The royal capital at night was exceptionally quiet. Over the past few days, the First Prince had maintained a high profile, summoning numerous high-ranking nobles to the palace. To any keen observer, it was obvious he was preparing for his coronation a month from now.
Inside Durin's blacksmith shop, Lucy, Jones, and Euphy sat gathered in Euphy's second-floor room.
"Jones, is it confirmed? That guy is taking the throne in a month?" Lucy asked, her voice cold.
"Yes. That was the conversation between them," Jones replied grimly. She stood by the window, arms crossed, staring out into the dark street. For the past two days, she had been infiltrating the palace to eavesdrop and search for the king's body; Lucy wanted to pay her final respects.
"A month? That's plenty of time," Lucy said, gritting her teeth. She wouldn't let Lucia ascend the throne so easily.
"Lucy, are you really going to do it?" Euphy asked worriedly. She knew a part of Lucy's plan.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine," Lucy said, patting Euphy's head.
Yesterday, she had handed a letter to a courier; they surely had channels to get it to Sedona city. Now that Catherine's situation was mostly resolved, it was time for her to take revenge on the First Prince. She couldn't bear the thought of letting Lucia take the throne so smoothly. Even if her actions only served to spite him, she was willing to do it.
If she didn't cause some trouble for Lucia, she would feel a lingering resentment leaving the capital, not knowing when she might return.
While Lucy had great confidence in Lucas—especially with her help—she believed that even if they couldn't overthrow Lucia entirely, they could at least carve out half the territory and declare a kingdom. Everything she was doing now was for revenge.
"When do we start?" Euphy whispered.
"Starting tomorrow, I want the truth about Lucia murdering our father to spread through the capital," Lucy said firmly, her eyes flashing with a sharp, resolute light. "I don't believe for a second those high nobles won't be tempted to act."
When the king was alive, he could suppress the ambitious nobles. After all, the three duchies were formed by breakaway dukes. It wouldn't surprise Lucy at all if other high nobles were eyeing that model. She had read many books; in the past, she hadn't focused on politics, but thinking about it now, she realized the Kingdom of Siacan was already terminally ill.
The power of the high nobles was too great. The First Prince's ascension actually required him to court the support of more than half of them. If the nobles below had ulterior motives and joined forces in secret, the First Prince would be overwhelmed. A single rebellion would be enough to cost him his sleep and peace of mind.
"Something's wrong!" Jones's expression shifted. Her eyes locked onto a shadow suddenly appearing outside the window.
In the dark street, figures were moving through the shadows, and flashes of white light flickered.
"What is it?" Lucy stood up abruptly.
"We've been discovered." Jones's face went pale. She slipped her fingers into her claw-blades, flexing them.
The blacksmith shop was being surrounded. The men were dressed as knights, but Jones had never seen their kind before—their armor was pure white, and its luster suggested it wasn't made of mere silver.
"How did we get exposed?" Lucy gritted her teeth. She hadn't left the shop at all.
"They probably figured Euphy was an acquaintance of yours and guessed you'd be hiding here," Jones analyzed, frowning.
"In that case, you two need to hide, quickly!" Euphy spun around in a panic, at a loss for what to do.
"There... is nowhere to hide," Lucy said bitterly. Euphy's room was tiny and cluttered with ironware; there wasn't a single spot to conceal a person.
She had been planning her revenge on Lucia, only to be exposed first. Was this fate? Lucy gazed blankly into the darkness outside. Were all her hopes going to fail today?
"I'll fight our way out," Jones said, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Jones, you go. With your skills, you can make it," Lucy said seriously. "I'll be fine. He won't kill me; he'll just put me under house arrest and use me as a bargaining chip."
"Never," Jones refused coldly.
"No, listen to me," Lucy grabbed the leopard-eared girl as she reached for the door, whispering urgently, "Isn't Lucas sending people to rescue Catherine? When they arrive, you can come back and save me too."
She had to calm her down, or Jones really would try to slaughter her way out alone. The palace was nothing like a Duke's manor. Lucy suspected that once she was locked away, the only time she'd see the sun again would be when she was being traded away.
Rescuing someone from the palace would be harder.
CRASH!!!
A thunderous boom echoed as the ground floor door was forced open.
"Who are you?!" Durin's gruff, angry voice roared.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing weapons followed immediately. Durin was fighting the knights, but he was hopelessly outnumbered. After a brief struggle, the sound of a heavy thud signaled he had been defeated.
Clomp, clomp, clomp...
The sound of iron boots treading on wooden planks grew louder. Lucy's anxiety spiked, and she frantically pushed Jones toward the window.
"Go! Now! Don't worry about me!" Lucy urged. She would be safe for the time being if caught, but if the leopard-eared girl were captured, she would be tormented to death immediately.
"Wait for me." Jones bit her lip so hard it bled. She stared at Lucy intensely for a moment before leaping out of the window and vanishing into the night.
SLAM!
The bedroom door was kicked open, and three knights in white armor stormed in.
"The target is here." The lead knight scanned the room and immediately pointed toward the window for the others.
Without a word, one knight rushed to the sill, saw the footprints, and vaulted out. The second followed right behind him.
"You two, come with me," The lead knight said icily.
"What happened to my father?" Euphy cried out in distress.
"He's unconscious," The knight replied indifferently.
"..." Lucy pursed her lips. With her intelligence and knowledge of the palace, she knew these knights didn't belong to Lucia. It seemed another power had joined the fray, and they were the ones who had sniffed out her hiding spot.
Lucy was right. These men were the paladins of the Luminous Creed.
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