Chapter 254: A Walk

The moment she agreed to Murphy's invitation, Sophia regretted it.

Through this invitation, he had snatched the initiative away from her.

But in that situation, it had indeed been a smooth way to step down, so smooth that she hadn't realized it was a trap that turned the tables on her.

By the time she realized it, she was already accompanying him on a walk.

Accompanying someone to enjoy the scenery was a gesture for honored guests and friends; in such a situation, it was impossible to continue pressing charges.

Sophia was somewhat frustrated, but since backing out now would make her seem fickle and unreasonable, she had no choice but to adopt royal etiquette and follow his pace with grace and dignity.

A walk, of course, wasn't just about walking; the two began to probe each other for information.

"I heard from others that you run a potion business?" the Empress asked.

"I have a few small shops, nothing worth mentioning," Murphy said.

"But they say you sell potions to Muggles, and that is how you acquired your wealth," Sophia added.

"I am certain those are merely rumors," Murphy replied. "By the way, I heard you have the bloodline of the Romanov family?"

Sophia frowned. "If you are referring to the fact that my great-grandmother was a survivor of the Romanov family, then yes. Her name was Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Nicholas II."

"A wizard responsible for protecting their family helped her escape that massacre. She later married the Crown Prince of the Alkaim Magic Empire, and their son was my grandfather."

"I have a question, Your Majesty," Murphy said. "Why did your grandfather choose your mother instead of your uncle as his successor? I heard that even in Alkaim, Empresses are rare."

"My grandfather did not love my grandmother; their union was a political necessity. The condition my grandmother set for allowing him to indulge in his affairs was that my mother be named the heir. My uncle was born to my grandfather and another Alkaim noblewoman."

Murphy understood. No wonder the uncle kept delaying the transfer of power but dared not usurp the throne directly—he was merely an illegitimate child.

"Does Grand Duke Ivan have three sons?" Murphy asked.

Sophia thought for a moment. Inviting Murphy here was primarily to borrow his power, so it didn't matter if he knew these things. "That's right. Las, George, and Alexander."

She felt she couldn't keep being grilled, so she countered, "What exactly are you trying to do to the Muggles of the Soviet Union?"

"Nothing much, just trying to make their lives a little better," Murphy said vaguely, then asked, "What is Grand Duke Ivan's influence like in Alkaim?"

Sophia suddenly stopped.

Her feet hurt.

Murphy was quite tall, while Sophia was petite by comparison. Beside him, she looked like a daughter walking with her father; at a glance, it didn't even look out of place.

But this guy had long legs and didn't care about her pace at all, taking such large, fast strides that Sophia had to almost jog to keep up. At first, she had stubbornly tried to keep up, but after walking a few hundred meters, her feet couldn't take it anymore.

She was wearing black deerskin boots that looked dashing with her military uniform, and they were great for walking with an imposing air, but... they really weren't meant for power-walking.

"Your Majesty?" Murphy noticed Sophia's tense expression. "Are you alright? Is something uncomfortable?"

Sophia was holding back a surge of anger; she had never met someone so ungentlemanly. "Can we stop the walk here? Mr. Darkholm!"

Murphy was slightly confused, but after glancing at the fine beads of sweat on the girl's forehead and the heels of her boots, he immediately understood. "My apologies, Your Majesty. It was my oversight."

Sophia wasn't just angry because of that; she felt Murphy had been fishing for information the whole time while showing her no sincerity.

She felt she had been wishful thinking; this guy was just using her like a child to be exploited.

As expected, Azir was right. Trying to borrow the power of such a person might end up being worse than surrendering to Ivan.

In the end, it would just mean marrying someone she didn't like. At least Las was weak-willed and easy to control; she could still reclaim power once Ivan grew old...

"I thought we could have an open and honest conversation, but all I see in you is deception and mockery. If this is your attitude, I don't think we have anything left to discuss."

Sophia turned to leave, but after taking a single step, she froze.

"Your Majesty?"

They were walking on a gravel path that was somewhat uneven. Just now, Sophia had misstepped, and a sharp pain shot through her foot. She felt as if she had heard a "click" and even suspected she might have broken a bone.

"I think I sprained my foot."

The Empress didn't dare move, breaking into a cold sweat from the pain.

The situation was both serious and slightly comical. Murphy looked at the stiff girl, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to support her arm and pointed a finger. A vine on the ground twisted and transformed into a bench.

"Please, have a seat." He helped the girl sit down, then crouched. "The right foot?"

He said this while lifting her lower leg and resting her right foot flat.

"What... what are you doing?" Sophia was startled.

"Your foot seems to have dislocated. If we don't treat it immediately, it will swell up quickly," he said, pulling gently, and the boot transformed into a bat and flew away.

A beautiful bare foot appeared before him.

Several toes were curled straight, whether from pain or tension, looking surprisingly playful and cute.

"Whoosh!" At the same time, a tree branch behind Murphy transformed into a spear and stopped right at the back of his head.

Murphy seemed not to notice, even reaching out to pinch Sophia's ankle. "Does it hurt?"

He... he actually...

Sophia, shocked, looked at his earnest expression and didn't know what to say, so she nodded. "A little."

Murphy pinched a few other spots, forming a rough judgment. "A slight dislocation of the ankle, no fracture. It's not a big problem. Bear with it."

Saying this, he grabbed the girl's sole, lifted her lower leg, and gave it a sharp push and pull.

"Ah!" Sophia shrieked, but Murphy was already holding her foot and rotating it twice. "Is it better?"

"It... it seems... not as painful?" Sophia said uncertainly.

Murphy nodded and pulled a spray bottle from his robes, spraying her ankle a few times.

"This is Cloud White Medicine, a bruise spray," Murphy said. "It's made with Essence of Dittany and can quickly repair ligament and muscle damage. It sells very well in the Muggle world."

Murphy stood up. "You were right, Your Majesty. I do sell potions to Muggles."

"As for what I want to do to the Muggles of the Soviet Union..." Murphy paused. "That is a very long topic."

"However, your foot needs rest."

"Would you be willing to give me some more time to explain my intentions to you?"

"Are you willing to give me a little more time to explain my intentions to you?"

(End of chapter)