Chapter 370: The Fugitive Princess

Ansili.

The city's skyline loomed in the morning mist, the heavy tolling of the clock tower echoed through the morning haze, and the entire kingdom was plunged into deep mourning.

This was the seventh day after the death of King Abdullah, and in three more days, it would be the day of the burial.

The Du'e Cult Leader and His Majesty the King, the two most important people in the hearts of the people of Ansili, had passed away one after another, and the entire nation was plunged into an unprecedented sorrow.

On the streets, the hustle and bustle of the past was replaced by a vast silence.

All the shops and markets had closed their doors, and black silk ribbons hung from the windows, swaying gently in the wind like flags of mourning.

Citizens wore dark mourning clothes and walked silently along the streets; their steps were heavy and slow, and everyone's face was filled with grief.

In the center of the city square, a magnificent mourning hall stood in the middle, its scale so large that it occupied almost the entire square.

The mourning hall was covered in black curtains, and the golden royal emblem was embroidered on the curtains, manifesting the King's nobility.

Inside the mourning hall, the King's coffin was placed on a high pedestal, surrounded by flowers symbolizing the nation's glory and eternal candle stands.

In the square, the crowd moved slowly; they circled the mourning hall, silently expressing their final respects to the King.

The air was filled with the faint scent of flowers and the smoky smell of candles, which intertwined with the bell tolls coming from the distant church, forming a silent elegy.

In every corner of the city, whether it was the magnificent palace or the narrow alleys, people could be seen mourning.

The palace windows were tightly shut, and the guards in front of the gate were dressed in black uniforms, holding spears, standing still; their gazes were firm, as if they were guarding the King's final peace.

In the city park, the usually lively amusement areas became empty, with only the sound of the fountain echoing; the water spray shimmered under the sunlight, as if mourning for the King's departure.

The church bells stopped, but the aftermath lingered for a long time.

Amidst these solemn bell tolls, a line of fully armed warriors blocked the entrance of the church.

Inside the church, the believers were performing their daily prayers, but the object of their prayers was not some ethereal deity, but two real people.

In the center of the wall at the very front of the church hung the portraits of two people: the Du'e Cult Leader and King Abdullah.

The believers pressed their palms together, mourning piously and sorrowfully.

If one listened carefully, one could hear faint sobbing; a young nun among the believers was crying very sorrowfully.

The prayer ended, and the young nun raised her face; her tear-streaked face was very delicate and pitiable.

She was the fugitive former Princess of Ansili, Laila.

"Bang!"

The church doors were violently broken open, and fierce-looking warriors rushed in, scaring the nuns into letting out shrill screams.

The burly man in the lead scanned the crowd, a wicked smile curling his lips, and his gaze landed on Laila, who was hiding behind the crowd.

"Your Highness the Princess, please come back with us."

The burly commander saluted Princess Laila and said.

Laila stared at this commander with unkind eyes and said coldly, "Commander Burton, I will not go back with you."

Burton, who had replaced Yuri as the palace commander, smiled and said, "Don't you miss Her Majesty the Queen? She misses you very much."

Laila's body trembled, and she bit her lip hard.

Burton walked slowly toward Laila and continued, "Princess Laila, it is useless for you to hide any longer. The new King has been decided. Come back with me, and His Majesty the King will surely treat you well."

Laila did not speak, her eyes filled with hesitation.

Burton reached out his hand, and he was about to grab her: "That's right, come back with me..."

A slender but powerful palm reached out and grabbed Burton's wrist; Yuri, also dressed in a nun's habit, walked out from the crowd.

"Burton, you are not allowed to offend Her Highness the Princess!" Yuri's gaze was like a knife, staring fixedly at Burton.

Burton was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Princess Yuri, I have finally found you. His Majesty Hogan misses you very much; please hurry back."

"Three days from now, after the old King Abdullah is buried, it will be His Majesty Hogan's coronation ceremony. At such an important moment, you, the nation's new Princess, certainly cannot be absent."

Burton said with an excited expression.

Yuri's brow twitched, and with a *swish*, she held a Dagger against Burton's neck: "Tell them to move aside and let me and Her Highness the Princess go."

Burton sneered: "Princess Yuri, what exactly are you trying to achieve? Isn't it better to go back and be a noble princess? On the day His Majesty Hogan attacked the palace, if you hadn't forcibly taken Princess Laila away, none of this would be happening now."

"You are protecting the former princess as you hide here and there; aren't you the one suffering and bearing the burden?"

The blade embedded into the skin, and blood flowed down the neck; Yuri gritted her teeth and said, "I said, let us go!"

Burton felt the pain, frowned, and continued to persuade her kindly: "Princess Yuri, don't make things difficult for me; my mission is to take you back."

Yuri pushed Burton away, took the opportunity to reach into his waist, pulled out a True Qi Pistol, and held it against her own head.

"Yuri!"

Laila was startled and screamed.

Burton was also frightened; ignoring the pain in his neck, he said in a panic, "Princess Yuri, calm down, you must calm down!"

Two lines of clear tears rolled down from her eye sockets; Yuri pulled the trigger halfway and said word by word, "I said, let us leave!"

"Fine, fine, fine! I'll let you leave right now!"

Burton turned and waved his hand, "Move aside, all of you!"

The warriors cleared a path; Yuri held Laila with one hand, while the other hand still held the gun against her head, watching Burton, and slowly backed away, leaving the church.

Once the two had left, Burton immediately roared: "What are you still standing there for? Go after them!"

The warriors quickly gave chase.

Burton added another sentence: "Remember, you must not let Princess Yuri suffer even the slightest harm!"

………

Yuri led Laila running all the way, firing warning shots multiple times to scare off the pursuers, and changed clothes several times, only then managing to shake off all the pursuing soldiers.

Finally, the two occupied a magpie's nest, chased away a homeless man, and hid in the homeless man's shack.

"We are safe for now, Your Highness the Princess, let's rest for a moment."

Yuri checked around the shack and said.

Laila panted heavily, took off her headscarf, wiped away some sweat, and turned to look at Yuri.

Yuri noticed Laila's gaze, swallowed a mouthful of saliva to soothe her dry throat, and asked, "Your Highness Princess, what is it? Are you thirsty? I will go find a way to get some water."

Laila grabbed Yuri and said, "Yuri, let's go back to the royal palace."

"What?"

"If we go back to the royal palace, you won't have to take me into hiding anymore, and besides..."

Laila looked into Yuri's eyes, "Now you are the Princess."

Yuri was stunned, a flash of sorrow appearing in her eyes, and she shook her head, saying, "No, Laila, you are the Princess, the Princess of Ansili will always be you! And the King is only Abdullah, not Hogan! He is just a treasonous sinner!"

"But he is your father." Laila's innocent, large eyes shimmered with tears as she stared blankly at Yuri.

Yuri was stunned: "I am the daughter of a sinner; Hogan murdered King Abdullah, but I must protect you well, Your Highness Princess. This is not atonement; this is my duty as your personal guard, and it is also the... guilt I feel as your childhood playmate."

Laila's tears fell like pearls; she grabbed Yuri's hand and said, "Yuri, I have never blamed you! Hogan is Hogan, you are you, you will always be my best friend!"

Yuri smiled with tears in her eyes: "That is truly my honor."

Laila gently wiped away Yuri's teardrops and said, "But, where can we even run to like this? We can't go anywhere, and we will only end up implicating others."

Yuri shook her head, her expression firm as she said, "No, Your Highness Princess! Believe me, we are not running; we are waiting! Waiting for someone to return!"

"Who?"

"The Xia person, Chen Che."

Hearing the name Chen Che, Princess Laila suddenly cried even harder: "Chen was wanted, and it was Father who personally issued the arrest warrant. We wronged him; he is a good person, he has always been a good person. We were the ones who misunderstood him; he will not forgive me."

"No! Your Highness Princess! Believe me, he will definitely return, and when that time comes, we will be saved too!"

Yuri said with a serious face.

Laila wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, still not believing: "We treated him that way before; even if he returns, he won't save us. When it comes down to it, this is just a matter for Ansili."

Yuri shook her head vigorously: "Chen Che is not an ordinary Xia person. He is wanted in Ansili, and Xia will definitely investigate the truth, so he will definitely return. As long as he returns, I will personally apologize to them. Even if I have to risk my life, I will beg him to save Your Highness Princess."

Laila still did not quite believe it, but hearing Yuri say this, a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart.

She pressed her palms together, looked toward the horizon, and said silently in her heart: "Chen, will you return? Will you return to save me? If you can really come, I don't dare hope that you will save me; I only hope to be able to say sorry to you in person... and to take one more good look at you... then I will be content."