Chapter 128
Aurora had lost consciousness. Liam repeatedly choked her, dragging her back and forth between life and death. He simultaneously slashed her body and face with a knife, and cut off one of her ears. Barrett carried her out; she remained unconscious, unaware of her rescue.
However, it was obvious Aurora was naked from the waist down. A pool of blood beneath her body further revealed the extent of her injuries.
Barrett's expression was livid. He finally understood why Carissa had insisted he bring only trusted aides up the mountain. He shot a fierce, resentful glance at Carissa. Until Aurora herself told him the truth, he refused to believe Liam's accusations, unwilling to accept that Aurora had indirectly caused the death of Carissa's family.
Carissa saw only a coward in his eyes. Ignoring him, she proceeded with the rescue. Soldiers entered the cabin to extract the remaining prisoners. The hut, originally heated by charcoal, had been extinguished by the Westhaven troops before their departure. The prisoners, though screaming in agony, were alive, a testament to the residual warmth that prevented them from freezing to death.
Some spontaneously removed the cotton padding from their uniforms to dress the prisoners before descending the mountain.
Upon returning to Simonton City, military doctors were summoned. Barrett personally tended to Aurora, scrubbing the stench from her body and painstakingly removing excrement from her mouth. Several times, he nearly vomited from the nauseating task. He dared not closely inspect the wound between her legs, simply applying ointment indiscriminately. He carefully treated her other injuries.
The word "slut" had been carved into her face. Barrett steeled himself and used a heated branding iron to burn it away, preferring to disfigure half her face rather than leave the mark.
Aurora awakened during treatment, cursing and denouncing the Westhaven troops' cruelty. Her tirade ceased only when Barrett pressed the hot iron to her face, causing her to scream and tremble uncontrollably.
"Barrett!" Aurora called hoarsely, her eyes filled with pain. The foul odor from her mouth was still gag-inducing. "Why are you destroying my face?"
"There's a foul word branded on your face. Do you want to live with that mark for the rest of your life?" Barrett's eyes were cold and terrifying.
"Those beasts! Those vile dogs!" Aurora cursed vehemently. "Liam Tudor, I will not rest until you're dead!"
Barrett grasped her chin, leaned in, and stared into her eyes. "Tell me, did you destroy villages in Fawnrun? Did you kill innocent civilians?"
Consumed by rage and anguish, Aurora screamed in response to his interrogation, "I regret it! I should have razed all the villages there, not just the three I destroyed!"
Barrett swayed slightly, his eyes filled with horror.
"Did you really do that? And what about the prisoner's abuse? Did you do the same—castration and endless beatings?"
"Not just that!" Aurora's eyes blazed with malevolent fury, bordering on madness. "I had his face carved up slowly, forced him to endure being urinated on, and fed him excrement. I used every method to torture him to make him reveal his identity! Now, I regret that I was too lenient!"
"So it was because of this prisoner that Liam hastily established the border and signed the treaty with you," Barrett said in an icy voice, his demeanor chilling.
Even someone as obtuse as he could deduce the prisoner's identity. Liam's desperation to make concessions, his eagerness to sign the treaty with Aurora, and his avoidance of returning to Victory Pass to negotiate with Dominic—all pointed to the prisoner likely being Liam's nephew and the former crown prince of Westhaven.
It was no wonder the Westhaven troops appeared and fought on the Southern Frontier battlefield. Everything made sense now. The border dispute, a significant issue contested for years by both kingdoms, had been hastily settled by Liam's rushed signing of the peace treaty. Barrett should have suspected something was amiss from the beginning. He had been tasked with burning the supply depot in Fawnrun City. By the time he reached Aurora, the peace treaty had already been signed, highlighting Liam's anxiety.