Poor Lord Wick

His lips curled into a sardonic smirk the moment he laid eyes on Zyran. Sensing a presence behind him, Zyran also turned.

"I see the king has dispatched you to inspect the headquarters; he's been having issues with my troops, Prince Zyran," The man remarked.

"Uriah, there's no need to jump to conclusions," Zyran responded with a touch of disdain.

The man emitted a hollow chuckle, causing the fading scar on his face to become more prominent.

"Still as aloof as ever," the man stopped in front of Zyran and locked eyes with him.

"The southern troops are under my command. I will handle my problems. You need not involve yourself," he stated firmly.

"You should have resolved it yourself and not let me intervene, you know how much I detest disorder, or do I need to remind you?" Zyran inquired, tilting his head slightly.

A shadow crossed the man's face briefly before morphing into a smirk.

"Of course, the flawless prince that you are," Uriah said with a pause, briefly glancing at Amira.

"It seems your father has given you a plaything to entertain yourself with. Treasure it. The lives of men like us are short," Uriah declared before departing. His men followed suit as he strode away.

Zyran gazed upwards as if pondering something.

Amira noticed a pocket watch in his hand, which he twirled with his thumb. His lips were pressed into a grim line, and his eyes seemed devoid of emotion.

"It appears that the two of them don't see eye to eye," Amira mused to herself.

"They have been complaining since this morning the town magistrate has no answer for what went down.

"A man's hand was found hanging on the clock tower in town this morning; some people report their food barn being burnt and some other things. I still don't understand how this all happened overnight". Enoch said adjusting his glass.

"Duke Wick's son was found on the street close to the tower where the hand was hung on the tower; it turns out someone had decided to butcher him and leave him out for display."

Amira suddenly froze in her tracks, her eyes widening as Lord Enoch came to a halt.

"Apologies, my Lady. Did I startle you? I'll make an effort to be more..."

"No, no, I'm fine," she interjected, stealing a glance at Zyran, who arched an eyebrow at her.

"Did you...?" she conveyed silently through her eyes, to which he responded with a nonchalant shrug.

Amira felt a surge of unease as Lord Enoch's words sank in.

"We couldn't get a word from John Wick. It seems he was fed his tongue since it has gone missing from his mouth, " Lord Enoch concluded.

Amira clutched her gown tightly, her mind racing. Could Zyran be capable of such a thing? He had left the previous night, disappearing into the darkness as he often did, and she had no idea where he had gone.

Did he leave to seek revenge for her? But could that be true? It all seemed far too extreme.

Amira hastened her steps to keep up with Zyran as he led her to the other side of the building. In the distance, a man's voice echoed, filled with bitterness and anguish.

"Why would you let the person who harmed my son go unpunished? How dare they! My son's life is ruined; he may never speak or use his hands again. How could someone do this?" The man's words pierced through the air, carrying his distress.

Amira avoided looking in the man's direction, her pace matching Zyran's determined stride. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Zyran was involved in this, yet she hesitated to accuse him, considering the inappropriate behavior she had experienced from John Wick.

As the crowd watched the distressing scene of Lord Wick's misfortunes, a soldier leaned over to his companion and shared the latest gossip.

"Poor Lord Wick," he whispered, "his son's wrongdoing has finally caught up with him. I heard that his barn was also consumed by fire in the early hours of the morning. All his precious possessions vanished in the blaze. To add to his woes, his legal troubles have resurfaced this very morning, regarding some unlawful activities he was involved in."

His companion sneered and remarked.

"I wonder which nobleman they have crossed paths with this time. John Wick has become as miserable as a beleaguered man. Perhaps even worse, has he been struck dumb? They deserve this fate, don't they?"

"Do you think their wealth and connections can shield them from this now?" the soldier replied with a chuckle.

Lord Enoch's piercing gaze made the men snap to attention, swiftly returning to their tasks.

Excusing himself, Lord Enoch left to attend to the pressing matter at hand.

Amira promptly turned to Zyran, her eyes filled with inquiry as she gazed up at him.

"Was this your doing?"