Chapter 169: Deserve a Break
The Holy Temple, once a symbol of divine authority and unshakable power, now stood fractured. The arrest of the head priest and several elders had sent shockwaves throughout the Empire.
Some were delighted, how could they not be? After all, when they sought help from the temple to heal their loved ones, they were cruelly turned away. So this tragedy was a celebration to some.
Whispers of treason echoed in the grand halls, and the heavy iron gates of the imperial dungeons were now closed behind men who once wielded untouchable influence. No one knew how this powerful man had been a mere puppet except a few.
And those would not dare to reveal it. The world did not need to know about certain things.
Edward seethed within the confines of his quarters in the secluded section of the temple. His sanctuary, usually a place of peace and strategic thinking, was now suffocating.
He released the Captain from his control. There was no point in it anyway, and he was already suffering from the after-effects of the mind control.
Colluding with the Temple against the Empire was treason of the highest order. No one, not even the Emperor’s closest advisors, believed the Captain’s desperate pleas of innocence. Edward’s attempts to manipulate the narrative had failed spectacularly.
He paced the room, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "I planned it well..." He kept telling himself. He would not admit that he was hasty and jumped the gun...
"This... This is Adeline’s fault." Her name left a bitter taste in his mouth. She was the source of his downfall, the disruptor of his meticulously laid plans.