3. Exiled

In a wide corridor, I was held by two guards. Both my arms were tied behind me, with each of the guards holding my elbow, one on the left and one on the right.

I looked up and felt the tall corridor. Back then, the pressure that I felt as I was being escorted was immense. When two guards were watching you, and as time passed in the corridor, the high ceiling just felt like a crushing force.

Now, well... Having experienced it already, it made me not feel the pressure. Don't get me wrong, the scenario is still scary, but since I have matured a lot, it was nothing for me.

Time passed as I was being escorted, and no voices or sounds were heard in the corridor. Little by little, I get closer to my destination. As we, the guards and I, get closer to our destination, there I saw it, a familiar door that almost made me piss my pants before.

A door frame made with a shiny and glowing gold element. Two doors are made with the highest quality wood but also engraved with luxurious designs made with metal. Each door had a hanging ring, and as the knights guarding the door saw the two knights escorting me, they nodded at each other and then used the hanging rings to knock on the door and open it.

"Well, well, well. The party's troublemaker has arrived." Said a guy with lustrous and dark red coloured hair. 

"Big brother, please be quiet, you are in the presence of the king." Said a girl this time, and unlike his older brother, her hair was more vibrant and full of life.

"My son! Loren!" There sat a muscular and bulky man. Upon seeing me, he rushed towards me and hugged me.

It was a familiar man, unlike the one I saw in the future. The build he had right now truly suited his stature better.

"You're Majesty, please grant me permission to release my son." My father said while looking at an area where the light shone brightly.

In the light, there was a silhouette of an old man with flowing and thread-like white hair. Upon hearing my father's plea, he simply raised his hand, and the guards made their move, leaning downwards and removing the rope that tied my arms.

"My son!" My father yelled whilst hugging me more deeply. And, of course, I hugged the old man back. He is my only ally while being exiled after all. 

"Good to see you, Father, glad you are still eating and exercising a lot," I said while my father held onto my two elbows and made space between us.

"What are you talking about? Come, let us bow underneath the king for your foolishness, hoping that he will forgive you." My father mumbled as he was pushing me from the back towards the middle of the room, right in front of the king's table.

As I was there, standing in the middle, about to bow to the king with my father, I saw two familiar figures just behind me to the right of the king.

"Father, why did you release this criminal? He might come rushing and growling at Riley as of now, having his filthy hands touch her." Prince William said loudly.

Riley was there too, hiding behind the prince with tears (fake ones), acting all scared.

"The prince is right, Your Majesty, what would have happened if this beast ruined the saint's purity? Our hope, no, the country's hope. Would the kingdom not fall into chaos?!" This time, a robed man spoke. With lavish white robes that fell towards the feet, and a hanging symbol put on a necklace. The pope spoke with power.

"You're overreacting, Pope. Are you saying that the power of the two dukes, me being one of them, is not enough for this country?" This time, a rugged-looking man spoke, just like the two siblings in the room; this man had red hair with a red beard. This man was none other than the Duke of the West, father of the two siblings.

In this room, the layout is like this. The king's table is next to the massive window facing the door, where the king and the prince and Riley stood behind him. Then two sofas facing each other, perpendicular to the king's table. One sofa sat the duke with his two children behind him, and the other sat the pope with two Templars standing behind him.

 "I just don't want to see this man ruin our country's saint!" The pope said, sounding like an excuse.

"How about this, we will increase the guards guarding the saint. That way, the saint would feel and be much safer. Furthermore, the life of one of my knight commander's sons wouldn't have his future ruined." Said the duke of the west.

Although the solution was sound, the pope and the prince kept looking at each other with a restless gaze. The pope then turned towards his Templars and started whispering something to each other. Upon hearing from the Templars, the pope's eyes started glowing, and his restlessness was no more.

"Although that solution sounds good on paper, we never really know this beast's capability. There might be a moment were the guards are caught off guard. That's why I suggest another solution!"

"Oh? And that is?" The duke said. The king has also started paying attention to the pope's grumble.

And there I was standing in the middle of this exchange, thinking to myself...

Ah, here it comes

"EXILE! We should just exile this man to another country, no? That way, the saint and this beast are always a different countries from each other!!!" 

The prince, hearing this solution, has also started to lighten his mood. In fact, he was overjoyed. 

"Father, this solution is much better than the previous one. Please listen to the pope!" The king, upon processing this information, has also started nodding his head.

"Indeed, this solution is fine. That way, there would be no unthinkable events that would occur, and the saint would also be safe" 

The prince, the pope, and Riley, upon hearing what the king said. They looked, then nodded to each other.

Although, the way I don't like how they treat me as some monster, this solution was indeed the best one, looking at it from their perspective... Especially with their next move. Though I feel pity for my father.

"You're Highness, this is just a little misunderstanding. Please have mercy, for something so little leading to my son's exile is preposterous!" Said his father while banging his head on the floor. But even though he did that, the king did not budge

"Baron Choppin, I have already spoken, or do you want me to give a much worse solution?" The king said, looking down at my father.

Being driven into a corner, my father looked at the Duke of the West. Although their eyes met, the duke simply shook his head. "It is okay, Baron Choppin, although Loren here is your oldest child. He is not your heir, no? I think this solution would help you focus on developing your son to be the next duke better."

Hearing this whole ordeal, knowing how unfair it is. My father bowed and slammed the floor. What's worse is about to come, though.

Seeing this, the king spoke in a deep manner. "I do not like this feeling as if I were the villain. How about this, Baron Choppin, you choose. Life Imprisonment or Exile."

My father then jolted then looked at me. My eyes, with pity, looked at him and went closer to his ears...

"It's okay, Father, I can be exiled."

My father, feeling guilty, bowed his head and muttered. "I choose Exile"

"Good! Have your son transfer to another country and be gone by the end of half a month." The king said ordering my father

My father, who was crying and was filled with guilt, was now in a down mood.

And, for me? I felt fine... The reason? Becaus I knew a loophole.