If you hate someone, then you are defeated by them.

It wasn’t news that Zane hated the Halocrats.

And ever since he got to know there were some people bigger than Halocrats. His hatred grew.

The moment Hena mentioned she was the Fourth Crown, Zane’s expressions changed.

The kindness and understanding he had for everyone vanished.

When she cried about her past in the corner of the room, instead of consoling her he said her father paid for his sins.

Draxus got angry at that and Zane replied with the comparison between Hena’s grief and his grief.

And when Zane did that, Draxus had no words to speak with.

But eyes widened the moment Zane ended his words with a phrase Xavier and Jammy didn’t know they would hear from his mouth.

His hatred for the Halocrats was so raw that...

"I am happy that her father died."

He was happy at Hena’s father’s death.

Draxus’ heart thumped in his chest as Zane had the same eyes when he confronted the Emberlord.

The man wasn’t seeing any difference between Hena and Coin.

Even the Emberlord had flinched seeing Zane like that so Draxus had no chance.

His throat went parched and he glanced at Jammy.

The janitor nodded with his eyes and slowly walked towards Zane.

He lightly placed his hand on Zane’s head.

"Zane, calm down." He said. He didn’t even call him a kid this time.

Xavier also moved towards him and held his shoulder.

But he said nothing.

He didn’t know what he should say at such times so he chose silence.

But Jammy knew.

"Don’t say things you won’t say in a good mood. You don’t mean it. And the raid you are talking about, I was also there. I saw it. But you don’t know one thing."

Jammy paused and with a deep breath, he said:

"Her father was hanged on the same day as the raid happened."

Zane jerked his head at Jammy.

Jammy nodded.

Zane licked his lips.

Now he was out of words.

If Hena’s father died on the same day as the raid, then he couldn’t possibly be behind it.

He moved away from Draxus and looked at Hena.

Her head was hidden between her knees as her shoulders trembled.

He saw drops of tears on the floor and he didn’t know what he should feel about it.

With no idea, he looked at Jammy.

Jammy held his shoulders.

"What you said is completely true. The gutterborns suffered more than her, yes. I agree. But this is not a competition of who qualifies for more pity, Zane. This is a competition of who will lessen the pain of others."

Zane heard every word of Jammy.

"You have unfiltered rage against her people. But the people you hate, she doesn’t belong to those people. Those people threw her out. Don’t you think there must be a reason for the Crowns to call his father a traitor. The Crowns are evil and when such men call someone a traitor, what do you think they mean?"

Zane said nothing but Jammy answered:

"It means her father betrayed their nature of being evil. The Crowns stopped seeing her father as one of their own."

Zane twitched.

"Don’t you think this has some value?"

Jammy raised Zane’s chin to look into his eyes.

"You say you are full of hatred. But what I see is you are full of love. Compassion. For your sister, for your people and for any type of injustice. You are not happy her father died, Zane. You are happy because a Crown died."

Jammy looked at Draxus.

"You are young, Draxus. You haven’t seen what he saw. And he hasn’t seen what you saw. If we want to make this world a better place, we have to have the same vision.

He hates the Halocrats and someone like that only sees black and white. His kindness stops to see past any Halocrat. Instead of lashing out, you should have placed your point and he would have listened."

Draxus gave a slow nod and Jammy focused on Zane again.

"Now you know what to do."

Jammy let go of Zane’s shoulders and stepped to the side.

Xavier stood beside Jammy.

Jammy also called Draxus to him and now Zane and Hena were in front of each other.

Hena on the floor, crying while Zane stood in front of her with something closer to guilt inside his heart.

Seeing her shoulders trembling, Zane didn’t know how to start talking but more than that, his heart told him to speak at least one phrase.

And he did.

"I am sorry, Hena."

He apologized.

"I should have listened to your full story before judging. Please tell me."

He sat in front of her, cross legged and said nothing.

He let her cry her heart out.

"My... my... my father.."

She spoke in breaks, her face still hidden.

But then, she raised it.

Zane finally saw her tearful face but he didn’t avert his eyes.

He was ready to listen.

"My father was different!" She yelled.

"He never harmed anyone lesser than him. The other Crowns made fun of him because of that. He always told me about the pain your people faced. He tried to help them many times but was unsuccessful because of politics."

Hena leaned and held Zane’s collar.

"Then one day he was hanged! He was loyal to Dwarkam and yet he was called a traitor. I don’t want glory for helping the helpless. I want the glory of him being a true patriot. I want to prove his innocence to the whole world!"

Zane heard in silence.

"I don’t know what my father discovered that granted him his death. I don’t know if he was right about the Haloheart. I don’t even know if he died because of that reason as well. I simply know he was innocent. He wasn’t a traitor!"

Hena bursted into tears.

"Ever since he died, my sole ambition is to find out the truth about his death. I want to know why he had to die. I want to become the fourth Crown once again and extend the glory of my father! The spot is empty after his death. Many Halocratic families and Scepters want to take that position and there is only one way they would become the fourth crown!"

Zane said nothing again but his face betrayed that he wanted to know how one could become the fourth Crown.

Hena saw that and in her outrage, she revealed the only way to become the fourth crown was...

"My death."

Her death.