The Debt Of Fate

Chapter 351: Banished

Edward had no idea what was going on. After being captured, he was locked up in a small cell and given only small amounts of food once every two days.

Sometimes he was so thirsty that he wanted to drink his urine.

At first, he hoped against hope, but no news came.

The guards only brought food or water once every two days. He felt they simply wanted to keep him alive.

Edward had thought about killing himself, but seeing that he was not being tortured or mocked, he thought he might still have some negotiating power.

Perhaps some loyal men were planning his rescue.

After waiting in vain for more than a month, he started losing hope.

What he noticed during this time was that the harbor had become busier. He wondered what was going on.

Just then, the door to his cell was pushed open.

It had been two days since he was last given food, so he thought the person had come to bring it. Unexpectedly, after the door opened, the man did not drop the food as usual.

"By His Majesty’s command, Edward, once a member of the royal family, is now stripped of his identity as a member of the royal family. He attempted murder and even joined forces with the enemies to the south. He is therefore banished from Nexile and will be exiled to the Island of Kain," the person who came in read.

Edward felt all the color drain from his face.

He had expected a public execution. Instead, he was being exiled.

The Island of Kain was cold and bitter. Survival there would be hard.

He never expected that as a king he would fall to such a fate.

"Take him away. It is almost time for the boat to set sail," the commander instructed.

Two guards moved forward.

Edward’s hands were tied as the guards pulled him out of the small cell.

After more than a month in the dark prison, the sudden light hurt his eyes. He squinted as he walked down the narrow corridor.

His legs felt weak.

Soon they left the prison building and walked toward the harbor.

Edward noticed something strange.

The harbor was very busy.

Large ships were preparing to leave, and soldiers stood everywhere.

A wooden ship was waiting near the pier.

"Move," one guard said coldly, pushing him forward.

Edward was forced to walk up the wooden plank.

The moment he stepped onto the ship, he froze.

The deck was already full of people.

More than two hundred men and women stood there. Children looked frightened, not understanding what was going on.

All of them had chains on their hands.

Edward quickly recognized many of them.

They were the nobles and lords who had once supported him. Some of them were former ministers. A few were generals. Others were members of powerful families in the kingdom.

But the moment they saw him, their expressions changed.

The respect they once showed him was gone.

It had been replaced with anger and hatred.

"You finally show your face," one man said through gritted teeth.

Another noble stared at him with cold eyes.

"Because of you, we ended up like this."

"If we had not supported you, we would still be living in our homes," another person said bitterly.

One woman even tried to spit at him.

A few people looked at him with such hatred that it seemed they wanted to kill him. If they were not chained, they might have already rushed forward.

Edward lowered his head slightly.

He could clearly see their resentment.

To them, their fate had changed because they had followed him.

But now they were all prisoners.

All of them were being sent away to the Island of Kain.

The guards pushed Edward toward the center of the deck.

He slowly looked around.

His eyes searched the crowd.

After a moment, he finally saw them.

Dorothy stood near the back of the ship.

Her clothes were no longer the rich dresses she once wore. Her face looked tired, and her hair was messy.

For a moment, Edward felt as if he had returned to their time at the hidden mine.

Beside her stood their young son.

The boy looked thin and weak.

Edward’s heart tightened.

Since the accident caused by Elizabeth, the boy had needed medicine to live a normal life.

But now they were prisoners.

There were no doctors.

There was no medicine.

The boy could only lean weakly against his mother.

When Dorothy noticed Edward looking at them, her eyes turned red.

She had never expected that in just a few years, the once handsome king would fall into such a miserable state.

"Dorothy."

Edward walked over and stood beside her.

The tears she had been holding finally broke free.

She had refused to believe that Edward had been captured. She believed that just as he had managed to escape the mine that year, he would escape again and save them.

But now he was also a prisoner.

She had heard that the Island of Kain was cold and bitter. She did not want to go there.

For the first time, she regretted her decision to follow Edward back to the royal city.

She wished she had stayed behind back then. She would have been a rich lady now.

The more she thought about it, the more tears rolled down her face.

Edward moved to comfort her, but at that moment someone called his name.

"Edward."

He turned around and saw his mother.

Her appearance was disheveled. This was the first time he had ever seen his noble mother look like this.

All because of him.

He hated himself for not being smarter.

"Mother?" he called, feeling ashamed to look at her.

The mother and son looked at each other for a while.

Edward suddenly felt anger burn inside him.

"Where is Lucan?" he asked, looking around. He did not see his brother.

Mary frowned when she heard the question.

She felt both hatred and envy toward Lucan.

He had stayed neutral during the war. Now he had a title. Although he could never become king, he would not have to suffer in exile.

"He bent the knee," Mary said.

She was unwilling to continue the conversation.

Edward felt betrayed. He wanted to curse at his brother.

But remembering that he had been the first to break their brotherly bond by poisoning Lucan’s son, he swallowed his anger.

On the shore, the commander raised his hand.

"Prepare to sail!" he shouted.

Soon the ropes were pulled back, and the large ship slowly began to move away from the harbor.

The wind blew across the deck as the ship turned toward the cold northern sea.

Everyone on the ship began to wail. They did not want to leave.

The guards simply looked at them.

There was no mercy or pity in their gaze.