Chapter 57: Against the law

Upon receiving her command, two fire controllers stepped forward and respectfully acknowledged, "Certainly, my lady!"

Rhea’s heart dropped to her stomach. Without a second thought, she stood protectively in front of the little boy. "Don’t touch him!" She bellowed, "I am telling you the truth, but it seems you only want to hear what you believe is the truth. Tell me what you want to hear and I’ll say it!"

Oriana smirked arrogantly, saying, "You, as a human, had the audacity to side with these evil creatures. Rhea, whether you admit it or not, it is widely known that you are guilty of colliding with the enemies." Oriana then turned to address the crowd, confidently stating, "There is no need to bring this case to the emperor, as it is already evident that Rheanna Villden is guilty of treason. Thus, this little monster shall be burned to ash, and_"

"Let me see you dare to burn him!" Rhea’s temper flared at Oriana’s words. She no longer cared if they believed her or not. Her expression turned deadly and without hesitation, she felinely leapt into the air and grabbed hold of the man who had been cruelly whipping the innocent boy. Using the whip, she swiftly strangled him to death. Everything happened so quickly that no one had time to react until the man’s lifeless body fell to the ground.

Everyone stared at her in astonishment. Rhea had dared to protect a dragon in front of everyone, going so far as to take a life!

She’d gone too far!!

Oriana became furious upon seeing the scene. "How dare you!" Uttering those words, she launched a fireball at Rhea as a way to teach her a lesson and to also established her reputation in the city. However, to everyone’s surprise, the fire ball she threw extinguished the moment it reached Rhea.

Rhea laughed with amusement. "Oriana, it appears that even your flames lack the strength to burn. You should be in the lower ranks of fire controllers rather than leading them. What a shame." Rhea sneered. However, her words caused everyone to gasp and it infuriated Oriana. She raised her hands, ready to unleash another flame, but Rhea was faster. She somersaulted through the air and positioned herself in front of Oriana. With a quick movement, she grabbed Oriana’s neck and pushed her against the wall.

The events unfolded rapidly, leaving no time for anyone to react. Shock registered on their faces as they witnessed Rhea trapping Oriana. It was unheard of for anyone to challenge a leader of the fire controllers in such a manner, and nobody anticipated Rhea cornering Oriana like this.

Just as Oriana was about to unleash her spells, Rhea swiftly flung her out of sight. Onlookers in the courtyard watched in amazement as Oriana’s body was thrown into a nearby pond like a lifeless doll. Oriana’s image was completely shattered as she desperately struggled to swim to the surface while gasping for air.

Rhea added salt to the already open wound. "What a pity, Oriana. Apart from your magic, you have no powers, but yet you dare talk about not fearing dragons?"

The pathetic looking Oriana finally managed to struggle out of the pond, with her ebony hair sticking to her face like a vengeful spirit. She was Alina’s precious niece. When she was brought to join the fire controllers, she didn’t have to go through any exams before she was given a position because she wasn’t just any body but a relative of a hero who once saved the human race from being doomed. The people of Birhhan treated her with respect and care.

But today, she was thrown into a dirty pond by a mere girl who possessed no flames!

Such humiliation couldn’t be overlooked!

Oriana was consumed by rage, she raised both her hands, huge flames gathered around her palms.

Rhea’s gaze deepened when she saw the huge flames gathering around Oriana’s palms. However, she didn’t show any signs of fear and instead rolled up her sleeves to face Oriana.

Nevertheless, before Oriana let loose her flames, a deep voice rang through the courtyard.

"Enough!"

Rhea froze. She felt her heart skipped a beat at the sudden voice. She turned her head towards the direction of the voice. Striding in from the entrance of the courtyard was a tall man with a mildly broad build, dark long hair that went past his shoulders, his usually friendly and charming smile was non existent on his face at the moment, his chocolate brown eyes showing sternness as he arrived at the scene.

The person who had spoken was none other than Azure.

"Azure!" When Oriana saw him, she ran towards him and hugged him with her drenched clothes. "Azure, Rhea has gone crazy."

Azure gently pushed away from Oriana’s hold and turned his attention towards Rhea with a cold expression, which Rhea had never seen on him. He’d never looked at her with such gaze before.

"Attacking a leader is against the rules Rhea." He said calmly, but it was evident that he wasn’t pleased with the coldness in his tone and expression.

The anger in Rhea’s heart still hadn’t subsided, but she stayed silent and accepted his scolding. No one else in Birhhan could scold Rhea without her talking back. Not even her father, but Azure. Because he was the only one who always appeared whenever she needed someone to stand up for her.

Oriana hurriedly spoke, "Azure, this time you can’t stop Rhea from getting punished. She colluded with the enemies, she released those little monsters. And who knows what she’s planning with them. She’s rebellious. Everyone witnessed how she disrespected me and killed one of my guards! This can’t be tolerated!"

Azure fixed his gaze on Rhea, but he didn’t speak a word.

Zoorah, who was standing beside their shocked father, spoke up, "Lord Azure, it’s indeed true. Even though Rheanna is my sister, she has indeed crossed the lines today. It is only right if you punish her for her crimes this time."

Azure was silent for a few moments, he then glanced at Rhea as he asked in a low voice, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Rhea raised her head and met his eyes, "Yes, I was the one who released the children, but I didn’t collude with them to harm the human race." She said, then looked towards Oriana who was acting pitiful in front of Azure. She then smirked, "As for lady Oriana...yes, I strangled her and pushed her into the pond, but I didn’t know she was this weak to the extent that a powerless girl like me could bully her so easily."

With those words, everyone in the courtyard fell silent. True, no one had thought that either with the way Oriana carried herself. No one could say if Rhea was that strong or if it was Oriana who was too weak to fight a powerless girl.

Azure continued to stare at Rhea for a long time. Rhea could tell by his stare that he was angry.

Oriana grabbed his arm to pull his attention back to her, "Azure, she should be executed and reported to the emperor!"

Azure disregarded Oriana’s statement and declared. "Rheanna had violated Birhhan’s law, yet she remains a member of the emperor’s relatives. Consequently, her penalty shall consist of fifty lashings. However, should she transgress another law, she shall suffer the same punishment inflicted upon those who defy humanity...execution."

Rhea felt somewhat saddened by his statement, but she understood that he was fulfilling his responsibilities as a leader, and he had been lenient in his punishment towards her. Nevertheless, she harbored no ill feelings towards him and would continue to show him respect and secretly admire him.

Rhea stopped in between her story, she then mumbled to Draven, "Ever since then, my father had been keeping me under a strict order. I wasn’t allowed to step out of the mansion like I used to do before, until the day the emperor sent a marriage decree to the Villden household and my family thought to get rid of me by marrying me off in place of my sister to Jurian." Rhea sighed, "But fate was so cruel I ended up in your clutches instead."

Draven heard her but didn’t pay any heed to her accusatory words. This little girl had gone through a lot in the hands of her own kind, her own family but yet she wanted to go back to them despite everything they’d done to her. Was she that desperate for her family’s love she’d rather go back to them than stick with him? Well, she was a human after all, he still couldn’t understand how these creatures’ minds work. However, at this moment he was curious about something else.

"What about the little boy, what happened to him?" He asked, concern laced in his voice for his own kind.

Rhea shrugged, "I have no idea. I was taken away for my punishment, so I don’t know what happened to him after that, so i thought he was burned..." Rhea sighed again, "But judging from how the ghost has come back to bother me, it seems he’s still alive somewhere and she wants me to save him again, but how can I break another rule after I’ve been warned before? Only if I’m seeking death will I dare do that again."

Rhea scratched her head in frustration. "If I don’t save him, his mother would never let me rest in peace. I think I will have to summon her to have a talk about this."

Draven was slightly taken aback, "You want to summon her ghost?" He asked, his usual indifferent face showing a hint of dread for the first time.

Rhea turned her head and flashed him a mischievous smile. "I know you haven’t seen a ghost before, so sit back and watch me call her out to say hello."

***

A/N

Dear Readers,

I am thrilled to share with you this captivating tale that will take you on a journey like no other. I understand that you may have come to expect a certain style from my previous book, but i assure you that this one is truly unique, an enchanting story that demands your attention.

You see, dear readers, the characters within these pages are not mere words on paper. They are living, breathing souls with dreams, flaws, and fears. They will make you laugh, cry, and question the very essence of your own existence. Their journey is one of self-discovery, where love, friendship, and personal growth intertwine to create a tapestry of emotions that will leave you spellbound.

So, i implore you, dear readers, to take a leap of faith with me. Give this book a chance to touch your soul and ignite your imagination. Let the characters guide you through their intricately woven lives, and witness the magic that unfolds when connections are forged and hearts are laid bare.

And I’d like to give a shout-out to my most lovely supporters, who never failed to keep me motivated with their power stones. Thanks to: Jennifer-Goliah. Vidya-Vahini, rinusha, marlene-G. Kimberly-Heckler-2, and a lot more. Thanks guys, your support means a lot to me.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read