One week later, Rose Iron Prison.
"What exactly is going on outside?" Aiden arrived at the prison reception area and asked the guard in charge.
Today, starting in the morning, a crowd of demonstrators holding signs and banners had gathered on the main road outside the prison, shouting slogans. The chants and banners included, but were not limited to, "Punish the thief severely," "Sentencing too lenient," and "Demand execution."
"Warden, haven't you seen the news?" The reporting guard clearly knew the reason. "That maid who stole Sophie Carter's things was sent to our prison yesterday."
"Mm, I recall that," Aiden thought back briefly. "Then these people outside..."
He had seen the news about the theft at singer Sophie Carter's residence and read it briefly. Subsequent newspapers had sporadically reported related news, but Aiden mostly just skimmed the headlines without reading in detail.
And files for theft cases generally didn't require his personal review, especially for an inmate in the regular blocks.
"They are Sophie Carter's fans, dissatisfied with the verdict. They actually protested outside the courthouse for the past two days," the guard shrugged. "Honestly, there's really nothing wrong with the sentencing. It's just that after this incident, Sophie Carter suddenly announced a long-term recuperation due to health reasons, so..."
"So it got blamed directly on this maid?" Aiden understood the implication.
Truly, every world has these troublesome, fervent fans.
"Because rumors are spreading that this maid had been with Sophie Carter for several years and they had a good relationship. Her sudden act of theft out of greed dealt a huge blow to Sophie, and the supposed long-term recuperation for health reasons is actually because of this. Now Sophie Carter has already left Silver City, and her mansion seems to have been emptied too," the guard continued explaining.
"Oh, no wonder the fans exploded," Aiden finally understood.
"After all, many stars start fading from public view with a 'long-term recuperation' and then retire directly. Sophie Carter has been a cash cow these years, and her concert tour just ended... Plus, many speculate that even if she returns, she most likely won't come back to this city. The people gathered outside are basically local Silver City fans," the guard said calmly. "This morning, I also heard some people complaining during idle chat."
"We have Sophie Carter fans here too?" Aiden suddenly recalled overhearing others at work talking about Sophie Carter before.
"Yes, quite a few," the guard replied.
"Which block is the maid detained in?" Aiden asked.
"Block Two."
"We need to check the personnel roster for Block Two," Aiden shook his head.
His concern was that his own prison might have staff in Block Two similar to the fans outside. If some idiot retaliated against the inmate due to personal resentment, it could easily escalate into a prison scandal.
"Warden, how should we handle the people outside?" the guard asked. "It's okay for now, but everyone's a bit worried the situation might get out of control."
"Is the police tape up?" Aiden asked. "How's the mood of those fans?"
"It's up. They're relatively calm for now, just shouting dryly over there, haven't affected access to the main gate yet."
"They still have some sense, then. We can't control a normal demonstration. Warn them if they cross the police line. If they dare charge the main gate collectively... I'll have Veronica take two people to watch inside the gate later. If anyone dares force their way through holding banners, she'll teach them some manners," Aiden quickly gave instructions.
The Autonomous Prefecture's laws regarding public demonstrations were very lenient. Even shouting slogans while holding banners outside places like the parliament or courthouse wouldn't result in forced dispersal—provided, of course, nothing was thrown.
But forcibly entering a prison was different. Aiden wouldn't be lenient about that.
"Understood," the guard replied.
Aiden returned to the Core Block, found Veronica, gave her the instructions, and then had someone summon the chief guard of Block Two to inquire about the related situation.
"Inmate 1562, currently detained in Block Two, Cell Fifteen. As for the Sophie Carter matter, I have heard people discussing it..." the chief guard reported.
"Then pay attention. If there are any Sophie Carter fans on duty, swap them with someone from Block One. You understand what I mean, right?" Aiden asked.
"Uh, Warden, actually, I'm also a Sophie fan..." the chief guard chuckled embarrassedly.
"This singer is quite popular... Then you yourself should know what's appropriate," Aiden reminded him.
"Of course, of course. I've been doing this for fifteen years, after all," the chief guard smiled.
"Speaking of which, there wouldn't be Sophie Carter fans among the inmates too, right?" Aiden suddenly thought of this. "That maid won't get beaten up by a group when she goes in?"
"No need to worry about that. What chance do inmates in prison have to hear Sophie Carter sing?" the chief guard waved his hand.
True, Aiden thought. In this era, telephones weren't widely used, and related phonographs naturally weren't widespread either. Inmates in prison basically had no opportunity to listen to music. Long-term inmates confined for several years would inevitably be somewhat disconnected from the outside world. The proportion of fans of current popular stars among inmates was naturally much lower than outside.
Just then, the chief guard continued: "Besides, that maid seems quite... eloquent. I heard from the guards on duty that she gets along quite well with her cellmates. They chatted late into the night and were even warned by the patrol."
"Only locked up for the first day, and already hitting it off with a bunch of criminals?" Aiden was also a bit surprised. "That's quite a talent."
"It seems mainly because she's quite generous, sharing some nice items she brought in with her cellmates. Speaking of which, there's actually something strange. A large sum of money was deposited into her commissary account upon admission."
"How much?"
"Five hundred pounds."
"A maid, where did she get so much money?" Aiden was somewhat surprised.
Generally, inmates wouldn't deposit more than necessary into their commissary accounts. They didn't have many expenses in prison; trying to spend lavishly here, one might not even find channels to spend it. There was one short-term inmate in the Core Block with a huge sum in her account, that succubus pimp with too much money to spend, but a maid...the jewelry she stole back then might not even be worth half this amount.
"That's not quite clear," the chief guard replied.
Aiden suddenly felt something was fishy.
He thought for a moment, then gave instructions: "Keep an eye on this inmate. Report anything unusual to me. For now, check where the money in her account came from."
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