Everyone gaped at the sight of the Chieftain making his strides in the center of the hall. He was old and previously sick, but right then, he came in with an aura of a roaring lion that everyone can do nothing but just bow before him. There was no sign of sickness in him anymore and the seriousness he had right now unnerved everyone.

The first thing that the chieftain did was put down his daughter on the ground as he was carrying the little girl on his arms. The girl upon catching the sight of her brother ran to his side and broke the silence in the hall.

​​

"Brother, brother!" She hollered happily as she clung onto him "Look at me I am six now,"

Confused, Enoch welcomed her sister and carried her into his arms like his father did. Everyone told her that the princess was deeply sick and that her sickness was contagious. Thus, he was forbidden by the mother Chieftana to visit her. However, when he saw his father carrying her sister whose face was as bright as the sunlight, he was left bewildered and confused as to what was happening.

"Aren't you sick?" Enoch, scrutinized the little girl thoroughly yet he had seen nothing wrong with her physical appearance. "Mother Chieftana told me you were suffering from a contagious disease…"

"Contagious disease..." The word from Enoch's mouth fueled more anger that the Chieftain was trying to suppress. He had heard from Handmaid Lin how his own household treated his youngest to the point of even denying her food.

"Father, Princess Song had been sick and I had to send her away since she had a contagious disease" Princess Tang immediately ran to her father to explain. She hoped that like how she was able to fool Enoch, she will also be able to fool her father. Wasn't she also her favorite because her beauty gives him pride? She knew she will believe him right away!

"Don't worry about it father everything was—"Princess Tang was not able to finish her words as she was interrupted by the pain that crashed into her pretty face. The Chieftain had slapped her, strong enough to send her into the ground with a bloodied face.

"Princess Tang!" The Chieftana wailed upon what she saw. She did not expect such to happen right in front of everybody's eyes. The pretty face of her daughter was then tainted by the blood that bleed from her mouth. She ran instantaneously to her to give her comfort.

"My dear husband, what is happening to you, you must still be unwell to do this to your own daughter," She said as she kneeled on the ground and held her daughter's body.

"Unwell?" The Chieftain smirked. "...Is that why you sent my daughter away and hungered her because you knew no one will protect her?" The Chieftain's question turned into an angry rage that everyone felt the ground shook beneath them.

"Hungered?" Enoch repeated his words with a frown. "Father you must have been wrong. The highest princess made sure Princess Song was well attended and even sent the best physician to attend to her"

"I could not even believe at this point the kind of heir I had put into the throne. I had great expectations to you Enoch but only now did I figure out that you are still not ready for the throne. You were not even able to protect your sister against the highest Princess schemes" The Chieftain chided Enoch and his words made his skin pale. Enoch looked at his sister and saw her bitter smile.

"Is that true my little sister?" Enoch inquired at the girl which she answered with a nod. This brought only more frustration in Enoch's face. He had always trusted mother Chieftana as she had always been a good mother to him, and yet only then he realized that he must have trusted her too much that he became lenient and dependent on her about everything.

Enoch turned to the highest princess who was crying on the floor with his mother "Highest Princess explain yourself right now. What did you do to my little sister?"

"It was not my intention brother believe me. My only fault was that I trusted the servant's words as they promised me she was attended well. Only after you came back that I realized that they were lying and that princess Song had not been receiving rations for a month" She tried to lie her way through. She clung to her mother desperately seeking for comfort and help.

"Do you take me as a fool daughter?" The chieftain spoke as he seated on his seat comfortably.

"Father, it's true! It wa—"

"Enough!" He cut her sharply. "Your mother must have forgotten to teach you that I am not easily fooled"

The Chieftain's words hit something in the Chieftana's skin. He was right. She knew he was not easily fooled. It even took her twenty long years to make him marry her and it was not because of love. It was a sacrifice he needed to make for his people and for the love of his life. However, these past few years when he had aged much, the Chieftana thought his loneliness became too much for his body to take in and swallowed him and so she took her chance.

"Listen to your daughter!" The Chieftana pleaded "Look at her. Do you think she's too vicious enough to shed her hands with the blood of her own sister?"

"Only if she treated him as a sister," The Chieftain glared at the mother and daughter tandem "Chieftana, judging by your actions now I assumed you had taken your part on your daughter's schemes…"

"I… I don't! I don't of course! Why would I do that to a child?" She denied. "I am just defending our weak daughter from your own unreasonable fury!"

"I had been the chieftain for many years and you yourself knew I had never been unreasonable on my own judgement" The Chieftain reminded her vicious wife. All these years, the Chieftain thought all she wanted was him and yet only now did he see the truth. She wanted power, not him. Sad but true.

"I am pleading with you my dear husband. Do not do this to your own blood. Do not send Princess Tang to trial and to the hands of the trial council. She had done nothing but bring you pride ever since she was born" The Chieftana insisted. She understood right then that before the Chieftain showed himself to everyone, he had already investigated the matter fully and had perhaps gathered evidences against the highest princess. All that was left right now was for her to make the Chieftain forgive her daughter. Wasn't princess Tang one of his favorites?

"My dear please, do not punish your own daughter. Do not make your own blood suffer like she was not one of yours and as if she was not a princess in this island" She was already shaking when she asked this. She was thankful right then that a crowd was there and so she knew within her that the Chieftain will not be too harsh in front of the people he ruled. If he punished Princess Tang, surely everyone will say that he had no heart even for his own blood.

"Everyone in the island is equal. Princess Tang will be punished as how everyone is being punished" The chieftain breathed heavily.

"No one is equal with a princess!" The Chieftana exclaimed.

"Was not my first daughter a princess too?" he said right in front of the Chieftana's face and every reason she had with her fade away when she heard him "She was not only a princess that time. She was a baby too. Yet she received the punishment and much worst to a sin she did not commit"