Chapter 40: Chapter 40 Sudden Inspection_1
"No, don’t!" In the core area of the prison, Fille in Cell 13 let out a cry of despair.
"Hah, I had no idea until I checked, but you’ve actually hidden so many goodies," Aiden said, arms crossed, watching with interest as other guards pulled out the contraband listed before him from Cell 13.
Gambling cards and dice, cosmetics, hairpins, large sums of cash, small grains of precious metals, banned books, vibrating crystals... The items found in Fille’s personal possessions accounted for a third of the list.
If it wasn’t for Veronica’s reaction when she saw the list earlier, Aiden wouldn’t have thought to conduct a surprise inspection today.
When Veronica asked him with a surprised look on her face, he guessed that it must have been Fille who had previously sneaked out to play with the contraband cards with her.
"Traitor! I took such good care of you when we shared a room! And now that you’re in charge, you’ve sold me out; I misjudged you!!" Fille, feeling wronged, glared at Veronica standing behind Aiden and accused loudly.
"I... I didn’t mean to, sorry," Veronica said, looking apologetic. Seeing Fille’s miserable expression, as if she wanted to write the word "tragedy" in blood, Veronica also couldn’t help feeling sympathetic.
"Don’t apologize to the prisoner so casually, she’s simply getting what she deserves," Aiden turned and reprimanded Veronica.
Then he turned to Fille, about to speak, but suddenly, Fille lunged at his legs, flying toward him: "Lord Aiden!"
Fortunately, Aiden had anticipated this move and stepped back, then grabbing Veronica by the shoulders, he pushed her in front of himself as a shield.
"Eh?" Veronica hadn’t reacted before she was hugged around the legs by Fille, nearly tripping.
"Tsk." Realizing she had grabbed the wrong target, Fille immediately let go of Veronica and fixed her gaze on Aiden again.
"Hug me again, and I’ll leave a shoe print on your face," Aiden, prepared this time, raised a foot in warning.
If Fille got hold of his leg, this troublemaker wouldn’t let go easily.
Fille immediately started pleading with a pitiful look, "I didn’t know these were contraband, sir. Please have mercy and let me off this time, I—"
"You’ll do anything, right?" Aiden cut her off, pretended to clean his ear, "I’ve heard that phrase so often my ears are about to grow calluses. If you’re willing to do anything, how about you just follow the rules and don’t cause me trouble? This is your fifth time here, your fifth time. You’re telling me you didn’t know these items were contraband? Are you kidding me?"
"It’s true..."
"The items will be confiscated, processed, and the money and precious metals will be stored in your personal vault to be returned upon release. Then you’ll be in solitary for one day, and your privileges reset to default—that’s it," Aiden announced the decision in a matter-of-fact tone.
"No, please, I don’t want this! Why are you doing this to me!!" Fille started to throw a tantrum on the floor.
Aiden, no stranger to such behavior, turned to the riot squad and said, "Take her away."
The two members of the riot squad, apparently used to such scenes, picked up the still struggling Fille, one on each side, and dragged her toward solitary.
Then Aiden turned to another inmate in Cell 13—Prisoner 3340, a newcomer who had only been assigned to this cell recently, appearing to be in her thirties, tall and graceful.
Veronica recognized her as the friendly-looking female prisoner who had taken the initiative to greet Aiden in the yard the day before.
"Warden." As soon as she met Aiden’s gaze, she revealed a flattering smile.
"Same for you, Prisoner 3340, I thought you were someone who followed the rules," Aiden said, picking up a small glass bottle with some pills in it.
"I’m very sorry, I have rhinitis and insomnia, so I brought a little of the medicine I usually take..." Prisoner 3340 humbly lowered her head.
"If you’re ill, you should see the prison doctor. Here, most people can’t wait to get sick and slack off, but you’re quite proactive about treating yourself," Aiden tilted his head, staring hard at her lowered face, "It mustn’t be easy to smuggle this stuff in, who helped you with it?"
"This, I had my family sneak it into my private belongings and bring it in... I am very sorry, I absolutely won’t dare again," Inmate 3340 lowered her face even further.
Aiden glanced around and noticed that some of the other female inmates who had been forced into the corridor because of the sudden search were turning their attention their way.
He lowered his voice and warned her in a whisper near Inmate 3340’s ear, "You only have a few months to serve, there’s no need to make such a fuss in prison. Don’t even think about causing trouble for me, understand?"
Inmate 3340 stole a glance at Aiden, and for a moment, her eyes sharpened.
But in the end, she nodded and responded, "I don’t understand what the warden is talking about, but since I did something wrong, no matter the punishment, I will comply."
"That’s good." Aiden straightened up and casually announced the punishment, "Dispose of the drugs and put her in solitary for five days."
Inmate 3340 raised her face, with a trace of surprise in her eyes.
Even Veronica looked at Aiden with some surprise—the severity of the punishment was clearly much harsher than what Fille received.
"Any objections?" Aiden asked Inmate 3340, his face expressionless.
"No." Inmate 3340 bowed her head submissively once more and then followed a prison guard, heading towards the main entrance.
As she passed Room 11, she shot a glance at Avansa standing in front of the cell door.
Avansa looked on in a bewildered daze at the inmate, feeling that she looked familiar but just couldn’t remember.
It seemed that since last night, her mind had been foggy, always forgetting things... how strange.
Yesterday evening, in the small courtyard.
"Mom?" Avansa’s eyes widened as she addressed the female prisoner who suddenly spoke to her—the appearance, the voice, it was unmistakably Meiruki who had raised her like a mother, who had been standing beside her for a while, yet she had only just remembered.
"Why are you here?" Avansa looked at her "mother" in astonishment, taking in her prison uniform and her number—3340, as if she had only just arrived recently.
"Of course, I came to rescue you, my Vannie," Meiruki said with a loving smile. "You are my most cherished child. How could I bear to see you trapped in prison?"
Rescue me... out?
A question suddenly sprouted in Avansa’s mind.
Why? When her brothers and sisters got caught in the past, her mother had always been indifferent.
"Although I want to take you away from here right now, it still requires some preparation. Endure it for a while longer," Meiruki said as she reached out her hand and gently touched Avansa’s head, "Just being able to acknowledge you like this already makes me very happy."
Avansa felt the soft touch through her hair—it was exactly like before.
Then, her memory cut off.
When she came to her senses, there was no one in sight.
"What was I doing?" she stood there, dazed.
Had she been daydreaming while watching the ants...?
She lowered her head again and noticed the butterfly dismembered by the ants, and the ants marching triumphantly back to their nest, burdened with their spoils.
