Adrian's guess was basically accurate, and Ann had already arrived at the palace when the Alban and Willard armies rallied on a certain frontier.
Knowing the characteristics of Marshal Gallagher's actions, the Prince's entire defense focused on facing the enemy head-on. No one expected that the famous first marshal would emerge from the sewer with only one companion.
Right now, the Gallagher Army is still pretending to be active outside the city, diverting its attention. Ann's actions worked wonders—people who saw the royal edicts were often shaken, while those in positions of authority who weren't there were convinced that the woman calling herself Andrea Alastair was a fake.
Contradictory messages and quarrels are transmitted through communication spar. Ordinary soldiers do not carry spar to record images, and real-time image transmission cannot capture those fleeting evidence.
While the generals of the Prince's faction were arguing over this point, two ghostly makeshift assassins had already arrived at the palace.
Ann raised her head, her entire field of vision was filled with the familiar and unfamiliar grand building. The ancient castle stands in the middle of the royal capital, and the sense of oppression from a close look is particularly amazing.
This is where she grew up, but now she still doesn't like the smell of it.
"Let's go, Mr. Wild Dog." The wound caused by the broken sword healed under the effect of the spell, but the pain and cold foreign body sensation lingered.
"You walk behind me, Your Highness," Gallagher muttered in his armor.
"My injury is fine."
"I know." The Marshal took a step forward without looking back. "I'm taller than you are. I'm in front and I can get the enemy's attention—and then you can attack by surprise."
"..." Ann raised her eyebrows in surprise and twitched the corners of her mouth. "it is good."
This time Gallagher Salt's tone was only serious and solemn, not arrogant.
Ann took out the black crystal that could sense a cat's beard before. Nemo was really not very good at making jewelry, and a good piece of spar was processed like a gravel on a riverbed. But the ugly shape will not hinder its function, and the delicate silver light of the stars condenses on one end of the crystal, indicating the direction for the two.
"As I said before, I have to ensure Delia's safety first." Ann touched the high-grade protective paper roll around her waist with her half-gloved fingers.
For safety reasons, the use of teleportation magic has always been prohibited near the palace. She couldn't teleport the little princess out - although Nemo and Ollie could do it together, not to mention the tumbleweed's position, it would be rash to concentrate all the troops in one place.
"Then we go to restrain the prince, as long as we can prove the time of the emperor's death. Desecrate the corpse, overstep control of the army, according to Alban's law, His Royal Highness Eldric will definitely lose his inheritance." To ensure that he remembered clearly, Marshal Gallagher responded quietly.
Gallagher took the emperor's evidence with him. As long as the two could control the prince, everything would be much easier.
"Don't kill him yet, Your Highness." The Marshal thought for a while, but decided to warn him again. “It’s better to act with room to spare.”
"… I know."
Go around the stone-brick walls covered with vines and climb over the garden. The two continued to move towards the lounge in the castle. Marshal Gallagher was wrapped in exquisite armor. An Yuan thought that his movements would be relatively inconvenient. But even though this young marshal was wearing metal armor, he moved as silently as a cat.
It's an advantage that can make people feel a little more pleasing to the eye.
It's a pity that things never went as smoothly as they thought.
"So many guards?" Delia's place was surrounded by guards, and Ann stuck her head out of the corner and frowned.
"Royal Guard." Galahbian raised his head a little higher, and he also stuck his head out from the corner of the wall, at least not being blocked by Ann's head. "Your Majesty's body should be here."
"Tsk." An tutted angrily, "That bastard."
"Although staying away from here is the least suspicious way, I think His Royal Highness Eldric is more willing to indirectly protect himself with the Emperor's escort."
"This kind of thing is whatever he wants, but he doesn't need to involve Delia right now." Ann's voice had a tendency to gradually become colder.
No matter from which point of view, now is not the time to involve the little princess.
Since the prince believes that the Princess Andrea found by Marshal Gallagher is a fake, he will not take special precautions here - Gallagher will only bring the "heir" directly to him, and will not remember a dispensable one. the princess.
He doesn't even have to kill her specially, as long as he releases the news of Trent blight, he can be a life saver - a princess suffering from Trent blight will inevitably pass this terminal illness to future children, in Airdrie In Prince Ke's heart, he might have long believed that he was the only bloodline of the Alastair family.
But the prince is indeed here.
"A rash attack will hurt Her Highness Delia." Marshal Gallagher reminded in a low voice, sensing Ann's tension.
He fumbled for a moment from the edge of the armor and took out a dull metal bead the size of a mung bean. Then Gallagher sighed, pierced his earlobe with his sharp gauntlet, and smeared the metal beads with blood.
The tiny runes light up one by one, and the entire steel ball becomes more and more transparent, as if it will soon dissipate into the air. Gallagher seized the opportunity, aimed at a servant who was advancing towards the gate of the confinement, and threw the translucent metal bead into the other's collar.
Then he drew a few runes on his palm with his blood-stained gauntlet, and then made an inviting gesture—An knowingly stretched out his hand and spread out his palm.
A string of blood runes was drawn on the palm of his hand, and a faint voice got into his ears. The sound does not seem to be surging with the air, but more like it is transmitted from the bones. But that's not the point, the point is what's in it.
indoor.
"Come with us to the hall, Delia." The prince did not sound nervous.
"Why?" The little princess sounded a little stiff.
"Two unknowing mice got in, and the hall is relatively safe."
"... You don't have to take me with you, uncle."
"Don't be headstrong, Delia. What if those gangsters hurt you?"
"Okay." After hesitating for a moment, Delia obediently agreed.
"Now?" Ann asked briefly.
"No." Gallaher said solemnly, "Although the terrain here can disperse the enemy, it is really not suitable for retreat, so let them go to the palace hall."
Delia has already obtained the medicine of the Necromancer, but the treatment is a long process. The little princess who was supported by the two maids looked a little pale, Delia's eyes were closed, and the metal bracket was still fixed on her leg.
Ann couldn't tell if she had regained the ability to walk based on observation alone.
The only consolation for the female warrior is that she wears black crystals that Nemo has hand-crafted, and Catbeard must have spotted them—which means Delia knows they're here.
At least the little princess will not be afraid of facing the unknown alone.
"We'll attack from behind when they're seated," Ann said in a very low voice, her lips barely moving. "I'm going to add protection to Delia, you make sure that my incompetent brother is outside the guard range and restrain him."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Many great nobles remained in the hall, trying to communicate information from the outside world as quietly as possible.
The ancient hall is spacious and grand, and the white reliefs covering the walls are inlaid with pure gold patterns. Under the delicate crystal ceiling, special candles with light fragrance are burning on tall and thin gold candlesticks. The position near the throne is covered with thick carpets with intricate and exquisite patterns, and the high dome even carries a bit of religious solemnity.
Manipulated by magic, the emperor's body sat on the throne, while the prince sat on the chair closest to the throne, looking relaxed and comfortable. Delia was sent to the prince's side by the maids, and the prince familiarly pulled out the seat beside him and motioned for his niece to sit beside him.
But the girl who looked like a beautiful doll had no intention of moving.
"Delia?" The prince raised his eyebrows.
The maids exerted their strength slightly, but the little princess remained motionless—everyone could see her resistance this time.
"Be obedient." The prince's voice was a little darker, "It will be fine."
"No." The little princess cleared her throat.
"Damn." Ann gritted her teeth. "She knew we were here, she…"
In the limited communication, Ann could not immediately see through the character of this niece. Delia Alastair undoubtedly has a strategy and wisdom far beyond her age, and her ability to control her emotions is also quite terrifying - not just anyone can "get along" with the murderer.
The little princess is generally calm in her recent exchanges, like wearing a mask made of ice, but there are occasional moments of excitement. Considering that the little girl was alone in the enemy's camp, An did not dare to reveal her identity too early, for fear that the other party would cause the prince's vigilance due to excessive emotional fluctuations.
Although her brother is headstrong, he is definitely not stupid.
But apart from all this, an instinctive worry has been entangled in her heart. Her niece, the child of her twin sister, had a certain thick darkness about her.
And the darkness was about to overflow now.
"No," Delia announced again.
"Uncle is going to be angry." There was no longer a smile in the prince's voice, and his tone became tough. "Sit down, Delia."
The delicate brackets on the little princess' legs clicked to the ground.
Before the maids and guards could react, she dexterously jumped in front of the emperor who was close at hand, her movements brisk and full of strength.
Then the right hand that had been holding the skirt swiftly waved out, a cold light flashed, and she cut the neck of the corpse without hesitation.
No blood spurted out.
"The emperor is long dead," she announced coldly, her amber eyes open, pointing in the direction of the prince.
"Delia?!"
"The emperor is already dead!" The little princess ignored the roaring prince and raised her voice. She directly proved the death of the emperor in the most mad and rude way, and the hall instantly became a mess.
Marshal Gallagher was about to rush forward, but was held down by Ann.
"Wait." She stared at Delia's face, "Wait a little..."
The Trent blight that was supposed to take away the opponent's mobility seemed to have lost its effect, and Prince Eldric himself knew very well that the medicine he gave Delia could not achieve such a curative effect.
The prince stood there, the expression on his face a little distorted. There was a mixture of anger and sadness on his face, and even a bit of doubt.
There was no need for further manipulation, and the emperor's body collapsed to one side. The black and red wound on the neck is like an open mouth, silently laughing at the chaos in the hall. And the young princess clenched the sharp blade and stayed where she was.
Without an order, no one dared to step forward for a while. Her beautiful eyes opened wide, and her icy gaze swept across everyone in the hall. Those eyes were too sharp, and in an instant, the nobles who had just exploded into a ball all held their breaths.
In the end, that gaze stopped on the prince.
The hall was silent.
"Uncle." The little princess' always dull expression came alive and turned into a sweet smile that sent chills down your spine. "What are you thinking, dear uncle?"
The guard beside the prince was about to move, but was stopped by a hand extended by Prince Eldric. The handsome middle-aged man stood up, the ease on his face disappeared.
"Your illness has been cured," he asserted calmly, but his body was shaking with anger. "It's also being controlled."
"Because your Delia is not such a person."
The little princess neatly untied the bow on the side of the maxi dress, cinching the obtrusive hem into an easy-to-move style. Her movements are extremely skilled, no matter how you look at it, it is the result of countless practice.
"Because your Delia has countless opportunities for revenge, but she didn't do it." Delia raised her chin, her voice continued.
"You've been tricked by the bad guys, Delia." The prince's tone began to sound irritable. "Throw that dangerous thing away and look at me—I'm the one who took care of you for eight years!"
Aldric has never been so frustrated.
The attackers did not appear at present, and most of Alban's heavyweights were present. He had made countless preparations, but whenever an intruder tried to prove that the emperor was dead, he would have a reason to detain the charge of "using unknown magic to assassinate the emperor and blame the prince".
But it was Delia who did it.
He couldn't kill all the big men present to seal up, otherwise the upper Albans would be completely in chaos.
He just wanted to revitalize the country, and the prince gritted his teeth. As if God was deliberately embarrassing, when he didn't know it, someone deceived this simple niece, and maybe even manipulated her - the opponent is definitely strong, and his unknown enemy even has the power to suppress Trent blight.
Or, his Delia is dead, and the corpse in front of him is also being manipulated.
But just after this thought passed, the little princess in front of her slowly slashed her palm with a dagger, dripping fresh blood immediately.
"You're thinking, I was deceived, manipulated, and maybe even died. You tried to test me." Delia still had that sweet smile on her face. "Am I right, uncle?"
"You're thinking, the blood is still hot, maybe she just died. Or maybe the girl wasn't Delia at all, and was transferred when you couldn't see it. Or - some magical wizard broke. The Illusion Destruction Array in this hall is performing some kind of advanced illusion."
It's like being able to read people's hearts.
Eldric felt his blood cold and his brain burning. At first, he thought this emotion was anger, but it was too far from anger—cold sweat was bursting on his back, and the surrounding air was rapidly cooling.
Maybe "fear".
He had never been so terrified, he could only guess so. Then he became more and more angry at himself so terrified - the prince swallowed and drew his sword.
"Delia, come back!" he cried hoarsely, "I can forgive you now."
"You're thinking, you can still find a reason to put it off... Dear uncle, guess why I would pick it up now?"
The young princess' dress was tied up high, and the blood stained the plain dress and stained the carpet under her feet. Something was moving on the beautiful intricately styled hair accessories—a dark spider crawled slowly down her cheek, resting on her bare shoulders, looking eerily terrifying.
Suddenly there was a sound of inhalation in the splendid hall.
"..." The prince stared at the spider, opened his mouth, but the shock gagged his throat.
The silly girl who had been following her ass for eight years had completely turned into a dangerous stranger. Everything that was firmly in the palm of the hand collapsed and turned into quicksand, and everything ran wildly in a direction that was out of control.
He began to feel… unspeakably uncomfortable.
"I had many chances to kill you. While leaning against you, when you smiled at me... At my mother's funeral, when you let me cry against your arms." There was a sense of sarcasm in the girl's voice getting thicker.
"But that's too fast, you're only going to be in pain for a little while. If you lengthen that time, I risk you being rescued. And you—until the moment you die, thinking, God, this is What a stupid woman, she doesn't know what she did. How can I let you die as a complacent victor?"
The malice in the little princess's voice sent chills to the limbs. She stood quietly in front of the throne, slender and thin, but no one dared to step forward. A thick and icy oppression slowly descended, like an icy reptile swimming across the skin.
The guards were silent, like stone carvings. This scene beyond common sense made the respected nobles begin to tremble. It is not that they have not seen a big scene, and even the Gallagher Army can maintain their composure when they hit the nose. But the scene was closer to irrational horror than danger—like a twisted, utterly out-of-common-sense nightmare.
"Let me tell you the emotion you're feeling right now is called 'pain'. Isn't it quite different from the words you've read? Let me tell you why you're not qualified to be king—"
"The so-called 'king' is the work of grading and sorting the 'pain' and 'despair' of everyone."
"It's not something 'smart' alone can do, dear uncle."