This was a small house located in a secluded corner of the eastern district of the capital, modest, just enough for an ordinary family of three.
Though not luxurious, it was uniquely exquisite. The lack of visitors added a rare sense of tranquility and peace.
Inside the house, all the furniture and decorations were simple and inexpensive, yet neatly arranged and spotlessly clean. Though not a grand mansion, it felt fresh and comfortable, clearly the home of a beautiful and virtuous woman.
In front of the house was a small yard filled with various flowers and plants. A cute little girl with golden hair and blue eyes, dressed in a light red dress, was chasing butterflies, her pure and joyful face making one want to pick her up and shower her with affection.
"Logue, it's time to eat!"
A woman's voice called from inside the house.
Soft, yet clear as a spring, it brought comfort to anyone who heard it.
The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor echoed, and a beautiful figure appeared.
With tea-colored hair, light purple eyes, and wearing a simple yet tidy house dress, she was a stunning woman in her twenties!
"Mommy!"
Seeing the woman, the little girl in the yard beamed with joy and ran over, throwing herself into the woman's arms.
"Logue, you've gotten yourself all dirty again!"
The woman picked up the little girl, brushing off the grass and dirt from her clothes while scolding her. Though she feigned anger, her tone was filled with deep affection.
"Hehehe, Mommy, I was playing with the butterflies."
The little girl kissed the woman's cheek, her face pure and innocent.
"Alright, but don't get your clothes dirty next time."
The woman gently tapped the girl's forehead with her jade-like fingers, sighing helplessly as she carried Logue into the house.
…
"Mmm… so delicious! Mommy, when will Daddy come home?"
Sitting in her little chair, the girl asked eagerly while enjoying the delicious meal.
"Logue, be good. Daddy is at work and will be back soon."
Putting down her chopsticks, the woman stroked the girl's head, smiling warmly.
Though she comforted her daughter, a hint of sadness and deep worry flickered in the woman's eyes…
"Yes, Mommy, Logue is the best!"
The girl nodded her little head earnestly, her face showing a well-behaved and serious expression.
Looking at her daughter, the woman's anxiety lessened a bit, and a happy expression appeared on her face as she prepared to say something.
However, just at that moment—
Knock knock knock!!!
A series of rapid and forceful knocks sounded from the direction of the door, and the mother and daughter, who were sitting at the dining table, both lit up at the same time.
"Ah… Mommy, Daddy's back!"
With an expression of great joy, the girl jumped off the chair and ran towards the outside, and the woman also stood up with some excitement, quickly following her out.
She felt that her worries over the past few days had eased, as she and her husband usually didn't have many friends, and the place was remote, so outsiders rarely came. Therefore, the woman subconsciously thought that her husband had returned.
"Dad…"
"Bols, wel…"
Opening the door, the girl and the woman prepared to greet that familiar figure with the same enthusiasm as before. However, in the next moment, both mother and daughter froze and stopped.
Standing in front of them was not the bulky man who always wore a strange mask for fear of scaring them, but three guards wearing armor with the Imperial Police emblem.
"Welcome, may I ask what brings the three adults here?"
Although not a noble, the woman was very cultured. Regaining her senses, she showed a apologetic and polite smile, bowing to the three.
The three guards were all men in their thirties, wearing armor and each carrying a sharp knife at their waists, exuding a fierce aura.
From the moment the woman and girl opened the door, the three had been sizing them up, each with a strange smile on their lips, looking at the mother and daughter as if they were hungry wolves seeing plump lambs.
The little girl was already frightened by the appearance of the three men, and ran to hide behind her mother, occasionally poking out her little head with a nervous and scared expression.
"You're that ugly freak Bols's wife? Tsk tsk, you really do have some looks, no wonder the captain specifically asked for you!"
After sizing up the mother and daughter for a while, one of the guards stepped forward, stroking his chin, and said in a frivolous tone.
"Mommy…"
Hearing the man's unkind words, the little girl cried out in fear, her little hands tightly clutching the woman's thigh.
"Sirs, if you are looking for Bols, he has not returned yet, please come back another day."
Although she was a little angry at the other party's inexplicable frivolous words, the woman did not show it. A trace of vigilance rose in her heart, and after apologizing, she prepared to close the door.
"Hey! Woman, do you think that ugly freak of yours will ever come back?"
A guard next to him stepped forward to block the door, while looking at the panicked woman with a mocking expression.
"Sir, I don't know what you're talking about, please let go!"
"Bols is a soldier of the Empire, he went out to perform a mission, why wouldn't he come back? We are all loyal subjects of the Empire, it is illegal for you to break into a civilian residence like this."
Although she was very cultured, the woman was not the weak type, especially since it was just her and her daughter now, she had to protect this home. Immediately, she put away her smile and said with a slightly angry expression.
"Hahaha…"
As if they had heard a very funny joke, the three looked at each other and laughed loudly without restraint.
"Hahaha, you foolish woman, let me tell you, that ugly freak will never come back!"
"A soldier of the Empire? Performing a mission? Hmph, he's a spy of the Empire, that's what he is!"
"To tell you the truth, woman, Bols colluded with the Revolutionary Army and betrayed the Empire, causing the entire Incineration Squad that went out on a mission to be wiped out!"
With an incomparably sarcastic expression, looking at the shocked woman, the faces of the three guards were full of mocking sneers.
"What?! Bols is a spy? Betrayed the Empire? Impossible, impossible…"
Hearing the three men's words, the woman's face turned pale instantly, full of disbelief, pulling the little girl back constantly, her eyes full of horror and disbelief.
Betraying the Empire was a serious crime. If Bols had really done such a thing, wouldn't she and her daughter also be…
"No! You must be lying to me! Bols would never do such a thing!"
Recalling her kind and even shy husband, the woman regained some composure and roared with an angry expression, not believing that he would do something that disregarded their lives.
"Hahaha, you foolish woman, are you still counting on that ugly freak who betrayed the Empire to come back and save you? Let me tell you, he's already dead! He was given a righteous judgment by the Empire!"
"We are now under the order of Captain Ogre of the Imperial Police to arrest you and your daughter for trial, suspecting that you are also spies of the Revolutionary Army."
"Madam, if you don't want us to get rough, then come with us!"
Full of cold and cruel smiles, the three men stepped towards the terrified mother and daughter step by step.
In fact, the so-called Bols betraying the Empire was all a ruse, but this was their captain's order. The captain had long taken a fancy to this woman, but he didn't dare to act before because of that ugly freak with the Teigu. But now that he received news that the Incineration Squad he was in was attacked by someone while on a mission and the entire army was wiped out, this was naturally a great opportunity to strike!