<h4>Chapter 578: Narrowed Down Suspect List</h4>
Nnenna straightened, calmly patting away invisible dust from her dress as though nothing had happened. Her movements were graceful, collected,pletely at odds with the chaos she had just caused.
Daniel stood frozen at the side, his face pale, mind still reeling. But she didn’t spare him a single nce.
"Captain Daniel," her voice rang sharp, steady, "what’s the punishment for attempted assault on a royal? Or should I say... treason?"
"What?" Daniel blinked, stunned. He couldn’t believe his ears.
Her head snapped toward him so suddenly that he actually flinched. Her gaze pinned him in ce like a predator’s re.
"Immediate dismissal from royal service," he began without thinking, the words spilling out of his mouth as if dragged by invisible strings. "Arrest and trial under criminalw... one year imprisonment... loss of rank, privileges, and reputation."
Each word echoed in the lobby. The more he spoke, the more horrified he became, yet he couldn’t stop until the list wasplete.
Only when the final punishment left his lips did Daniel realize what had just happened. His body stiffened, his breath caught. What the heck is happening to me? Why did I obey her like that?!
"What are you waiting for?" Nnenna’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts.
"What?" he asked weakly, raising his head in confusion.
"Why aren’t you carrying out the punishment?" she pressed, one brow raised in expectation.
The weight of her stare was unbearable. That was when it finally clicked for Daniel. His chest tightened as the truth dawned on him.
"I won’t fire my head of training!" he protested sharply, his voice almost cracking. "Protocol demands—"
BAM!
A loud thud cut him off.
Rick was suddenly on his knees, head bowed low to the ground, the entire lobby rattling from the force of his kneel.
Rick’s forehead pressed hard to the marble floor, his body trembling as though the weight of the entire lobby’s stares crushed him. His voice came out hoarse, broken, and desperate.
"Your Highness... forgive me," he pleaded, each word dripping with sincerity. "I was blind, reckless, and arrogant. I dared to raise my hand against you, please, I beg you, grant me pardon."
Silence.
The lobby grew unbearably still, the only sound Rick’s strained breathing. He stayed frozen, heart pounding, waiting for any response from Nnenna. But she stood quiet, unmoving, her presence heavier than stone.
Rick’s chest tightened in panic. He pressed his forehead even lower against the ground. "I have shamed myself before Your Highness. But worse..." His voice cracked. "I have failed His Highness. I failed to recognize the one he himself has acknowledged. Someone... I should never have doubted."
His trembling hands clenched the ground as realization finally broke across his face. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, eyes wide with horror and awe.
"It’s you," he whispered, voice shaking. "The one His Highness recognized...."
The recognition hit him like lightning. Tears threatened to break past his eyes as he struck his chest with his fist in a soldier’s salute before bowing again.
"From this moment forward," Rick dered, his voice louder, stronger despite the shame trembling in it, "my loyalty and allegiance are yours. Until death, I serve you as well, Your Highness."
Gasps rippled through the lobby at his deration. All eyes turned to Nnenna, waiting for her reaction.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Daniel asked coldly, watching Rick kneel and swear allegiance.
Rick’s reply was firm. "My loyalty belongs to the one who deserves it."
Nnenna inclined her head ever so slightly, as though his words were nothing more than what she expected. "Good," she said. Then, her voice sharpened, calm but carrying a weight that silenced the air. "Now, Captain Daniel... summon the Assistant Head Captain and tell her to gather the others."
Daniel’s jaw tightened, his pride resisting themand. Nnenna’s eyes narrowed, and her voice softened into something silkier, more dangerous. "Or... would you like me to help you learn obedience as well?"
A shiver ran down Daniel’s spine before he could mask it. For a heartbeat, he felt like she could see right through him, strip away every defense he had built. Damn it... Rick fell into her words, but to think even I...
He forced himself to straighten. "We’ll assemble in ten minutes," he snapped, the condescension in his tone sounding more like self defense than authority. "Not because of you, but because we already had important matters to discuss. If you choose to be present, no problem."
Turning briskly, he motioned. "Let’s go, Rick."
But after a few steps, he realized no one followed. Looking back, he saw Rick still rooted in ce, eyes fixed on Nnenna like a knight awaiting his truemander.
Nnenna’s gaze slid to Rick, her expression unreadable. "You can go with him," she said smoothly. "It will make things faster."
Only then did Rick rise and step toward Daniel. Daniel’s hands curled into fists at his side.
For a moment, it looked as if he might strike Rick across the face to jolt him back. But the weight of what had just unfolded pressed against his pride, leaving him simmering in silence.
Nine minutester, about a dozen officers sat crowded around the long conference table upstairs, right beside the Head Captain’s office. The air was stiff with unease, the low hum of conversation dying the instant the door creaked open.
At the veryst second, Nnenna stepped inside.
Chairs scraped lightly as the group turned toward her. Their surprise was obvious, based on what had happened barely ten minutes ago, they hadn’t expected her to show her face here so soon. Yet, nobody dared voice an opinion. No smiles, no hostility. Just silence.
The meeting began only after Daniel gave the nod. His expression was clipped and formal, though his eyes flicked briefly at Nnenna before he looked away.
"I’ve reviewed the security tapes from the past few months," Christopher began, his voice steady, "and I’ve narrowed down a suspect list. Twenty people in total."