Chapter 215: Rebuilding Trust
Jade’s voice remained calm. "You might be right that everything happening around Cinder of Dusk has something to do with the Scions of the Lord. You might even be right that Freebound needs your cooperation now more than ever."
She took a slow breath before continuing. "But if our relationship falls apart because you refuse to separate my mistake from my faction, then tell me honestly, Gideon... who benefits the most from that?"
He remained silent.
"The Scions," she answered for him. "They’re trying to isolate you. If Cinder of Dusk and Freebound stop trusting each other, they’ve already won without lifting another sword."
Gideon frowned. She was right. If they had managed to locate Cinder of Dusk, then there was no reason to believe they didn’t already know how closely the two factions worked together. Breaking that alliance would only make their job easier.
Jade watched him for several seconds before speaking again, more quietly this time.
"And I didn’t kneel for the sake of my faction." A bitter smile touched her lips. "I knelt because I regretted what I did."
"The only thing standing between us right now isn’t my pride. It’s yours."
Gideon closed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh as the weight of it sank in. His paranoia had protected Cinder of Dusk, yes, but at the same time it had almost made him unfair.
He stepped forward and gently took her by the arm, helping her back to her feet. Jade didn’t resist. She simply avoided looking at him, whether out of anger, disappointment, or an attempt to hide the tears beginning to gather in her eyes.
"I forgive you." Gideon met her gaze steadily. "You said we have a relationship outside politics. If that’s true, then next time use it for our benefit. Be honest with me in everything and I will help you as much as you help me."
Jade stared at him for a few seconds before the tension she had been holding finally dissolved. Without another word, she stepped forward and wrapped both arms around him.
"I’m sorry... I’ve never had a relationship like this before. It doesn’t even have a name or clear boundaries, and... I’ve always been alone. I’m not used to letting someone else see every card I’m holding."
"Well neither am I."
After a moment, he pulled back just enough to look at her. "But you really chose the dumbest lie imaginable."
"I know. It’s just that I don’t know if you will let them in when they are sick like that... and I actually believe your power might be able to heal him."
Her voice lowered, "I cannot send my men back to Edelweiss Town because of winter and an unknown threat that might kill more of my men. I don’t want to lose Jace."
"But now..." Jade glanced toward the window. "Can you let him go? Let him leave this world while there’s still something human left."
He remained silent for several seconds before finally nodding.
"Let’s wait until the Greenwardens arrive. If able or not able to recognize the parasite in her body I promise I’ll end his suffering myself."
Jade didn’t argue. Instead, she reached up and gently cupped his face, tilting her head as the familiar confidence returned to her eyes.
"You know..." a playful smirk formed on her lips just like she always did, "you look unbelievably handsome when you’re angry earlier."
Gideon couldn’t help laughing. "Is that your conclusion after watching me execute three zealots while covered in blood?"
She nodded without the slightest shame.
Before Gideon could respond, Jade leaned forward and kissed him—long and deep—as though trying to erase every trace of distance that had existed between them only moments earlier.
A series of knocks suddenly came from outside the room, making the two of them slowly break their kiss.
Elaine pushed the door open with the same exhausted expression she always wore, but the moment her eyes landed on them standing so close together, she stopped in the doorway and narrowed her eyes before a grin slowly spread across her face.
"So... you two finally made up?" She leaned against the doorframe with both arms crossed. "Should I come back later so you can continue? Or are you planning to skip straight to sex?"
Jade laughed without the slightest embarrassment.
"Oh, so you want to join us? Need some fresh material for your hentai comic?" She smirked while folding her arms.
"Honestly, with the weather this cold, now’s the perfect time to sell it. People need something to do inside their tents."
Elaine immediately rolled her eyes.
"Don’t pressure artists when they’re suffering from an art block."
She didn’t even bother continuing the joke and simply turned toward Gideon.
"The woman is finally willing to talk. We’d better go before she changes her mind."
The teasing atmosphere disappeared almost instantly.
Gideon and Jade exchanged a brief glance before following Elaine out of the mansion and toward the backyard.
He had deliberately handed the interrogation over to her because she had spent years working alongside the military before the apocalypse.
If anyone here knew how to break someone’s resolve without immediately killing them, it was Elaine.
Besides, the woman they had captured was nothing like the other three zealots.
She had remained calm until the very end, tried to bite off her own tongue the moment she realized she had been exposed and was clearly trained far better than ordinary members of the Scions of the Lord.
Gideon was certain she knew something important.
The cold wind greeted them the moment they stepped outside.
When they reached the backyard, Gideon immediately understood why Elaine sounded so confident.
The woman was hanging upside down from a wooden frame, completely naked despite the freezing weather while Freya calmly poured buckets of warm water over her body one after another.
The water flowing beneath her had already turned red.
Only then did Gideon notice the dozens of shallow incision wounds covering her back. None of them were deep enough to become fatal, but together they were more than enough to keep her in constant pain.
Combined with the freezing air and warm water repeatedly shocking her body, even someone with exceptional endurance would eventually break.
Her entire body trembled violently as her teeth continuously knocked against each other.
"I-I’ll talk..." she cried between shivers. "I-I’ll tell you everything... j-just let me down!"
Gideon slowly turned toward Elaine while Jade did exactly the same, both of them wearing almost identical expressions.
Elaine merely shrugged.
"What?" she asked as if she had done nothing unusual.
"You told me not to hold back. This is what an unofficial military interrogation looked like back at my old barracks. Compared to what some of those officers did, I’m actually being kind."
Gideon looked at the woman for another moment before giving a slow nod.
"I’ve seen enough." His eyes shifted toward Freya. "Untie her and bring her inside. If she’s finally willing to talk, I’d rather hear it somewhere warmer before she freezes to death."
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