Chapter 73 The healer
Upon hearing Zeke's voice, Simon’s eyes, which were filled with sarcastic intentions, lit up with more excitement.
“Ezekiel! You’re still alive? Hurry up and untie me! Those people are…” Before he could finish his statement, something dropped on his head, making him groan.
“You deserve it! Tell me why you dare to kill Evan!” Ezekiel’s voice was filled with disdain and disappointment. He was a little flabbergasted. He knew Simon too well—he wouldn’t do anything this stupid without a concrete reason.
Simon shrugged his shoulders, his head down to the ground as if he were embarrassed.
“I had no intention of hurting her!” he said boldly, giving Evan a quick guilty glance. She didn’t know why, but for some strange reason, she believed him. Her head puzzled, her brown eyes landed on Isabella’s face. Ella raised one of her brows in question.
“So who were you after?” Zeke went on.
“Clearly! This bloodthirsty woman! She deserves death. Coated in silver to hide her evil deeds!” he blurted, eyes bloodshot. His words carried an undertone too obvious to ignore. Even Isabella felt mystified. Evan felt a shiver run down her spine. Goosebumps rose on her delicate skin.
What is this feeling? she asked herself internally, biting down on her lips. Whatever Simon was about to say meant no good—only trouble.
“What do you mean?” Isabella demanded, her tone carrying inquiry despite the humiliation she had just received from Simon. Zeke stood calmly, waiting for the scene to unfold. It had been a while since he had curiously waited for a hidden villain to be revealed.
A hidden villain, Ezekiel thought, a smirk playing on one corner of his lips, his face looking totally mischievous.
“Spit it out!” Zeke suddenly roared, irritated by Simon’s silence. Simon was too humiliated, his face as red as a tomato. His heart burned with hatred and fury. He swore in his heart that he would retaliate.
“This girl you think is a calm and royal queen of white witches is actually a green snake in green grass. A serial killer!” Immediately after he uttered his final words, a sharp slap landed on his face.
“This is slander! It’s punishable by law!” Evan defended her queen, her eyes suddenly turning so cold.
“Did I hear someone say ‘serial killer’?” A mature, husky voice came from behind, drawing everyone’s attention. Upon spinning around, their eyes landed on Lord Raphael.
His handsome features looked shiny under the daylight. His skin was also shiny, making Isabella think he was so handsome. Her thoughts grew complex about him, as if she had been spellbound.
“Hey… Isabella, I hope you did nothing crazy,” Evan’s voice snapped her out of reality.
“Huh? What were you saying?” she asked, confused. Evan shook her head in disbelief and said no more. Lord Raphael approached slowly, and Evan felt another chill. It was strange, as if she could sense danger.
“Milord! Please, we have a murderer in our midst, and this is very dangerous for this land!” Simon begged, his smile vanishing.
“Be quiet! Milord, he’s slandering! Isabella did no such thing!” Evan quickly stepped in front of Isabella, using both hands to block her from Lord Raphael’s reach.
“I am bound with chains! Spiritual witches’ chains at that! This witch queen brainwashed Zeke and conspired with Evan to destroy me!” Saying this, both Evan and Ezekiel’s eyes popped wide, almost bulging out.
“Simon! Even involving me and Ezekiel, your own friend? Outrageous!” Evan snapped, her eyes turning colder.
As for Zeke, he just gave a slight smile as if nothing had happened. He would deal with the boy in private—for now, Simon was already too embarrassed.
“Untie him! Now!” Raphael demanded. Isabella hesitated but did untie the red-headed dog. Just looking at him was enough to make her stomach turn.
“Raphael! I didn’t do anything. So don’t think of acting without evidence,” Isabella warned, stepping forward to meet Raphael’s eyes. Worried, Evan quickly ran forward, pushing her behind and shielding her.
“Don’t hurt her!” Her words made Zeke let out a funny chuckle. How protective, he thought. Meanwhile, Simon, who had just been unbound from the silver chains, stood up, relishing his freedom. Thank God Lord Raphael had shown up. Of course Raphael wouldn’t watch his own kind being maltreated by a lower-class being. He shot Isabella a cold glare.
“How dare you tie a higher-rank being with your little witch spell?” asked Lord Raphael. When Simon was bound, he had made no attempt to escape when he clearly could. Zeke was the only one who knew this fact and didn’t react to it at all. After all, he knew Simon had his own deadly and sneaky plan. He knew Simon as a manipulative person—a relationship ruiner and friend destroyer. Simon could manipulate you to the extent that you severed all ties with your blood relations, even your own mother.
All Simon wanted was for Lord Raphael to see him in the witch’s chain spell so he would develop hatred for her, since he couldn’t succeed in killing her himself.
“Get lost,” Lord Raphael ordered. Evan swallowed. She hadn’t known the wicked side of this person. He seemed a bit cold, shattering every liking Isabella had felt for him just minutes before.
“Raphael, don’t misunderstand. You know how manipulative Simon is. He was the one who tried killing both ladies,” Zeke Clearfield said, still showing indifference in his expression.
“I let the lord see the truth. It was clearly the little witch using black magic to manipulate the duke’s head,” Simon said, not daring to glance in Zeke’s direction. His head was properly bowed to the ground as he spoke.
“She and Evan conspired together. They’re enemies set to destroy our land.”
“Simon! You’re going too far!” Ezekiel warned, his eyes iceberg-cold.
“Milord, I wouldn’t dare lie to you about such serious issues. Else, when she was captured in the prison cell as a minor, how did she escape? No one has ever broken out throughout history. I think she’s a black witch! She isn’t human!”