Chapter 172: The Purge : Trial of the Magistrate
While Prince Alaric still slept peacefully, Agilus was already hard at work. Alongside a trusted ally from the Baron’s residence, he organized the safe return of the abducted children to their families.
The house, once filled with the laughter, chatter, and occasional outbursts of young voices, slowly fell into a hushed stillness. By midday, The House of Mendel stood eerily quiet.
All of the children had been carefully herded into carriages bound for various corners of the kingdom—every one of them except three.
A ten-year-old boy, a dark-skinned girl of eleven, and her wide-eyed younger brother, just nine years old, stood silently in the front yard. Unlike the others, they had no home to return to. Orphans, they had once wandered the back alleys and streets of the capital before being swept up by the same cruel hands that had taken so many others.
Samuel and Jethru exchanged a look, a silent agreement passing between them. They would take responsibility for the three—for now, at least. The children would stay in the side room on the ground floor while the men worked out something more permanent. The house of Mendel, with its wide halls and warm hearths, would be their shelter, if not yet their home.
...
When Alaric finally stirred, it was nearly noon. His first thought was confusion, followed quickly by suspicion. He sat up slowly, rubbing the grogginess from his eyes as Lara entered the room, checking in on him.
"You put something in my drink?" he said sharply, his voice laced with quiet irritation.
Lara didn’t flinch. "I did," she admitted, meeting his gaze evenly. "And I’m sorry. But your body needed rest, and I needed you to be calm."