As the small figure passed William's hiding spot, he quickly wrapped his right arm around her and covered her mouth with his left hand to keep her from screaming.
When the little girl saw that it was William holding her, she struggled in fear for a few seconds before calming down.
He pulled her back into a secluded corner and waited for the group of bandits heading their way to pass. Once they were out of sight, William looked down at the little girl in his arms.
"Shh," he whispered. The girl nodded repeatedly in understanding.
William reassured her again. "I'm going to let you go now, but don't make a sound, okay?"
Another nod.
As William moved his hand from her face, he noticed her wide, fearful eyes staring up at him, her entire face hidden by his hand but for her big, innocent eyes.
Seeing her comply and stay still, he smiled. "Good girl. I'll let you go now, but you have to follow me, alright?"
The girl nodded and then shook her head. As soon as he let go of her mouth, she clung to his neck like a little koala, refusing to be set down.
"My name's Emily Kyle. Thank you for saving me, Mr. Devonshire. Can I…?"
"Hold on, hold on," William interrupted. "Listen, kid, we can chat and take pictures after we get out of here. Once we're safe, you can talk as much as you want and take as many photos as you'd like. Now, can you tell me where your parents are? And can you get down? In England, young ladies don't usually cling to people like this."
"I'm only six years old! What does it matter?" she replied. "You don't know how far I ran to escape those bad guys. I can't walk anymore."
Realizing she wasn't about to let go, William had no choice but to carry her as he moved toward an empty room upstairs. "Where are your parents?"
Perhaps feeling safe now that an adult was holding her, or maybe because she was naturally independent, little Emily calmed down in just a few minutes.
But as he asked again about her parents, she tightened her grip around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. "Mom said Dad is serving in the military and can't come back right now. Mom had to work, so she couldn't bring me here, so my aunt took me instead," Emily said sadly. "Mr. Devonshire, I can barely remember what my dad looks like. The last time I saw him was my fourth birthday. Will you protect me?"
"Well…" William looked at the adorable, clever-eyed little girl in his arms, feeling a wave of sympathy as he remembered his own childhood being raised by his mother alone.
"Yes, of course. I'll protect you," he reassured her. "After all, I'm an English Duke. It's a noble's duty to protect clever, beautiful young ladies like you."
"Thank you! So that makes you my knight, right?"
"That's right." No sooner had he answered than she planted a kiss on his cheek, which only made him more fond of the sharp little girl he'd just met.
"You little charmer."
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire rang out—several sharp cracks that unmistakably belonged to a sniper rifle. William held Emily closer. "Don't be scared; I'm here. I promise I'll protect you."
Emily nodded, resting her head on his shoulder without a word.
William found an empty room, locked the door, and looked out the window. He saw several security guards in black suits or uniforms lying on the ground outside.
More gunfire erupted from the roof of the White Palace.
"Sunday, what's going on?" he asked.
Emily lifted her head in confusion. "Mr. Devonshire, who are you talking to?"
He chuckled. "I'm talking to my AI assistant. He'll let me know what's happening."
"Can I listen, too? I want to know if Aunt Fanny is safe," Emily asked quietly.
After a moment's thought, William reached into his coat pocket, retrieved a small earpiece from his storage space, and gently placed it in Emily's ear. "Alright, now you can say hello to Sunday."
"Hello?" Emily said uncertainly. "Where are you, Mr. Sunday?"
"Hello, Miss Emily. I'm Sunday, Mr. Devonshire's personal AI assistant. How may I assist you?"
"Oh my gosh, I can hear him!" she exclaimed. "Where are you? Why can't I see you? Is it like a phone call?"
"That's a good way to think of it," Sunday replied. "Ms. Fanny is currently in the East Wing lounge of the White Palace and is safe for the time being."
"Alright, little one, I need to get a sense of the situation here so I can get you out," William said.
"Alright," Emily nodded. "We'll talk later, okay, Mr. Sunday?"
"Of course, Miss Emily."
William patted her on the head. "Sunday, would hacking the White Palace's server create any risks?"
"No, sir."
"Good. Show me a route that avoids the rooftop snipers."
Had it not been for finding Emily, William would have escaped already, without the need to hide from rooftop snipers.
"Understood, sir," Sunday replied. A few minutes later, he reported back, "Sir, I've hacked into the White Palace's server. However, another hacker is trying to breach the system and appears to be attempting to take control of the entire network. Estimated time needed: 40 minutes."
"Where's Benjamin Arthur?" William took his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "Activate the 3D virtual map—I need to see all the routes and enemy positions."
As soon as he finished speaking, his phone emitted a holographic beam that displayed a 3D map of the White Palace, showing over a hundred red dots indicating enemies.
"Cool," William muttered, contemplating his next move when he noticed Emily's eyes fixed on the hologram. "What is that? What is that?" she asked, unable to look away.
"Sunday, go ahead and explain it to her," William said, rolling his eyes. The little girl was adorable, but her boundless curiosity was starting to test his patience, given his lack of experience with children.
Luckily, Sunday was there to answer Emily's questions while simultaneously updating William on the situation within the palace.
When Sunday finished his report, William thought for a moment. "So, not only are there over a hundred armed enemies outside, but they're also trying to use the server to take control of the USA's entire arsenal?"
"Yes, sir. If no one stops them, and the missile system is compromised, the USA will either have to risk full-scale warfare or destroy the White Palace completely to regain control."
"Well, for the sake of my own fortune, it looks like I'll have to clean up this mess for the Americans," William smirked. "Hopefully, Benjamin Arthur won't get kicked out of office for letting the White Palace be overrun twice in a row."
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