Brand indeed raised his head; he first glanced at Delphine, who was pressed into a chair by Qian. This woman puzzled him, but what angered him more was her ordering her subordinates to harm Freya. The Valkyrie had previously run over with bandages urging him not to act impulsively, which only made his heart colder.
He pondered briefly; a killer should be prepared to be killed. This woman had malicious intents; although she ultimately failed, it was at least an attempt at murder. And it’s not as if her conscience stopped her; if Qian hadn’t been there, even Romantic wouldn’t have escaped harm.
Yet, in warfare, emissaries are typically spared, even if this emissary had done something disgraceful. Brand wasn’t petty enough to hold it against a woman. Besides, if he simply killed Delphine, Freya would likely feel guilty about it, and he didn’t want to leave any grudges for the future Valkyrie of this kingdom over such a trivial matter.
Nonetheless, she won’t escape punishment, alive at least. Brand believed that sometimes death is a relief. This woman, with a snake’s heart, looked at him with resentful eyes, likely wishing for a quick death. Being the Prime Minister’s daughter and of high status, her death might incite real conflict between Erune and Kruz.
Brand stared at her, feeling that the deep purple eyes filled with venomous hatred conveyed that very desire.
"Lord?" Antitina seemed to perceive his thoughts, asking softly.
"I don’t want to see this person right now. Wasting such a beautiful face, yet having a soul so ugly it’s repulsive. Send her to the water prison beneath Fir Castle; I believe Lord Veronica will give me a satisfactory answer." Brand replied coldly.
"Water prison?" Antitina asked incredulously, glancing sympathetically at Delphine. Comparatively, a quick execution seemed almost more merciful. Those dark prisons under Fir Castle were established during Gruding’s era, with the lowest layers being water prisons enclosed by iron cages, filled with waist-deep stinking water, never changed. Who knows how many bodies of people, rats, or other things are in there. Some things are too unspeakable — you can’t make prisoners stop defecating, can you?
She truly couldn’t imagine what would happen to the Prime Minister’s daughter after a few days there; a beautiful woman like her would surely care about her appearance. Moreover, Brand is waiting for Veronica’s reply, meaning as long as Veronica doesn’t respond, Delphine might be imprisoned there for life.
The Staff Lady shuddered just thinking about it.
Yet, looking at Delphine, she sighed; this woman brought it upon herself. Back when she ordered Freya’s injury, the entire territory was almost in uproar.
"I understand." She nodded gently and prepared to order soldiers to drag the Prime Minister’s daughter away.
But at that moment, Laurenna, controlled by Char’s spell on a chair, couldn’t help but plead: "Lord..."
Though Laurenna was the one who truly harmed Freya, she and her fiancé received the best treatment; other Cruz knights were tied on the floor, while she and Philas were merely spellbound to their chairs. The Female Knight sensed that this Count before her wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Being a knight army-bred, she fully understood the horror of the dark prisons. Delphine, raised in a noble family, could never survive there for more than a day.
Just barely opening her mouth, Brand cut her off: "Lady Laurenna, I know you’re a just and kind knight. You clearly understand the consequences if I hadn’t stopped that scene. If Freya were to die or be seriously injured, I’d declare war on Kruz immediately."
He glanced at the Female Knight; the fact he allowed Laurenna and Philas to sit wasn’t due to innocence detection but because of their reputable historical presence as part of Cruz’s commanders. Laurenna’s title of integrity circulated until after the Holy War; he believed she wouldn’t attack Freya without reason.