Chapter 89

Chapter Sixty-Two By Just You?!

After these words, the ostrich cart’s speed noticeably slowed down.

Edward lifted the curtain of the carriage. The temperature inside instantly turned cold, and a chilly wind blew in, carrying tiny snowflakes that fell and drifted onto my face.

It seemed to be lightly snowing outside.

“Haha, we’ve finally arrived.”

Edward rubbed his hands together, his face showing some excitement as he stretched his neck to look outside.

I slightly narrowed my eyes.

Yes, we’ve finally arrived.

“Let me see, let me see~ Lafayette, that coward, is still hiding in that ruined tower, too scared to come out?”

Ruined tower? Was Lafayette trapped inside some tower?

I tried hard to turn my eyes to look outside.

The light outside the carriage was somewhat yellowish, suggesting that it was nearing dusk.

At this moment, it seemed we were in a forest. Near and far, there were countless tall, unnamed trees covered in snow, their tops invisible as they continuously passed by the carriage. From my perspective, I couldn’t see the ruined tower Edward mentioned.

“Your Highness, let’s quickly resolve this matter.”

“I understand, I understand. I also want to see Lafayette’s expression… Varall, stop at the nearest defense line near the tower.”

“Crown Prince, you decide.”

Hmm…

Throughout this journey, I roughly pieced together Lafayette’s current situation from their intermittent conversation.

He should have been intercepted by Edward and the city guards on his way back. As he said, Lafayette was eager to see me and left some of his guards somewhere else, resulting in a severe shortage of manpower around him. The number of guards was vastly inferior to the city guards, so he had no choice but to hide with his people in a nearby ruined tower.

So far, the city guards haven’t broken through Lafayette’s defenses, and they can’t find a way to do so in the short term.

That’s why they need me… the same old tactic as three years ago?

The ostrich cart continued forward.

Gradually, the noise outside the carriage grew louder. Occasionally, black tents flashed by, and soldiers standing outside the tents stood upright, saluting the carriage with heads held high.

They wore uniform light armor, with long swords at their waists and light crossbows on their backs. They gradually overlapped with the memory of the pursuers.

These must be the city guards.

After passing through a simple wooden barrier, the ostrich cart stopped.

At this moment, a voice came from outside: “Is Crown Prince back?”

Hearing this, Edward got off the carriage. A man wrapped in a cloak, looking like a leader, came forward and knelt on one knee before him.

“Your Highness.”

He nodded slightly: “Get up. What’s the situation now?”

“Very sorry, Your Highness, we haven’t yet breached Count Lafayette’s defenses,” the leader of the city guards lowered his head in shame. “He has set up impenetrable ice spikes around the ruined tower. Our steel weapons can’t destroy them, and our light crossbows can’t penetrate the solid tower walls… However, last night we intercepted another guard trying to send a message, and I cut off his head and hung it on a flagpole.”

Edward laughed loudly.

“Well done.”

Looking at his happy expression, the leader of the city guards seemed puzzled and asked doubtfully.

“Your Highness, should we continue to besiege them? I believe they will run out of food in a few days.”

Edward waved his hand.

“We don’t have time to keep this up. The duke’s men could find us at any moment. If that happens, we’ll be the ones under siege.”

At this moment, the man wearing the gold mask also got off the carriage.

Seeing his appearance, the leader of the city guards immediately became alert, reaching for his sword at his waist.

Seeing this situation, Edward smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous, he is my friend.”

“Your Highness, who is he?”

Obviously, the leader did not relax his vigilance because of Edward’s words; his gaze remained fixed on the gold-masked man.

Edward seemed displeased.

“I told you, he is my friend.”

“Your Highness, the emperor ordered me to follow you and ensure your safety.”

“I am very safe right now. Put away your sword!”

“… Yes, Your Highness.”

The three of them stepped forward, walking out of my sight.

Perhaps feeling everything was under control, no one paid attention to me in the carriage, nor did the surrounding soldiers.

So I started moving my fingers… They felt so stiff, as if they didn’t belong to me.

Drawing up her knees, she wiggled her toes hidden in her boots. She then rotated her wrists and twisted her neck before turning sideways, allowing her left side, which had lost all sensation from being pressed for hours, to regain blood flow.

Her body’s state gradually recovered from numbness. She exhaled and listened intently to their conversation.

“Is Lafayette still inside?”

“Mm, no one can escape the city guards’ encirclement… Your Highness, shall we launch a strong attack?”

“No, no… Do you know why I left?”

“Why?”

“Of course, to give my dear Lafayette a big gift!”

“What does Your Highness mean…”

“You’ll see. Lafayette will soon fall into our trap and come out obediently to meet his death.”

“…Your Highness is wise.”

“Your Highness, we must hurry.”

“Alright, I understand. Commander Milton, sound the horn.”

“Yes.”

In the carriage, she slowly sat up.

She placed her feet on the wooden boards and gently moved her ankles and shoulders.

Woo—

The dull sound of the horn reverberated through the air, causing the birds roosting in the forest to flap their wings and flee.

“Form ranks!!”

Countless hurried footsteps approached from all directions, causing the carriage to tremble slightly. Soldiers gathered nearby, forming ranks as the noise grew louder.

“Han Yue—!”

“Han Yue—!!”

The shouts rose like waves, with Edward’s rampant jeers mixed within.

“Lafayette!!!”

“Hahaha!”

“La! Fa! Ye—!!”

“I brought you a big gift, aren’t you curious to see it!”

“Being holed up in a tower doesn’t make you a man!”

“Guess who I brought for you! Hahaha!”

“Lafayette—!”

After a moment, a low male voice came from afar.

“Edward, what do you want.”

The man’s voice was magnetic, something she had never heard before. But…

a strange sense of familiarity rose from her heart. She immediately understood that it was Lafayette—her brother’s voice.

The source of the voice was higher up, about a hundred meters away from her.

Having judged his position, she continued to move each part of her body to quickly return to her best state.

“Hahaha! Aren’t you eager to see your sister? I brought her for you!”

“What did you say?”

“I brought Pei Pei for you! How about it, would you like to see her one last time before you die, and thank me?”

“That’s impossible.”

“How, don’t you believe me!?”

“Where is she?”

“She’s in the carriage behind me! She’s now paralyzed by anesthetic powder and can’t move at all!” After shouting this, Edward’s voice suddenly lowered, clearly addressing the city guards: “You, go and carry the girl in the carriage over.”

“I want to see her.”

“Lafayette! Now! Immediately! Have your guards put down their weapons and come out of that damned tower! Don’t you want your sister to disappear again? This time, she might never come back!”

“Edward, stop with your cheap tricks. You probably don’t know that my sister has changed; she’s no longer weak.” Lafayette’s voice was resolute, “Pei Pei’s current identity… is the Pope’s Knight! A hero who single-handedly defeated the Abyss! You think you can bring her here?!”

For a moment, the sounds outside went quiet.

“…What did you say?”

“I said. I don’t believe you have the ability to make the current Pei Pei follow you willingly.”

“No, you just said…”

Footsteps approached the carriage, likely soldiers Edward had called to carry her out.

Sorry, you won’t be needed anymore.

Because there’s no need for me to continue acting.

She lifted the curtain and leaped out of the carriage with a light jump.

The snow beneath her felt soft.

She took a deep breath. Her slender arms were raised above her head, then stretched out, revealing half of her white, tender arm.

“Hmm—”

After a comfortable stretch, she looked up and saw the two city guards standing stunned in front of the carriage. A smile appeared on her lips.

“I’ll do it myself.”

One kick, one punch.

A robust figure flew back like paper, collapsing instantly.