8 Chapter 7: Princess Ekaterinas Journey Part III (1/2)
Ursula was feeling intense schadenfreude from Mueller's plea. Was it bad? Doesn't that make her a sadist? Well, in some countries, there were public events where gladiators fought to the death for others' entertainment! Compared to those people, she was better. Yes, she must be. Ursula was trying to quell her guilt from torturing Mueller's mind.
”Are you ready to faithfully answer my every question?” She asked as she directed another threatening smile toward poor Mueller. ”Just so we are clear, I can tell when a man's lying and your head will roll as soon as you say anything deceitful.”
”Y-yes ma'am,” the bandit nodded.
”Alright then, question 1,” she said firmly, ”who are you people and who hired you?”
”I'm Mueller an' we're tha Gleaming Bucket, ma'am, the finest bandits here in tha Lohenstein forest!” He yelled with a hint of pride. ”We earn our living by plundering noble carriages! Nobody hired us! Honest!”
”How did you know we were coming?” She asked. ”You were obviously lying in ambush out there.”
”We just happened to be there when you came!” He said, while his expression twisted slightly. ”We...we were hunting, you see, with the winter coming and all!”
”Are you sure of what you're saying?”
At this point, Ursula's patience snapped. She was already an impatient person to start with and the man is calling HER ”ma'am”! She wasn't even past 18 and she's already called a ma'am? How irritating! Then, he had the stupidity of lying to her despite her earlier warning.
”Is he taking me for a fool?” She thought angrily.
Suddenly, a fierce, cold aura emanated from her body and Mueller suddenly felt intense pressure on his mind.
”Ma'am! I was wrong!” He pleaded on his knees. ”W-we were notified by the Lohenstein family watchman this morning that you will pass here! They only told me that some rich people will pass here! I never knew it was the royalty!”
As he fell on his knees to plead for his life, Ursula's schadenfreude intensified.
”Hmmm...I see you people have lots of experience pillaging nobility,” She said with a detached voice. ”I assume you have stacked a considerable amount of treasures in your headquarters?”
”Y-yes ma'am!” He tried to bargain. ”You could have it all if you let me go!”
”Interesting...”
”Can I go now?” Mueller asked hopefully.
”Don't worry about that,” she said. ”We'll only let you go when the stock will be in our hands.”
”W-what?” The man exclaimed. ”That's preposterous! You can't just...just...do that to me!”
”Why not?”
”Cuz collectin' ransom from civilians is illegal, right?”
”And what makes attempting to murder the Princess of the country not a crime in itself?” She toyed with him.
”I didn't know! I didn't know! Had I known I'd never have - ” He yelled desperately.
Granted, the ”mens rea” for murdering THE PRINCESS was certainly not there, but the fact stays that Mueller and his people attacked a carriage with the intention of plundering and violating the people inside beyond any reasonable doubt. Therefore, he was guilty before the laws of Lacrimosa and can be executed without trial considering the sheer amount of hard evidence of his guilt. Ursula has intended to kill him from the start, but she had also received the order from Bonny d'Estaing, her greatly superior officer in army ranks, to try to make this situation as profitable as possible for the Princess. By finding their hideout and snatching away their goods was doing just that. She trusted Bonny would take care of everything after that.
”You see, Herr Mueller,” she said sarcastically. ”If you just happen to tell us where is your hideout, we might just consider letting you go just this once.”
”No, I can't betray my comrades!” He screamed.
Crack.
A bone snapped. A finger bent into an odd angle. A man screamed in the silent forest.
”Repeat that now?”
”I WON'T BETRAY MY - ”
Another bone snapped. Another finger bent into an abnormal angle. The screams intensified. The man's eyes became bloodshot. His heart beat like never before. Mueller, with the last of his breath, yelled in an apologetic tone.
”IT'S ON TOP OF THE WEISS MOUNTAIN! IN THE CAVE BEHIND THE BIG CENTRAL WATERFALL! I SWEAR IT ON MY LIFE!”
A shot rang. Mueller collapsed, lifeless, on the cold snow. It soon tainted red with his hot blood. Wild beasts will soon come to enjoy a last tasty meal before the roughness of winter. Having said all there was to say, he paid for his heinous crime and all of those he committed in the past. Ursula wondered just how many people he has killed and how many women he has raped throughout the years. Just the thought made her want to throw up.
After stripping the corpse of all valuables as her companions did to the others, Ursula jumped on her horse and rode forward with the coach, her heart saddened by her own guilt. She just found out a side to herself that she never knew existed. Her dark side. A thorn to the image of the perfect and radiant noble lady officer she wanted to become.
...
After the battle, Alexa and the others gave a detailed report of the situation to the princess and continued riding alongside the carriage, doubly vigilant for potential attacks.
It was only when they safely arrived in the city of Schwanenberg the next day that the guards relaxed slightly. This was the King's birthplace and the hub of the royalist faction. For the princess of the Kingdom, this was one of the safest places in the world. This grand city is where the most loyal supporters of the King dwell and it is under the direct control of the Lacrimosian monarchy.