Chapter 25

Night.

Flower Garden Square.

The princess's appearance and bearing were so outstanding that, like a bonfire lit in the night, it was hard not to notice her.

The princess's appearance and bearing were extremely outstanding, like a bonfire lit in the night, making it hard not to notice her.

A sudden exclamation rose from the crowd around the square.

"I saw her, it's the Dawn Princess!"

"The fleeing princess and the bird-droppings baron?"

"Oh~ Now there's a good show to watch!"

"Come over and take a look."

People originally only watched the bustle around the square, but upon seeing the Dawn Princess, they disregarded possible danger and moved forward as much as they could.

The night in the Harbor District was already lively; passersby who heard the words 'Dawn Princess' were also drawn in, stopping or even rushing over to watch.

In a moment, a crowd of unknown origin surged, and the spectators around the square suddenly increased, becoming almost too many to count.

And still they gathered more! In a dark corner of the square, the commander of the Black-Iron Guard, Mage Ande, let out a low angry curse.

Mage Ande

"Where is Todd? Did Todd's brain cramp?!"

He had issued an order early on to forcibly take the princess amidst the chaos.

But just now there were clearly plenty of good opportunities, yet his order was never carried out, resulting in the situation deteriorating to this awful state.

He wished to flay alive all members of the Fifth Battalion responsible for carrying out the order.

The captain of the Fifth Battalion, Todd, came over covered in dirt and said, "Sir, the situation is not right."

Ande snapped, "What's not right? Did someone pull your rubber ball or stab your ass?"

While speaking, he also ordered another group of subordinates: "Hurry over, block the princess, keep her protected in the middle, and absolutely do not let her get near the baron."

This group numbered over a hundred, and they immediately rushed out from their hiding place to block Selena's path.

On the other side, Todd hastily defended: "Sir, we had just locked onto the princess, successfully completed the ambush, and quietly brought the person back to the manor."

"But she looked like a princess outside, yet once inside the manor she turned into a mere log!"

"Moreover, our ambush on Lady Agneth encountered the same situation."

"I suspect a powerful expert, an Arcane Master skilled in Transformation Technique and Puppet Art, is secretly meddling!"

Ande was startled, his anger instantly retracting.

The situation spiraled out of control, and an unknown powerful force appeared!

Just then, a new change appeared ahead.

The princess saw the Black-Iron Guard coming to intercept and, without hesitation, used the Divine Movement Technique.

Divine Movement Technique

The Divine Movement Technique is an advanced version of the Wind Movement Technique, with absolute speed more than double that of the latter.

A blue light flashed; the princess dodged the interception, successfully reaching the bird-droppings baron's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him and firmly grabbing his hand.

The situation slid toward the direction Mage Ande least wanted to see.

He felt his forehead veins throbbing 'thump-thump-thump', and a thought arose in his mind.

"Tonight, something big is bound to happen!"

After a brief hesitation, he immediately issued a new order.

"Everyone, rush forward and tightly guard the princess, protecting her safety at any cost!"

This time he brought a full 500 people, deploying one-third of the Black-Iron Guard, and with Master Shahelamu present to hold the fort, it should—no, it will surely protect the princess's safety.

As he led people to guard the princess, the spectators in the Flower Garden Square also increased to an unimaginable extent.

All that could be seen was a sea of black heads, the number already impossible to count.

In the center of the square, a standoff formed between the Black-Iron Guard and the Aaron Night Guard, while the princess and the bird-droppings baron were firmly protected in the middle by the Black-Iron Guard.

Obviously, Blood Flame Salas also hadn't expected the situation to rapidly develop into this state.

He released a Spiritual Whisper toward the opposing Ande.

"I say, what are you doing, really planning to go to war with Aaron?"

Ande felt bitter inside; this was hardly what he wanted to do.

He had no choice!

The princess revealed her true appearance, and while she wholeheartedly wanted to protect her husband, with so many watching, could she really stand by and let the Weilan Princess die at the hands of the Aaron Night Guard?

Although the Duke gave an ultimate solution, it was terribly bad and absolutely cannot be used until the very last moment.

At this moment, facing Salas's covert questioning, he could only smooth things over.

"The princess's emotions are a bit agitated; wait a moment, I'll try to persuade her well."

Salas was quite irritable.

He just couldn't understand; clearly it was only a capture of a low-level mage, yet it turned into this dreadful state.

After all, this is Weilan's territory, and right up until the last moment he really didn't want to go to war with the Black-Iron Guard.

Thus he could only suppress his irritability: "Our patience is limited; you had better quickly settle the princess!"

Meanwhile, Ande subtly gestured to his trusted subordinate Todd, meaning: "Find a way to knock the princess unconscious."

After the other side confirmed the order, he approached Selena's side, wearing a wooden expression, and spoke in a formal tone:

"Your Highness, the Duke has ordered that you immediately return with us to Dawn Castle."

Selena took a deep breath, as if suppressing her anger: "Ande, I can go back with you, but not alone—I must return with my husband."

Ande inwardly gave a bitter smile: "Your Highness, if I could have brought you back, I would have done so already—why say that?"

The problem is, it's just not possible to bring her.

He could only keep his wooden face and say, "I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness."

You haven't yet received Mother Nature's blessing, so you are not truly husband and wife, therefore we have no obligation to protect the Baron.

He said this, and subconsciously glanced at Tuo De, who had already slipped silently behind the Princess, growing more anxious inside.

"Now you hurry up and act!"

He knew the Princess's temperament well and realized that since she had stepped forward, she could not go back alone with them; she could only come to force the issue.

Tuo De seemed to hear his thoughts, using his hand as a knife, silently slashing toward the Princess's neck.

He was a high‑level assassin, moving extremely fast, his force gauged with pinpoint precision, leaving virtually no room for error.

But just as his hand‑blade was halfway through, a hand suddenly emerged from the side and, with uncanny accuracy, grasped his wrist.

It was Luosen! He shouted, "What are you trying to do to Your Highness?!"

Tuo De wanted to struggle, but feared a big movement would hurt the Princess beside him, so he yielded, casting an embarrassed, pleading glance at Mage Ande.

Selena jumped at the turn of events, instinctively thinking it was an assassination, but quickly recovered, and upon reflection understood Ande's intention.

She erupted in anger, raised her hand and slapped Ande's face, producing a crisp "slap" sound.

"You bastard!"

Ande silently endured the blow, finally unable to keep his blank expression, a deep bitterness flashing on his face as he whispered a plea.

"Your Highness, please come back with us, I beg you."

Selena, of course, could not return.

She stared at the Black‑Iron Guard commander before her, recalling his actions, and suddenly conceived a terrifying possibility.

The possibility chilled her to the extreme, ten times colder than plunging into an arctic sea; she inhaled deeply and asked softly, "Ande, from the start my brother intended to sacrifice the Baron."

"He only agreed to my choice so I'd realize I had no other option, right?"

Ande sighed lightly, "Your Highness, we have no choice."

"What does that Baron matter? Should he just die?!"

"Precisely, it was Your Highness's choice that killed him. Of course, if you now beg King Aaron's forgiveness, perhaps they might spare his life."

"No! The Baron must die!"

The one speaking was Xue Yan Saras.

He flicked his tongue over his lips, like a shark that smells blood.

Selena felt a deep disappointment well up inside her, a profound disappointment in her brother.

She had once thought her brother was warm and reliable, but he was no longer there.

She still clung to a sliver of hope and finally asked Ande, "What if I don't go back with you?"

Ande sighed, "Your Highness, I can only say I'm very sorry, but I hope you will consider carefully."

Selena understood the subconscious, gripping the Sleeping Beauty staff so tightly that her knuckles clicked with a faint "clack."

"It was my brother's order, right?"

Ande remained silent, implicitly agreeing.

The warm illusion shattered completely, revealing the coldest reality, and Selena painfully closed her eyes.

After a long while, she opened her eyes, turned to look at Luosen, and saw Luosen watching her with worry.

He whispered, "Your Highness, don't be foolish; the guardian knights never wish the Princess to die for them."

His voice was as gentle as always, as if he were going for a walk rather than to die.

Selena's eyes warmed, and her vision quickly blurred.

Moved, sorrowful, disappointed, guilty—these emotions brewed in her chest until they coalesced into a raging flame of anger.

"Why is this happening?!"

"I, Weilan, Twenty‑fifth County, with tens of millions of people, separated from Aaron by a strait, how could we be pressed to this extent?!"

"Should I submit?"

"Never!"

Suddenly, she raised the Sleeping Beauty staff high, shouting with all her strength.

"By the divine name of Mother Nature Qi Ge Rui La Na, I, Selena Adrian, swear that from this moment I will stand together with my husband Luosen Saxon Baron, side by side resisting the alien invaders of Weilan until the last drop of blood drains from my body!"

The oath was shouted hoarsely, a flame erupting from the deepest soul, amplified by magic, spreading far into the night like thunder, shaking the hearts of every Weilan in the surrounding square.

Around the square, the crowd that had been chattering and watching the spectacle suddenly fell silent.

The vast garden square became instantly hushed, leaving only the "whoosh" of the sea wind.

But this was not stillness; it was the brief calm before the storm.

Ande was shaken by the oath, his spirit trembling, legs weakening, nearly dropping to his knees.

When he recovered, he sighed inwardly, "The situation has completely spiraled out of control. The Golden Rose will be stained with blood."

Xue Yan Saras's expression grew solemn as he slowly lifted the Blood‑drinker staff in his hand and shouted to the warriors behind him.

"Prepare for battle!"

At the same time, behind the garden square, atop the deep‑blue roof of Blue Whale Mansion, a man cloaked in a matching dark‑blue hooded cape gazed down at the square below.

His gaze fixed on the Princess and the "Baron" guarded in the center by the Black‑Iron Guard, and he smiled lightly.

"This winning game has finally reached the decisive move."

(End of Chapter)