The Royal Prison was a cold, dark place. Traitors, murderers, rapists, and others were waiting for their trials in small, filthy cells. The smell of piss and feces was so strong that Mina had to cover her nose with a handkerchief that Hugo gave her.
"This is not a place where you should be," Hugo said. "How about you wait outside while I check on Jayden?"
Mina looked around. A rat ran inside a cell while cockroaches were coming out of a crack. Prisoners were being tortured, and the sound of whips and the moans coming from men and women made Mina's heart tremble while fear took hold of her. What if Jayden was being tortured as well? She had to see him with her own eyes.
Mina lifted her head and looked at Hugo. "Have I ever told you that I visited bastard children in the sewers, and one of them pushed me into the dirty water?" Hugo's eyebrows shot up as if he was not expecting Mina to say that. "If I survived that, I can survive anything! Even the Royal Prison!"
Hugo chuckled. "I should have known you were not visiting only the Fire Church." He started walking slowly along the stone corridor; filth covered it. Mina was beside him and lifted her dress, not wanting to get it dirty because she knew how much Jayden liked it. Hugo glanced at her. "You married Commander Jayden to cover for what my sister did," Hugo said into Mina's ear, afraid someone would hear what he was saying. "I still don't understand how Prince Liam did not realize she had been with another man before... Anyways, look at what happened to you because of Rosalyn and Jayden. You have been called whore, slut, and Gods-knows what else before I got here! You should tell the King and Prince Liam everything and ask for an annulment! You are still a maiden, and there will be a lot of men who will want to marry you! There is a rumor about the Arch Duke having a son. Young. Single."
Mina blinked, confused. "Since when does the Arch Duke have a son? I thought he only had a daughter." Hugo shrugged. "Even if the Arch Duke has a son, which I highly doubt, it does not matter! First of all, I don't want to find another husband! Jayden, he—" Mina stopped to think of how Jayden made her feel. "He makes me happy!" she finally said. "He listens to me and is patient with me. When we are alone, he—" Mina's cheeks turned red when she realized what she was about to say. She looked around, making sure no one was listening to their conversation. "Second, if people find out the truth about Rosalyn and Jayden, it won't just be a scandal. It will be a disaster!" Mina whispered as she thought of what could happen because Rosalyn and Jayden fucked. "Prince Liam will have to challenge Jayden to a duel!" She had no doubt Jayden would win. "And let's not talk about what would happen to Rosalyn. She would be given to the Royal Guards to..., and when they are done with her, she will be publicly whipped and sent to the Orc Forest!" Not that she cared all that much about Rosalyn. "And then there is you and Nolan. The family will fall into disgrace, and all the titles and properties will be taken away. No, Hugo, the past must stay in the past!"
Hugo rubbed his face. "This all could have been prevented if the Prince had fallen for you. He is a fool for not seeing what he had right in front of his nose!" They kept walking until they almost reached the prison guards. "No matter how much someone wants to run away from the past, the past will always come knocking on the door. You should ask for that annulment, and once you are free of Jayden, you should get away from Athea," Hugo whispered to her as they stopped in front of the guards. "We are here to see Commander Jayden!" Hugo sounded as if he was the head of the Castex family.
One of the guards looked confused. "Commander Jayden? I am afraid he is not here."
Mina's heart stopped for a moment. "He was brought in earlier."
The guard knitted his brows. "The only man brought here earlier was a bastard that attacked a duke! But no Commander Jayden."
"Where is he?" Mina asked; her stomach was in knots.
The guard pointed at a cell at the back of the corridor.
Mina rushed to the cell; her heart was beating wildly in her chest.
"You have five minutes!" she heard the guard yell behind her.
"Jayden!" she said as she grabbed the cell's bars and looked inside.
Jayden was lying on an old, moldy mattress, his hands under his head, looking at the ceiling. A wooden bucket sat in one of the corners, and a strong smell was coming from it.
Jayden's clothes were dirty, and outlies of shoes were on his shirt as if he had been kicked multiple times. A giant boot print was so firmly imprinted on his chest that the tread of the boot was clearly visible. As soon as he heard Mina's voice, he rose and rushed to her.
"Little lamb!" he said as he put his hands on top of hers and kissed her. He stuck an arm out and cupped her cheek as he kept kissing her, his tongue exploring each inch of her warm mouth. She kissed him back with all she had. "Mina!" Jayden said as he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against her, and breathed her in. His thumb stroked her skin, sending shivers down her spine.
"Now I understand!" Mina heard Hugo speak from behind her. "I'll be damned!"
Mina blushed, realizing Hugo saw everything. She lifted her head and looked at Jayden. She gasped when she saw some bruises on his face. "What happened? How is your head?"
Mina hated the cold bars that kept her separated from Jayden.
"Nothing I could not handle. Don't worry about me," he replied. She was sure someone had beaten him. How could she not worry about him? "How are you? Has the King or your uncle said anything else about you being whipped?" he asked, his eyes flashing gold.
Mina shook her head. "Do you remember Timothy?" Jayden frowned. "The Fire Mage that healed me. He came to heal my uncle, and he let everyone know we hadn't, you know, mated," she said, and her cheeks turned rosy. "The King even apologized for what was said to me." She shrugged as if it did not affect her, but she could see in Jayden's eyes that he did not believe her.
"Mated?" Hugo asked, confused, but both Mina and Jayden ignored him.
"What about your uncle?" Jayden asked Mina.
"He still wants to obtain an annulment and to get me married to Count Dickman," she replied.
"Fuck! Listen to me, little lamb, if your uncle doesn't stop with his idea of taking you from me and having you marry Dickless, I will let the beast out of the cage. And if that happens, the Necromancer would be seen as weak compared to the power my beast has!" Jayden growled softly. He looked at Hugo. "Keep her safe for me until I get out of here!"
"I am not even going to ask about what beast you are referring too. About you getting out, my father wants to take you to a trial," Hugo said. "I am not sure how long you will be in here until you are judged for putting your hands on a noble. Not that I'm complaining about the beating you gave my father! Gods know he deserved it!"
"My uncle wants you exiled from the kingdom and the marriage annulled!" Mina said. "But if the King takes away your Baron title, then you can remain, but our wedding won't be valid anymore!"
Jayden laughed. "They can take away the Ruxman family name from me. I don't care. It is not the one that is truly mine. I only accepted it because it was the only way I could make you my wife. But once I receive the name that is my birthright, you won't need to worry about anything! Our real wedding will happen during the Litha Festival! I can hardly wait!"
"I am confused! Are you saying you didn't really marry Mina?" Hugo asked Jayden.
"Of course I did! In front of Addanos! But for my people and me, it is different. When we get married, we take our wives to Isyleon Island!"
Hugo's eyes went wide. "By Inoss! You are a... What do you call yourselves? Ocxoas?" Jayden nodded. "That's why Mina is still a virgin! You have to take her to the Crystal Cave!"
"You know about them?" Mina asked Hugo.
"Yes! I met one a while ago when I was in—" He stopped speaking and studied Jayden. His eyes went wide with shock before he smirked. "This is fucking unbelievable!" he said as he laughed. Jayden nodded as if he understood what Hugo meant. "Welcome to the family, Commander Jayden!"
Jayden grinned, his sharp canines showing.
Mina was sure Hugo knew something about Jayden she did not. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.
"I will talk to the King about your trial," Hugo said.
"Visit time over!" the guard yelled.
Jayden pulled Mina in for another kiss. "Go home and tell Aksel what happened! He knows what to do!" Jayden said after letting Mina go. His eyes went to Hugo. "Keep her safe until I get free from here!" Mina kissed Jayden again before he let go of her cheek and removed his hand from hers, and took a step back. "Go! The little ones are waiting for you!"
Hugo guided Mina out of the Royal Prison; each step was painful like she was dragging her feet through thick mud. Her heart ached for Jayden. She looked over her shoulder a few times, hoping she would see him again, but the cell he was kept in was already out of her sight.
Mina walked in silence as Hugo took her to the main gate. "I will take you home. Once I know you are in safe hands, I will return to talk to the King. I am sure Jayden will be released soon!" Hugo told her as Neth rushed to open the gate.
"Mia!" Mina heard Nolan's voice as she put a foot through the gateway, and she spun around to look at Rosalyn's son.
"I will spend a few hours with Nolan," she said to Hugo. "I haven't seen him in a long time!"
Before Hugo could say anything, Mina took Nolan to his room and played for a few hours with him. When tea time came, a servant brought in a tray with sandwiches and cookies. Mina told the servant she could retire because she would make sure Nolan ate.
Under Mina's supervision, Nolan ate a sandwich before drinking from his cup of tea when he suddenly started coughing. "Mia! My tummy hurts!" he said before falling from his chair and crying.
Mina rushed to see what was wrong with Nolan. Pearls of sweat covered his little forehead while tears came out of his eyes. His tiny hands were on top of his stomach.
The door suddenly opened, and Rosalyn entered. Her eyes fell on Mina and Nolan. "What have you done to my son?" Rosalyn screamed as she rushed to take Nolan from Mina. "You poisoned him!" she accused Mina when Nolan started feeling worse.
Mina shook her head. "I would never hurt Nolan, and you know it! He started feeling like this after he drank from his tea!"
"You did something to the tea, I am sure!" Rosalyn screamed.
A few maids and guards walked inside to see what was happening.
Nolan was crying even harder.
Prince Liam and the King rushed inside Nolan's room. Hugo and Duke Tedric were behind them.
"What is happening?" Prince Liam asked.
"Mina poisoned our son!" Rosalyn cried as she handed Nolan to Prince Liam. "You have to call a Fire Mage to save his life!"
Prince Liam glanced at Nolan, turned pale, and ran out of the room with his son in his arms.
"Can anyone tell me what happened?" King Baswein asked.
Rosalyn pointed at Mina with her finger. "She tried to kill Nolan! She poisoned his tea!"
Duke Tedric looked at Mina with venom in his eyes.
"Mina would never do something like this!" Hugo said. "If someone poisoned Nolan's tea, it means a spy has infiltrated the Palace. We should make sure no one leaves and interrogate everyone!"
"I agree!" the King said. He turned his attention to the guards. "Close the Palace! I want a list of everyone who came to the Palace in the last month! I will personally conduct an investigation, and whoever is responsible for hurting my grandson will be tortured to death!"