Everyone turned towards the court lady in surprise at her sudden outburst.
"Hold on for a moment," the senior guard said firmly. "We are not finished here, so you don’t get to do as you please."
Agnes turned towards him.
Her thoughts, which had been racing over the connection between Rafe and Callis, were abruptly pulled back to the matter at hand.
Only then did she realise that every pair of eyes in the room was staring at her.
"Sit down," the senior guard ordered.
"But I—"
"Sit down!" His voice rang through the patrol station, leaving no chance for argument.
With no other option, Agnes slowly lowered herself back into the chair and clamped her lips shut. Yet her mind refused to settle. The urge to confirm the healer’s identity only grew stronger.
In the meantime, Kyren kept a close watch on the court lady. Her uneasiness had caught his attention.
Somehow, she no longer seemed concerned about the investigation. Instead, her eyes kept looking at Rafe as though something else was on her mind.
The Grand Duke remained silent. For now, he chose to observe. Whatever had unsettled the court lady so suddenly, he was certain the truth would reveal itself soon enough.
"Is this true, Miss Bree?" the senior guard suddenly asked, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. "That your real name is Agnes Briar and not Agnes Bree?"
Agnes paused, her eyes darting from side to side as she desperately searched for an excuse. Then...
"I can explain," she replied hastily. "But let me speak with him first."
"Oh, now you want to talk to me?" Luke mocked. "After causing this whole commotion?"
"Who says I want to talk to you?" Agnes shot back, glaring at the knight. She nudged towards the healer. "I want to speak with him... Mr Joseph, not you!"
"Me?" Rafe asked, pointing at himself. "Why me? What have I got to do with this?"
He frowned.
"And why do you keep looking at me like that as though you want to swallow me whole?"
"There’s something I need to clarify with you," Agnes said earnestly. "Just give me a moment."
"Miss."
The senior guard’s voice interrupted her once again.
"Do not attempt to stray from the matter under investigation. If you continue interrupting these proceedings and refuse to cooperate, I will have no choice but to take sterner action against you. Do you understand?"
Agnes clenched her lips. Her expression turned dark.
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to speak to Rafe until this interrogation was over. Defying the authority before her would only make matters worse.
After a brief silence, she reluctantly nodded.
"I understand," she said quietly. "Please continue."
"Then confirm your identity," the senior guard said. "Is your name Agnes Bree or Agnes Briar?"
"That..."
Agnes hesitated once more. Another lie hovered at the tip of her tongue. Yet the confidence on Noah’s face gave her pause. It was as though he already held proof of who she really was.
Her instincts warned her to tread carefully. Whatever she said next had to be consistent with everything that had happened so far.
"I... actually, I..."
"Search her," Noah interrupted. "You’ll find her official seal. That will confirm her identity."
Agnes’s eyes widened.
’How did he know that?’
To know something as specific as her carrying her official seal...
She looked from Noah to Luke.
The latter showed no surprise whatsoever, as though he had already known.
A chill crept down her spine.
’Who exactly were these people?’
Seeing no response from the visibly stunned court lady, the senior guard spoke.
"Do it."
Two patrol guards who were watching the interrogation promptly stepped forward when their superior ordered them to.
"No, wait!" Agnes cried, her voice rising in alarm.
Luke immediately frowned. Seeing the panic on the young lady’s face, he replaced the irritation he had felt moments earlier with concern.
"Don’t do that," he said, looking at the patrol guards. "It’s disrespectful to search a lady when there’s another way."
He then turned to Agnes, tilting his head.
"Hand it over, Agnes," he said. "I know you have it with you."
She looked at him in disbelief.
"You... called me by my first name?"
"Didn’t you do the same to me before?" Luke replied. "How is this any different?"
Agnes gritted her teeth.
There was no arguing against that.
Cornered and unwilling to let the patrol guards search her, Agnes let out an irritated huff.
Her hand slipped into the hidden pocket beneath her surcoat before she slowly withdrew a small engraved seal and placed it on the table.
One of the patrol guards stepped forward and picked it up. He presented it to the senior guard, who carefully examined the emblem carved upon its surface.
"So, it is true that you lied about your identity, Lady Briar," the senior guard said.
Agnes turned her face away, her lips curving into a displeased frown.
"Fine. I did lie about that," she admitted. "I was carrying out a confidential task that I was not at liberty to disclose."
"Under whose orders?" the senior guard asked. "Her Highness Princess Callis?"
At the mention of Callis’s name, Rafe visibly stiffened. His lips parted slightly, but the words never came.
Meanwhile, Agnes shot the senior guard with a displeased look.
"I told you it is confidential. I cannot reveal anything further." She held out her hand. "Now, return my seal and let me leave."
"Not so fast!" the senior guard replied evenly.
The court lady frowned.
"Why not? You already know who I am." Her voice grew firmer. "I am a senior court lady serving directly under the royal family. My rank is higher than yours. Rather than treating me like this, you should be taking action against the man disturbing me and allowing me to continue my duty."
The senior guard regarded her in silence for a brief moment, his expression unreadable. A faint sigh escaped him before he finally spoke.
"You may outrank me, Lady Briar," he said. "But you should also be aware that this is neither Semeta nor your jurisdiction."
He paused before continuing.
"Furthermore, after what you did to this gentleman today, I’m afraid we cannot release you. You will be detained while we report this incident to your supervising officer in the palace’s Inner Court. The matter will then be left for the palace to determine the appropriate disciplinary action."
"What?" Agnes’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you talking about? What did I do?"
Luke was equally taken aback.
Until now, he had thought the investigation revolved around the accusation against him. It never occurred to him that he was the victim in the guards’ eyes.
"The patrol guards witnessed the entire incident," the senior guard continued. "After Mr Luke Parker shielded you from the falling bamboo, you drew a concealed dagger and tried to stab him."
His gaze hardened.
"Had he failed to restrain you in time, he could have been seriously injured or worse. Therefore, you will remain in custody until the palace has been notified and further instructions are received."
Agnes’s face drained of colour. Her lips quivered as the situation completely turned against her in an instant.
"You can’t do this to me!" she cried, her voice trembling. "You have no right to detain me!"
The senior guard remained unmoved.
"Yes, I do. Attempting to stab another person constitutes attempted murder, a grave criminal offence," he said. "As a senior officer serving within the royal palace, you should understand the law better than anyone."
His voice remained calm but firm.
"As for the confidential mission you claim to be carrying out, you will have every opportunity to explain it to your supervising officer. If your actions are found to be unjustified, you will answer for them accordingly."
Agnes immediately shot to her feet.
No.
This couldn’t happen.
If the Inner Court discovered she had left Semeta without properly registering her trip, her punishment would be far more severe than concealing her identity. Worse still, the investigation would inevitably lead back to Anna, Callis, and Kiev.
Her breathing became uneven. She couldn’t allow them to be dragged into this.
"P-Please..." she stammered.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably as tears welled in her eyes.
Luke looked at her with sympathy, while Rafe instinctively leaned forward in his seat with concern. Though he knew the guards were simply carrying out their duty, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for the distraught court lady.
"Sir," Luke suddenly spoke up to the senior guard. "Maybe we can settle this another way. I was the one who followed her into the alley in the first place. She misunderstood my intentions and acted out of fear. Since I wasn’t injured, perhaps Lady Briar could be released with a warning instead."
The senior guard shook his head.
"I appreciate your compassion, Mr Parker. However, the law cannot be bent because the victim chooses not to pursue the matter."
His gaze shifted towards the patrol guards.
"Take her to the cell."
"Yes, sir."
Two patrol guards stepped forward.
Agnes instinctively took a step back, but one of them came close to her side.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Please..." she pleaded, her voice breaking. "I can’t be taken like this..."
Before the patrol guard could lead Agnes away, Luke suddenly rose from his seat.
"Hold on!"
In the blink of an eye, he vaulted over the table.
The sudden burst of speed caught everyone by surprise. Even the patrol guards barely had time to react before Luke reached Agnes.
Eric, Rafe and Noah exchanged startled glances, while Kyren remained seated with a composed expression.
The knight stepped in front of Agnes, shielding her from the two men.
One of the patrol guards frowned and instinctively reached out to move him aside.
"Step aside, Mr Parker."
He pressed a hand against Luke’s shoulder, intending to push him away. But the knight did not budge. It was as though he had tried to move a solid wall.
The guard’s eyes widened in disbelief. He instinctively increased his strength, yet Luke remained rooted to the spot, his expression calm and unwavering.
Only then did he realise the tremendous strength hidden beneath the knight’s composed demeanour.
Luke met his gaze, his expression resolute yet free of hostility.
"Please..." he said quietly. "I’m begging you. Let her go."
"Just what do you think you’re doing?" the senior guard demanded as he rose from his seat, his voice echoing through the patrol station. "Are you challenging my decision?"
Noah simply shook his head, a faint sigh escaping him, watching the unexpected action. Helping the very person who had just tried to stab him—that was exactly the sort of thing Luke would do.
Beside him, Eric folded his arms across his chest and let out a quiet breath. Somehow, he wasn’t even surprised. This was precisely the kind of trouble Luke had a knack for getting himself into.
Then—
"Gentlemen."
Kyren’s calm voice cut through the tense atmosphere. His gaze swept across everyone present before settling on the senior guard.
"Please... let us all calm down."