Afraid to Make Arrests
"Miss, do we really have to go through with this?" The man beside Sophie White lowered his head, hesitation written all over his face.
The man appeared to be in his early forties. Judging by his build and gait, he was clearly well-trained and skilled in martial arts. His eyes were filled with both respect and affection as he looked at Sophie White.
"Uncle Panther, everything I do is for the Prince's own good," Sophie White turned back to look at the man called Panther. "That woman surnamed Su is nothing but a vixen who only knows how to enchant men. The Prince is completely bewitched by her and that little monster she gave birth to. If I let this go on, sooner or later, the Prince will be destroyed by that mother and child. Since he can't bring himself to get rid of her, I'll just do it for him."
Panther sighed helplessly. "Alright, Miss. If you truly insist, then I have no choice but to lend you a hand."
Sophie White looked at Panther. "Uncle Panther, how many times have I told you not to call yourself a servant? You were once my father's most trusted aide. When disaster struck the White Family, you were carrying out his orders outside and managed to escape. I see you as family, like my own elder. Please, stop calling yourself a servant."
But Panther stubbornly shook his head. "Your father showed me great kindness. Serving you is the only way I can repay the White Family's debt. But Miss, you must always remember—our White Family has been wrongfully accused, labeled traitors and scorned by all despite sacrificing everything for the country. You must clear our family's name."
Sophie White replied, "I will. One day, I’ll make sure the world knows our White Family are not traitors!"
As they spoke, the two descended to the first floor. Sophie White covered her face with a veil and boarded the carriage, while Panther took the reins up front. They followed the route Alexander Hayes and Lily Evans had taken to the countryside, estimated their destination, and took a shortcut to get there first.
By the time Lily Evans and Alexander Hayes arrived at the rural magistrate's office, an entire hour had passed.
The carriage stopped. Before Lily Evans could step out, she heard a deafening wail from outside. Lifting the curtain, she saw a crowd gathered around the magistrate’s office.
Most of them wore white mourning clothes, with young women making up the majority. These women were crying their hearts out outside the magistrate’s office. Every time the constables came in and out, a group of women with red-rimmed eyes would rush up and ask urgently, "Dear Heaven, have you caught the child-stealing thief yet? Are our children still alive?"
Yet the constables, surrounded by these women, wore heavy expressions and shook their heads, saying, "Not yet. Please be patient, the magistrate will definitely catch the culprit."
"You still haven’t caught them?!" Suddenly, one woman charged forward, her emotions in turmoil. "My family lost a son and a daughter! It’s been so many days and there’s still no news. You owe us an explanation! I only have one child left, just five months old. If you don’t catch that child-stealing thief soon, I’m afraid even my last baby won’t survive!"
The other women were swept up by her emotions, growing agitated and crowding around the constables, demanding answers.
In the crowd, a young woman suddenly shouted, "What child-stealing thief? The magistrate is lying! Who doesn’t know the real child-stealer is Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes from the Prince of Qin’s Manor? She’s snatching our children to feed herself and her little monster! You officials are just afraid of Her Highness Princess Lily Hayes’s power, so you don’t dare arrest the real culprit. You spend all day pretending to chase thieves, just to fool us common folk!"