snarled at her, making her clam her lips and bend her head. 

"I mean Azra could not do that to the Queen. It's impossible." Raigon calmed down but retorted in a confident tone otherwise.

Lady Thana nodded her head. "Of course. Why would he kill the Queen, the King or Mother? Maybe it was just an accident. We could ask them who prepared the cupcakes."

"You're right." Raigon stood up with his fist on the table. "I better get there before Lord Vigo does. He might twist the story and make it look like a murder attempt."

"I'll come with you." Lady Thana also stood up and exclaimed in glittering eyes. 

Raigon seemed apprehensive so she added. "I also want to know what happened since my mother was involved in this."

But Raigon gave him a stern look. "I will come back and give you an update. Just wait here." 

Lady Thana's excitement turned into a pained look as she nodded her head in agreement.

"I just don't want to see you hurt, milady." Raigon added as he felt guilty for shunning his childhood friend away.

Lady Thana's downward lips curved up as she heard his words.

"I will wait for you then, your Highness." She bowed to him. 

At the speed of light, Raigon went to Liu's Residence to talk with Zoe before leaving for Hengcheng Mountains.

To his horror, he learned that Zoe was taken to the Royal Guards Investigation Site. 

He borrowed Lord Adrian's horse and at the speed of light, he bolted towards the area and searched for Zoe. 

The other royal guards tried to stop him as they didn't know that he was the Crowned Prince. But Raigon fought them off until his eyes finally laid on her.

"Lady Asha!" He yelped, aghast, at what Zoe looked like and where she was.

She was sprawled on the floor, shuddering in the coldness of the four walls of her prison cell.

There was a bowl of soup on her front but cockroaches were swimming in delight in it, making anyone who lived in a clean environment vomit in disgust.

His brawny hands quickly pulled the rusty bars and tried to open it with all his might. 

"What did they do to you?!"

"Your Highness. I knew you would come for me." Zoe's pale lips curved up in response as she lifted her head to give him a glance.

He looked for something that he could use. And when he saw a piece of metal nearby, he picked it up and threw it like a piece of pebble at the lock on the bars. But it was to no avail.

"Aargh!" He growled in frustration.

"I thought there was a ferocious beast inside. It is just my cousin." Lord Vigo entered the place where they were at.

He lifted his hand as a sign to the servant that informed him that a strange man was wreaking havoc at their area, to just stay outside. 

"This is unacceptable, Vigo! What could she have done to deserve such treatment?!" Raigon grinded his teeth, his muscles quivering from extreme rage at the horrifying experience in front of him.

"Just relax, will you? I haven't done anything to her… yet." He let out an evil laugh.

Raigon's hand flew to his neck and pushed him into a corner, lifting him into the air as he commanded.

"Release her now!"

As he did so, Lord Vigo's feet caught on a chair, which made a loud thud. The servants outside immediately went inside and pointed their spears on Raigon.

"Drop your weapons at once. I am the Crowned Prince of Terra!" Raigon removed his head dress and cloak revealing his royal presence in front of everybody.

All the royal guards threw their spears and shivered in fright, falling down to their knees and shouted in unison.

"All hail the Crown Prince of Terra!" They lifted their hands and made a formal bow.

"All hail our just and fair ruler who doesn't show partiality to anybody!" Lord Vigo also made a formal bow as he knelt in front of him. 

"No partiality from our just and fair ruler!" The royal guards echoed in response, making Raigon clenched his fist in dismay.

A sly grin crept up Lord Vigo's face as he hid it under his bow.

Raigon straightened his shoulder and crossed his arm. 

"Yes, I will not. I will give grace to my cousin even if he has taken a lady with not enough evidence to support his claim."

Lord Vigo's eye twitched at his cousin's clapback as he suddenly stood up.

"But -"

Before he could even utter another word, Raigon's authoritative voice sounded in the whole area.

"Release Lady Asha now!" 

One of the servants immediately stood up and grabbed the key from Lord Vigo and opened the door of the cell bar. 

Raigon immediately went inside and picked Zoe up, supporting her as she walked. He stopped and faced them again. 

"With my grace and mercy, I will forgive you this once. But the next time I caught anyone laying a hand on the Crowned Princess, he would receive a hundred fold greater punishment than she experienced. Understood?"

He left them a death warning before leaving with Zoe.

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When you love someone, you protect them from pain no matter what.

And you make sure you're not the cause of it.