Victoria spoke gently and said:
– Alright, come to me.
The father looked at his eldest daughter with tenderness, then gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said:
– Go.
Zela stepped forward slowly, her sisters Masha and Sasha walking hesitantly behind her, almost hiding behind her. And when she approached Victoria, she stared at her in awe and said to herself:
"What an incredibly beautiful woman... Her eyes are silver like the moon, and her white hair is streaked with blue like glowing snow... She looks like an ancient royal lineage. It is a great honor to meet her."
Masha and Sasha stood fearfully behind Zela, holding the edge of her dress, exchanging worried looks, before Victoria raised her hands slightly and bowed a little to them with a gentle smile:
– Don't be afraid, I am here to protect you... Come with me, I will take you to "Eni's" room, and I will give you candy and delicious food.
As soon as they heard the word "candy", their eyes widened as if a bright star sparkled in them, and they said in one voice, with astonishing innocence:
– Really?! You will give us candy?!
Victoria laughed softly and said:
– Yes, it's very delicious candy... Come on, let's go together and eat it.
The two girls shouted with childlike excitement:
– Let's go eat!
Zela held her little sisters' hands and gently squeezed them to reassure them, then followed Victoria as she left the hall. At the door, Zela looked at her father with a sad smile and said warmly:
– Take care of yourself, Dad... Don't worry too much, we'll be fine.
Speed smiled, but behind his smile was a clear worry he couldn't hide, and he said:
– Don't worry, I'll be fine... Just, try to listen to Victoria and don't disobey her. She's a strong fighter and will take good care of you.
Zela nodded respectfully:
– Yes, Dad.
Speed's daughters left with Victoria, while Vlad approached Speed and said in a quiet voice with some respect:
– Don't worry about your daughters... No harm will come to them, they are under my personal protection.
Yes, we were enemies in the past, but I hold no grudge against you... On the contrary, I respect you a lot. This is the least I can do for a great warrior like you.
Speed responded with a slight nod and a steady voice:
– Thank you for that.
Then Vlad turned to Morgan and Speed and said:
– Alright, everyone return to the tasks you were assigned.
Then he looked at Faris and said firmly:
– Knight, come here.
Faris stepped forward with discipline and bowed slightly, saying:
– At your service, sir.
Vlad said:
– Take Speed to the prison, and order the knights to treat him with respect. Feed him well, and no one is to dare harm him. Understood?
Faris replied confidently:
– Yes, sir.
Faris approached Speed hesitantly. As soon as he stood in front of him, he felt like he was facing a mountain of dignity and strength...
Speed had a massive muscular build, standing with terrifying steadiness, and his eyes shone with an unyielding gleam. Faris felt awe, but Speed gave him a faint smile and extended his hand towards him saying:
– Come on, take me.
Speed made it easy, he didn't want to cause more problems, so he calmly went with him.
After his daughters left, Speed was taken to prison by Faris.
Speed and Faris continued walking until they reached a basement, then they descended. Speed looked around as if surprised.
They kept descending, and the basement was full of cells and prisoners, among them were beasts of the cat and wolf species.
Speed asked the guard:
– Are there many beast prisoners here?
Faris replied:
– Yes.
Speed accepted it and continued walking.
Faris was surprised by this and said to himself, wasn't he supposed to be angry or sad? Why did he respond so coldly? Is he really one of the beasts? I'll ask him again.
Faris said:
– Why didn't you get angry or sad when you found out that there are prisoners of your race or beasts like you?
Speed replied intelligently:
– Would you be sad if prisoners were captured from strange humans you don't know at all? Would you be angry or sad?
Faris responded, objecting:
– Why would I be angry for strangers? Them being of my kind doesn't mean I'm their protector.
Speed replied:
– Same thing for me.
Faris said:
– You really convinced me.
They continued walking until they reached cell number 25 and he said:
– This is your cell, it's one of the best cells here. It's big and comfortable. You can stay here in a solitary cell.
Speed looked at it, then looked at the ceiling and at its spaciousness.
Then he looked at other cells and found them pitiful compared to his.
Speed said:
– Seems I'm really lucky.
Faris replied:
– Yes.
Then Speed entered the cell, and Faris said to him:
– Give me your hand so I can remove your shackles.
Speed laughed and said:
– Don't worry, they're just children's toys.
Speed broke the shackles of his hands and feet easily as if he was breaking a twig.
Faris was terrified and felt he was in danger. Speed could have killed Faris and escaped at any time he wanted, but he didn't. He chose to follow him.
Faris asked nervously:
– If you had that strength, why didn't you escape? Is the reason your daughters? You didn't escape because they might hinder you?
Speed laughed hysterically and said:
– I am Speed, a great warrior. Do you think mere little girls would hinder my speed? It's something much bigger than that. The safest place for me and my daughters is here, so there is no need to escape from here.
At that moment, Faris knew it was something much bigger. In fact, it looked like the knights had captured Speed, but the truth is, he surrendered himself. It seems there are strong warriors who want to kill him, and that's why he decided to surrender and hide here.
I must inform my lord quickly.
So Faris closed the door and quickly left to inform Vlad of what he heard from Speed.
Meanwhile, Vlad, Morgan, Ingris, and the rest were still in the room talking.
Morgan said:
– Sir, your son has a very strong personality... but I think it might cause problems in the future. He's the type who doesn't like to be controlled.
Ingris agreed:
– I agree with him, sir.
Vlad chuckled a bit, then looked at Asta and said:
– And you, what do you think of your brother? Do you agree with them?
Asta said seriously:
– Yes, strongly. Arthur refuses to be controlled.
Then Vlad looked at Elena and Luna and asked:
– And you two, what do you think?
Elena said calmly:
– I agree with them.
Luna hesitated a little, then said:
– Yes, but... there's something you've forgotten. True, Arthur loves freedom and has a strong personality, but he doesn't impose himself on others. He respects everyone and acts wisely in tough situations. He's a real man, and I respect him greatly, especially after what he did today.
Then she looked at her father and added with a voice full of emotion:
– Father, he's someone my aunt Victoria acknowledged, and his personality is as great as Speed's. You should care for him and do all you can to keep him with us. Because if we lose him, we will regret it greatly.
Vlad smiled and asked her:
– Is that your intuition?
She answered confidently:
– It's certainty, not just intuition.
Vlad said thoughtfully:
– Alright, I'll take your advice, my daughter.
Luna said with a grateful smile:
Thank you, Father.
Vlad stood up and walked toward his throne, then sat down and said in a decisive tone:
Today's meeting is over. Let everyone return to their work.
Everyone said in one voice:
Yes, Sir.
And thus... everyone left the hall.