Long Chen was walking back and forth, inside a room where the unconscious woman laid on the bed, wondering who might be the person who forced her? And why inside the room they were assigned?
Why did it feel like something that didn't make sense? No stranger would enter their room to do it. The risk of getting caught was high if Long Chen and the others had entered.
He was still suspicious of Lu Wang; that's why he was trying to keep the woman secure to make sure that Lu Wang didn't do anything to silence her.
He had witnesses, so he was safe. If the woman was dead, all blame was going to come on him, and he would have no way to prove his innocence.
It had been three hours since they had entered the room, but the woman still wasn't up.
"How long do you think she'll take before waking up?" Long Chen asked the women who were sitting near the unconscious woman.
The women, still believing him to be the culprit, looked at him with disgusting gazes.
They still answered his question, though, "She should be up soon."
As if their words worked like a miracle the moment they said it.
The woman who was unconscious until a moment ago shook her hand lightly as if she was coming out of her state of unconsciousness.
She soon opened her eyes, blinking a few times as if she was still in a daze.
"Where am I?" She asked the women who were sitting beside her.
But without even waiting for an answer, she screamed as she noticed Lu Wang and a man standing beside him.
"Save me! Save me from that monster!"
Her finger pointed towards Long Chen as she trembled in fear.
'As I expected, she is good at acting. If I hadn't known the truth, I would have believed her too,' Lu Wang thought as he saw her acting.
"Don't worry. I'm here for you. No one shall harm you. Just tell us what actually happened to you?" Lu Wang asked the girl as he frowned.
"Your Highness, this... I can't say. The Royal family will kill me for telling the truth. He's a part of your family right now. Please leave me alone. Commoners like us don't deserve anything," the woman answered as she closed her eyes. Tears trickled down her face as she looked down.
"Miss, I am the son of the Royal family and the crown prince. As the Prince and the next Emperor, it's my duty to make sure that swift justice is dealt with and that no one suffers. So, tell me the truth. I'll make sure you get the justice you deserve," Lu Wang told the woman as he placed his hand near his heart, promising her.
The woman gazed at Lu Wang as she nodded her head.
She took a deep breath as if she was trying to gather her courage.
After some time, she opened her lips.
"I went to your room to serve food. He was alone there, but just as I was about to leave, he caught me. He tore my clothes up and forced me right there. I don't remember what happened after that," she explained, her tears not stopping for even a second as she talked.
Long Chen could only frown, wondering why she was lying. Did she actually think that he was the one? No, she was surely lying. Her acting was good, but her whole story was a lie, he thought.
The only reason that could be behind her was that she wanted him to be vilified. And she shouldn't have had a reason for it. But the one who did have a reason was Lu Wang.
'This guy, does he hate that his sister married a stranger? He probably wants to take me out. That could be the only reason for this to be happening. If it's the case, then I'm really in a mess. The supposed judge is the culprit,' Long Chen thought as he frowned, wondering how he could get out of the situation.
"Young miss, why are you lying about something so crucial?" he asked the girl with a grave look on his face.
"I suppose I already know the reason. So I should instead ask what's Prince Wang paying you to lie?" he inquired.
Hearing his words, the woman's face twitched, but she controlled it before anyone could notice.
"So now you want to accuse the victim?" Lu Wang asked, rolling his eyes.
"How far will you fall now?" he inquired as he glared at Long Chen.
"You had promised that you'd surrender when the truth comes out. Don't force me to use force," Lu Wang said.
"You can't judge me. I believe you're involved in it too. I'll only surrender before your father and explain myself to him. Also, I won't give up my weapon. If you want to force me, you can give it a try. I am sure you'll regret it," Long Chen answered, not giving up.
He was sure that explaining himself here was useless. It was better to do this before the Emperor and Mingyu.
Lu Wang gazed at Long Chen. He was sure that Long Chen was strong. Maybe too strong for him to handle. It was good to let him intentionally surrender. In any case, he wanted to do something that could only be done in their presence. So it was better, he thought.
"Alright. As I said, father will decide your punishment. We're going back. But I'm warning you. If you try to run away, I'll kill you without a second thought," Lu Wang nodded.
He gazed back at the woman who was lying on the bed. "You stay here. I'll send a carriage to bring you to the Palace where you can place your side before my father. Don't worry; you'll get justice."
After comforting the woman as an act, he left with Long Chen, who was snorting at their acting. They were so hateful that it was laughable.
He left the Flower Pavilion. They had left the Palace in the name of seeing the city, but their trip had to be cut short by a lot.
Long Chen was only shown one place, and that place itself ended up turning into his prison.
...
Lu Wang and Long Chen entered the Royal Palace together, walking beside each other. They both walked with their heads held high as if they were both right.
"Is father inside?" he asked the guard outside the throne room.
"His Majesty is inside," the Guards replied as they opened the door.