“Escaped? What do you mean escaped?” the Minister screeched as she paced menacingly around the throne room.

Lucas gulped as he felt a bead of sweat slide down his face. “I checked the room and the window was broken—”

“So you’re telling me Shuhua jumped out the window and sprouted wings?” she laughed derisively. Lucas shut his mouth. He had debated whether to tell the Minister that Yuqi probably drugged him and Mark, but that wasn’t honorable. Yongsun snapped her fingers and the double doors opened behind Lucas. He turned and saw two guards dragging in a bloodied Mark. “Your partner seems to have a different story.”

“M-minister,” Mark mumbled. One of the guards smacked him across the face and he groaned. Lucas clenched his fists but didn’t move. One misstep would mean death. The burlier guard cleared his throat and spoke, “After some pressure, Mark told us that both he and Lucas fell asleep while on watch. Interestingly enough, Song Yuqi had given them both some wine and bread right before they slept. It’s likely she drugged them and helped the prisoner escape.”

Lucas felt an icy terror grip his heart. Yuqi was in trouble! He had to warn her. But she wasn’t in the throne room. That was odd. Usually the Minister relied on Yuqi to attend to her needs above any other lady-in-waiting. The Minister noticed Lucas’s discomfit.

“Ah, are you worried about Yuqi? Don’t worry. She’s back in my chambers, none the wi