‘Transport one, this is command; the duchess wants to talk to you.’ A female voice came from the radio on the truck.

Edmund grabbed the radio, looked at the two soldiers next to him and noticed that they were holding on to their seats and sweating a lot.

‘Command, this is transport one; we need to think in a better way to communicate for example, by saying over after finishing talking and over and out when the conversation is done.’ Edmund gave a weak chuckle.

At the central command, Ariadne saw the young lady, who was the operator, rolling her eyes. She was an A-dam lady and like the others, there was something like a tiara over her head with circular and fluffy cup-shaped objects on its end covering her ears, and on the desk there was a small pole with an iron sphere that she spoke in to and two squared-shaped iron cubes.

To her side in the desk there was a tablet; it was the same on the others too; there were numbers on it in order from nine to zero. In the middle of the room was a map and the desks were facing it.

‘Put it for me to listen too, please, and what is the name of this thing in front of you?’ The duchess padded the radio operator’s sholder.

‘It’s a microphone, your highness; this on my head is a headphone and those square cubes are speakers, Edmund named them.’ The young lady gave the microphone to Ariadne.

The young lady got the tablet again and after messing with it, Edmund’s voice started to come out from the squared-shaped metal cubes.

‘Hey, are you rolling your eyes?’ Edmund’s voice sounded annoyed.

‘Peasant, is it me? How are you doing?’ The duchess spoke into the microphone.

‘Ho, hello duchess, I’m fine; I’m just bleeding out and almost passing out driving a high-speed vehicle, just another day.’ The young man's voice now sounded more tired.

‘How close are you to the city?’ Ariadne bit one of her nails, showing a worried expression.

‘I’m closer to them... a go, in five.. we are going to be at the front... i guess, something like it.’ Edmund closed his eyes for moments and was shook by the soldier to his side.

‘Don’t sleep; if I need to, I’m going to give you an order.’ She elevated her voice.

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‘Don’t; the last one is almost... It needs to be more complex; if you give the order, I may... everyone die.’ His vision was blurring out.

‘Peasant!!!’ She shouted.

‘Command, he passed out; we were already slowed down; I can see the city from here.’ Another voice came from the speakers.

‘Soldier, they don’t have space at the doctor's office; pass by there and bring him and Eliza with you here to my mansion.’ Ariadne looked at Alon.

‘Yes, duchess, transport one over and out.’ He replied with conviction.

Ariadne put the microphone on the table, looked at the young lady that was looking at her and smiled. The reaction from the radio operator was one of surprise and right after happiness, like her duty was fulfilled. As Ariadne walked out of the room, she looked at Alon again.

‘Talk to Rita and prepare the rooms for them; use everything you can.’ She nodded to him.

‘Thank you, your highness.’ Alon bowed to her.

She walked through the mansion as soldiers and maids walked around trying to get places for the wounded to be treated; they were getting everything to two rooms on the left side of the mansion. Getting out of the mansion, she waited for the truck to come, with Alya by her side and soldiers gatering around also waiting for them.

‘I hope they are fine.’ Alya spoke while looking at the entrance of the mansion.

‘To be honest, Alya, I thought that he was invincible; his problem was that he didn’t care or didn’t want to help when he could.’ Ariadne gave a sigh.

‘Every time someone asked Edmund for help, he never said he wouldn't do it; when he talks with your highness, I think it's more of a joke.’ The maid looked at Ariadne’s back while giving her a light bow.

‘Maybe he does this as a way to get back at me for being my slave and the fact that I will never let him go.’ The duchess looked at the maid with the corner of her eye.

‘Prohaps, but he has a better life than the majority in the duchy; I could even say better than the majority in the kingdom.’ Alya's head continued to be slightly inclined.

‘Freedom doesn’t have a price, Alya; it doesn’t matter how good he has.’ Ariadne looked again to the entrance.

‘Indded.’ Alya looked at the duchess with a sad expression.

The truck passed the entrance, Ariadne clutching her fists, waiting to see the state of the soldiers and as soon as the truck stopped, everyone around was helping them unload them one by one, carrying the ones that couldn’t move inside the mansion; some of the maids were just there paralyzed by the amount of blood on the soldiers.

As this was happening, Ariadne walked to the front of the truck. The door opened, and one soldier got out. As another was holding Edmund’s body down, seeing this, she ran and pushed the soldier to the side, making him fall to the ground.

‘I’m sorry, let me do this.’ She looked at the soldier on the ground with a sad expression.

‘Not a problem, duchess.’ He studs up.

Only when Edmund was on her arms did she notice that he was covered in blood and some of it was dripping from the arm that was closed to his leg. Alya held her mouth as soon as she noticed Edmund’s state.

‘Is he... dead?' Alya asked.

‘No, I would have known if he was, but he needs treatment fast.’ The duchess walked toward the mansion.

Eliza was finishing healing the arm of a soldier that was close to passing out due to blood loss; as she hovered her hand on top of his arm, a glow was emitted and the wound began to close. Her eyes closed, trying to concentrate on the task at hand.

She looked for other injuries and the ones that didn’t need immediate attention so she looked out of the truck and saw Ariadne with Edmund in her arms walking in the direction of the mansion among the injured, being assisted by soldiers and staff of the mansion.

‘What? He was here?’ Her eyes widen.

She gave another look at the soldier to see if everything was alright. They got up and jumped out of the truck and ran after Ariadne.