Kalli led me to a small room, barely big enough for the prisoner to fit in; it was a bit more than what I wanted, but it would do. I motioned for Meeta to enter first before closing the door behind us, leaving Kalli outside as she promised not to let anyone else enter.
I took a seat at the back of the very small room and gestured for Meeta to sit down. She seemed to be the weaker of the two and the one with the lesser part in all of this.
"If you want to talk, let's do it," Meeta said with a smile as she took her seat. She seemed surprisingly calm given the circumstances, but I knew that could all change at any given moment.
"I just wanted to understand why you felt compelled to act so recklessly and try something like summoning golems to attack a farm?" I asked, though my eyes had gotten slightly harder than before.
Meeta sighed and looked away for a long moment before she shifted to look me in the eyes. "I don't get why we have to change everything? Why can't we just hire more people to work in the new Aquashell plant? No one gets any choice! We are just told that the thing we have done our entire lives is changing now, and you have to learn something new!"
Meeta was getting more worked up as she spoke, and I just stayed quiet for a few moments to let her get it all out. She had a point, the Aquashell revolution would be a big change, and they didn't want to give up their way of life, which was understandable.
"It doesn't have to be like this," I said in a gentle yet stern voice. "I can make sure that everyone gets an equal chance to help set up the new plant. And you won't be losing anything—you'll gain knowledge and skills that will help your entire city grow stronger."
Meeta looked away again as she processed my words before nodding slowly and standing up from her seat.
"You're right... I guess I just wanted someone to hear me out." Meeta said softly before looking back at me with a weak smile. "Thank you."
I nodded but then sighed. "Where is Hilda?"
"Somewhere in the south. You are going to have to get that out of Sabrina because I don't know where she took her, but I assume it will be somewhere near the other Richmer Farm," Meeta explained, and I nodded.
"You know that you are still going to have to be punished for this, right?" I asked, and Meeta nodded. "Good. I am going to have you work for me in the south. You will be responsible for feeding the girls that can't get their food or don't want to. I will decide how long your term will be, but expect to be there at least two years after this stunt."
Meeta nodded again, but she knew that it was a more than fair punishment. If I had wanted to give her something harsher, I could have just taken away her life in the blink of an eye; instead, this would shape her into a better person, hopefully.
I called for Kalli to come and get her and sighed. One of two done, but this was easy compared to the next one.
"Thank you for being understanding about this," Meeta said softly before Kalli stepped into the room, ready to take her away. "I will not disappoint."
"Put her in one of the rooms here for now, and then bring Sabrina if you don't mind?" I asked, and Kalli nodded without saying anything and took Meeta from the room, leaving the door open for someone else to walk in.
"You seem to be putting in a lot of work over in Torrain? Capture some people? Is this to do with Hilda?" Breya asked as she walked into the room, looking as beautiful and radiant as always.
"You are a beautiful sight for sore eyes, my Angel!" I laughed as I opened my arms, and Breya came over to sit on my lap. "I have been busy, but I think I found Hilda, or I will when I talk to this next woman, Sabrina Richmer."
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek as she cuddled into my chest. Breya looked up at me, and I kissed her, but she pulled away. "I am glad that you seem to be wrapping things up because something strange has been happening with my Golden Egg."
"Really? What do you mean by strange?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The way that a Golden Egg works is that in the last month after 8, the small area in the center of the egg shows the face of the woman that is inside of it. The egg that I made with you already has a face! It is alien!" Breya nearly hissed, and I flinched back, but that was right as Kalli brought Sabrina into the room.
Breya and I stared at each other with horrified looks, but then I paused, looked over at Kalli, and waved her in. One thing at a time.
"Breya, we can talk about this after, but do you mind speeding this up? I just need to know where Hilda is and if she has done anything that might affect my going to get her, but I would like a detailed location so I can just portal there fast. Do you think you can do your Angel thing?" I asked, then added, "I will give you some Mana if you need it."
Breya nodded and stood up with a smile, her wings fluttering behind her. "Of course! If this helps you to come to deal with our problem, then I am more than willing to get the truth out of this one!"
"Wait! I will tell you everything! Don't make that Angel use her eyes on me!" Sabrina cried out but then froze as Breya locked eyes with her.
"It's too late for that. The truth will set you free and lay all that you have done before you for us to bear witness!" Breya said as her eyes began to glow a golden hue, and Sabrina started talking faster than I knew was possible.
She spouted out the location where Hilda was taken, and it wasn't near any Richmer Farm anymore; she had been taken to a house in the middle of nowhere down south.
"Are you sure that's the right place? There are no more farms around there, let alone a Richmer Farm," I asked as I looked at Kalli, who seemed almost bored from this whole thing.
"Yes! Yes, it is—I own this area of the land, and Hilda and I just go there to fish!" Sabrina said before Breya released her gaze, and she sank into my chair, shaking slightly.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦