The Heart-Rending Crime

The scene opens with the General's servant, Renfield, asking Renfield what's going on. Renfield tells him that the General is trying to get Renfield to go with him to the battlefield, but Renfield says that Renfield is meant to stay behind and fight on the side of the General. He tells Renfield that he's made up his mind to go, but the General reminds him that if Renfield doesn't go, the General will kill him and the people of Ylya will suffer. He asks Renfield why the General has such an arrogant face, and Renfield replies that the man is Renfield's "new lover" . He adds that the woman who has defected from the Yliyao family told Renfield she's the crown prince, and the General should tell the King about it. He says that if he tells the King, the King will be in trouble for harboring Renfield. The General says Renfield has come to the banquet Renfield was invited to, and he'd rather not have Renfield there. He's too young, he says, to be tricked by the king's son-in-law. He also says he'll need to borrow Renfield for interrogation.