Chapter 22: Violence and Power

The city of Dublin was in a state of deathly silence, as all its citizens speculated about their fate. 

This city was no stranger to brutal conquerors. Since the Viking era, they had been living on the edge, and now, it was another turning point for them.

The tightly shut windows and eerily silent streets indicated that the city wasn't very welcoming to John, but John didn't care at all. 

He, like those proud conquerors, marched into the city with his army, leading a large number of captured Leinster nobles.

"Has everyone in this city died?" 

Breton, a mercenary by origin, spoke without a hint of respect, and the mercenaries around him nodded in agreement. 

The knights said nothing; along the march, they had already become good partners with these crude but experienced mercenaries.

Jacques, who was following Guillaume, said, "I feel like we are not welcome here at all."

Guillaume shook his head, "Of course they don't welcome us because they fear we will loot them, take their property, or even burn their houses. Such things have happened often enough in Ireland before."

As an old man who had followed Henry II to Ireland, no one dared to doubt Guillaume's words.

"You are right, Guillaume," John said. "I think I need to ensure the soldiers don't harass this city, but this city must pay some price."

Guillaume always agreed with John's decisions. 

This prince was becoming increasingly shrewd, an indisputable fact.

"Silvio," John easily found his quartermaster, "you draft a list. We need to assign procurement tasks to this city. After the list is ready, give it to Roches and work with him to collect the supplies."

Though it was called procurement, it was essentially open robbery. Silvio knew it well; this was a punishment for the defeated. 

He nodded, without wasting words, and took his fellow Italians to draft the supplies list. 

As for the army...

"Guillaume, take charge of the Lancaster knights and have them set up camp. Roches, you lead the royal knights and have them find their own spots in the square. And Breton, make sure the mercenaries don't harass the residents."

One task after another was rapidly assigned, making John seem like an efficient decision-making machine.

"Roches, once the royal knights have settled in, have the Irish set up a gallows in the city square to execute Odo and the other rebels. Yes, and assign me two knights for protection. I need to visit the duchess in the castle."

Hearing that he was going to meet the duchess, Guillaume immediately grew tense.

The loyal Guillaume asked worriedly, "Your Highness, isn't it unsafe for you to enter the castle so abruptly?"

John shook his head. "No, her son Gilbert is still in our hands. She won't dare cause any trouble."

Seeing John's confident demeanor, Guillaume was still a bit uneasy. However, John paid him no mind and headed straight for the main fortress where the Duchess of Leinster was, accompanied by two knights. He was certain that Duchess Ed was there; she couldn't have left.

…

At that moment, the dark castle was eerily quiet. The Duchess of Leinster sat slumped on the throne, symbolizing her ducal power, facing the messenger who had brought the news, unsure of what to do.

She was just a woman; how could she possibly know how to handle such a situation? If her husband, Longbow Richard, were still alive, this wouldn't have happened.

As the footsteps in the corridor grew louder, Ed seemed to realize her fate. Perhaps she would soon become a prisoner of that prince and spend the rest of her life in a dungeon.

The footsteps stopped at the door, and Ed stared at the door, seemingly in disbelief that it would open. But her dream was quickly shattered by reality. A knight wearing the Plantagenet family surcoat opened the door, and the greedy prince appeared before her.

"Duchess Ed of Leinster... this is the castle your husband built in Dublin, right?"

John looked around the interior of the castle. It was a fortress built with no consideration for comfort, purely a military stronghold. Of course, it had undergone some modifications. If Longbow Richard were still alive, the military features might have been even stronger.

"When your husband came here and built this castle, did he ever think things would turn out this way? He almost became the King of Leinster, independent of the Kingdom of England."

John raised an eyebrow as he said the word "independent."

Ed shook her head weakly and said in a frail voice, "That was his business, Your Highness... He's been dead for eight years now. We have no desire to be independent of the crown. We just want to serve as the king's vassals, guarding his lands in Ireland."

After listening to Ed's plea, John clapped his hands. "You speak well, but Dublin is royal property. And right now, you are sitting on royal property."

"Royal property?"

Ed scoffed at the notion. 

"My father, Diarmait, was the lord here. I grew up here and got married from here. My husband Richard was the Duke of Leinster, and this was his domain, the place where he ruled. And now you tell me this is royal property?"

As expected, there's no reasoning with these nobles, John thought, feeling a twinge of regret for not just capturing her outright.

"You say this is royal property, fine, then it's royal property. What I want to know now is, how will you treat our family?" Ed realized the gravity of the situation and steered the conversation in a different direction.

In fact, John wasn't sure how to handle it. He had been pondering this question while coming upstairs. The rebellion was instigated by Regent Odo, but should Ed and her son Gilbert be implicated?

As John was mulling over this, he heard sobbing and arguing from the room behind Ed.

"What is in there?" John pointed to the door behind Ed.

When John raised his hand, Ed became noticeably tense. Her body slowly straightened, as if bracing herself against John. Initially, John wasn't that interested, but seeing Ed's reaction, he admitted he was now curious about what lay behind the door.

"Tell me, what is behind that door?" John pressed, with the knights behind him placing their hands on their sword hilts.

Ed shook her head, gritting her teeth. "You cannot open that door—"

A knight rushed forward and pinned Ed down, while another knight went straight to the door and opened it. 

The moment the door opened, John was stunned. 

Hiding inside the room were three young girls.

"John! You can't! You can't harm my children!" Ed became instantly agitated, struggling to break free from the knight's grip. But she was just a woman, no match for these powerful knights.

John, intrigued, walked toward the three girls. As he advanced, they retreated step by step.

"You are...?" 

Before John could finish his question, the eldest girl suddenly showed a fierce expression, causing John's nerves to tense up. He then noticed a glint of metal from her sleeve.

It was a small dagger.

As the dagger thrust toward John, he stepped back and grabbed the girl's wrist. The failed attacker lost her balance and fell forward.

Everyone was shocked by the scene, including Ed.

"Ora! You're insane! Ora!" Ed lost all composure, "That's the prince!"

The knights beside John stepped forward, ready to deal with the girl.

Still seething with anger, John pushed the knights aside, lifted the girl, and examined her face. Despite her fierce expression, her delicate features were evident. Her fiery red hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing a face full of youthful vitality, which stirred a destructive desire within John.

"Trying to assassinate me, are you?"

John raised his hand and slapped the girl hard across the face.

"Slap!"

The red imprint of his hand appeared instantly on her cheek.

"You bastard!" Ora came to her senses, continuing to struggle and curse.

Another slap followed.

"Slap!"

"You brute... you Angevin brute!"

"Slap!"

After three slaps, John casually switched hands, now holding the girl with his left hand. In that brief moment of switching, the girl's already thin clothing tore with a ripping sound.

Her pale, beautiful body was now exposed before John, fueling his anger with a mix of desire.

"Everyone, get out."

John's furious command sent the other two girls running. He then shoved Ora into the room, closed the door behind him, and left everyone outside.