“You damn troublemakers! You have some nerve for attacking a Dragonmarsh military commander! I’ll make sure you regret this!”
Even while bound, Harlan kept thrashing and shouting threats. Without saying anything, Grace raised her hand and slapped him across the face several times until he was seeing stars. His cheeks were swollen, and blood trickled at the corner of his mouth.
“You think you deserve the title of Dragonmarsh military commander?” she said coldly. “You should be court-martialed and stripped of your rank.”
“Court-martialed? Ha! Who the hell do you think you are? Don’t make me laugh,” Harlan spat. He wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. As one of Tristan’s trusted officers, nobody except Valon could dismiss him.
“Hold it!”
Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out behind them.
Tristan had arrived, dressed in full protective gear and flanked by a large unit of soldiers.
When Harlan saw him, his face broke into a huge grin. He laughed and said, “His Highness is here. You’re all screwed now.”
Grace glanced up at him with a blank expression.
“Your Highness-” Harlan began, but Tristan cut him off sharply.
“Shut your mouth!” But when Tristan turned to Grace, he managed a smile. “I wasn’t expecting you. Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?” he asked.
“I heard the plague in Harbortown had worsened, so I brought a team to help,” Grace replied coldly. “But instead of cooperating, your general here did everything he could to stop us. Are you aware of this?”
“That happened?” Tristan frowned as he turned on Harlan. “Have you lost your mind? You actually tried to stop the Princess of Ariella? When you return, report to the barracks and take your 50 lashes.”
“I-” Harlan wanted to explain, but one look from Tristan made him bite his tongue.
He’d never imagined that Grace would show up in some plague-infested slum. But judging from how things were playing out, it was clear he was about to take the blame for it.
“Don’t worry, Grace. I’ll punish this man severely for obstructing your work,” Tristan assured her.
“Tristan, we can deal with him later. Right now, our priority is saving the infected. You locked everyone inside the slums and then turned your back on them. You’re practically sentencing them to death,” she said coldly.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Tristan replied with a helpless expression.
He went on, “The lockdown was meant to keep the plague from spreading and minimize casualties. No one expected the virus to mutate. It really caught me off guard. Honestly, I don’t even know what to do anymore.”
“Even so, you can’t just lock people up like this.” Grace’s voice rose, her anger flaring.
“Do you have any idea what’s going on in that quarantine zone?” she asked. “It’s not just the infected, but there are healthy civilians trapped inside as well. You’ve thrown them straight into the fire.”
Forcibly isolating those infected was understandable since it was a necessary step to contain the outbreak. But locking healthy civilians in with plague patients and then turning a blind eye? How was that any different from sentencing them to death?
“No way. You’re telling me there are healthy people inside there?” Tristan looked around with what seemed like genuine surprise.
“Harlan! Did you round up the wrong people? I told you to quarantine the infected. Why are there healthy citizens locked in there, too?”
“I… I don’t know either,” Harlan said bitterly. “They were all packed together. How could anyone tell who was infected and who wasn’t? I had to round them all up to be safe. I was thinking about the bigger picture.”
“Fool!” Tristan snapped, glaring at him. ” When we return, you’ll be demoted two ranks.”
Upon hearing that, Grace’s frown deepened.
A demotion by two ranks was barely more than a slap on the wrist. How was that any different from a verbal warning?
And Harlan was one of Tristan’s most trusted officers. Whether he rose or fell in rank was entirely up to Tristan.
Besides, she didn’t believe for a second that this was all Harlan’s idea. Without Tristan’s order, who would’ve dared detain that many civilians on their own?
But from the way Tristan was handling this, it was clear he had no intention of taking responsibility. There was no point in pressing him any further, as it would only be a waste of time.
Even if Grace demanded justice, what would it amount to in the end? Harlan would take the blame, and that would be the end of it. She knew Tristan too well, and that was exactly why she was filled with bitter disappointment.
“Tristan, if you really want to help, send more supplies. Otherwise, I suggest you leave before you catch the plague and end up regretting it,” she said, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
“Help? Of course, I’ll help,” he replied with a quick nod. Then, he ordered, “Harlan, take your men and start gathering supplies from the surrounding area. Do everything you can to assist the Princess of Ariella in treating the infected.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Harlan snapped to attention. After freeing himself from his restraints, he led his men away.
Grace gave Tristan one long and unreadable look, but said nothing. She turned back to the patients and threw herself into the work of saving lives.
