Carla heard everything they said.
Zeke froze.
Why was she here?
When he turned around, he finally understood — Carla, along with Mikasa and Armin, had been brought by Captain Keith. It seemed that when the Titans appeared and chaos broke out in town, Keith had protected them and led them safely to this place.
At that moment, Carla could no longer bear it. Ignoring the stabbing pain in her injured foot, she limped forward on her crutches, her breath trembling with each step.
By the time she reached the vehicle, Erwin and Hange had already peeled away Eren's bloodied shirt, inspecting him from head to toe.
"No needle marks," Hange muttered, scanning his skin.
Erwin turned sharply toward Zeke. "What kind of needle did your father use?"
Zeke composed himself, answering calmly, "An ordinary one."
"If it was an ordinary needle," Hange reasoned, "then it should've left at least a puncture wound."
She glanced at Zeke again. "Where are Titan injection needles usually applied?"
"The back of the neck," Zeke replied.
Erwin and Hange immediately leaned closer, carefully examining the base of Eren's neck. Carla hobbled up beside them, heart pounding, eyes wide with dread.
But Eren's skin was unbroken — smooth, without a single mark.
"It seems your father hadn't injected him yet," Erwin said quietly.
"That's… insane," Hange murmured, pushing up her glasses. "Turning his own son into a Titan… was Dr. Grisha Yeager using him as a test subject? Studying how humans transform?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Carla suddenly screamed. Her voice cracked with grief and fury. "Titans? Humans turning into Titans? Don't you dare say such ridiculous things! My husband, Grisha, is not like that! He's not some lunatic playing with people's lives — least of all his own child!"
The room fell silent.
Erwin and Hange exchanged a helpless glance. They hadn't meant to say it in front of her, but the truth was already spilling out.
Zeke, however, felt a sharp, twisting pain in his chest.
Yes, yes… Grisha isn't that crazy. He wouldn't experiment on Eren.
He just used me instead.
The bitterness he'd buried deep for years bubbled up again. His father had always treated the two sons differently — worlds apart.
For Zeke, who carried royal blood, Grisha demanded perfection. He was a tool, a vessel to restore Eldian pride. When Zeke failed to meet those impossible expectations, Grisha turned away without hesitation.
But with Eren?
He gave him freedom. He gave him love. He gave him laughter.
Every time Zeke remembered that difference — that glowing, easy warmth Eren received — something inside him twisted tighter.
Watching Carla's unwavering faith now, Zeke's voice dripped with venom. "Woman, you know nothing about your husband."
Carla flared with indignation. "Nonsense! I know everything about Grisha!" she shouted back, her voice trembling with conviction. "He's a good doctor — a healer who's cured countless people of illnesses no one else could treat! He's kind and upright, and he waives medical fees for patients who can't afford them. Everyone in town loves and respects him! Grisha Yeager wouldn't even hurt an ant!"
Wouldn't hurt an ant, Zeke echoed bitterly in his mind. But last night, he slaughtered an entire family.
Respected and loved by everyone…
He almost laughed. Then why, Father, were you kind to the world but not to me?
The silence grew thick. Carla's anger slowly melted into confusion, her gaze flicking between Zeke's eyes and the others' grim faces. Somewhere inside, she must have sensed it — that the truth she'd built her life upon was cracking apart.
Zeke didn't say more. His existence alone was proof that she knew nothing about the man she married.
Erwin finally broke the silence. "This isn't the place for this discussion," he said firmly. "Captain, I recommend that all intelligence gathered today be classified. The matter of the Yeager family must remain confidential until we fully understand it."
Keith nodded once. "Understood. Report to me after you've confirmed the details."
"Yes, sir," Erwin replied, then turned to his team. "Pack it up. We're heading out."
The soldiers moved quickly. They draped a heavy black tarp over the prison wagon holding Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner — the three young captives no one outside the Corps was meant to see.
As for Eren, once Hange finished bandaging his wounds, she pulled out a pair of steel cuffs.
The metallic click echoed through the air.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Carla cried out, rushing forward. "Why are you handcuffing my son?"
A nearby soldier — a young man hardened by too many Titan hunts — answered coldly, "Ma'am, your husband injected your son with Titan serum. For all we know, he could transform at any moment. For everyone's safety, he must be restrained."
Carla's face drained of color. "No! Impossible! Grisha would never do such a thing! Please—he's just a child! An ordinary child!"
Tears welled in her eyes as she reached toward them. "Don't do this to him! When he wakes up and sees himself in chains, what will he think? You're treating him like a criminal!" Her voice broke. "Please… please don't…"
She turned desperately toward Keith. "Keith! Keith, say something! Tell them this is wrong!"
But the captain's face was unreadable. He said nothing.
And in that silence, the woman's desperate pleas echoed like a wound that refused to heal.