Chapter 800

As a scream pierced the air, the remaining nine assassins sprang into action and scattered. Michael felt a sinking certainty: they hadn't come to rescue Eleanor, but to kill her.

But when he turned to the carriage, he froze in disbelief. The assassin who had attacked it had been yanked inside; his legs dangled outside, clearly immobile.

Carissa smiled, stepped forward, and lifted the carriage curtain. Michael leaned closer, his jaw dropping.

Rafael?

Despite Rafael's presence, Eleanor was bound to one side of the carriage. Her scream had been the one he'd heard, and now she glared at the incapacitated assassin with fierce intensity.

Rafael yanked the assassin down and handed him to Michael.

"Take him back to the Supreme Court," he instructed. "I've immobilized him and removed the poison capsule, but we can't be complacent. Once he's there, administer muscle relaxant powder. Besides poison, these suicide soldiers can kill themselves using their inner force."

Michael motioned for men to seize the assassin, casting a puzzled glance at Rafael. When had he gotten into the carriage? It had been empty at the journey's start, and the Capital Guard had surrounded it all the way from the Supreme Court.

"What's going on, Commander Sinclair?" Michael asked.

"Let's get her to the Heritage Bureau first," Carissa replied, looking at Rafael and giving a triumphant fist pump. "You ride Lightning back. I'll stay in the carriage."

"Alright, the rest is up to you," Rafael said, glancing at Eleanor as he mounted his horse.

Eleanor shot him a cold stare. "Do you think I'll talk now?"

Rafael chuckled softly, leaning in. "Whether you talk or not matters little. Our goal is to capture the assassin and instill fear in someone. I know exactly who that someone is."

Eleanor wasn't surprised. She merely scoffed, then smirked. "And what of it? Go tell the king. Bring out the evidence."

"You'll see it soon," Rafael replied with a grin, urging his horse forward.

Carissa climbed into the carriage. "Let's go!"

Michael lowered the curtain and rode ahead to clear the path. Inside, Eleanor fixed her eyes on Carissa. This was their first time alone since her capture. Every interrogation involved someone from the Supreme Court; Carissa had been present a few times, but only to listen before leaving.

"You bitch!" Eleanor spat.

Her face was swollen, and she could barely lift her arms. Despite the torture, she sat upright—a tough woman indeed.

"Are you disappointed you didn't die?" Carissa asked, glancing at Eleanor's shredded sleeve with a cool smile.

When the assassin lunged, his sword aimed at the carriage's center, while Eleanor sat to the right. Her shredded sleeve showed she'd moved toward the sword's tip before Rafael shoved her back, causing her head to hit the carriage edge and resulting in her scream.

Eleanor knew she was going to die; even if she survived, she wouldn't want to suffer in the Heritage Bureau after a lifetime of comfort. Therefore, she'd tried to meet the assassin's sword head-on, hoping for a swift end.

Carissa had read her thoughts, and Eleanor's face turned ashen. "You think dying is any easier than living? What's there to be disappointed about?"

Carissa replied, "Living is hard, and dying isn't easy either."

Eleanor seethed, venom dripping from her words. "If it's so hard, how did your entire family die? Look how easily they met their end! Their bodies were chopped into pieces; not a single corpse was whole. Doesn't that seem easy?"

She aimed for Carissa's deepest pain, smirking with a viper's gleam. She thought this would shatter Carissa, unleashing her fury.

But Eleanor was disappointed; Carissa's expression didn't change. Her gaze remained icy. "Even as ghosts, they are still together. But you will always be alone, whether in life or death."

"Do you think I care?" Eleanor laughed harshly, tugging at the lacerations on her face, blood seeping out. Her face was bruised and battered, yet her glare could freeze hell. "I don't care at all."

"You'd better not care about anything at all. Otherwise, you won't survive the Heritage Bureau. You know I don't want you to die too easily," Carissa replied with a blank expression.